Next we see Doctor Huges tending to Lasky and his Cryo sickness as well as a loss for Cadman Lasky.

The genuine concern that is shown on the doctor’s face is a testament to the actor portraying the role. Lasky is suffering from a sickness to one of the ingredients in the cryo solution. 1 in 50,000.

The wounds have shown up everywhere. His chest, back and wrist mostly.

The doctor tells him to take a days’ rest which Lasky thanks him for. Too bad he won’t get that. (You’ll see why later in the episode)

Next we see Cadman sending a COM. It’s not the usual happy com though. You can hear the thumping of artillery in the background and the camera gets shaky (deliberately) at times.

Cadman relays to Tom that their bud “Ridge” didn’t make it. He describes Ridges death as being one minute he’s there, the next not, and that a “pineapple” (the term used for a grenade) blew him up in four directions. You can see the pain on Cadman’s face, then as he covers it.

It’s a shame thus far that we haven’t seen Tom and Cadman in a scene together. By the looks of it, we never will. That however only adds to the drama and emotions each time Cadman is on screen. Each time I watch a vid of Cadman, it really brings home the real life soldiers of today. Their willingness to sacrifice their own lives for the greater good. Hendler has captured this well, even if this series takes place 500 years in the future.

Next: Review part 3 Chyler and Classified

Before I begin the specific scene reviews, I have to say that this episode is my favorite to date. Cortana seemingly going crazy, Cryo sickness impeding Tom’s career, Chaos, and Covenant. Lots of “C’s” there, but that’s not the grade I’d give this episode. It’s an A+ all the way. There are some intense action sequences near the end. I even audibly gasped as some images reminded me of 9/11 with the twin towers and people falling from the sky.

Folks, sh!t is about to get really REAL!

Alright so let me begin with the first part of Episode 3’s review. Cortana gone crazy.

The CG in this scene is fantastic. You really should take the time to pause several times during this scene as there is so much detail in the CG that just seems to slip by when viewing at normal speed.

In the above pic, we see Cortana has minimalised herself to a glowing orb. Ice crystal float about while also collecting on Chief’s Cryo tube.

Immediately thereafter we see the orb Cortana blast tendrils of red energy towards the tube.

Note however that it’s not destructive energy, but organized as seen in the pic below (the detail you may have missed).

All during this sequence Cortana is having an argument/discussion with herself. She talks about dying for Chief, going crazy, blaming Chief, and so on. It’s become readily apparent that she is heavily fighting rampancy (an AI’s spiral into the throws of death).

However, something seems to stop her. What could it be? Requiem? The Didact? It’s not shown directly, but we do see her calm down.

This is a great scene that foreshadows events to come. I love the fact that each episode starts with something in the current Halo timeline before flashing back to the cadet days of Tom Lasky. In doing so, Stewart Hendler (director of the Forward Unto Dawn series) ties in the complete story, letting we viewers know that there is a link between the past and the present.

Next: Review Part 2: Cryo and Loss

Watch it now, look for my multi-part review later today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbBYG77VeCE&feature=plcp

-Sal

Wednesday I brought to you my 11-part review of the second episode of “Forward Unto Dawn.”

I’ve taken that a step further and made a 44-page graphic novel of the second episode. Using the screenshots I took as well as typing out some the dialog, I added Photoshop effects as well as laid out the project in InDesign.

Feel free to download this as it’s FREE. If you repost this anywhere, PLEASE give me credit as: Designed by Sal Salerno of HaloFanForLife.com
And please link back to my original post here.

Please let me know what you think of the graphic novel, as I’ll be doing one for each of the six episodes.

Without further ado:

This was a labor of love. I really enjoyed making this. Again, if you have any comments, please feel free to respond here, on Twitter, Facebook, or e-mail me at: [email protected]

-Sal (HFFL)

In this last review of Forward Unto Dawn Episode Two, we see Lasky fully take charge. He has grown exponentially in this episode from a reserved yet emotional young man, to one of leadership.

The scene starts with the usual rude awakening from Cryo training.

Lasky is ready quickly and barks out his orders.

It’s out to the forest training ground. Where it’s time to “play” capture the flag.

Lasky sets up his team at their flag.

Silva asks “What’s your plan?” She seems unimpressed.

