TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Krypton Episode 07: Transformation

One of the reasons I feel that shows like Black Lightning and Krypton succeed with their shorter seasons is that they don’t have time to dawdle. Yes, sometimes they do, but more often than not they keep things going because the story needs to keep moving. “Transformation” proved an apt title tonight, as the failed coup against The Voice Of Rao/Brainiac transformed a lot of things.

First off, it was great to see how Brainiac put the screws to Deron, knowing when he was lying, and yet finding a use for him as a servant. I also like how the team got to show Deron’s motivations for doing what he did, including the coup. He wasn’t exactly power-hungry, he was just someone who lost his family to a god he couldn’t prove existed. Which, is not unlike what happened to Seg. However, Deron still proved villainous as he did whatever he could to ensure his life continued, including being willing to kill his own daughter Lyssa.

Lyssa also got some great moments to shine, not only outsmarting her father, but getting to vent about how she did everything he wanted yet was still betrayed by him. Her “thank you” to Seg was hilarious, and you have to wonder if they’ll still get together after all this is over.

Speaking of which, the Zod family was a huge part of “transformation”, as Lyta had to find Jayna after she learned about the coup attempt. And this led to the first big death since the premiere, as Dev was one of the soldiers Brainiac corrupted, and he had to die. It was good use of camera angle to show that he wasn’t corrupted before, only to reveal it at the crucial moment.

I also loved how Jayna got to show her own love for her daughter by confessing that she did the coup for her, and that she’d do it again. On, and Jayna meeting Zod? Great stuff, although I hate that we don’t know who the father is because “Zod never knew him”, that seems like a copout.

One of my favorite scenes of “Transformation” was when all the good guys were together, and yet because of what happened in the coup, Jayna didn’t trust Lyssa. Only for Seg to note that no one at the table was clean, and that only together could they beat Brainiac.

Speaking of which, this is one of the coolest versions of Brainiac I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of versions. It might be because this is a “beginning” version of Brainiac, but he’s very childlike in some ways. He’s still learning about Krypton, and its people, and he acts interestingly because of it, yet, he’s also the cold and calculating monster that we know he can be. I look forward to seeing how he progresses in the final three episodes this season.

Finally, Adam Strange got to reveal the “truth” behind his arrival on Krypton. Turns out, not only is he “D-List” on Earth (not even having his jetpack yet), he only did this job because he wanted Superman and the Justice League to notice him. While it was a bit over-the-top at times, you did feel for Adam as he revealed everything to Val. And you feared for him when he made his decision to stay and kill Zod.

“Transformation” did some really cool things, and if the remaining episodes of the season keep the momentum, Krypton will be hard to stop.