Halo Season 2 Episode 6 Recap: Onyx (Spoilers)

Halo Season 2 Episode 6 starts the downhill sprint toward the end of the season – with only two more episodes to follow this one. With the finish line coming into view, Episode 6, "Onyx" didn't waste a moment, either setting up crucial new stakes following the Fall of Reach and the licking of wounds thereafter, or finally paying off mysteries and/or conflicts that go back to the Season 2 premiere. 

Needless to say, by the time the end credits roll on Halo Season 2 Episode 6, we're poised for one thrilling ending to this sophomore season. 

Halo Season 2 Episode 6 "Onyx" Recap (SPOILERS) 

That Spartan Life – We find Corporal Talia Perez (Cristina Rodlo) on a mission with a Spartan Javelin unit in white armor with gold helmets, deployed in space to take down a Covenant Corvette ship. The unit is rocky from the start: colliding with one another when approaching the enemy ship, and isorganized tactics when they infiltrate the ship. Perez is blown around and watches many of her comrades get taken out. She is one of the last two survivors with a Spartan called Mullens, infiltrating the bridge of the ship to deliver "the spike" that will shut it down. Mullens gets blown apart by a needler shot, and Perez almost gets the spike into the control deck, before she is killed as well. In a twist, we see the actual Corporal Perez wake up from the simulation she's just run, along with her fellow Spartan cadets, under the command of Kai-125 (Kate Kennedy). Kai admonishes that unite of cadets for failing their mission, pointing out all the Covenant's technical advantages, and their own tactical errors, on a monitor screen. Kai responds to a cadet's assessment saying their unit does not in fact function like a good hive of bees yet; Perez has clear tension with Kai, claiming that the commander's assessment is B.S. compared to the reality of battle. In the hallway, Perez challenges Kai to explain their beef, hurling the accusation that Kai is jealous that Perez fought in the Battle of Reach while Kai did not. Kai counters that surviving one battle doesn't make one an expert on war. 

ONI Power Struggle – Admiral Margaret Parangosky (Shabana Azmi) and Col. James Ackerson (Joseph Morgan) meet for tea, with Parangosky explaining the history of tea leaves and the discipline to cultivate them – only to reveal that the tea they are drinking was in fact created in a lab below the facility on Onyx – all because she ordered it to be done. With that metaphor in place, Parangosky starts pressing Ackerson about the rumors of a ship entering their airspace on the last day – as well as rumors of Catherine Halsey (Natascha MNcElhone) being sighted on Aleria, with "the largest human" witnesses have ever seen. Ackerson insists it's all rumor – but Parangosky is clearly skeptical, saying they will soon find out if the rumors are just that. We cut to outside the facility, where Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) is clearly surveying the base for infiltration. 

[Opening Credits Roll]

Are They Spartans? – Kai-125 is seen in a furious battle that resembles the Battle of Reach. The simulation gets paused by Ackerson, who inquires whether Kai is truly training for simply punishing herself for not fighting on Reach. Ackerson claims that Master Chief is gone and that Kai needs to start believing in her new unit of Spartans. Kai inquires whether or not these recruits are truly Spartans in the sense that truly matters (their mind and hearts). Ackerson reminds her that it is her job to make these soldiers into true Spartans – and make them believe that they are. 

Finding Kessler – Soren-066 (Bokeem Woodbine) and his wife Laera (Fiona O'Shaughnessy) meet with Halsey on Soren's ship, where she's examining the helmet belonging to their son, Kessler (Tylan Bailey). Soren knows Halsey is working out some kind of leverage to bargain for her own life – and he's right. Halsey trades the knowledge that she knows where ONI is keeping Kessler on Onyx. Meanwhile, Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha) is walking outside the ship and spots that mysterious religious priestess whom Master Chief saw die on Sanctuary, and has been appearing to Kwan with a warning. Kwan starts to follow her into the snow-covered woods. 

Where It All Started – Soren tells Master Chief that Onyx is where ONI began, while Chief recalls that there are no real records about the planet or UNSC's history there. The two are surveying the facility where Kessler is being held; Chief concludes that ONI is still making Spartans. 

