SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for "Danger Close," the latest episode of Krypton.
Lyta-Zod isn't herself these days. In "Danger Close," the latest episode of Krypton, Seg-El quickly discovered that their son Dru-Zod had reconditioned her to go along with his plans.
Upon his return to Kandor, Seg immediately sought out Lyta. Their reunion was a happy one; they fell into bed together, where he revealed she was the one who grounded him and gave him the strength to survive. As they caught up with one another, Seg referenced the day they met, calling her "the only Sagitari to ever help me." When he said that, she frowned and asked, "What?"
Before her confusion registered with him, though, she got a nosebleed. He tended to her quickly, forgetting for a moment about their conversation. "I've been getting them lately, since the war started," she explained. "Must be stress."
Unfortunately, the nosebleeds weren't due to stress; they were a symptom of Dru-Zod's reconditioning program. Seg's chance encounter with Ryka led him to become suspicious of Lyta. Between her inability to recognize him and her nosebleed, Ryka provided him with the clues to realize she was reconditioned and that the same thing could have happened to Lyta.
Using Ryka's condition as an excuse, Seg called in Dru-Zod's best reconditioning technician, who walked him through the process and showed him how to use the technology. The tech confirmed that the console would show him the memories of anyone who had been reconditioned. However, Lyta's memories were nowhere to be found in the system.
Nevertheless, Seg's suspicion remained, so he knocked out the tech and put him in the machine. The tech's memories revealed he had reconditioned Lyta himself. "When this is over, you'll be a different person," Dru-Zod told Lyta in her deleted memory. "You won't even remember this conversation."
This, of course, explains why Lyta has been so pro-General Zod since the start of Season 2. Indeed, the jump between Season 1's characterization of Lyta and the way she has acted in Season 2 has been jarring. She has grown increasingly violent, while she has lost all sympathy for those who disagree with her. Indeed, Dev-Em even defected from the Sagitari over the cruel nature of her orders and told her as much to her face. Essentially, General Zod has been erasing everything characters like Seg and Dev love about Lyta.
Dru-Zod caught Seg after he made this discovery. "This is unfortunate, Seg," Zod admitted. "I helped free her mind of conflict. Relieved her of thoughts, memories that impeded her potential so she could more clearly see my vision. I relished no part of it."
"I'd hoped you'd remain unblemished, come to understand me on your own. In time, maybe even love me. It's a shame that we'll never know. I'm sorry, Father," Dru-Zod said. With that, he ordered a full recondition for Seg.
Of course, the reconditioning process went very wrong as soon as Seg was plugged in. As it turns out, a piece of Brainiac still lurks in Seg's mind. Brainiac emerged briefly during the process, freeing Seg -- but not before his reconditioning was complete. It is unclear how much the reconditioning process affected Seg or if he is still in full control of his own body.
Airing Wednesdays at 10 pm ET/PT on Syfy, Krypton stars Cameron Cuffe as Seg-El, Shaun Sipos as Adam Strange, Georgina Campbell as Lyta-Zod, Elliot Cowan as Daron-Vex, Ann Ogbomo as Jayna-Zod, Rasmus Hardiker as Kem, Wallis Day as Nyssa-Vex, Aaron Pierre as Dev-Em, Ian McElhinney as Val-El and Blake Ritson as Brainiac.