From the very beginning of Halo Season 2, the story has been building toward Episode 4, “Reach”. Reach, a human metropolis, has been infiltrated by the Covenant, and neither UNSC headquarters nor ONI trusted Master Chief John-117 (Pablo Schreiber) in time to stop it.
After leaving us on a suspenseful cliffhanger in Halo Season 2 Episode 3, where Master Chief and his new comrade Corporal Talia Perez (Cristina Rodlo) were at the scene of the first Covenant invasion, Episode 4 wasted no time in dropping us into the trenches of battle!
Recap
The episode begins with Vannak-134 (Bentley Kalu), a member of the Spartan Silver Team, scaling a building’s roof to feed his pigeons. No time for “Benny, Jenny, Lenny, and Keith” to have a farewell dinner since Vannak sees Covenant attacks that detonate large explosives all around the city.
As Perez exits the chapel where they were conversing and makes his way home, Master Chief and Perez are towing it through the city’s main thoroughfares. Sadly, when she enters her neighborhood block, an explosion completely destroys everything.
The blast leaves Perez stunned and in complete disbelief; she is unable to comprehend that her family—whom we had previously met—has been destroyed. After physically stopping her from going into the fire, Master Chief inspires her to accompany him back to the headquarters so they can engage in combat.
It appears that Soren-066 and his archenemy Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey are still together in the hologram cell that ONI Col. James placed them in. As the blasts draw closer, Soren senses their effects, and Halsey realizes that the conflict has reached Reach.
After playing up her caring “mother” role and telling him that she’s delighted he’s alive, Halsey plays up Soren’s long-standing drive for vengeance against her. Soren immediately returns to his original objective. This throws Soren off, and he concedes that Halsey is “smaller” than the monster he is familiar with.
When more bomb explosions destroy the cell’s holographic images, the tension is released. Halsey warns Soren not to test the cell door, but he does and discovers it is likewise unpowered. Perez pauses to collect herself and deal with her loss. Master Chief is accused by her of not “getting it,” implying that he lacks empathy and feelings.
Chief keeps moving forward toward his ultimate objective, with Perez pursuing him closely. Two hooded Covenant Elites are seen in the middle of the throng in the main square. Master Chief and Perez engage in a vicious hand-to-hand combat, killing one of the Elites while the other runs away.
The two troops continue to head in the direction of the command center. As the show comes to a close, Vannak is lying dead and looking up through a hole in the ceiling at a bird circling in the sky, while the other Spartans are dragging the injured Master Chief to safety.