Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
    Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2 But Why Tho 10

    Spider-Man Is Coming To Magic And It’s Just Like The Comics

    08/29/2025
    Star Wars Visions Volume 3 Black

    ‘Black’ Sets The Tone For A Bold New Mixtape In ‘Star Wars Visions: Volume 3’

    08/28/2025
    Olivia Colman in The Roses

    ‘The Roses’ Is A Reimagining, Not A Remake, And That’s Why It Works So Well

    08/27/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘Halo’ Season 2 Episode 7 — “Thermopylae”

REVIEW: ‘Halo’ Season 2 Episode 7 — “Thermopylae”

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez03/14/20244 Mins ReadUpdated:03/22/2024
Halo Season 2 Episode 7
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

With the Fall of Reach in the rearview, Halo Season 2 is focused on the titular Halo in Episode 7, “Thermopylae.” In the last episode, Kai-125 (Kate Kennedy) and John-117 (Pablo Schreiber) have a violent reunion, James Ackerson (Joseph Morgan) begins to change, the UNSC is still making new Spartans, and Admiral Margaret Parangosky (Shabana Azmi) emerges as a big bad alongside the Covenant.

Now, in this episode, humanity and the Covenant race to control the galaxy’s ultimate weapon, the Halo. In the attempt to locate the artifact, John comes face to face with Makee (Charlie Murphy) in a shared vision. At the same time,  Halsey (Natascha McElhone), Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha) and Miranda Keyes (Olive Gray) work to solve the mystery within an alien archaeological site, and Soren-066 (Bokeem Woodbine) and Laera (Fiona O’Shaughnessy) continue to search for their son Kessler (Tylan Bailey).

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

In Halo Season 2 Episode 7, everything has returned to Thermopylae for the penultimate episode. Right from the top of the episode, it’s clear that the UNSC’s focus isn’t maintaining all life but sacrificing Spartan’s life to save some. Every single Spartan is expendable in the race for the Halo. At the end of the last episode, it was clear that the training simulations were a suicide run. Only at that point, it seemed to be a suicide run because of the Covenant forces.

But in reality, it’s Admiral Parangosky’s plan. All the UNSC needs is one team, one spike, and one chip, which will destroy the covenant and everything around it. The Halo, the other Spartans, everything. An indiscriminate failsafe that Parangosky sees as necessary but Ackerson sees as shocking. Ackerson’s turn away in order to protect his life’s work, the Spartans, saves him from John’s retribution but not his wrath.

Halo Season 2 Episode 7 also brings Kai and John back together in an emotional way. As they get ready to fight, suiting up for what may be the last time, they talk about Vannak-134 (Bentley Kalu). John shares his grief, and Kai shares her guilt. The duo are on the same path, having fought it out in the last episode. They once had the strongest relationship in Halo Season 1, but their conflict took most of the focus for the second season. Now, we’re back where we began, and their relationship, their kinship, feels more important.

Halo Season 2 Episode 7

The largest event of Halo Season 2 Episode 7 is that we get to see the first civilization. We see a long-lost city, a history that spreads across the stars, and Catherine Halsey continues to put discovery over safety. While this season hasn’t come with many answers about the Halo or why its status as a weapon exists, we are starting to see more of the series’s lore. Taking elements from the Halo video game series and even the books and extended universe, Halo Season 2 builds the world larger in Episode 7 by offering more questions about the Covenant, the Ring, the Halo, and the ancient civilization that left the artifacts. But that’s not enough to make the episode fire on all cylinders. It makes it a lull until the episode’s final moments.

This episode struggles to carry every single narrative thread forward. We see Miranda and Dr. Halsey conducting research into the past. Perez implores John to join the fight and inspire the remaining Spartans by fighting alongside them. Makee has bonded with the Covenant, which has begun to question her. John has reconnected with the Artifact and with Makee. Soren and Laera have found their son, but he doesn’t want them. Ackerson is having a change of heart. There is just too much happening that it makes everything feel hollow. Halo‘s penultimate episode is an eventful one, but with so much happening, the focus gets lost.

To put it simply, this episode is all set up again. As the penultimate episode, it leaves a lot to be desired. Slow in pace like Episode 6, Halo Season 2 Episode 7 sets up the last of the dominoes before they fall in the season finale. Does this make the episode bad? No. But it is missing the spark that has kept this series going for one of the best follow-up seasons ever.

With one episode left, I’m questioning David Wiener’s ability to land this ship after righting its course. But it’s hard not to be in love with the characters being expanded on screen. John has been separated from his armor since the middle of the season, so there is a weight to His standing in front of it and suiting up one more time. Now, the Season 2 finale just has to carry it.

Halo Season 2 Episode 7 is streaming now on Paramount+ with the Season 2 finale airing Thursday.

Halo Season 2 Episode 8 — "Thermopylae"

TL;DR

Slow in pace like Episode 6, Halo Season 2 Episode 7 sets up the last of the dominoes before they fall in the season finale. Does this make the episode bad? No. But it is missing the spark that has kept this series going for one of the best follow-up seasons ever.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ Season 3 Episodes 6-7
Next Article Vtuber Management Group hololive Productions Announces Two Events
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Travis, Ned (Domnhall Gleeson), and Adelola in Season 1 of The Paper
6.0

REVIEW: ‘The Paper’ Season 1 Lacks Conviction

09/03/2025
Mitsuki Yamato Invasion Season 3 Episode 2 still from Apple TV+

RECAP: ‘Invasion’ Season 3 Episode 2 — “The Message”

09/02/2025
John Cena in Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2

RECAP: ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Episode 2 – “A Man Is Only As Good As His Bird”

08/29/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 8 promotional still from APple TV+
9.0

RECAP: ‘The Foundation’ Season 3 Episode 8 — “Skin In The Game”

08/29/2025
Ateez featured in KPOPPED
6.5

REVIEW: ‘KPOPPED’ Has Potential But Loses Its Spark

08/28/2025
Sydney Chandler in Alien Earth Episode 4
8.0

REVIEW: ‘Alien: Earth’ Episode 4 — “Observation”

08/26/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Cosmic Spider-Man card details Features

[EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

By Kate Sánchez09/02/2025Updated:09/02/2025

An exclusive look at a new 5-Color Spider entering Magic: The Gathering’s Spider-Man set, and Cosmic Spider-Man is going to be a tough one to take on.

Hololive EN at Radio City Music Hall Events

Hololive EN At Radio City Music Hall Was A Pure Expression Of Fandom

By Adrian Ruiz08/31/2025Updated:09/03/2025

Hololive EN turned Radio City in New York City into the pure expression of fandom: chants, penlights, and community in perfect sync.

Foundation Season 3 Episode 8 promotional still from APple TV+
9.0
TV

RECAP: ‘The Foundation’ Season 3 Episode 8 — “Skin In The Game”

By Will Borger08/29/2025Updated:08/29/2025

Still barreling toward a knock-down, drag-out fight between Gaal and the Mule in Foundation Season 3 Episode 8 ups the stakes.

Karl Anthony Towns in NBA 2k26 But Why Tho
8.5
PS5

REVIEW: ‘NBA 2K26’ Brings Basketball To Life

By Kyle Foley09/03/2025

NBA 2K26 combines improved visuals with some important tweaks to keep the series feeling fresh in the latest yearly release.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here