Lasky responds with “We’re waiting.” The other cadets seem restless and ready for action, especially Vickers.

Vickers wants to duke it out in a straight up fight, but Lasky has a plan.

The enemy squad is on the move…

Once again we’re treated to the fantastic yet simple HUD display of the goggles the cadets wear. We see two units of troops heading toward Hastati.

Lasky takes a bold move and orders his squad to remove their helmets. Several cadets are very concerned with this plan, again Vickers being the most vocal.

“Trust me.”

As the opposing squad gets closer, Hastati obeys Lasky’s order.

The enemy squad is almost on top of them.

Lasky has pulled off a brilliant move…

Now it’s at this point that I kind of expected Orenski to slip out from cover and say Lasky cheated. He certainly put his troops at risk of being shot in the head with stun balls. But his plan works withough loss. And Hastati takes it to the other squad.

Ouch, that must have hurt!

Without much opposition left, Hastati advances upon the other squad and their flag.

Lasky is on the move toward the flag.

Wait something is wrong…

Could this be the effects of the cryo burn hitting him at just the wrong time? He falls.

Now it’s safe to say his squad excelled in the final exercise. However, it’s uncertain what happened to Lasky as this is the end of the episode. He came so far in just this one episode only to fall just short of the goal.

As a viewer I was excited to see Lasky finally achieving his goals, and then this. The ending left me a little dumbfounded and disappointed. Not in the direction of the episode, but that Lasky just can’t seem to get a break even when he’s doing well. But that’s all about to change.

This was a great episode. Lasky really grew into a man here. Between the fight with Vickers in the mess hall and his taking point in the final exercise, we definitely are seeing the man he is in Halo 4.

Forward Unto Dawn Episode 3 will show at 6am Friday EST. Now that I’m back on track, I’ll have a multi-part review up that day with analysis of scenes, implications of those scenes and further analysis.

If you liked any or all of the review parts, please leave a reply below. I’ll have the graphic novel of this episode done some time tomorrow.

-Sal

It’s a bright and beautiful morning at Corbulo Academy. Perfect for an objective exercise.

The Cadets get a good night’s rest and prepare for the final exercise.

Lasky reports to the doctor. Is this cryo training or a remedy for the cryo burn he has?

The cadets get into the final lineup.

Lasky asks to speak, to the surprise of the other cadets of Hastati squad. Orenski grants the request.

To which Lasky requests to be put into the leadership role of this exercise. Orenski and General Black trade glances.

Orenski grants this request as well but heavy handedly warns Lasky not to screw up or he’ll be punished for the rest of the term.

Vickers looks on with disgust and disbelief that Lasky would be put in charge of the most important training exercise of the semester.

However, Lasky seems more confident now. In fact the most confident we’ve seen him in the series up to this point.

Once again Stewart Hendler gives great direction here and the cast responds perfectly. Folks, this isn’t some back yard webisode series. We have a bonafide professional mini-series on our hands here. Everything is really coming together in this episode as the final scene is about to take place.

Next Review 11 Lasky’s Redemption?

This review is like a quick BR 3-shot burst. 3 short scenes.

First we have Hastati squad in a lineup being address by Squad leader Orenski.

Make no mistake, Orenski is a hard ass, but with purpose. She’s the very description of a “Try-Hard.” Director Stewart Hendler captures this consistently from the character and the actor does a great job of portraying it.

Orenski is doing her damnedest to rally her troops for the biggest and last exercise of the semester. She references Silva’s quick action of being first to be ready during the early morning drill, as well as Silva’s parents giving the ultimate sacrifice of dying for the UNSC. This line alone gives us a greater glimpse into why Silva is emotionally reserved.

It seems like those words hit hard on Lasky and he’s in deep thought again as the scene transitions. Does he finally think about the honor of his family name and what that entails?

As Lasky lays down to bed for the night we cone again get a shot of the engraved saying above his bed. Is it finally being absorbed by Lasky? Does he understand the meaning of those words? The honor in those words?

He knocks on the wall next to him as he seemingly does every night and gets a responsive knock back by Silva who is in the room next door. Then he’s in deep thought before sleep.

Though subtle, these three quick scenes move the story along and start to gear Lasky up for the final challenge of this episode.

Next: Part 10 Prepped to Take Charge.

