Ricky Church reviews the fourth episode of Krypton season 2…
With Krypton‘s ‘Danger Close’, it’s safe to say the season’s first act has come to close as several aspects of the story were accelerated now that Seg-El has returned to a very different Kandor. ‘Danger Close’ offered some nice character development, surprising answers and exciting sequences in a concise story.
Cameron Cuffe did a pretty good job throughout the episode displaying how bewildered Seg was with the new Krypton, but none moreso than how it had changed Lyta. He and Georgina Campbell played their scenes well together, whether it was the flashback to their first meeting or their wordless reunion. The strength of their chemistry came through, but Campbell did a nice and subtle job displaying through her line delivery and body language how off she was to Seg. It helped solidify to both Seg and the audience that it would take more than his reappearance and a few words to bring Lyta over to his side. Of course, this led to Seg’s discovery that Zod has tamptered with Lyta’s memories and personality in the same manner they’ve reconditioned so many others.
On the one hand, this twist shows just how far Dru-Zod is willing to go to achieve his goals that he would perform such a procedure on his own mother. Despite Seg’s hope he and Lyta could talk Zod back from his tyrannical ways, it solidifies this version is fully the hardened one Superman has fought so many times before. On the other hand, though, it robs Lyta of her own agency and development, especially when it seemed perfectly in character for her to take a harder stance on resistance considering her resolve after losing Seg as well as shooting her own mother. It’s likely this twist was decided not only to show Zod’s villainous depths, but to also absolve Lyta of full blame after Dev reveals her order to kill hundreds of unarmed civilians, children included. It would have been a more interesting arc for Lyta to face the repercussions of her actions on her own terms, but as much as the twist weakens her arc it works enough in terms of the plot and as a surprise factor.
The revelations regarding Lyta weren’t the only to be had. The rebellion’s plot nicely progressed as Val and Jax won a battle against Zod’s forces and planned their next big move. Kem’s return was nicely timed, bringing everyone back at last in thrust into the main plot as he defected from the Sagitari to defeat Zod. Rasmus Hardiker did well showing how time intervening time between seasons had changed Kem, but not enough to completely erode his good and comical nature. ‘Danger Close’ was all about defections and betrayals though as Jax was revealed to have a plan of her own against Val’s wishes while Nyssa seemingly completed her role as a double agent. Zod’s long-con to defeat the rebels wasn’t entirely surprising since we knew Nyssa was still feeding information to him, but it again shows how much of a ruthless tactician he is sacrifice hundreds of his own troops just to trap Val and Jax and gain the Codex. On top of all that, there is also the knowledge that Brainiac may not be as quite out of Seg’s system as he believed. All these developments have led to what feels like the close of the season’s first act with the pieces in some pretty interesting places going forward.
‘Danger Close’ was a good episode of Krypton that served to tie up some plot lines while revealing several more and heightening the tension. Zod’s ruthlessness is on full display thanks to his actions and Colin Salmon’s performance. The only weak spot is how Lyta’s character arc has been made less interesting due to her development being outside her own control, but the fast pace and conciseness of the episode’s story made up a bit for that twist. With all the characters back on the board for Krypton’s survival and caught in some precarious positions, Krypton‘s second season continues to impress and deliver and exciting story.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for movie news and nerd talk.