Fight Time – Kwan pursues the mysterious vision of the woman until she finds a squad of ONI soldiers. Laera runs up to Chief and Soren announcing that Halsey has escaped – but they aren't surprised. As the ONI squad starts shooting at Kwan, Chief ignores Soren's warning about his battle damage and engages, taking down much of the squad before reinforcements show up to detain him. Soren and Laera escape to find Kessler, while Kwan escapes to follow the mystery woman. 

Down the Well – The religious figure leads Kwan to a well in the woods. Kwan is looking down the deep chasm when gunfire erupts around her, forcing her to jump in. The fall is long but at the bottom, she's caught by a gravity device that hovers her over the ground, and Halsey is waiting there with a smirk. Halsey knows about the chamber they're in, claiming it was "where it all began," and powering up the lights, which still work after "20 years." Halsey claims she used to practically live down there, hinting that it was where she found the Halo keystone. Halsey teases Kwan about ruining her best work (Master Chief) by awakening his mind but admits it may yield greater results of her experiment in the long run. 

Mark of the Arbiter – Var 'Gatanai (Viktor Åkerblom) completes the Covenant ritual of becoming The Arbiter by branding his chest with the mark of shame. After donning his armor The Arbiter comes to the bridge of his ship to find a Covenant priest questioning "The Blessed One" Makee (Charlie Murphy). The priest questions The Arbiter as well, wanting to know why his ship broke off from the Covenant fleet at the capitol city High Charity. The Arbiter and Makee have not informed their crew they've gone rogue, and are seeking Halo themselves, so The Arbiter plays coy, saying their mission comes to him from the Heirarchs. The priest points to rumors of Makee influencing things, but the Arbiter says she means nothing. When the priest attempts to kill Makee, The Arbiter stops him by saying her life The Hierarchs to take. That delays things for the moment, but the priest is clearly eager to get word from the Covenant leaders himself. Makee promises The Arbiter she is communing with the Keystone, but Cortana appears and makes her doubt whether her ruse is working. 

Spartan Danger Room – In a new simulation, Perez tries to lead her Spartan unit; she rallies the troops to abandon tactics and fight together based on the reality of the situation – to adapt. She throws out a frag and leads a charge, breaching the bridge and getting her unit to the mission objective: delivering the spik. The Covenant ship is shut down and the Spartans begin extraction – only to find the simulation radically changing around them. Dark halls, no Covenant, and Perez can't relax about it. She comes out of the simulation to find her comrades celebrating, but she's suspicious of why things ended that way. Kai gives Perez cold congratulations and advises her to "take the win." 

Prison Break – The commander that Master Chief nearly battled at the Visegrad Relay is the one holding him prisoner, with a squad of soldiers holding him in place using multiple steel ropes. When the commander leaves, Master Chief breaks free, thrashing the squad with their own cables. The scene changes to a camera shot, with Ackerson and Kai watching his escape. Ackerson questions whether Kai told him everything about Master Chief prior to the Battle of Reach, and Kai finally confesses about Chief seeing Makee on Sanctuary. Ackerson asserts that John-117 is working with Makee, and that's how he survived the Fall of Reach. He also confides that Visegrad was a cover operation for the Covenant, who stole one of the Keystones from SWORD Base. Ackerson shares that the other keystone is on Onyx, and asserts that it's the reason Master Chief came there – to steal it. 

The Fallen One – Makee talks with Cortana, confessing that she has lost her ability to commune with the Keystones, and that something in the interaction between her and John shifted her connection. Cortana pulls up the recording of the vision of Halo that Makee and Chief saw in Season 1, but Makee gets upset, saying she can no longer sense it. Cortana offers to use telemetry to formulate a roadmap to Halo – if Makee will give her access to the ship's systems. Makee thinks Cortana is playing her, but Cortana counters that Makee has little choice – she needs the help if she's to survive. 

