KRYPTON Finale Throws Expectations into The PHANTOM ZONE

Superman where are you now?

If you didn't watch the mind-bending, heart pounding, season finale of KRYPTON last evening, you may want to close out and come back after you have. There are spoilers abound as KRYPTON continues to make their own rules in a way that not only honors the Superman mythos, but enhances it as well.

***SPOILER WARNING***

Brainiac has arrived and his skull ship descends to take Kandor as part of his collection. As it blocks out the sun, and the barrier is dropped, Kandor is thrust into a chaotic snowstorm as citizens panic. Those ensnared will live eternally in stasis, their minds continuing to function while their bodies remain preserved in time. This is evidenced by a quick scene of Adam Strange walking around the city of Detroit which, in another future, is taken by Brainiac. Not only was his mission a total disaster, but now he's trapped in another timeline as well.

It's revealed that Val-El didn't actually die. You see, Zod escaped the Phantom Zone and reveals that Val-El was trapped in there with him. Zod reveals that he was convicted of sedition and during his time there, stole a device from Val to free himself. The same device Val used to save himself from plummeting to his death. And he is the only person smart enough to know how to stop Brainiac, so it was time to free him. Seg feels betrayed once again (when will he learn?) knowing that Val was alive all this time and could have been freed a long time ago.

When the REAL Val-El is freed (the hologram waves goodbye), he brings unfortunate news. While trapped inside the Phantom Zone, he saw all possible outcomes of the future. And they all end in destruction at the hands of Brainiac. That's not very hopeful at all! And that's not auto-correct talking. House El wears the symbol of hope for a reason; it's what they stand for. Yet here is the grandaddy of grandaddy's saying there's no HOPE!

Thanks for nothing gramps!

To rub a little salt in the wound, he also tells them that using DOOMSDAY will end in the most cataclysmic of ways. Duh!

So to recap: There's no hope, Brainiac will win, and DOOMSDAY will destroy everything.

As the boys argue about how to stop Brainiac, Nyssa approaches Lyta with an offer to help. Lyta wants to fight, it's her duty to defend Kandor and she'd prefer not to sit around doing nothing. Nyssa knows a way underground to get back to Kandor safely and says she can take her there. Lyta questions Nyssa's motives but in the end, does it really matter as long as she can get back to the city? It doesn't take much to convince her, and the two of them sneak off.

Nyssa doesn't do anything unless it benefits her, but at this point, Lyta doesn't even care.

Krypton's winter soldier, Dev-Em, awakes after being recovered from a snowstorm and repaired with a fully functional bionic arm. He returns to the Sagittari to see everyone ready to abandon the city. Lyta appears, knocks out a potential deserter and reminds them that they do not beg for mercy, nor do they ask for it. She commands them to gear up and prepare to defend Kandor.

Seg and Dru Zod also return to Kandor to help evacuate, but Zod has another plan in mind. Because Val-El has seen many possible futures, Zod intends to use him as a bargaining chip. When your enemy craves knowledge, offering knowledge of the future is very valuable. He hopes that Brainiac will spare Kandor in exchange for Val-El. I bet Val didn't see THAT coming!

Seg protests, but let's be honest, once Zod has a plan you'd be hard-pressed to change his mind. After all, he still considers DOOMSDAY a viable option but since the genetic experiment gone wrong has been hidden by the Cythonnites, he has shifted gears. Without coordinating their efforts, Lyta's offensive against Brainiac, while a complete and utter failure, buys Seg and Zod enough time to evacuate a large number of civilians.

So where did Nyssa run off to? Well, I told you she doesn't do anything unless it benefits her, so she went to the Genesis chamber to expedite the birth of her child Kor-Vex. ax-Ur arrives with her own plans in mind and before she snuffs Nyssa out of existence, Nyssa begs for her child's life. Jax challenges the point of saving the child, when it's fate is already predetermined. Nyssa retorts that what if a child's fate doesn't have to be what is intended? Chills! Her words echoed those of Jor-El's from 2013's MAN OF STEEL. And it resonated with Jax enough to give us the first twist of the episode!

