Written by Kyle Killen and Steven Kane and directed by Otto Bathurst, the episode was released on the streaming service Paramount+ on March 24, 2022.

In the episode, a rebellious settlement on the planet of Madrigal, occupied by the United Nations Space Command, is massacred by a group of Covenant, leaving only one survivor.

Additionally, a scene where the Master Chief removes his helmet and reveals his face—something that had never occurred in the games—prompted widespread discussion from critics and fans alike.

On the planet Madrigal, a group of Covenant Elites emerge from a spacecraft near an Insurrectionist outpost and begin murdering all present in the area.

As the battle ensues, the UNSC intervenes by deploying the Spartan-II unit Silver Team, led by Master Chief Petty Officer John-117.

Silver Team defeats the Elites, but fails to prevent them from massacring the outpost's inhabitants, leaving a young girl named Kwan Ha as the only survivor.

When John attempts to retrieve it, he experiences a sudden flashback to his youth, unlocking memories of his childhood; a surviving Covenant Elite witnesses this before fleeing from Madrigal.

While on the ship with John, Kwan is contacted by UNSC Commander Miranda Keyes, who attempts to persuade her to join their side and send a message to the galaxy to warn of Covenant attacks.

After he refuses to comply, oxygen supply is slowed down to both the ship and John's suit in order to kill Kwan and knock him out, though these efforts fail.

These included Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Halsey and Cortana, Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066, and Shabana Azmi as Margaret Parangosky.

[9] In November 2020, due to difficulties related to COVID-19, Jen Taylor replaced McElhone's role as Cortana, in which she had previously played the character in the Halo video games.

[16] In February 2022, Eurogamer reported that the original composers of the Halo series, Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, filed a lawsuit against Microsoft in June 2020 over unpaid royalties dating back two decades.

As a result of the unpaid royalties, the two also criticized the usage of the theme in marketing for the TV series, with them instructing their lawyers to look into the possibility of delaying the release of the show.

[24] Jesse Schedeen of IGN and Bradley Russel of GamesRadar+ shared similar opinions, with the latter describing the episode's writing as "fascinating take on the Halo universe".