Ricky Church reviews the eighth episode of Krypton…
Krypton once again delivered a tense and exciting episode with ‘Savage Night’ as Seg-El and his allies took the fight directly to Brainiac. It was a fairly big episode that was almost worthy of a finale, making one wonder just what the last two episodes have in store given all the events here.
One of the biggest developments that came out of the story was the tenuous alliance they made with Black Zero. We finally got to meet the group’s leader Jax-Ur, played by Hannah Waddingham, who came across as an intimidating match for the Zods in her introductory scene. It was nice to finally put a face to the group’s leadership and Waddington did a good job in the role, showing how much of a force she is to be reckoned with. Even General Zod was surprised she had the audacity and ruthlessness to slash his face.
Normally this late of an addition to an already large cast might make the show feel crammed, but Krypton deftly adds this 11th hour character in with no trouble. Her arrival only adds more tension to the proceedings, especially as she clearly has her own agenda that will come into conflict with what Seg believes is best and Zod’s own plans for Krypton’s future.
On that note, we finally began seeing a bit more of the typical General Zod than previously. Colin Salmon has given a good performance throughout his time, showing Zod as an almost noble, heroic figure. While there is a certain nobility to his character and motivations, what Zod thinks is best is generally askew from everybody else. It was a clever move to have Jayna-Zod, his grandmother of all people, recognize the makings of a tyrant within Zod and that his intentions aren’t as clear-cut as he’s suggested. What’s particularly interesting is not only wish to prevent Krypton’s destruction, but taking their race to Earth in order to gain the same powers Superman has to do ‘good’ throughout the universe.
The action was fairly tense, but also well paced. The jumps back and forth between Lyta, Nyssa and Val-El at the Fortress and Seg’s assault team was a nice display of editing that cut at the right moments and added to their desperation. While it would have been nice to see Lyta and Nyssa join the assault team, it also made sense for them to stay behind and try getting Dev out from Brainiac’s control to hack into his own soldiers. There was also plenty of action on the Zod front as Jayna got a very good moment to show why she was the leader of Krypton’s warriors. It was also a spot where the show was allowed again to show some very graphic depictions of violence as Jayna blew away a couple heads.
Another notable aspect was seeing Adam Strange acting against Seg, even going to Daron-Vex to inform him of Seg’s plans. The flashbacks to the time when he was taken back to the present in the pilot shone a bigger light on his character development as he first set out to really make a name for himself by saving Superman, but is now in it just to do the right thing. Of course, however, doing the right thing in this case also means letting Krypton and the thousands of citizens die, but for the greater good. It places him at an interesting crossroads, but one where he doesn’t necessarily feel beholden to the people of Krypton as long as Superman exists.
The production design is also something to be called out. The effects on Blake Riston’s Brainiac in his Voice of Rao form again looks great, especially towards the end of the episode when the body starts deteriorating a bit more after getting shot up and falling. It really sells how much more of a monster than machine Brainiac is.
‘Savage Night’ was another successful and great episode for Krypton, one that upped the stakes while presenting new ideas. The introduction of new characters this late in the game didn’t feel off, but natural to the story and action. The conclusion, and the revelation regarding some character’s true motives, nicely sets up the final conflict for the next two episodes.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church
