Ricky Church reviews the ninth episode of Krypton….
Krypton‘s penultimate episode of its first season was a quieter affair than its previous episode as it placed its various pieces around the board for the finale, yet it still delivered a number of surprising developments for the characters. Even as the finale approaches, alliances continue to shift in ways that are natural to the story rather than for the sake of a twist.
In the wake of Brainiac’s apparent defeat, or at the very least a setback, the big question of what happens next loomed large over the cast. Seeing Kandor in such a state of disarray at the loss of their leadership was a nice sight to see as Black Zero was openly roaming the streets while the Sagitari were weakened and the Council lost their lives to Brainiac. It left Seg, Lyta and Nyssa on their own to find a new way to defeat Brainiac once and for all while still keeping Krypton safe.
That led to the biggest alliance shift as Lyta betrayed Seg and sided with her future son, General Zod, by plotting to release Doomsday on Brainiac. This also led us to see a more traditional General Zod, one who values strength and honour (at least his own skewed version of it) above the most basic rational on unleashing an unstoppable monster. It highlighted just how radical Zod is in his zeal to protect Krypton and wipe out both Brainiac and Superman. Colin Salmon and Georgina Campbell again share some strong chemistry with each other, but Salmon’s performance alongside Ann Ogbomo is also quite a memorable part of the episode.
The journey Jayna has been on these last few episodes is quite remarkable as she’s shed more of her tough exterior and has realized the role she’s played in the Voice’s tyranny. It’s interesting to see her square off with her grandson as he’s a very dark reflection of her. While he’s ready to take his actions over the line, it’s not too far off the path Jayna once tread. Their only real difference is how Jayna ultimately put family before her honour while Zod doesn’t seem too afraid to use and potentially kill his family. The duel between Jayna and Zod was exciting and tense with good choreography, though could have been shot better as it was difficult to tell who was who sometimes. Both combatants wore the same type of dark clothing and fought in a dimply lit hallway. It didn’t make the fight quite as concise as it could have been.
We also got the rather surprising development that Zod is of both the Zod and El bloodlines, being the apparent child of Seg and Lyta. Its been slightly hinted at before that there was a bit more to Zod’s parentage than we were led to believe, but knowing now he is actually Superman’s half-uncle is a risky and refreshing take on their complex relationship. It will be interesting to see how Seg fully handles this revelation next episode and how that changes his own relationship with Zod.
Wallis Day also impressed with Nyssa’s arc, gaining more of a role in the battle for Kandor as she had to recruit the Sagitari and ultimately save Seg from Brainiac. Day’s really shown a lot of change as Nyssa recently and her own chemistry with Cameron Cuffe has grown a lot, making me believe in a potential relationship between them much more than I did before. Ever since Nyssa got out from under her father’s shadow, she’s become a much stronger and more individual character. Krypton has utilized her role in the latter half of the season very well.
One of the best aspects of ‘Hope’, though, was how it touched on one of Superman’s most significant qualities: his ability to inspire others with hope and optimism. Val-El’s speech to Seg about this cut to the core of this inate ability, showing its something that has run in the El family for generations. Cuffe’s display of realization to this power and what his family means to Krypton really sold Seg’s resolve to continue the fight.
Krypton‘s penultimate episode did what all penultimates should by providing several great character moments while building the tension for its final episode. The cast showed off how much they and their characters have grown and with the true Brainiac’s arrival, things are looking pretty dire for Kandor.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church
