Journey to KRYPTON

Article first published as TV Review: KRYPTON on Seat42F.

Are you tired of all the superhero television shows out right now? If you aren’t, SyFy has a new entry in the genre called KRYPTON. And if you are tired of them, KRYPTON might be something a bit different, since it takes place on the alien world two centuries before the birth of Superman. Hence, it’s not a bunch of people with powers running around. If tonally it didn’t feel so similar to other SyFy programming, I would say this is a very unique take on what has become a saturated market, giving it a hook to allow it to break through. As it is, it’s still pretty good.

As only a casual Superman fan (with basic knowledge primarily from movies and TV, not the comics), KRYPTON is a completely new story, full of things I’d never heard of, so I don’t know if it follows established mythology or is something original. Either would be a valid choice for a show to make, but I don’t know if it’s a very loose reimagining, like Gotham, or if it sticks close to previously established backstory. A cursory internet search seems to indicate the latter, with some liberties taken.

KRYPTON begins with Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe, The Halcyon) watching his grandfather (Ian McElhinney, Game of Thrones) executed and his family stripped of their title. The House of El is no more, and Seg and his parents are forced to live with the un-titled down in the ghettos of the city. Years later, Seg is coming of age and, despite family grudges, saves the life of Daron-Vex (Elliot Cowan, Da Vinci’s Demons), the chief magistrate who executed Seg’s grandfather. Daron offers Seg the chance to join the House of Vex and bind with his daughter, Nyssa (Wallis Day, Hollyoaks), the youngest of five, who otherwise probably wouldn’t marry anyway. This might be an opportunity for Seg to climb back up the social ladder, or it could be Daron’s chance to fully conquer the Els once and for all.

If that doesn’t sound complicated enough, don’t worry, it gets even more twisty within the first hour. See, Seg may be making a child with Nyssa (which does not involve sex), but is sleeping with Lyta Zod (Georgina Campbell, Broadchurch), a soldier. And Seg’s parents, Ter (Rupert Graves, Sherlock) and Charys (Paula Malcomson, Caprica), are secretly continuing Seg’s grandfather’s work to try to save their race. Also, Adam Strange (Shaun Sipos, The Vampire Diaries) arrives from the future to warn of Brainiac’s (Blake Ritson, Da Vinci’s Demons) impending coming, the villain intending to destroy Krypton before Superman can even be born. So there’s a LOT packed into this series opener, and I haven’t even mentioned all the series leads.

It takes some time to get into KRYPTON. Not only is there a dense story, but the society is so much different than ours. The caste system feels very outdated, even while the planet is futuristic. Procreation without physical intercourse and babies raised in bubbles cared for by machines feel cold and impersonal, which matches much of the rest of the culture we’re seeing. Except in the lower class, which still parties and fights and loves at will. Is this a cautionary tale or a commentary? The refusal of some to listen to science and fact hits a little too close to home in the current political climate.

All of this is very interesting, and I found myself more and more drawn in as it played out. Where my hesitation lives is that most of the central characters are good looking, very young adults, an overdone television trope, and the tone of the program is not as weighty as it could be with the material. I hope it finds its legs, but I fear it will be a ‘typical’ Syfy show lost in the crowd.

KRYPTON airs Wednesdays on SyFy.

Caprica Ends Run Brilliantly

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***SPOILER ALERT: This article contains details of the end of Caprica, including the series finale.***

     When SyFy's critically beloved Battlestar Galactica went off the air after only four seasons, I was depressed. It was one of the best TV shows ever made, in my opinion, combining religion and politics with morality and space battles. When a prequel series was announced, called Caprica, I was elated. Set fifty-eight years prior, it also took a lot of those same elements (except space battles), and leaned heavily on family and terrorism. It was brilliant, a worthy addition to the Galactia universe, but also it's own thing entirely. Then came news of its cancellation, and depression has set in again.

     Why was it canceled? The popular opinion is that it was too cerebral. People missed the space battles. AMC, you want to pick this one up? I promise you, I will watch, and so will many other people. I can't guarantee you any solid numbers, but the show would probably fit better with AMC's lineup than SyFy's.

     Last night marked the premiere on SyFy of the final five (Ha! Final Five!) episodes of Caprica. They were already released on DVD. Expecting unanswered cliffhangers and incomplete arcs, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case at all. Every single one of the plots began in the two hour pilot last year concluded naturally, and while I would have liked to see more development on some fronts, it was a full story. A look at future scenes capped the final episode, providing some idea of where the show would have gone, but more importantly, some events that came out of this year's plots. Despite only one season, Caprica joins my list of Best Shows Ever, made even better by no cliffhangers.

