Krypton 1.07 Transformation: - Review:
It seems like the second half of Krypton's first season has led to some drastic improvements for the show as it moves away from the political subterfuge of its earlier episodes, in what was a well-constructed episode that felt exciting from start to finish, making several developments in the aftermath of Daron-Vex's failed coup. Ever the weasel, Vex was quick to put the blame on Jayna and his co-conspirators when confronted by the Brainiac-possessed Voice of Rao. In a quick conversation between Daron and Brainiac we learn more about Daron and why he isn't a believer and was so keen to overthrow the original Voice of Rao - his parents believed in the Ice Goddess, and when he never saw them again after the Voice of Rao established his totalitarian rule, he knew that the only thing he could believe in was himself, especially if Rao isn't showing signs of existing anytime soon.
Brainiac is quick to spot Daron-Vex and call him out on being a liar, but Daron is quick to do anything to prove his loyalty to his new master. Unfortunately for Daron, Brainiac's first command is for him to deal with his daughter, Nyssa, who is as a result, quickly locked up.
One of the most welcome introductions to Krypton was General Zod, which helped give the show an extra element of unpredictability and threw Adam Strange into the spotlight as he was moping back at the Fortress of Solitude about his failures. He admits to the holographic portrayal of Val-El that he's nothing but a D-Lister who doesn't even have a cool superhero name, as opposed to Superman who has plenty of them. He believed that by travelling back in time he could potentially earn some recognition from even the Justice League themselves, and have people look up to him. But after Seg told him to return home, Adam's admitted defeat and is now working with Val-El in order to get his device working again.
Adam Strange has been one of the show's weakest characters, but the time we spent in Transformation was much needed as it gave him a bit more depth beyond what we've had so far and was vitally important in giving his character motivation for the weeks ahead. His conversations with Val-El may have distracted from the otherwise fast paced nature of the episode, but they were important, as by the end of the episode, he's come to a conclusion that he's got no choice other than to let Kandor die. This will put him on a colliding path with Seg and our new band of unlikely allies - who are doing everything they can to try and save the city. Splitting up Adam and Seg has really injected a breath of fresh air into the series and given that extra edge and tension that it needs.
Taking a wounded General Zod to Kem's after posing him as someone who's had a little too much to drink at the end of celebrations to avoid detection from guards, Zod's wounds are healed whilst Lyta and Seg split up after hearing the news about the coup and that Jayna and Nyssa were involved. Seg heads off to rescue Nyssa after telling Lyta that she was risked her life for her so he should do the same for Nyssa, and ends up coming to her aid after Nyssa manages to trick her father who's just come to kill her. It's a rather tense moment that leads to Nyssa and Seg eventually escaping using the Saggitari uniforms. And you know that trope where two people make out to avoid being spotted by people who are looking for them? It didn't actually work for Nyssa and Seg - which might be a first time in ages that I've actually seen it fail - so it was cool to see Krypton play against type in a simple moment like this.
Nyssa is quick to thank Seg too for his choices, something that she finds hard to do. I love how awesome Nyssa is in this episode, showing that she's more than capable of holding her own in combat and is getting much more development than when we first saw her. She's smart enough to suspect that her father was coming to shoot her so used a holographic body double to throw him off. Her dynamic with Seg proved to be a fun one to watch unfold, both characters working well together.
Lyta meanwhile stumbled across Dev who helped her search for her mother, but it quickly conspired that there was more to Dev than first appeared and he was taken over by Brainiac, not having been quite as lucky as Jayna was to escape the situation alive. I like how the show took its time to develop Dev rather than just make him a one-sided competitor for Seg in his relationship with Lyta, and Dev ends up getting his arm blown off and possibly killed by Lyta in the process. This then puts Lyta with her mother, heading back to Kandor, who reveals more to her about her actions and why she planned a coup which was against everything her mother told her to stand for.
And Jayna justifies her decisions by telling her that Lyta's life was on the line, the life of her only daughter. That's the difference between her and Daron, who would so willingly go to kill his own if it meant saving his skin - Jayna would even sacrifice her honour if it meant saving hers. Both of these two characters have been really good so far this season and I'm glad that Jayna wasn't converted like everybody else who tried to stop The Voice of Rao was.
Jayna's first meeting with General Zod was a suitably tense affair, and the question is finally brought up about who his father is, something that Zod's not sure Lyta wants to know, but tells her anyway. Whether it's the whole truth or not we don't know given Zod's reputation as someone who is incredibly untrustworthy. But eventually, after putting their differences aside, Nyssa, Jayna, Lyta, General Zod and Seg come to a conclusion that they need to stop the Voice of Rao. They know that they cannot defeat him in a direct conflict, and General Zod convinces them that they don't have time to leave the city for others and seek aid from Nyssa's sisters in Kryptonopolis (which are our first mention of these sisters' whereabouts that we've had so far on the show), but all Seg realises that he has to do is get Brainiac to show his powers and then the people of Kandor will rise up against him, ever the optimist.
Of course, it doesn't turn out the way any of them could have expected, and Brainiac doesn't hold back in his speech, embracing the Rankless into the community and breaking down the boundaries between the two people and establishing a new classless society, promising that they will live forever under his watch. Brainiac's floating above the people of Kandor was a fascinating sight to witness - and it was interesting to see Seg's plans spectacularly implode like they did. Defeating Brainiac now that he has the blind devotion of the Rankless and the Saggitari under his command just got all the more impossible for Seg's team, especially now that they're going to have to contend with Adam Strange as well.
What did you think of Transformation? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to check out the next episode - Savage Night - next Wednesday on SYFY.
