Master Chief has sex in Halo episode 8, but the episode’s still not great

Paramount Plus’ Halo Series has achieved something that the games could not: Master Chief letting series have sex. HaloThis episode features John regaining his humanity, including many scenes where he is able to connect with himself after UNSC brainwashing. It’s the most emotionally charged and vulnerable yet. His sex could lead indirectly to death and destruction, unfortunately.

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for Halo up to episode 8 of season 1.]

In case you haven’t been keeping track of Halo so far, it’s mostly been about strange Forerunner artifacts and the connection that Master Chief has to them as a “Blessed One.” The series includes a human member of the Covenant named Makee, who is also a Blessed One. Makee makes up almost all of the Covenant’s presence on screen in the series, possibly because CGI aliens are expensive, and was sent to act as the group’s double agent among humans.

Photo: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount Plus

Shortly after she arrives in humanity’s care, however, Makee’s loyalty to the Covenant falters, largely because of the kindness shown to her by Master Chief. Makee is also an important component of Master Chief’s regaining his humanity. As a child, he learned about the UNSC kidnapping and years of brainwashing Dr. Halsey had to him.

At the end of the show’s sixth episode, the pair’s connection is solidified when it’s revealed that their Blessed One status connects them. During an interaction with one of the Forerunner artifacts, they’re both momentarily given a shared vision of a Halo ring — the first we’ve seen in the series so far — and they share a brief charged moment before the episode ends.

This week, in episode 8, with the bond of Halo-visions between them, Makee and John finally hook up — while Cortana watches and makes a somewhat creepy, supposed-to-be-sweet face. Makee even removes her Covenant-installed fingernail sword (yes, really) because she’s so moved by her rediscovered love of humanity. As weird as the whole thing is, it actually fits pretty neatly within the show’s weird off-kilter sentimentality and the odd story it’s telling about Master Chief.

Photo: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount Plus

Unfortunately, Halo It immediately goes back to its worst tendency as everybody in the show makes strange, out-of-character choices to kick-start the plot again. There’s a big Spartan versus Spartan fight, Miranda Keyes makes an extremely rash decision for no reason, and that one guard who keeps calling the Covenant “squid heads” — despite that making no sense at all — shocks Makee with a stun baton, just like in her flashback from earlier this season.

The episode ends with Makee once more attacking humanity as a concept. He might also be teaming up to defeat Dr. Halsey using Halo.

So Master Chief doesn’t get to enjoy having a girlfriend for very long. On the plus side, Chief and Cortana are finally friends in the series, so at least he’s got that going for him.