Krypton is back for its second season and off to a decent start! General Zod is attempting to rewrite the history of Krypton as we know it while Seg-El is still trapped in the Phantom Zone with Braniac. Most of the episode focuses on setting up various plot points, so you won’t be in for a ton of action. That being said, it’s certainly fun to see where all of the characters are six months after the events of season one’s finale. Let’s dive into what happened.
1. Phantom Zone
Krypton’s depiction of the Phantom Zone was spot-on and one of the better uses of special effects throughout the series so far. They did a great job of showing what it must be like to be trapped in a dimension where time and space do not exist. This is done by seeing multiple versions of Seg desperately trying to escape. These versions of Seg feel related to the concept of the multiverse, since it seems like each one is doing something different at the same time. Perhaps the Phantom Zone is more than it seems? We’ll see if Season 2 touches on this at all or if its pure conjecture by yours truly.
2. Seg-Braniac Relationship
Seeing Seg work with Braniac after they escaped the Phantom Zone was extremely interesting. Seg’s hate for the Collector of Worlds was all but unexpected, while Brainiac’s approach to the Kryptonian’s anger was cold and calculated. One of my favorite aspects about this dynamic was how Seg began to consider Brainiac’s logical approach. However, this was somewhat short-lived; you’ll see what I mean when you watch the episode.
3. Yellow Sun
In order to escape the Phantom Zone, Braniac uses a device that uses energy from a young yellow sun. This was an interesting detail to write into the first episode of the new season, as we all know that Superman derives his power from Earth’s yellow sun. If I had to put money on it, I’d say that we’ll be seeing a yellow star’s energy power a Kryptonian or two this season. After all, it would certainly scratch an itch to see some super-powered folks on a show that’s based off of The Man of Steel’s ancestors.
4. Nyssa-Vex: The Clone
I’m a big fan of the reveal that Nyssa-Vex was a clone at the end of Season 1. Going forward, it will be interesting to see how this quality affects the dynamic of her character (as it’s started to already). I love how many questions this scenario brings up: what does it truly mean to be yourself? What is the actual meaning of “identity”, and how is one conditioned to think about it from various standpoints? I look forward to them exploring this concept throughout the season.
5. Lobo!
While it was fun to see Lobo show up at the end of the episode, I’m skeptical about how they’re going to handle him. First off, it would’ve been nice if they made him look a bit buffer (this reminded me of Topher Grace’s depiction of Venom in the infamous Spider-Man 3). As far as the character’s use in the show, it’s hard to say what role he’ll fit into. A fight between Zod and Lobo would be fun, especially if the former happened to be powered by a yellow sun at the time. We’ll just have to wait and see!