     I will miss the Graystones the most: Daniel (Eric Stoltz), Amanda (Paula Malcomson), and Zoe (Alessandra Torresani). They were the heart of Caprica, and often the characters with the most screen time. They were not in Galactica, and likely will not be in any other incarnation of the universe, as their story was concluded. Two grieving parents fought for the life of their daughter, who lived on in a virtual world. Their struggle was what birthed the greatest threat to humanity ever seen, and how the Cylons came to be what they were. It was the ultimate prequel, a fantastic and unexpected set up to what the original series featured. The rising of the 'skinjob' Zoe out of the bath in the future scenes was the ending of their journey, but the effects they had on the rest of the world will live on for far longer.

     I loved the Graystones, but they also provided the only inconsistency with Galactica. We learned in the previous show that the Cylons had been created before this era and will be again. The 'skinjobs' had only twelve models, and none of them were Zoe. Given more time, I'm sure this could have been addressed. In the next show, though the Graystones aren't expected to be featured, I hope it is dealt with in some way. While I think the family was given enough, there is still that one unanswered question left in the universe. However, surely practically no one but the Graystones ever found out about Zoe's new body, so if they are not part of the new story, it makes it hard to foresee the answer I seek.

     Lacy (Magda Apanowicz) was the most cheated by the finale. We saw her defeat the leaders at the STO camp and take control of their Cylon army in the previous episode, but she did not appear in the finale until the future scenes, when it was shown that she became the new Mother to the STO. Sure, that was perfect, fitting plot, but I would have expected, if the show hadn't taken time for the future stuff, a scene where Lacy and the Cylons take down Mother and her minions. Oh, well. Perhaps on the DVD.

     I like that Sister Clarice (Polly Walker) lost her organization, but lives to fight another day. In future spin-offs, I would really like to see what happened to Clarice, after she became preacher-to-the-toasters. Clarice was truly the Big Bad of the series, though that label was not apparent at first. Her fanatical beliefs were outdone by her oversize ego. She should have perished with her followers, but she didn't, because her will to survive is too strong. There are few characters on television played with such a mix of warring, and often hidden, agendas, and Walker was one of the best elements in an amazing show.

     The Tauron story concluded nicely, with the assassination of the Guatrau (Jorge Montesi) by Joseph (Esai Morales) and Sam (Sasha Roiz) Adama. It was almost a plot written into a corner, where the Adams faced certain death, or at least, having to flee the planet Caprica, which we know to be the homeworld of young Bill Adama, Joseph's son. Joseph had been anything but heroic yet in the series, and given Bill's later disagreements with the man, as told in Galactica, it wasn't surprising. What this plot twist sets up is a Joseph far more involved in the gang wars of his homeworld, though hopefully with a less villainous syndicate boss. Joseph always walked a fine line between noble and patsy; this development makes that balance even more complicated.

     Many people were surely shocked at the death of young William Adama (Sina Najafi) in the penultimate episode, widely believed to be the younger version of Commander William Adama, played by Edward James Olmos in Battlestar Galactica. Considering the young Bill introduced in the future scenes is at least ten years younger than Willie, this should have been something fans had already suspected, but I don't think it was.

     In October 2011, a new two hour TV movie called Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome will air on SyFy, with the possibility of a series pickup. Nico Cortez will reprise his version of Bill Adama from the Razor flashbacks. It will feature a new cast of characters, and is set ten years into the first Cylon war, with Adama in his twenties, so at least twenty-some years after Caprica. Ensign Adama is newly assigned to Galactica. A press release proclaims: "The talented but hot-headed risk-taker soon finds himself leading a dangerous top secret mission that, if successful, will turn the tide of the decade long war in favor of the desperate fleet." Exciting, no?

     While I am excited about this newest prequel, which will attempt to add more action, something some people (not myself, especially after the finale) thought Caprica was lacking, Ideally, I want to see Lacy Rand return, and possibly Sister Clarice. I also want Esai Morales to reprise his role, obviously with aging makeup, as well as other members of his family. I love the actress who played Lacy, but she's probably too young, even with a makeup job. None of this will happen in the pilot, but if the series is picked up, I surely hope it will pay homage to Caprica, as well as being its own thing.

     Until then, so say we all.

Article first published as TV Review: Caprica Ends Run Brilliantly on Blogcritics.

