Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Episode 2 review

Imagine if every round of Capture The Flag in Halo began not with that iconic trio of beeps, but with a 15 minute bout of playground fisticuffs, close-ups of beautiful young 'uns looking all cut up about the burdens of adulthood, and high octane armor-donning sequences. That's episode 2 of Halo 4 Forward Unto Dawn in a nutshell, and the results can be thrilled over right now, on this very page.

It's high drama time for Hastati Squad and Tom Green's Lasky, whose struggle to escape the twin shadows of his war hero mother and tragically slain ODST brother enters a critical phase. Sadly, Anna Popplewell's Chyler Silva has yet to discover her own place in the plot, unless you count being the squad's fastest dresser. In fairness, she does get to look on lustfully while Lasky pounds somebody's face into the floor (and they say romance is dead, etc). Meanwhile, Sully's decryption of an illegally obtained combat video continues. Could there be more to the UNSC's war with rebel farmers than a straightforward tale of Red versus Blue?

Green remains strong as the leading man, though I'm starting to wish they gave him more to do besides fixing the viewer with a bleak, introspective glare. Thankfully, this episode seems to mark a transition point from emotional build-up to butt-kicking, with some fun tactical horseplay towards the finale. I'd also like to see more development of Vickers, Lasky's backbiting rival, and nerdy fall guy Sully, though sudden insights into Cortana's psychological well-being (in case you'd forgotten, the frame narrative takes place shortly before the start of Halo 4 itself) are some compensation.

Director Stewart Hendler continues to chop and pace the drama with some skill, though certain of this episode's montages show him struggling to squeeze material out of a lean script. The next episode should be an interesting one, delivering on episode 1's meteoric cliffhanger. On the whole, it's another serviceable slice of lunchtime viewing that makes eloquent play of the Halo props cupboard. All that's missing are scenarios worthy of the solid acting and direction. Perhaps the Covenant can help with that...

New to the series? Read our Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Episode 1 review.