In this brief scene Lasky and Silva get a quick quiet moment. It’s not all fun though.

In the short exchange, Tom states that Chyler (Silva) is hanging on Mehaffey’s every word and that he’s basically tired of hearing about the war.

She retorts with the fact that if he wants to help stop the war he’s going to have to have people follow him.

While Silva shows some emotion here, it seems the emotion only comes out when talking about the war and not directly to or for Lasky. So far I’m not wholly convinced of her being a love interest, despite the trailers we’ve seen.

Silva walks away leaving Tom to think. This is another quick growing moment for him as he’s understanding that he needs to step up.

Again a short scene, but if taken fully into context, there is a lot to be derived from it. I get the feeling the Silva wants to be involved with Lasky but won’t allow herself to be until he comes around to her way of thinking.

Lasky on the other hand seems to be giving in to thoughts and realizing that if he wants to make something of himself he’s going to need to change.

Next: Review part 9 Thoughts of Honor

In this classroom setting we see Colonel Mehaffey in a more military teaching role than that of Lasky’s mother figure and overseer.

Here her intelligence and presence are well more defined.

I like the holotable in the above shot. What’s curious though is why some cadets get to be at the table while others are not, and the fact that many of the seated cadets can’t see the table in the first place.  Still, the scene is a good one for showing the education of the cadets when up to this point we’ve seen only that of field exercises.

Mehaffey exudes a quiet confidence in this scene. She’s a strong character. Someone I’d like to learn more about during her training and subsequent career. In this the writers and director capture the character perfectly.

Upon describing the Pinscer or Pincher movement (whichever it is), we get a nice close up view of the holotable.

The cadets hang on her every word. Well, most of them do anyway.

Chen then asks how can this tactic be used now.

To which Silva quickly responds, “ODSTs.”

Tom isn’t happy with the mention of ODSTs and blurts out something about them (ODSTs) dying.

Mehaffey is quick to respond explaining essentially that it’s kill or be killed.

This is the first time we see a small conflict between Mehaffey and Lasky.

I like this scene in that we see the cadets in a different setting and that it’s not just all field exercises. Mehaffey’s strong presence is felt by all and sets the character aparts even from the other strong female characters.

Next: Review part 8 To be or not….

As Lasky cleans up after the fight he starts to reflect on things and thoughts of his brother come into play.

Tom sits down to watch another video of his brother.

Cadman (Tom’s brother) relays info about his most recent drop into the jungles of Arcadia. Tom hangs on his every word.

You can clearly see in Tom’s eyes that he cares deeply for his brother. I’m now getting the sense that these videos are NOT current, but are ones Tom has kept to see his brother again and again. I have a feeling that Cadman is already dead. In hope I’m wrong, however, it would be just the thing that would help spark Tom into becoming the soldier HE should be.

In this next pic we see Cadman talking about getting sick from drinking the water on Arcadia and it becomes something funny for he and his troops. Tom notices that.

The camaraderie that Cadman has with his troops is something I think Tom is wishing he had. It’s part of the catalyst for what’s soon to come.

Tom looks like he’s about to cry and the bullet shell acting as a chess piece stands inactive for the next move. Again, this is another indication to me that Cadman may indeed already be dead.

If you think about this, Vickers comment to Lasky about his brother not coming back just reaffirms the notion of Cadman already being dead. So this scene is much deeper in emotion that at first glance if it’s true about Cadman. Even if he’s not dead yet though, it’s still powerful in that Tom sees his brother as a fully realized soldier, yet still able to be who he is, that being likeable and fun to be around.

Next up review part 7 The classroom

This is a very brief review, but is important to the story as we see Colonel Mehaffey talk with Lasky about the fight and his burgeoning leadership.

Mehaffey asks Tom what he was thinking when starting a fight.

He seems confused about her comment.

She goes on to say that she sees the soldier he is and that everyone does. He just needs to realize it himself. The way Mehaffey talks to Tom in this scene is more motherly than as a superior officer. In reality, Tom should have been punished, as well as Vickers. My thinking is that since Mehaffey served under Tom’s mom, she may feel duty bound to watch over him. But, it seems to be a little more than that. It could be that Lasky’s mom treated Mehaffey in a similar way and that she is reciprocating that treatment upon Tom. In any event, this dynamic adds a sincere personality to the character of Mehaffey and makes her very likeable, in my opinion.

