The sex scene between Master Chief and Makee has stirred a lot of controversy among Halo fans, who see a lot of things wrong with it. Based on the popular video game series from Microsoft, Halo is the first live-action adaptation of the franchise, which stars Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief, the lead Spartan in the UNSC (United Nations Space Command). The show also stars Charlie Murphy as Makee, a human member of the alien collective known as The Covenant, who are at war with humanity in an attempt to find all the Forerunner artifacts they can, while eliminating all of humanity in order to achieve their ultimate goal of taking the Halo rings for themselves, which they believe will be their ultimate salvation.
Makee is a character created specifically for the Halo TV show, as no human character has ever been a part of The Covenant in the game series. Abducted by The Covenant from the waste salvage planet known as Oban, Makee is worshipped by The Covenant for her ability to harness Forerunner technology in Halo as a "Blessed One," a trait shared only with Master Chief. After an attempt to infiltrate the UNSC to gain an artifact, Makee is captured, eventually bonding with and gaining the trust of Master Chief, as the two find that they have more in common than anticipated.
In Halo season 1, episode 8 Master Chief goes to visit Makee in her cell, prompting the two to consummate their relationship in an unexpected twist. The controversial scene is the first time Master Chief has ever been seen having a sexual relationship in the franchise and with a character that has no connection to the long-running series. Fans are upset or conflicted about the romance angle, as many feel it's an unearned moment that happened way too soon and abruptly in the series, which has been working overtime to "humanize" Master Chief, stripping him of his helmet, armor, and general sense of confident strength that's been his characteristic in the game series for decades. The sex scene represents a low point for the franchise with multiple issues stemming from it, not to mention the general misdirection of the show which almost feels like it's adapting Halo in name only.
Master Chief aka John-117, a human born on the colony world of Eridanus II, was conscripted at a young age, trained, and altered to be a Spartan super-soldier. He also has the ability to harness and utilize Forerunner technology, making him a "Blessed One" just like Makee, which is tested when they both interact with one of the Forerunner artifacts, leading to more revelations about Master Chief's past. After it's revealed that both Master Chief and Makee share the status as "Blessed Ones," they share a vision of the Halo rings, further solidifying the undeniable connection between them, which may well lead to their assuming of the "Mantle of Responsibility" passed down from the Forerunners.
The problem with the sex scene in Halo is that it was completely unearned and unnecessary to advance Halo's story, particularly that of Master Chief. The scene compromises the integrity of the character in nearly every way, particularly as a Spartan. While Master Chief may have removed his emotional regulator, which would likely cause him to make some poor decisions, the show pushes that aspect too far, too soon. Master Chief is essentially "sleeping with the enemy" (not to mention a prisoner) and shows a pure lack of concern for ethics or morality in the situation. It's also more than a little creepy that both Halo's Cortana and Halsey are essentially watching it all happen, further solidifying the strange aspect of the entire scene. The biggest issue is that the scene takes the show in a direction beyond the scope of what fans are looking for, turning the proceedings into a dull, operatic romance with a political lean, rather than an action-heavy, sci-fi adventure that the franchise was born of. With each subsequent episode, the Halo series has stripped away much of what made Master Chief such an engaging and long-lasting character, replacing him with something else entirely in an attempt to "humanize" him, leaving very little of the mystery that made him appealing to begin with.
What the showrunners seem to have lost sight of is what makes Halo so popular to begin with. Master Chief was never intended to be an emotionally compromised character that questions his every move with deep, introspective longing. He was created to be a man of few words, speaking more with action than feelings, and was always uncompromising in his mission, no matter what. While the argument could be made that John-117 would need to be more fleshed out in a series adaptation in order for newcomers to the series to be invested, the show forgets that the brunt of viewers tuning in are going to be the millions who played the games more so than a bunch of curious newcomers. Halo is overstuffed not only with ridiculous and dull plotlines (let alone the vacant sex scene), but with characters that fail to connect. The franchise has always been about Halo's Master Chief and the Spartans in their battle to save humanity, a story that's already been explored in the games, books, comics, etc. to great effect. While the show may want to establish its own identity aside from what came before, Halo Season 2 needs to get back to the simple, action-heavy spectacle that's had fans returning to the games since 2001.
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