Superman on Television
Krypton: Episode Reviews
Season 2 - Episode 5: "A Better Yesterday"
Reviewed by: Michael J. Petty
Originally Aired: July 10, 2019WRITTEN BY: David Kob
DIRECTED BY: Metin Huseyin
REGULAR CAST:
Cameron Cuffe as Seg-El
Shaun Sipos as Adam Strange
Georgina Campbell as Lyta-Zod
Aaron Pierre as Dev-Em
Wallis Day as Nyssa-Vex
Ann Ogbomo as Jayna-Zod
Blake Ritson as Brainiac
Ian McElhinney as Val-El
Colin Salmon as General Dru-Zod
Rasmus Hardiker as Kem
Hannah Waddingham as Jax-Ur
Rating - 5 (out of 5): Well that was intense... Out of all the things that could have happened on this week's Krypton, the last thirty seconds of this week's episode is what I would have expected least.It seems as if Jax-Ur has finally snapped, deciding that the only way to win this war is to become as brutal as the monsters they face. And now Lyta-Zod is, seemingly, dead.
To be completely honest, Lyta is probably my least favorite character on Krypton, and certainly (in my opinion) the least interesting, so her apparent death does nothing for me. But for Seg-El, Jayna-Zod, Dev-Em, and even the General himself, this is the world. None of these characters will be able to be the same again and this action not only changes the course of the series from this point on, but also the course of history. Meaning, how is it even possible now for General Dru-Zod to be born... Unless, however, his true parentage is not what it seemed (or maybe a Lyta clone may be seen in the future?)...
In any event, this obviously screws with the timeline even more than Adam's arrival on Krypton had, since this will now directly affect Superman's future. Superman aside, this will also affect Jor-El's life on Krypton. Zod was his best friend and eventual nemesis, so who might now take his place? Do the writers of Krypton even care about fixing the timeline at this point?
Of course, I could be completely overacting. Zod could still be born in the Genesis Chamber with Lyta and Seg's DNA... Or if a Lyta clone is out there... Or if Lyta didn't even die at all!
Regardless, I was shocked by the twists and turns of this week's episode and am anxious to see how all our characters respond to Lyta's death. When Seg finds out that Adam and Kem are indirectly responsible (due to being the "messengers" of Zod's evil, and very well thought out, plan), that's going to be an interesting conversation...
Speaking of Seg-El, now that we know that Brainiac never left (shocking...), we know that he is in desperate need of Seg to survive. The real question is, how long can Seg keep this up? It's hard enough to deal with a war on your home world, and the apparent death of your lover, but to also have to deal with your world's biggest threat swimming around in your head? It would take a Superman.
I will say though, the one great thing about Brainiac and Seg sharing a body, besides the potential for Seg to regain the superpowers he attained on Culu, was the incredible scene where Brainiac directed Seg in battle against the Sagitari, which immediately reminded me of the scene in Man of Steel where the A.I. Jor-El directs Lois Lane against Zod's men on Black Zero. Very cool parallel.
Another exciting addition to this week's episode was the inclusion of Jayna-Zod and Dev-Em into the main story as they attempt, and obviously fail, to assassinate Dru-Zod. Now that they've teamed up with Seg and are going to be dealing with the fallout of losing Lyta, these three (plus Brainiac) will be a real force to be reckoned with. I've really appreciated Dev-Em's arc over the past season and a half, from being a mindless soldier to becoming a fiercely loyal and compelling character, and I think he will only grow as the season progresses. Plus, his superhuman reflexes are incredible.
Jax-Ur has clearly lost her mind at this point (if thinking it would be smart to kill the mother of the ruler of Krypton doesn't qualify, then I don't know what does), which is something that was alluded to last week when she wanted to murder every Sagitari on Wegthor. Though I'm glad her true colors have been revealed, it's most certainly going to spell trouble for Seg and the gang (it already has for Val-El) as she may end up being just as much a threat to Krypton as General Zod is. And yet, danger aside, her "heat vision" was really cool.
Lastly, I'm glad Nyssa-Vex has finally come to the realization that her actions have consequences, something you would think her father would have already taught her with his failures last season, and yet like most people, she had to learn it for herself. What she decides to do next, how she proceeds in attempting to recover Cor-Vex, is going to be interesting seeing as how she has no real allies after betraying both sides. She clearly can't count on Zod, and Jax-Ur would just as soon kill her. My hope is that she'll be able to meet up with Seg-El and the others in order to infiltrate Zod's base on Kandor and save their son. She won't be able to do it without him.
And now that Lyta-Zod is gone... There may be hope for Seg-El and Nyssa-Vex just yet...
All-in-all, this week's Krypton was outstanding. This series continues to prove time-and-time again that science-fiction is more alive than ever and has the potential to be both compelling and entertaining in the same breath.
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