Halo Review: Transcendence (Season 1 Episode 9)

Halo Season 1 Episode 9, “Transcendence,” brings a wildly uneven debut season to an end with an equally chaotic season finale. 

Overall, Halo Season 1 has been characterized by often incomplete storytelling and some odd choices for characters. “Transcendence” isn’t a massive departure from the story so far. 

The story set up on Halo Season 1 Episode 8, “Allegiance,” arrives at a boiling point during the hour, and it sometimes works. After Master Chief’s betrayal by pretty much everyone, this feels like an understandable place to find this character.

So much of Master Chief’s character development has been a contrast between struggling to find his autonomy and being used by those around him. The fact that he squarely takes hold of his own destiny is worth celebrating.

Arguably, Master Chief’s most stable relationship has been with Cortana (Jen Taylor), which is incredibly evident during this episode. Master Chief’s ability to trust this constant presence shows how far he’s come this season.

Not all of the emotional moments during “Transcendence” are earned. Master Chief’s final choice to fully trust Cortana is an exception. This is especially significant since Master Chief has spent so much of the season resisting Cortana’s influence.

After Cortana chose to aid Master Chief rather than control him, the payback is arguably the best pay-off of the season. 

Another strength evident in this season finale is the camaraderie amongst the Spartans themselves. It’s unfortunate that this dynamic hasn’t been explored as much as it could have been.

All of the Spartans have the same dark sense of humor, which makes their banter work exceptionally well.

Relatedly, one perhaps surprising strength of Halo is the character of Kai. Her journey is a compelling one that isn’t given the screen time it deserves.

Her parallel journey to Master Chief’s is almost more interesting. Kennedy herself is magnetic and such a perfect fit for this role. There is such a depth to this character. Hopefully, she will get more of the spotlight in Halo Season 2. 

Unfortunately, there’s much about “Transcendence” that mainly falls flat. 

Makee’s story, in particular, ends with a whimper. Perhaps this was where her character was meant to end up all along, but it ultimately reads as anti-climatic since her overall plan or endgame has arguably never been clear. 

Kwan’s absence is felt here, and it’s frankly disappointing.

Her set-up on Halo Season 1 Episode 8, “Allegiance,” as a Protector kind of leaves an implication that she should have a more significant role for the big finish. Alas, it’s not to be. 

The bait-and-switch, making us think the series would be based around her and Master Chief at the beginning of this season, is part of the problem. 

Their dynamic as a team is an interesting one, that has a lot of potential. Hopefully, a Season 2 reunion is in the cards to re-visit this partnership.

Kwan’s story has too often been left to the side and thus has often been far less than interesting. There’s undoubtedly plenty to explore with this character, trying to reignite her father’s rebellion. 

Although much lip-service service is paid to the idea of a coming day of reckoning and taking accountability, there’s precious little of either featured during this episode. 

Halsey looks pretty darn comfortable when we leave her. As Master Chief says, perhaps her day of reckoning isn’t today or tomorrow, but it is coming…hopefully. 

Finally, the final battle between the UNSC (United Nations Space Command) and the Covenant is really interesting. Everything’s been leading to this, even if the steps along the journey haven’t always been fully developed. 

As someone decidedly unfamiliar with the game itself, the final battle is the most video game this series has felt. It will be interesting to see if fans of the game feel the same. 

If the goal of Halo Season 1 has been to world build outside of the iconic game on which the series is based, it’s achieved various levels of success. 

The series has clearly struggled with balancing the lore of the source material and creating its own unique stories. From a non-gamer perspective, some of it has definitely worked, and some…not as much.

The season finale makes a strong case for what’s to come for Halo Season 2.

What are your thoughts on the Halo season finale? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Halo Season 1 is now available to stream on Paramount+. 

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