Inheritance.
This week’s episode heavily leans towards what is happening on Madrigal with Soren and Kwan. Kwan is desperate to uncover her family’s true purpose while Soren is becoming a little obsessed over some unfinished business.
It wouldn’t be a Halo episode without a flashback to start it off. This time we see a younger Kwan, pre mullet hairdo, eating with her family in what seems to be the early stages of the war efforts on Madrigal against the UNSC. It is good to see Kwan was always as tenacious all be it a little blinded by her own rage.
I’ll be honest and upfront here. I am not as invested in this episode early on. The Kwan and Soren story arc always felt like an add on that wasn’t necessarily needed in the Halo franchise. How it fits within the story as a whole is a bit of a mystery.
Soren returned to his home after his altercation with Kwan on Madrigal left him unconscious. How he got there we don’t know, yet there he is welcomed home with much fanfare and a few stories to be told. Soren’s business partner Squirrel questions his motives on where he has been and we start to see some tension between the two. The two decide to somewhat bury the hatched for an upcoming job that Squirrel has set up.
Kwan has stayed behind on Madrigal to follow in her father’s footsteps. Her travels take her through the barren landscape where we meet the mysterious Desiderata who once helped Kwan’s father find his way years before.
Again, there is so much going on with this episode it is hard to outline anything without ruining it, and while I am not as invested in the story as the main Halo arc this episode does well in outlining the motives and journey of Kwan to who she was destined to become and even who Soren is as a man/pirate and ex Spartan. Vinsher has his plans to rid Madrigal of the Ho bloodline and the way he is played is almost to perfection yet something not so removed from other villainous bad guys we have seen many times before. His motives are clear even if they are a little well, insane…
While this recap is a little shorter than others, I give you this. The Soren and Kwan storyline is clarified and we get a better understanding of why it was included. By the time the credits rolled I was smiling at the outcome and the way in which the story unfolded. We don’t see a lot of action this time around though the build-up to the final act is satisfying and we get to see so much more of why Madrigal is a part of this Halo world.
