Krypton– Episodes 6-7: “Civil Wars” and “Transformation”

Starring: Cameron Cuffe, Georgina Campbell, Ann Ogbomo, Shaun Sipos, Wallis Day, Elliot Cowan, Aaron Pierre, Blake Ritson, and Colin Salmon.
Written by: Doris Egan and David Paul Francis
Directed by: Kate Dennis and Metin Huseyin

Krypton starts to come into its own, despite a gratuitous cameo, in its sixth and seventh installments. With just three episodes left until the first season finale, episodes 6 and 7 barrel the show into its endgame. Supporting by a few novel twists, its own version of science fiction Game of Thrones plotting, and more stellar performances from the women of the cast. Episode six kind of gets bogged down by the Doomsday of it all. These episodes really get the whole cast in on the fun, finally blossoming into a full-on ensemble as the fight against Brainiac finally comes to Krypton in a big, splashy way.

Picking up directly after episode 5’s revelation that General Zod has made the trip back in time, like Adam, in order to stop Brainiac, “Civil Wars” wastes little time doling out even more revelations. The most affecting of which is that Adam Strange didn’t tell Seg of Krypton’s eventual destruction and that Brainiac isn’t from the future. The destruction of Kandor, which begins the cascade failure of the planet’s core, leading to its explosion. It’s a fixed point in the planet’s history and thus should probably be protected.

Writer Doris Egan (Torchwood: Miracle Day and House) does a really great job of making this new moral quandary feel weighty. Along with some choice Zod commentary on Superman’s legacy, voiced by the coldly entertaining Colin Salmon. She even doubles down on the political intrigue happening on the surface. The Vexes and Jayna-Zod prepare a daring plan to assassinate The Voice of Rao, unaware of his new Brainiac powered upgrade. Though, like I said, the episode comes apart toward the end. Thanks to a super out of place cameo by Doomsday. However, everything before that is compelling. It manages to merge the looming threat of Brainiac with the courtly intrigue of the Guild Space.

Episode seven then capitalizes on that merger. Showing the direct aftermath of the coup attempt and the frightening capabilities of Brainiac. It is here where the show finally fully merges its political machinations with the fight against Brainiac in a propulsive and engaging hour of television. Sure, Cameron Cuffe’s Seg is still about as entertaining as a bowl of cold oatmeal. The women, especially the dreamy and endlessly watchable Wallis Day and Georgina Campbell more than make-up for it as the full cast unites toward the goal of saving Kandor. I wish that it hadn’t taken up to six weeks to get us to this point. Episodes 6 and 7 of Krypton finally put the show on a solid foundation and move it toward some really interesting places.

Verdict: Watch Them!

After a shaky start and some even shakier storytelling, episodes 6 and 7 find Krypton making great use of both the overall narrative and the immediate week-to-week plots. Buoyed by fantastic production values, strong women, and now genuine stakes, Krypton is starting to grow out of being a guilty pleasure to a legitimately great fandom entry.

Until next time praise the sun, and I’ll be seeing you.

Justin Partridge
justin@betweenthepanels.com
A writer, a dandy, a Friend of Tom, and a street walkin' cheetah with a heart fulla napalm. He has loved comics all his life but he hasn't quite got them to love him back just yet. That hasn't stopped him writing about them or about any other media that hoves into his sights. He can usually be reached via the hellscape that is Twitter @J_PartridgeIII or by e-mail at justin@betweenthepanels.com.

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