Krypton’s Season One Finale, ‘The Phantom Zone’ Plot Summary:
Seg races to save his city from being taken over as the bottling of Kandor begins.
This episode is what the entire season has been moving towards and the intro does a good job of bringing that to the forefront. Unfortunately, there are some major problems within this episode, despite some enjoyable moments.
One of the episode’s strengths is the feeling of panic among those of Kandor and how this idea is portrayed. We can feel the impact of Brainiac among the rankless as if we were one of them.
We also see the toll that has been taken by those trying their best to defend Krypton and the struggles they have endured to get to this current point – namely Lyta-Zod, Seg-El, and Nyssa-Vex. There is some great characterization within this episode, including that of General Zod.
The special effects and musical score are also done very well. Some of the CGI shots are lifelike and gorgeous. For the most part, the musical score adds intensity and emotionality to each scene used and enhances it – including the Donner Superman moment.
Unfortunately, there are some substantial critiques I have about “The Phantom Zone.” First and foremost, the structure of this episode is sloppy and, as a result, hinders the entire season. Everything builds up to this moment and the way in which Brainiac is utilized (especially physically) as well as the way the final act unfolds as a whole does not do justice to Krypton. I like certain aspects about Brainiac, including his abilities, but lacks in the overall scope of the plot.
There are parts in the the final act that work very well (one including Seg and his grandfather, Val), but there are some plot holes that do not get touched on, such as the characters of Adam Strange and Kem. It makes the the episode feel like a part one of two and not like a season finale. There is nothing wrong with a cliffhanger and setting up the characters for the next season, but this current season feels like it did not come to any kind of satisfying conclusion.
“The Phantom Zone” is not a bad episode by any stretch of the imagination, but fails to live up to the high expectations set up by the brilliance of previous episodes. Due to the inability to watch the season premiere for the next season of Krypton, too many loose ends exist that do not get wrapped up or even touched upon. Sure, there are some great moments, but I am a little letdown by the overall execution of the season finale. Having said that, I still have a lot of hope for next season.
Rating: 6.5/10
-Daryn Kirscht
