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TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Krypton Season 01 Episode 02: House Of El

March 29th, 2018 by Todd Black Comments

After an impressive premiere, it was up to Krypton to keep the ball rolling to ensure that we kept interest. And thankfully, “House Of El” did that in ways that were both impressive, and unique.

For example, while most shows would’ve taken the second episode to focus more on action than anything else, Krypton decided to double down on the characters we met in the pilot, which was actually a really good move. After all, some believe that Krypton is pointless because we “know how it ends” and while that’s true, the characters can help prove that the journey to that end is worth it.

Case and point, Seg-El. This is a man who’s lost everything, and then is suddenly handed a cape from his “grandson” by a man claiming to from another planet and telling him to rally his planet to help stop a world eater called Brainiac? Yeah, it’s totally understandable that he doesn’t want to care about that. Seg’s struggle in “House Of El” is a very pure one. What does a man have when he is the last of his line?

I loved how he went from revenge, to mourning his parents (via a surprise gift from Nyssa), to meeting a projection of his father, to understanding that there is something more for him, and he won’t betray his family name as he does it. That’s something I truly connect with in regards to Seg, he’s rash, and impulsive at times, but when it comes to family, his resolve is absolute. And now that he’s got definitive proof that Brainiac is coming, things are no doubt going to ramp up action wise.

On that note, I was happy to see Adam Strange get more screen time in this episode. He was more-or-less a cameo in the pilot, but here, he had a storyline that mattered. It’s hilarious seeing a man from Earth from our present now 200 years in the past trying to blend in on a futuristic planet. Boy, that sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Another great thing was hearing that Zeta Beams were the reason he’s able to go into the past and not Superman. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some other layers to the story that he’s not telling us.

Meanwhile, Lyta-Zod had a surprising storyline as she fought to the death against her commander in order to take over her squad. Why? Because they’re all bloodthirsty and want to take out Black Zero (the “terrorist group” in Kandor) and they’re not afraid to kill Rankless to do it. While kind of on the nose (as we know who most associate with the name Zod), it is a nice twist to see a member of the house of Zod fighting for the “little man” in the right way. And that fight scene was really good, and brutal. Here’s hoping we see more from Lyta going forward.

Finally, I want to give a nod to the Voice Of Rao. We got a brief history lesson on the gods of Krypton, and at the end, the Voice spoke, and allowed Seg to wear the Sigil of the Science Guild and not House Vex. They believe this will guide Seg down the path they want him to go on. What is this being’s big picture? I don’t know, but I’m intrigued.

There were a few nitpicks in the episode, but nothing really worth mentioning. All in all, “House Of El” delivered on making the characters in the show more compelling, and dropped a big problem at their feet. Brainiac isn’t coming, he’s here.

4.5 out of 5 nerds

Todd Black is reader of comics, a watch of TV (a LOT of TV), and a writer of many different mediums. He's written teleplays, fan-fictions, and currently writes a comic book called Guardians (guardians-comic.com). He dreams of working at Nintendo, writing a SHAZAM! TV series, and working on Guardians for a very long time!