Tensions boil over as various paths towards combatting the threat that Brainiac represents to Krypton are considered. Desperate alliances may be the only hope that Kandor City has left for survival.

I have to hand it to Krypton – it has a way of really pulling out surprises week after week. With Brainiac apparently unstoppable, Dru Zod wants to revert to his original plan of reviving Doomsday and setting him loose against their enemy, but there remains the small matter of Seg’s reluctance on the matter.

Elsewhere, Daron is finally getting his comeuppance at the hands of Jax Ur, who really does seem to have a particular loathing for him. But when she’s forced what she needs out of him, how long can even the wily Daron survive?

And then there’s talk of alliances between Black Zero and what remains of the Sagittari to face their common foe. But can they put aside their differences even in the face of this threat?

So many pieces, always moving, always giving the viewer plenty to think about as the show throws curveball after curveball at them. Characters do things that you wouldn’t have expected them to do even one episode ago, new revelations surface that fundamentally alter much of what you thought you knew, and yet all the time the show keeps these things organic and believable, such that what could, in the wrong hands, have come across as disjointed and inconsistent instead comes across as tense and nailbiting. Think Game of Thrones at the height of its intrigue and you’ll have the right idea. Alliances are made and bonds are forged that you really didn’t see coming, even as conflicts and fighting break out elsewhere which are equally surprising.

If it seems I’m being vague that’s deliberate – this is an episode that really deserves to have all its revelations occur naturally and spoiler-free. Suffice it to say that this one is a humdinger in every sense. The script is pacy and tight as a drum, every single cast member brings their A+ game, and the FX work is top notch.

I started out as a sceptic where Krypton was concerned. As it races towards an explosive conclusion, I couldn’t be happier to have had my mind changed.

Verdict: What started out seeming like a poor sci-fi-themed Game of Thrones wannabe has turned out to be one of the best genre shows of the year. I can’t wait to see the finale. 9/10

Greg D. Smith