Jax becomes sympathetic and reveals the truth about Nyssa-Vex. She's a clone!

Turns out Nyssa died in a skimmer crash alongside her mother. Daron used Jax's cloning tech to transfer Nyssa's consciousness into another body. Sprinkle in a few memories and she was good as new! So while Jax's tech was originally intended to cure disease and heal sickness, Daron hi-jacked the tech to ensure everlasting life for aristocrats. Jax was there to retrieve the codex and save her clones, fate brought her to Nyssa and the two of them escape together.

While Seg stayed busy helping people flee the city, and trying to find out where Lyta and Nyssa went off to, Zod sneaks off to propose his offer to Brainiac. Stepping around the bodies (clean-up on aisle 12) and unarmed, Zod is forced to his knees by Brainiac. Fortunately for him, Brainiac considers his offer instead of reducing his brain to pudding.

Lyta tells Dev-Em that she has failed this city; good thing she's not on The CW because Arrow would NOT be happy! Dev tells her that while the attack didn't stop Brainiac, it saved countless lives and her mother would be proud. Uh, yeah about that? Lyta's admissions continue as she reveals she betrayed her mother and failed her too. Dev finds himself in a place where nothing he can say will make her feel better, so how about a hug? Naturally, this is where Seg finally gets through to Lyta and gets her to take over the evacuation efforts.

He needs to get back to the fortress. Realizing Zod disappeared, he had to go make sure Val was safe. Val tells Seg that if it comes down to it, he would rather die than be taken by Brainiac. Seg refuses and suggests sending him back into the Phantom Zone. Val quips that death would actually be preferred. 

When Zod shows up with Brainiac, Seg threatens to kill Val. Brainiac doesn't believe him and continues his approach. He accuses Val of being a hologram, being a twelfth level intellect helps him see through such things. But it was too late! Having stepped on the platform to the phantom projector, Seg activates it and sucks him up into the interdimensional prison! Take that smarty pants, you just got out-witted by someone who's smart as El! But before the projector closes, Brainiac grabs Seg and pulls him in as well.

Val grabs onto his grandson, but upon seeing Superman's cape fully restored, Seg tells him to believe in a better tomorrow and let's go. The Phantom Zone closes. And, because General Zod is actually a Major Douchebag he blows up the control panel so Seg will forever remain trapped with Brainiac.

With Brainiac gone, Kandor is freed from his grip and the barrier returns, ending their plight. Happy ending right? Well, that's a lesson in perspective! Because in one month, General Zod takes control and issues some heavy surveillance and martial law decrees. All of the rankless have been drafted into the Sagittari to give them purpose. Why let people waste away when they'll be happy to have room and board in exchange for protecting his reign? The repercussions of his actions begin echoing throughout time and space as...

Back in the bottle of Detroit, Adam Strange sees a statue of General Zod appear, which implies that he becomes a conqueror across galaxies! And Superman's cape, the focal point of the first episode, is now adorned with the crest of House Zod!! Oh yeah, and to make sure there are no loose ends...Kraaang! Kraaang! Kraaang!

DOOMSDAY breaks free from his prison. We get an amazing visual of him busting through the glass and screaming into the camera, bony jaw and all! I love Zack Snyder's vision for the movies, but this DOOMSDAY delivered on a cable television budget was far and away better than the monstrosity delivered in Batman v Superman. And I feel like it's heresy to say so, but I'm committed to it.

The showrunners of Krypton were given a sandbox to play in and they kicked down the walls to make it bigger. Season one delivered on so many levels. The casting for the show could not have been more perfect as the on-screen chemistry they achieved takes other shows several seasons. The visuals were absolutely stunning throughout each episode and I'm sad that my TV isn't bigger. They used widescreen, cinematic shots with theatrical lighting that was so artistic, Zack Snyder would blush. I sincerely hope they empty out the budget coffers for season two because with DOOMSDAY on the loose, Zod in charge, and Brainiac a potential threat if Seg is retrieved...there's an awful lot at play here.

Season 2 of KRYPTON returns in 2019!