First I must say a HUGE thanks to 343 for making this possible. Finally a live action show that is much more than just a commercial or a small clip. Spoilers abound in this review, not just for the show, but for Halo 4 as well. You’ve been warned.

In part two of my review of episode 1, I take a look at Tom Lasky’s failure on the training field and it’s implications.

The training exercise begins with a rude awakening from Cryo sleep. Note how dark this scene is.

Lasky seems to struggle with even the mundane things like putting on his helmet. Something he should know like the back of his hand.

Cadet Chyler Silva (played by actress Anna Popplewell of “Chronicles of Narnia” fame) is ready to go!

Even those goggles have a basic HUD (head up display).

Here we get a much better look at the HUD. Upper left squad name designation: Hastati. Upper Right cadet name: Lasky. Just below that the weapons designation showing an assault rifle with 32 shots of ammo left. Bottom Middle on “Training Mode.” Bottom Right: CAMS (Corbulo Academy of Military Science). And the  center targeting locater. This shows Lasky’s 3 person group about to rendezvous with the other 3 person group.

This is an excellent shot as we get a great overlay of the HUD onto real terrain. It’s unobtrusive to what’s in the distance with exception to the yellow pie piece of the target designator.

Silva, Lasky, and cadet Sullivan (Sully) racing toward the rendezvous point. The nick-name of Sully is likely in homage to Captain Sullenberger, the civilian pilot who saved his aircraft and all on board on a succesful crash landing on the Hudson river in New York not to long ago.

Sully gets hit and is down. Lasky looks on as if not knowing what to do next. Not very becoming of a future officer in the UNSC.

Lasky’s HUD showing a man down!

Game over for Sullivan. Though it is an training exercise.

Hastati squad ASSEMBLE! minus Sully 🙁

Cadet Vickers gives the order to attack.

We see two groups of three flanking the squad. What to do?

Lasky disagrees with the order, saying Hastati can flank the aggressors. Other cadets like Silva and Tochakava (pictured) agree, while Vickers (right) gets frustrated by the lack of discipline and following orders.

 

Lasky, you’re not in charge anymore, we go with my plan. (heading straight into the aggressors)

Lasky: It won’t work! We can flank and negotiate a surrender.

The cadets waste valuable time with indecision. Something that will come back to bite them, HARD.

Lasky doesn’t care for Vicker’s orders.

The enemy is moving in FAST.

Lasky takes it upon himself to act and makes what would have been a fatal mistake had this been on the battlefield.

He’s been stunned by a shot to the breastplate.

His squad leader look on in disgust at Lasky’s failure to follow orders, which would have gotten himself killed. Unacceptable. (She pumps a couple more shots into him…)

Lasky gets up and looks at himself in the warped mirror. It’s at this point if you haven’t already figured it out that we find that Lasky isn’t a perfect soldier.

This part of episode one really sets up the fact that Lasky is a work in progress. Seems he used to be a leader in the squad, but has made past failures. He has much to learn before he becomes an officer in the UNSC.

Next up in part 3 of my review: The Fallout.

-Sal