Halo Season 2 Episode 3 Recap: Visegrad (Spoilers)

Halo Season 2 Episode 3, "Visegrad" made the bold move of continuing the chess-like movement of characters and storylines, setting the stage for a major battle to come in Episode 4. And, by all accounts, given the depth and focus of each scene and character interaction, "Visegrad" is proof that Season 2 of Halo is cooking on a whole other level – a much higher and more competent one than Season 1. 

Off Books Mission – Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) leads the Spartan Silver Team on a search and rescue mission, looking for Cobalt Team at the Visegrad communications relay on Reach. When they are outside the relay, Chief breaks the news to his team that they are off-book and all alone, since UNSC command and ONI don't believe the Covenant has infiltrated the Reach. The rest of Silver Team looks trepidacious as they approach the relay. 

[Opening Sequence Plays]

Rumble at the Relay – We get a quick shot of Corporal Talia Perez (Cristina Rodlo) sleeping at the radio while listening to some kind of chatter – before we jump back to Silver Team infiltrating the relay site. They don't spot Cobalt Team, but find a recording of a strange comms msg that is in an indecipherable language. Quick cuts between the Spartans and Perez reveal that the signal is a Covenant msg, and Perez jumps from her sleep seeming to know how to translate it. Meanwhile, Silver Team is confronted by a squad of UNSC Marines assigned to bring them back for going AWOL. After a tense standoff, Master Chief storms the locker room but doesn't find Cobalt Team, insisting they were there. Fellow Spartan Kai (Kate Kennedy) talks Master Chief down, and they agree to return to base. 

The Good Son – It's revealed that Col. James Ackerson (Joseph Morgan) has a father he's caring for, who is suffering from some form of dementia (Alzheimer's). Ackerson painfully conveys to his dad that he has to leave and can't take him along; the elder Ackerson reveals that despite his condition, he remembers that his son confided in him about the terrible calamity that's coming. The old man has some nostalgic moments remembering a time he had a peeing accident all over his brother as kid – and how he and that same brother grew up to build some of the greatest structures on the Reach (a bridge). Mr. Ackerson remembers walking his family – his wife, James, and James' sister Julia – down that bridge. When the old man gets excited to see his wife and daughter, James must inform him again that they are dead and gone. His father is angry and frustrated at first, but James settles him. Before Col. Ackerson leaves, his dad makes him promise not to let the Covenant capture him. 

BAD SPARTANS – Admiral Jacob Keyes (Danny Sapani) takes Silver Team to task for going AWOL. He accuses Master Chief of being delusional – an assessment that is backed up when John's "evidence" (Cobalt's charted flight plan) appears to be wrong, as well. Chief accuses Ackerson of treachery, but the Admiral doesn't buy it and puts the entire team on leave. The rest of the Silver Team have it out with Chief – including Kai, who expresses her doubt in him after claiming he saw the supposedly dead Covenant "Blessed One," Makee, on Sanctuary. Chief clearly loses control of his unit in that moment. 

Rubble Trouble – Soren-066 (Bokeem Woodbine) is still MIA, and his wife Laera (Fiona O'Shaughnessy) is feeling the dread that is building in is absence. Someone grabs Laera as she's walking through the streets of The Rubble; after a brief struggle it turns out to be Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha), Soren's old ally who has been hiding in The Rubble and secretly befriended Laera and Soren's son, Kessler (Tylan Bailey). Kwan informs Laera that Soren's betrayed him and sold him off to authorities – and they're going to kill his family next. Laera returns home to find Soren's top lieutenants waiting there with Kessler; she's told that Soren's ship has been repaired early – and that they are all heading out to find him, together. Laera buys time (barely), and tries to prepare Kessler to flee; Kwan reveals herself as hiding in Soren's home, and being close with Kessler – both of which shock Laera. 

BAD CHIEF – Master Chief is being escorted to a psyche evaluation – but instead knocks out his guards while on the elevator ride. 

There Goes Date Night – Riz-028 visits her friend and trainer Louis-036 at his home – only to learn that Louis is actually romantically involved (and domestically partnered) with the wholistic healer he introduced her to (in Episode 2). Riz is welcomed in for dinner and begins to engage Louis on what other life options should could pursue, outside of being a Spartan. 

The Need to Fight – Kai approaches Ackerson lobbying to get Silver Team back in the field. She volunteers to lead Silver Team until Master Chief is reinstated; Ackerson hits her with the reveal that Chief beat down his guards and escaped. Ackerson grills Kai to see if she's helping Chief – he then takes the softer approach of telling her that Chief's mind may be irrevocably broken. Kai is conflicted and asks for orders on what to do. 

