After General Zod took over Kandor with Seg-El and Brainiac confined to the Phantom Zone in the finale of Krypton’s first season, it was a wonder to find out just how this unprecedented Superman prequel would continue from there.
The season two premiere picks up six months after the events of last year’s finale. The space-time continuum jumping Adam Strange (Shaun Sipos) returns to Krypton to find it under the tyrannical rule of none other than the Dru-Zod (Colin Salmon) of the future as he prepares for intergalactic conquest. Furthermore, Adam discovers that Val-El (Ian McElhinney), Nyssa Vex (Wallis Day), among others have been leading a rebellion against Zod’s armies. During this, Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe) and Brainiac (Blake Ritson) escape the Phantom Zone, only to find themselves stranded on Brainiac’s homeworld of Colu. Doomsday is running amok on Krypton, and Dru-Zod is continuing his plan to capture it and use it for his own nefarious purposes. All this and Lobo (Emmett J. Scanlan) too.
This premiere benefits from its change of pace from last season, and pulls no punches with its story. The first beloved season dealt with commentary on political agendas, social class and cultism, so it very much classified itself as a sci-fi political thriller instead of a superhero show, drawing clear inspiration from the Star Trek franchise. Unlike its predecessor, season two has bigger production values to further increase the scale of the universe, and the grander threats that loom within it. If I were to draw a comparison, it would be to Star Wars, as it trades out a curious sci-fi thriller for a sci-fi epic, to effectively entertaining results.
The acting here is top notch all around, though there are standouts in Colin Salmon’s General Zod and Shaun Sipos’ Adam Strange. Salmon portrays Zod to perfection, as his presence is felt throughout the entire episode, and he commands the screen in every scene in which he appears. Sipos continues to develop what could be the best character arc in the show, from the wannabe superhero we met in season one to the selfless friend that he has since become, with an incredible charm that Sipos just can’t seem to stop. They are both gracefully lead by Cameron Cuffe, who plays Seg-El, the grandfather of Superman, who lives on through sheer will and desperation. Adam, Seg, and every other protagonist on the show has lost everything, and it is very well demonstrated in this episode.
Executive producers Cam Welsh and David Goyer have taken the initial ‘fix the future’ premise of Krypton and turned it completely on its head in the best way possible. The timeline has changed so dramatically that it feels uncertain that our heroes can even begin to save the day, because as evidenced by the events of this premiere, this season has no holds barred, and the odds are stacked completely against them with the heroes spread thin and new threats running free. As the marketing suggests, it’s a bad day to be a hero. It’s a new timeline, and there are no rules.
Overall, Krypton begins its sophomore season by raising the bar to soaring heights, with enough drama, science-fiction intrigue, and stunning production to spare. I truly can’t wait to see just how this cosmic epic continues to deliver.
Krypton returns with another episode next Wednesday, June 19th, on Syfy.
