TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Krypton Episode 04: The Word Of Rao

Well…didn’t see that coming. Krypton really reset the dynamics of many of its characters with “The Word Of Rao”, and some of it was very unexpected. And by the time we reached the end, you couldn’t help but wonder what it’ll all mean in the long run.

First up, after the debacle of the “Rankless Initiative”, the Voice of Rao demanded that a scapegoat be named to “quell the discontent” in the Rankless. So, Vex decided that Lyta (who technically was a contributing factor in the incident) should be branded as a traitor to settle the matter. Naturally, this didn’t reside well with all who knew her, including Seg and her mother.

With that, the race was on to save her, which led to a very big reveal via Nyssa Vex. Apparently, while House Vex is known for their schemes, they’re doing it for the right reasons. They’re actually trying to overthrow the Voice of Rao and give Kandor back to its people. This is both poignant and ironic. First off, it means that Vex actually agreed with Val-El during his trial and was likely trying to get his loyalty to help take Rao down, but Val wouldn’t play along. And two, now that the Voice of Rao is basically the Voice of Brainiac, things could get sped up in a way that helps all sides.

Meanwhile, we found out that there’s another group of players on the chess board, and though they don’t have a name (we know they’re not Black Zero), we know that they’re aware of Brainiac’s presence. What’s more, their leader knew Val-El, and all the El’s apparently. if you recognize that actor, he’s the same guy that played Walter Steele in Arrow for the first couple of seasons. His portrayal as the commander was both brutal and hilarious at the same time, but you can tell he’s a man of conviction. And he’s willing to prove his loyalty in order to help save Krypton.

A fun little sidestory dealt with the “loss” of Rom, and how Seg and Zed had to try and break it to her daughter Oma. It was fascinating to see this very simple and touching storyline basically baffle all of them. They’re ready to fight a war for their future, but to tell a young girl that her mother wasn’t coming back? Yeah, that’s near impossible to do.

This also led insight into the power of faith on Krypton. For Rao and the Nova festival proved that while the Voice of Rao may not be good, their faith in their god is true. And seeing Oma become one of the Novice’s under Rao’s “care” was pretty powerful.

Little did Oma know though that her tribute was going to infect her new protector, but it was still cool none the less. And I look forward to seeing how this plays out.

Also, props to Seg for keeping a cool head throughout much of the turmoil that was going on in his life. From getting Nyssa to help him, to dealing with the mysterious group, and eventually breaking out, Seg is very competent. But how far that will take him on his own remains to be seen.

“The Word Of Rao” brought many interesting twists to things, and with these new twists comes a lot of potential. I look forward to seeing how it all goes.