If the new Paramount Plus series was indicative of a chess game, then the second episode of Halo would be the streaming version of putting the pieces on the board. On the one hand, it's nice that the writers of the show are taking their time to make sure that the game is really set before people start playing it. On the other hand, there are more exciting ways to set up the game board than what this show did in "Unbound." Whether the relatively slow pace of Halo's second-ever episode works will likely be seen in the very near future, but for now it made for an episode that didn't really do anything and wasn't great at holding the attention of viewers who were hoping for a little more action.

What "Unbound" did do pretty well, was shown exactly how the Spartans and Master Chief, in particular, have been brainwashed by the UNSC. The episode opens with a young Master Chief and what is apparently his good friend, Soren-066 (Bokeem Woodbine). The two were going to be making a break for it and escaping from the UNSC and living a life of freedom. However, while it appears Master Chief - otherwise known as John - had originally agreed to run away with Soren, he's had a change of heart that greatly upsets Soren.

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The exchange between the two allows dialogue to fill in the blanks as to what happened to the children who were entered into the program that turns them from regular marines into the Spartans. Soren tells John that the program actually "took" his arm and holds up a mangled appendage. On the other hand, John's damage appears to be in his mind, considering he's not willing to run away despite the people in charge, and Dr. Halsey are truly evil people.

Halo Dr Halsey

The argument could be made that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for Dr. Halsey to mangle Soren's arm, considering he's a soldier but it certainly makes a statement as to just how far Dr. Halsey is willing to go in order to experiment on the young people under her charge. The bit is also able to show just how controlled even a young Master Chief is when he gives his good friend only five minutes to get away before he alerts the entire camp that Soren is making a run for it. Woobine's character even asks him for 10 minutes and John makes it clear it's five or nothing.

After another scene that shows just how much the higher-ups don't really care about the Spartans, this episode of Halo jumps into the "present" where Master Chief and Kwan Ha are on the run from the UNSC after making their escape in the series premiere of the Paramount Plus show. Eventually, they run to a place that is supposed to be well hidden from the army, but Master Chief appears to be able to find it with no effort at all. Space is a pretty big place, it's a bit weird that an entire colony of outlaws would have no problem with the biggest, baddest law enforcement officer in the galaxy to find them so quickly and easily.

Of course, it's clear that they had to be found so that a grown-up Soren could explain to the almost always helmetless Master Chief even more why the things that the UNSC did to him are not good. At this point, it does appear as though the show has made its point. John doesn't understand just how much his thoughts and deeds are not his own. He apparently can't even taste things because of the "treatments" his handlers have given him.

Halo Spartans

This is one of the biggest problems with "Unbound." The show demonstrated quite well in the first episode that this version of Master Chief is now a man that is running solo and no longer bound to his handlers. It was also established in that episode and the beginning of this second episode that he had been brainwashed to do and think certain things. It doesn't really feel like the entire episode had to be dedicated to that as well.

Of course, there was another reason for the best Spartan in the UNSC to go to this particular outpost and that was to find out what the object that had freed him really was. It appears that he does indeed find that out to some degree, but even that seems like it could have been done in a way that takes up quite a bit less time and shown off the same things that took most of the episode.

If there is one thing this episode did well, it's that it set up what might be coming next. That includes an eventual spy from inside the Covenant managing to infiltrate the UNSC in order to try and get the object that Master Chief took on Madrigal. Makee, who is mostly referred to as The Beloved by the Covenant ruling class could be one of the more interesting characters on the show if she's done right.

Halo Master Chief No Helment

The person that is about to become a defacto spy chief for The Covenant is something special for no other reason than she is indeed a person. It appears that the show wants viewers to know that despite this fact, she has no love lost and is not remotely torn about who her people really are at this point. Of course, it makes some sense that there could eventually be a change as the series roles on, but brief glimpses into the show through trailers show someone who has no qualms taking down as many humans as she wants.

Now that the chess pieces appear to be set up on the board, it's possible that Episode 3 of Halo could be quite a bit more explosive than "Unbound" it could even be more explosive than the series premiere. At the same time, if the series is going to be as slow-moving and contemplative as it has been so far, it might have a bit of a problem on its hands.

Halo is now available on Paramount Plus with new episodes launching every Thursday.

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