In the latest Halo episode, Master Chief does the Covenant

Microsoft / Alex Castro / The Verge

In the strictest definition of the term, this week's episode of the Paramount Plus show is incredible. I can't believe what I've seen.

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In the latest episode, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 fucks. He has sex with an undercover human Covenant spy after the two have developed a friendship over their shared magical abilities. Makee, the Covenant spy, is going to give up her loyalties to humanity because the Master Chief is a skilled lover. A series of misunderstandings and violent interactions with the UNSC leads Makee to change her mind about changing her mind, setting into motion events that could possibly cause the fall of the planet Reach.

The Fall of Reach came after the Chief clapped his cheeks.

I can't pick a side. I was stunned in awe at what the showrunners have done. Even for a show that wants nothing to do with the games and offers completely new takes on established characters, it still feels inappropriate to have the Master Chief. A man who was kidnapped as a young child and molded to be an emotionless super soldier dedicated to the preservation of humanity is the subject of a movie. I'm not sure he would know how to do it.

As the camera fades away from John and Makee, it cuts to a wide-eyed Cortana, which is more like a comedy than a love scene. It was funny. I laughed so hard that my dog and my partner were upset.

The question of whether the Master Chief and the Spartans in general are fuck is a new one.

my main issue with "master chief fucks cortana" is if you read the halo novels youd know the space suit automatically jacks master chief off

— wint (@dril) May 11, 2017

People started posting fake images of pages from The Fall of Reach featuring a passage that describes the functions of a Mjolnir power suit.

According to a Kotaku write-up, the developers of the game didn't deny or confirm if Mjolnir armor is for Spartans. According to The Fall of Reach, the generation of Spartans to which John belongs are embedded with an emotion suppressant chip. When John removed the chip in the show, it became one of my favorite moments as I was touched by his sheer emotion at seeing the everyday things I take for granted.

I think there are reasonable explanations for why the Master Chief got down with his Master Beef. John would be curious about sex because of his lack of emotional regulation. Basic sex ed would have been provided from his training as a Spartan. The series has shown him as angry and upset about being denied a relationship with his parents. He had a real connection with Makee outside of his Spartan life. He would want to explore every facet of being human, which includes sex, with his new emotions.

John, as a Spartan, would do anything to complete his mission. Makee's status as a Covenant insider and her more powerful connection with the artifacts make her important to the UNSC's mission of finding the Halo weapon before the Covenant can. Makee doesn't trust the UNSC enough to cooperate. She will have sex with John after that. The Master Chief is a soldier who will use whatever is necessary to get the job done.

I can't say I've given enough thought to whether or not the Master Chief is a bad guy. I can't speak for everyone, but a quick look at the AO3 section of the game tells me other fans haven't either. There are about 2,000 fanfics under the halo tag, and only about 400 of them are rated for sexual content. Master Chief and Cortana are the most popular relationship. Equal space is also given to the side characters that don't involve John at all, like Sarah Palmer and Tom-B292.

Miranda Keyes and Spartan Kai-125 are two of the characters that I can already see in a future episode of the TV show. This week's episode was rife with angst, which is a good thing, and I expect more stories about John and Makee's lovemaking to be up soon. Don't ask me to write any of them.