Jupiter’s Legacyopens its second episodedirectly where the first leaves offwhile also shifting gears to give the audience a deeper look into the relationship between the Utopianand his family members. While the first episode was an introduction to the basic structure of the world thatJupiter’s Legacyis set within as well as the Utopian and his family, it made sure to end with an all-out superhero brawl. Episode 2 takes a decidedly slower pace than the first, setting up many pieces that will come into play as the first season continues onward.
The second episode also introduces additional ideas upon those of the first episode. There’s a great level of focusagain on, “The Code,“the rules by which superheroes abide that acts as their system of checks and balances. Paragon’s actions from the end of the first episode may have been the right thing to do, but killing Blackstar to save his father definitely does not follow the code. This is a topic that will get explored from a few different angles within the season and the second episode is crucial in allowing the audience to see how this set of rules plays into the relationship between father and son.
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Starting with the immediate events of the episode, Blackstar assesses the deceased version of himself that Paragon punched a hole in the face of at the end of the previous episode. He quickly declares that this is a cheap copy, going so far as to make a joke that the heroes might find a “Made in China” sticker on the butt of the corpse. Paragon’s temper flares up, as he was described as being too emotional in the first episode and the death of his friends from this experience clearly has him on edge.
Blackstar is taken back to his prison cell, but not without first yelling at the Utopian about double standards and that Paragon should be locked up as well for taking the life of the copy. Something that’s nice so far aboutJupiter’s Legacyis the ways in which it introduces opposing viewpoints among its characters over the questions that the series raises. It doesn’t try to answer the questions for the audience, but also isn’t afraid to have one character point out the hypocrisies of others.
Following the autopsy scene a press conference is held in which the public is debriefed onthe battle that took placeat the end of the first episode. A reporter asks if Paragon has a statement on the event, to which his mother responds that while he is busy in a post-action meeting, he deeply regrets that an enemy’s life was lost in battle. The reporter states that almost two thirds of people polled were supportive of the kill. This upsets the Utopian, who cuts into the exchange and adamantly states that a lack of due process is not justice.
It’s very interesting to see how seriously the Utopian takes the code, especially as the television adaptation ofJupiter’s Legacyis set within a world with a social, economic, and political landscape that largely mirrors our own (the news story at the beginning of episode 1 even mentions stimulus checks). As the code is obviously an ideal as well as a set of rules, the Utopian is going to have a difficult time upholding his ideals while also facing the realities of the world around him.
Later the Utopian goes to try and speak with Brandon/Paragonas he throws stonesfrom ridiculously far distances at cans on a fence. Again, the Utopian wants to ensure that he understands that importance of the code staying in place even if heroes like him are no longer around. He’s clearly not enthused by the fact that the public supports the kill and wants to impart the seriousness of taking a life to his son. Brandon states that because it was a choice between Blackstar’s life or his father’s he would have chosen his father every time. Already there’s clashing between the Utopian’s desire to uphold the code and a situation in which upholding the code would have resulted in the end of his life.
There’s also a longer interaction between Chloe and the Utopian in this episode as he tries and fails to bring his daughter bagelsas a peace offering. She refuses them as she can’t have carbs due to an upcoming photoshoot. It’s clear that the Utopian wants help reaching through to Brandon, however he is so obsessed with the code that he can’t even recognize the names of the heroes, his comrades, that were killed in their fight with Blackstar.
This is one of the more troubling aspects of the Utopian’s character. He’s so focused on the code that he hasn’t even shown any relief or shock from narrowly escaping death as well as apparently numb to the death of his own comrades. There’s a level of detachment that appears to have come along with his powers. The actors have to be commended for this scene. There’s a palpable tension here as these characters try to reach each other but can’t get past themselves to really hear the other person despite clearly caring for each other. It’s a situation in which these characters are too similar and it gives off amore authentic feeling of a parent-child relationship.
On the other side of the timeline a younger Sheldon/The Utopian is still facing thestruggles of a Great Depression-eraAmerica. He attends his father’s funeral and while giving a eulogy has a seizure and sees a series of visions. Sheldon also hears a voice that tells him to go to an island. He awakens from a coma a few days later and tells his brother and fiancé that he received a message from his father. For viewers wondering where the more grounded earlier timeline story would cross into superhero territory, it seems like this is a good bet.
The second episode ofJupiter’s Legacydoes a good job of continuing to discuss the issues surrounding these characters. While not a lot happens here plot-wise and the pacing can be on the slower side, the characters interactionsfeel authentic and interesting,making it an overall enjoyable episode. It will be interesting to see how the series continues to build upon and complicate these relationships.
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