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Halo ends its freshman run with a standout episode and some intriguing unanswered questions that will run into the next season. This recap of Paramount+ series Halo season 1, episode 9, “Transcendence,” — the finale and ending explained — contains spoilers.
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- Halo's first season ends with an anticlimactic but emotionally satisfying finale.
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- Halo: The TV Series Season 1 Finale Review - "Transcendence"
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By Jesse Schedeen
Updated: May 21, 2022 2:50 am
Posted: May 19, 2022 10:00 am
Warning: this article contains full spoilers for Halo: The TV Series Episode 9! If you need a refresher on where we left off, here's IGN's review for Episode 8.
Halo has reached the end of its first season, and there's certainly drama to spare heading into the finale. Makee has been outed as a Covenant spy, making her the latest in a long line of people who have betrayed and lied to Master Chief. The Covenant now possesses both artifacts pointing the way to the Halo. While the threat of complete annihilation looms over the planet Reach, Master Chief is too busy fighting his fellow Spartans to save the day. All of this makes for a compelling foundation, so it's unfortunate that "Transcendence" never fully capitalizes on that potential.
To get the elephant out of the room first, it would seem Makee's betrayal in Episode 8 wasn't meant to set up the show's version of the Fall of Reach -- not immediately, anyway. As much as it seemed like the climax of "Allegiance" was laying the groundwork for a full Covenant assault on the UNSC's home planet, that's not what we get in "Transcendence." What follows is instead a smaller, more straightforward conflict involving Master Chief leading an assault on the Covenant homeworld.
It's certainly not fair to knock this episode solely because it doesn't follow the expected path. But this does speak to the generally anticlimactic quality of the finale, where the stakes never feel quite as high as they should be. Even the idea of Master Chief leading a suicide mission into the heart of Covenant territory sounds better on paper than in practice. At this point, Silver Team seems shrouded in plot armor more durable than any MJOLNIR suit. With no Spartan deaths and only Master Chief himself paying a heavy price, this latest battle lacks the gravitas one would expect from a season finale. This episode also raises some big WTF questions, not least of which being why no one on the team thought to assassinate the Covenant leadership while the Prophets stood floating dumbly in the background.
That mission does lead to what is easily the show's biggest and most game-inspired action scene to date. Not since the premiere has an episode paid so much attention to replicating the look and feel of a Halo Firefight match. Not just the weapons and enemies, but even the environment itself feels ripped straight from the games. Naturally, that devotion to the games has its plusses and minuses. The shootout is fun to watch, but it's another reminder that the show still faces some major limitations on the special effects front. Not to mention the use of first-person perspective is quickly growing old. It's a novelty that doesn't really serve a useful storytelling purpose.
It's unfortunate that Halo can't quite sustain the momentum it was able to build in recent episodes. Episode 8 in particular seemed to be setting the stage for a massive war between the UNSC and Covenant, but what we get in the finale is more of an anticlimactic skirmish. The series does channel the distinctive sci-fi combat of the games, even if t...
Review scoring
good
Halo's Season 1 finale is disappointingly anticlimactic in some ways, but the nonstop barrage of action and emotionally resonant character moments ultimately win the day.
Jesse Schedeen
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May 19, 2022 · The first season of the Halo TV series has finally reached its conclusion. Episode 9, Transcendence, packs a series of small shock reveals and gotchas that work hard to push things into place for season two, which has already been confirmed.
May 19, 2022 · The following contains spoilers for Halo Season 1, Episode 9, "Transcendence," streaming now on Paramount+. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance during the Halo Season 1 finale, as the UNSC and Covenant race to use the Forerunner artifacts to pinpoint the location of the fabled Halo ring.
- Host / Interviewer
May 19, 2022 · The drama reaches boiling point as Halsey tries to make a devastating escape. Kai tries to prevent the escape, but Halsey rushes off. Kai crashes and almost dies, but she emerges...
May 19, 2022 · Chief, Vannak, and Riz happen to get to the hangar after it’s too late and witness Makee fly off in a Phantom. Kai, in turn, is able to get to Halsey’s ship and jump aboard before she leaves ...
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May 19, 2022 · Master Chief tries to convince Vannak and Riz to work with him. Keyes confirms what John tells them about Halsey’s manipulations, but it’s really the urgency of the Covenant threat that ...