Things Have Changed – As Master Chief sneaks through the ONI base getting intel, Halsey confesses to Kwan down in the ruins that the cave systems she knew so well have all been changed from when she last saw them. Kwan sees the vision of the religious woman and feels like she's still being led toward something. Master Chief is discovered by Kai, prompting the talk about her dessertion on Reach, and the fate of her fellow Silver Team members Riz and Vannak. Kai questions whether Chief is working with Makee, and Chief tries to get her to see that ONI is responsible for the Fall of Reach, and leaving the Spartans to die. The two can't see eye to eye, and things quickly turn physical, with Kai (in her armor) slamming Chief into a wall. Kai beats Chief down, telling him there's only one outcome. Chief doesn't fight: he tells Kai that Vannak and all of them died the moment they became Spartans. Kai keeps beating him, while Chief keeps calling on her to think for herself, Kai beats Chief bloody until he's unconscious. Ackerson and Parangosky watch through the cameras. Parangosky consoles Ackerson that Master Chief's memory is much more valuable to the future of the Spartan program than the broken man troubling them now. When Ackerson doesn't seem to share that faith, Parangosky claims that his lack of belief in god should mitigate any concerns about his soul. 

Onyx Is Infiltrated – Parangosky is called to the command center: planetary communications have been compromised by an incoming transmission. She clears the room, realizing that it is Cortana making contact with her. At the same time, Master Chief regains consciousness when he also picks up Cortana's signal. Chief is down and seemingly out, having lost his Spartan "family," but Cortana convinces him to get up and keep fighting, as The Covenant, and Makee, are about to reach the Halo rings. Cortana tells Chief that it is "imperative" that he get there first. When she name-drops Makee and The Arbiter, Chief has all the bloodlust needed to get back in the fight. To find them, Cortana instructs him to find and once again commune with the artifact, before vanishing. 

Cortana Moves – Cortana appears to Admiral Parangosky with the intel she gathered from the Covenant ship. Cortana declares her mission parameters fulfilled, thereby revealing what deal she struck with Parangosky after being separated from Master Chief (before the Season 2 premiere). Cortana warns Parangosky that even with the intel, the odds of the UNSC launching a successful attack without massive losses is slim to none. Parangosky dismisses Cortana to continue spying on the Covenant until she cannot anymore. Cortana asks if she will be remembered once her functions are over; Parangosky counters by asking how she could ever be forgotten. Cortana returns to The Arbiter's ship with Makee, echoing that "Nothing can be undone." 

Family Reunion –  Halsey and Kwan find out who has been doing new excavation of the caves, and it turns out to be Halsey's daughter, UNSC Commander Miranda Keyes (Olive Gray). Halsey is mad that her years of research is being handled by those she sees as lesser; Miranda coldly thanks her mother, saying sarcastically that if not for all of Halsey's research she would've never spotted the mistake in it. 

They're Coming - Soren and Laera enter a chamber of the facility and find it eerily empty. When Laera asks where they are, Soren responds "Thermopylae," referencing the famous Spartan vs. Xerxes battle seen in 300. Soren spots something on the ground (that could be a blood clot or dirt), and tells Laera that they have to go, because "they are coming." 

Sim Life – Kai is running through the simulation that the Spartan Javelin team ran through, but is approached by Ackerson when she's about to put in the spike and finish the mission. Ackerson is happy to learn that the Javelin team completed the sim, but Kai is suspicious about why there is no true ending to it. Ackerson tries to placate her, claiming the sim is meant to push soldiers and ultimately give them hope. He says that Kai should be proud of giving her Spartans the hope of being great, but Kai confronts him with the information about Reach Master Chief told her. Ackerson admits that ONI knew the Fall of Reach was coming and took the action they took to save the assets they did. Ackerson confesses that he's already sicked the Black ops unit of ONI to deal with Master Chief. 

Reunited And It Feels So Good – Master Chief follows Cortana's direction to the Artifact, amazed by her ability to open doors and handle intel for him in real-time. Chief clearly likes being back with his AI partner and reaches the Artifact in no time. 

Religious Division – That suspicious Covenant priest exposes Makee to The Arbiter after discovering Cortana was the source of the transmission from the ship to the UNSC. The priest demands The Arbiter do what must be done and kill Makee, and The Arbiter says that all "true believers" will stand with him. He then executes the priest's companions, sparking a violent battle on the bridge of the ship. 

Re-connection – Makee crawls away from the warring Covenant and approaches the Artifact, making contact with it just as Chief touches the one on Onyx. It's clear the connection affects them both. 

[End Credits Roll]

Halo Season 2 releases new episodes on Thursdays only on Paramount+.