Review: Arby ‘N’ the Chief Season 7, Episode 25

 

Spoilers Below

I really thought I could make it all the way through the very last episode of Arby N the Chief without having to write anything, or make any notes. One final 25-minute episode to just kick back and watch; no need to jot anything down or pause the episode for any reason. We already roughly know what’s going to happen, right? Or at least those that watched the trailer do. The Arbiter will find Cortana’s stand, and confront Master Chief about it. They’ll fight for a bit, and the episode will reach a climax. Well, all this turned out to be true, but it only applied to the first seven minutes, and then suddenly the episode escalated and before you could say “awesome possum,” Chief was laying in pieces on the kitchen floor and an unseen person was forcefully and ominously knocking on the door.

Suddenly I found myself scrambling to scribble down plot points and details as Tyler re-emerged, and yet another character met a violent and bloody end.

The episode began to look up, though, when Claire appeared in the idle Halo game, just as the Arbiter was about to leap out a window. After a brief talk, Arbiter felt better, and decided not to go through with his planned suicide. However, upon entering the kitchen, Arbiter discovered that the partially-assembled torso that is Master Chief had the gas running and a single match in his hand. After a long talk and truce, the two decide to go out in a blaze of glory.

Personally, I would’ve liked a happier ending, although I suppose the finale wasn’t completely depressing. It had some laughs, a few classic references and lines, and even poked fun at itself a few times (Jon? You mean that guy who’s never here?) At the same time, it was dark, enthralling, and thought-provoking. This combination is the epitome of the last season, and to a lesser extent the series as a whole, but nevertheless, the die-hard, old school fans might still feel gypped by the lack of humor and resemblance to the hilarious show they once loved.

Regardless of your personal feelings about the finale, it is hard to deny that this was one of the best overall shows – not just on Machinima – but YouTube, the Internet, and it could even rival some of the series on TV. Especially considering 90% of programs on the boob tube today are interchangeable police dramas, reality tv freak shows, or poorly-written filler. (And some of the Real Housewives shows are all three!)

Taking this show from a tacky buddy comedy based on Halo, to a complex plot-centric thriller that is as dark and morbid as it once was zany and hilarious (while still leaving the original type of humor intact) is a feat for which show creator Jon Graham and Machinima simply will not get enough credit.

Injustices aside, the show – while still relatively unknown to the average Joe – certainly touched those who had the pleasure to view it, which I suppose mirrors the overarching message behind the show. I’d hate to search too deeply for the moral, lesson, or deeper meaning behind a series about plastic action figurines that play video games and swear at each other, but dammit I can’t help that there’s something to learn here!

Like most odd couple-esque shows and films, there is the obvious theme that two seemingly-opposite personalities sometimes make the best duos. In this show’s case, the smart, rational, and cautious co-protagonist was balanced out by the loudmouthed, instinctive, risk-taking one.

This theme is not nearly as important as that first moral I mentioned. To expand: Arby N the Chief points out that even the most insignificant-seeming person can have immense impacts on the people around them. Just because some can’t see this within themselves, doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Almost all of us are guilty of underestimating this regarding ourselves, just as much as we are also guilty of not telling those around us that they are, in fact, a critical part of our lives, and in many cases have had invaluable or profound effects and influences.

Although it may be sweet and comforting to simply tell someone how much they mean to you, actions always speak louder than words. The Arbiter and Master Chief made their peace with each other, and it made for a nice ending that both tugged at the viewer’s heartstrings, and pinned a nice, final bow on the show. But in reality (or fake TV show reality, at least) they already knew they were friends all along, just like you and your closest friends know how you feel about each other, even if you don’t ever say it. You know it, because when it’s time to live it up, thrown down, or face a crisis head-on, your true friends will be there with a case of beer, a pair of back-up fists, or the single spark you need to just burn the motherfucker down.

Thanks for the good times.