Get To The Ship – Kwan and Laera hatch a plan to hijack Soren's ship and escape. They have a discussion that hints at something tragic happening to knock Kwan off her people's long path of defending the portals to Halo and has left her in a sort of existential crisis about what to do next. The two ladies wait for an opening where the docking crews and pirates are distracted, then they sneak onto Soren's ship with Kessler and make a run for it. The pirates manage to get the bay doors closed just before Laera can fly away; she surrenders herself to the traitorous pirates, letting Kwan escape with Kessler. 

RIP Cobalt – Admiral Keyes is brought in by Ackerson to observe the bodies of the Spartan Cobalt Team, who are indeed very much dead. As Master Chief feared, Ackerson sent Cobalt Team out in the field unprepared and they were slaughtered; Keyes is furious, until Ackerson turns that rage to fear, by informing him that there will be no evacuation of citizens. Ackerson reveals a plan to save crucial assets on Reach, at the cost of a lot of innocent lives; Keyes will not join that dark agenda, pledging to fight and die if necessary, to protect the people of Reach. 

Boarding Pass – Kwan and Kessler are seen sneaking aboard a civilian transport to Reach. Kessler asks if he will see his mom again – Kwan looks pained but then resolute and answers "Yes," Kessler will be reunited with his mom. 

Worst Dinner Date – Master Chief meets his former commander Admiral Parangosky (Shabana Azmi) in a restaurant to share updated intel on the Covenant infiltration of Reach, and the lack of response from the USNC and/or ONI. Parangosky advises John not to go against ONI, and to be what he is: a soldier who takes commands from his superiors. When John tries to leave, it's revealed that Parangosky is still a loyal ONI agent, and the "restaurant" is filled with her team of agents and enforcers. Master Chief nearly has his second fight of the day, but once again walks away. 

Savage Creation – Ackerson visits Dr. Catherine Halsey (Natasha McElhone) in her holographic prison cell, to say goodbye. He dissects Halsey by analyzing why she suppressed the emotions of the Spartans: to cultivate their complete loyalty to her. Ackerson says goodbye to Halsey and says it should comfort her that her work with the Spartan program will ultimately be used to do great things in the war – even if she won't be alive to see it. Halsey counters by dissecting Ackerson in return: she reveals that she recognizes the red-headed girl they keep sending in and making her watch die: it's Ackerson's dead sister, Julia. The exposition from Halsey reveals that Julia was selected for the Spartan augmentation process, but didn't survive it. She gets a deep, piercing, dig in by saying that she also fed Julia the line that she would be a small part of something greater – and that she loved James very much, if that brings him some comfort. Ackerson is clearly affected, because he then has Soren brought into the cell as a cruel parting gift, and leaves the former Spartan there with all his murderous feelings toward her. 

That Pirate Life (or lack thereof) – Laera is interrogated by Soren's crew, who are looking for a payout. Laera reveals there is no treasure, and tries to play the pirates against one another by claiming they're only after power and screwing each other over. It works to a point – but Laera still finds herself in an airlock facing a countdown to being blasted into space. A helping hand from Kwan (who brutally kills the pirates) keeps Laera alive, and she and Kwan grab Soren's ship and head for the Reach to reunite with Kessler and save Soren. 

Last Visits – Ackerson returns to visit his father again and say a final goodbye. The elder Ackerson isn't scared that the day of reckoning has arrived – especially when his son honors the promise to grant him a merciful ending. James gives his dad a poison pill, and leaves him with one of the Julia clones he made, bringing the old man great comfort. 

Time to Pray – Master Chief goes back to Corporal Perez's apartment to speak with her, but she's not there. Her mother ominously warns Chief that "the devil" is bound to him. He finds Perez in a chapel seeking comfort and finally gets to speak seriously with her about the battle they survived while on Sanctuary. Perez also Makee in the fog, confirming that Chief isn't crazy. Perez reveals that she's been haunted by the Covenant signal she picked up and Sanctuary, and finally decoded. The message is a Covenant prayer, issued to the people of Reach, assuring that their annihilation will be given as an offering to their gods and that killing "The Demon" will open the way to the sacred ring of Halo. A montage shows where all the characters featured in the episode end up: Riz and Louis relaxing; Ackerson fleeing the planet while his father and Julia clone lay dead; Vannak questioning whether to suit up and follow Chief's lead, etc. The episode ends with the windows of the Chapel being blown out, sending Master Chief and Perez ducking for cover as the Covenant attack begins! 

Halo Season 2 is now streaming on Paramount+. New episodes are released every Thursday.