And am I the only one who finds that scar on her making her just a bit more attractive? LOL

She dismisses Tom by telling him to go get cleaned up and ready for class. That really comes off as motherly and I like that about her.

Next review part 6: Oh Brother.

Okay, this scene is by far one of the most anticipated of the whole mini-series. We’ve seen bits of this previewed back in July or August and it was shown on Waypoint in pictures.

It’s the fight between Lasky and Vickers. Though it’s a short one, it’s good.

The scene opens with Lasky and Vickers walking with their food trays towards their respective seats in the mess hall.

Note how clean it is. The janitor must be doing a great job…

Orenski looks on, then tells them to halt.

She orders both Lasky and Vickers to give her their quiché as punishment for having her and the squad have to get up early due to the incident of the training mission as seen in the first episode.

Orenski expects better of them, especially Lasky.

What I don’t like about this character is that she’s like some I saw during my time in the Navy. A hardass for the sake of being one. Yes, she’s a squad leader so she needs to be hard to a point. However, she also needs to take some responsibility for their action instead of taunting them by taking their food and egging them on as seen in what happens immediately after.

As Lasky and Vickers leave the table, Vickers comments on how it must be tough for Lasky’s mom knowing she’ll never see her true son come back home again.

This sets Lasky off and he throws a vicious right elbow to the head of Vickers. And it’s on!

Blows are swung and landed by both.

Lasky really takes it to Vickers for the comment and the rest of the cadets look on. I really like this scene as it seems FINALLY Lasky has grown a pair. Fighting isn’t always the way to go. But dammit, when someone is constantly being pushed, if you’re the one pushing, you better expect a push back eventually.

Officer on Deck!

Colonel Mehaffey looks on as the two combatants get up from their scrum.

Hmm, who’s this guy and why does he have a space mop? LOL

Battered but not beaten, Lasky gets to his feet.

Is that a smirk or smile of approval on Mehaffey’s lips?

And finally Vickers looking worse for wear.

This scene really is the break out scene of the episode. Lasky finally shows in detail the man he can be. I for one am glad to see he finally took charge of a situation. Violently yes, but he took charge.

Next: Review Part 5 Mother Goose…

As this scene opens we first get a beautiful shot of the space elevator and the lush forest right next to the base.

Here we see Cadet Chen outright lie to his father.

Next a series of shots from Sullivan’s screen as well as conversation between he and Dima Tchakova.

What’s interesting in this scene is that there is a clear frame of a Spartan hand. Sullivan asks Dima not to tell her mom. So wait, who is Dima’s mom then? Hmm. Note that the Covenant symbols appear a few times during this sequence.

If Sully isn’t an ONI spy now, he’s going to make a great one in the future. I’m also wondering if he and Dima have a thing going on between them? That would be another good dynamic.

Next up part 4: MESS Hall

Review Part two is about the rude awakening Hastati Squad gets for it’s failure on the training field.

Immediately after the first scene of Cortana in thought, the episode cuts to Tom Lasky in bed.

Startled the squad gets dressed and heads out into the main hallway. (Let me tell you folks, it happens like this in boot camp. I recall being woken up like this or worse at 4am. It’s not pretty and you are very disoriented. Again, I know this form being in the NAVY.)

Orenski plays the part of a company commander well as she is barking orders at the freshly woken cadets.

Now in this next pic we see General Black. This is one thing I’d disagree with. It’s definitely not usual to have a commanding officer of a base be at a wake up call like this. I’d have to guess because it’s an officer cadet base and a smaller base that he would be there. Again though it’s not the norm for a commanding officer.

The squad is finishing up getting ready in a hurry.

Silva finishes getting ready first.

Vickers is next, but comes up short as he’s not completely ready.

Chen just completely fails and General Black calls him out on it:

Lasky is admonished from a,sight by Black regarding his brother Cadman being a real soldier.

The look on Tom’s face is very telling. He’s getting pissed off and frustrated by constantly being compared to his brother and living under his shadow.

This whole scene is completely believable, but for Black being there, but I can forgive that as important characters need to be present.

That last shot of Lasky makes me feel like there is going to be a change in Lasky and it happens in a scene coming up.

Next review part 3: Lies and Spies