#master cheeks

So first off the plot, while the main plot or plot A was exciting to start off, much like the game it has the Spartans and UNSC fighting and following the Covenant moving through the universe. Where the plot got lost with me was when B plot, which involved Kwan and Sorren. They were both characters that really didn't hold anything to the A plot. In all honesty, it kinda baffled me that they decided to take Kwan off her planet when they had other people still living there that should have visited or even the UNSC could have visited to chat with but instead they choose to take her and then try to kill her... It never really made sense, it kinda felt like they backstepped cause they didn't want her part of the main plot but they still wanted to keep her. Also, Sorren really doesn't add a whole lot, sure it's cool to see where John's personality started to fade when he was younger, i.e. by letting him go but other than that he holds no value to the A plot story. There is a minor C plot that really just kinda happens, it's more around Kai finding out about the pellet and what she does, it impacts the story a little but there are just random things that really don't make it that relevant.

I think another thing that bugged me aside from the main plot and mini-plots battling it out was the pace, a lot of the episodes it felt like things were rushed or certain pieces were overlooked. Also, it felt like not one character got any real development either and that could have been more due to pacing, they were trying to tell so many stories at one time that instead of focusing on the main ones like Chief and Silver Team they tried to do everyone at one time. Though I also have a problem with these short series, they don't give these characters or stories time to really shine and that's a shame because I do feel like everything could have been better if they just spent a little more time pacing out the main stuff.

Also, It felt like episode 7, too many people, was like a filler episode (ex. like in bleach where there were filler arcs to help Kido caught up and they really made no impact on the story). Also that ending killed me, like it felt so anticlimactic, also why didn't Cortana call that ship earlier if she could? Like if she did that Chief would still be "alive"???? Ish? IDK what really happened there, it's left kinda open. BUT still, if she could have done that WHY didn't she do that when crap went down, and the other Spartans could have moved the artifact since none of them would be affected. Also, don't get me started on that Dyad love thing, thing, cause it was pointless and stupid, ill go more into Makee's character later but I did not think it was necessary. Also, that sex scene was the cringiest thing I have seen, it wasn't even really a sex scene, it was touching, kisses then oh magically our clothes are gone...wow. I get that people like Chief's cheeks, believe me, a good ass is nice to look at but make it have a purpose. XD I want to watch a plot...not PLOT XD

Now more about the characters, so the main protagonist is the famous Master Chief, John-117 who is the Spartan of all Spartans. We see him in action right away and he is mind-blowing, the suit, the abilities, and of course seeing the man himself in person are pretty amazing. Now I thought overall the Chief character was well portrayed, at first I was a little indifferent to him taking off his helmet then it just kept happening... I read in one of the files that Master Chief does take off his gear but only when he feels safe, now while this Chief does tend to seemingly feel safe in the facility though it does feel strange at times for him to remove it, especially in the field, like when they go looking for his old home planet like it would be better to keep it on in case something came after them and he puts it on in the next several shots. So it seems a little redundant for him to take it off so often just for him to put it back on again or even for him just to talk to someone for like five seconds and then put it back on. Now I was not a fan of that romance scene or the Dyad thing... It felt forced and it also seemed to make Chief less important, like if you removed one of them it would still work. That ending scene too seemed a little off for Cheif, or to me, it did, like he kinda gave up and just accepted his fate. Which seemed to me not in his character, like he would fight to the end to save everyone and really use Cortana as a last resort.

The other Spartans, Kai, Riz, and Vannak, don't have a ton of screen time and they are the essential replacements for the original blue team, Fred, Linda, and Kelly. I feel like they played their roles respectively but again there wasn't a lot of screen time for them. I felt bad that they got hurt in that last battle but I really didn't feel too much loss if they died. Though we did get more from Kai, who felt a bit like the Kelly character, she was closest to Chief and really wanted what was best for him even though she had more of Linda's attributes, i.e. being a sniper. I felt bad for Riz and Vannak as they were just doing what they were told and they were just confused but I hope if they make a second season we get to know them more.

Next is Dr. Halsey, who is a main character in the games and really the primary reason the Spartans exist. I really did think her character was handled well, she felt genuine at first, like most people who just want to help their country win a war but there were subtle things that made her betrayal that much more sinister and less of you wanted to cheer for her. I will admit that Halsey seemed to be the only character that stayed pretty consistent throughout the whole show, and her development was by far the best to be seen.

Miranda has the same problem most of the other characters have, little screen time to make a large impact, now she is the opposite of Halsey's character, she really does want to help the world and when she finds out the truth she wants to help the Spartans. I do like her character, I hope she gets a bigger role in the next season and a tad more development, she felt a little rushed.

Now we get to Makee, the human gone Covenant, uh...I did not like her, she felt like a bi-product of needing something human but an alien, which really I would have preferred her not to be here and just have the Covenant zealots be the bigger threat. Also, her character it seemed to make Chief's importance less impactful, to that, I also have a serious issue with their so-called powers, in the first episode she is told that he touched the artifact and things happened to him. Then in later episodes, she is affected like he is and knows whenever he touches it, which seemed so odd to add. I get that Chief was mad at everyone for hurting her but she DID kill an entire ship of innocent people, then tried to kill them again, and while her act on the holy place was admirable it was a little silly.

So the overall acting was not horrible, each character had their moments, some had them better and others fell flat. But again I attest this to pacing issues, maybe even script because in all honesty script and pacing make everything. Actors give their best with what they have.

If you stuck with me this long, bless your soul! Seriously bless you, 'cause it's not often I do these kinds of things. I didn't have the series but I didn't love it, a lot of it felt slow like you didn't have to have that conversation, and that whole episode 7 could have been used to move the Spartans along or Miranda or ANYONE else.