Caprica ends mid-season finale with much up in the air

     ...literally.  Amanda Graystone (Paula Malcomson) was still in the air the last we saw her, as she jumped from the bridge in an attempted suicide.  How ever knew how crazy that woman was?  The Zoe Graystone Cylon (Alessandra Torresani) was also careening through the air as the van she had stolen slammed into the police barricade and was tossed up.  Also, pieces of Sister Clarice's (Polly Walker) car were in the air, as Lacy (Magda Apanowicz) detonated the bomb.  Is that enough for you?

     After a long, long wait, SyFy chose to only give us nine episodes, counting the pilot that was put out on DVD nearly a year ago, before taking six months off.  There are eight more scheduled to air beginning September 17th.  SyFy is notorious for making fans of the franchise wait way too long for new installments.  Remember the nine month wait for the second half of the finale season of Battlestar Galactica?  It just proves that the network has no idea how to handle a good thing.

    And another good thing is what they have with this series.  Despite a few fun references from time to time, the show has certainly set itself apart from the series it is technically a prequel to.  Everything we thought we know from watching Galactica has been turned on it's head, and the political and personal drama is even deeper than expected.  Aside from one or two episodes in the middle, the show has really delivered.
     Besides the Graystone saga, which has also included the slow slip of Daniel Graystone's (Eric Stoltz) morality and sanity, the Adama story isn't quite as intriguing.  Perhaps in an effort to not exclusively tie themselves into a family already established in the universe, though they are main characters, the balance has been a little heavy on the Graystones.  However, things heated up in the past few weeks as Joseph (Esai Morales) battled a V-world addiction while searching for his daughter's avatar (Genevieve Buechner).

    When Caprica returns this fall, I do expect to see the Adamas and Graystones get further intertwined, and the fallout from all the bad things the main characters did.  I also want better closure on the Tamara plot.  But assuming James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) sticks around, I'm sure it will deliver.

     Caprica airs on SyFy channel Friday nights at 9pm.

Caprica different from Galactica, in a good way

     For fans of Battlestar Galactica, it was a sad, though very satisfying, day when the series when dark for good last spring.  Four years, a wonderful story, and a heck of a conclusion.  It wasn't about space.  It was about the characters.  Now, we have a replacement, in the same world, but with a totally different concept.  Well, not totally different.  It's still about the characters.  It is important to note that viewers should be able to start watching this show with no prior knowledge of Galactica, as it takes place many years before, and is clearly it's own thing.  But for fans, we get to see a barely-heard-about chapter unfurl in full life, a real treat.

     While Caprica premieres tonight on SyFy, the pilot has been available on DVD since last April.  The show already has fans, before it even launches.  I can report that it is an intriguing, exciting, and dark pilot, scratching the surface of grief that will surely be delved into.  I won't spoil any major twists, in case you still haven't seen the episode, but I can tell you that one of the main characters, (yes, one of the ones mentioned below) dies early in the episode, and it launches what will be a hell of an adventure.  This person's death has far reaching repercussions, and after the twist at the end of the two hours, fans of Galactica will be surprised, hopefully in a good way, about a connection between the character and the previous series.  Viewers will see the 'invention' of the Cylons, though we know that Cylons have been around much longer than the humans in this show will think they have.

     Set fifty eight years before the events of Battlestar Galactica, it doesn't feature humans running for their lives.  Instead, two families are brought together by the deaths of their loved ones, from a suicide bomber.  There are heavy religious tones to this series, even more so than Galactica.  It is a world on the brink of sin, with teenagers escaping into virtual clubs that feature group sex and human sacrifice.  Technology is god, and Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz), a genius, is at the forefront.  He works so hard that he practically ignores his equally inventive daughter, Zoe (Alessandra Torresani).  He does, however, seem to spend time with his wife, Amanda (Paula Malcomson, Deadwood).  Zoe doesn't get along with her mother, either.

     The other family is immediately recognizable.  We have heard about Joseph Adama (Esai Morales, NYPD Blue) and his eleven year old son, William, (Sina Najafi) who was of course the commander of Galactica, portrayed by Edward James Olmos.  While not obvious in the pilot, the other important Adama in this series is Joseph's brother, Sam (Sasha Roiz).  The Adamas are from Tauron, and are only working on Caprica.  They are looked down on for that, although Joseph, a.k.a. Yosef, seems to often reject his heritage to fit in on the world, even publicly using the last name Adams instead of Adama.  At this point, the Twelve Colonies do not have one united government.

     The show also stars Polly Walker (Rome) and my personal favorite, Magda Apanowicz (Kyle XY).  Nineteen episodes, not including the pilot, have been made.  It airs on SyFy Friday nights at 9pm.