The first season began with Kyle waking up in the middle of a Seattle forest with no memories or any idea how he got there. All he knows is that he is super smart and super strong. Although the setup makes Kyle XY sound like another superhero show, it is actually a fairly engaging teen drama with a nice twist of X-Files for added interest.
In Season Two, Kyle continues working with Adam Baylin (J. Eddie Peck), who in a matter of speaking is Kyle's "father." While working for the company Zzyxz, Baylin invented the gestation tube that Kyle called home for sixteen years and has now taken him in to teach him how to use his newfound mental powers, such as telekinesis. However, Kyle keeps his time with Baylin a secret from his adopted family, the Tragers, placing an uncomfortable strain on their relationship.
Meanwhile, another mystery teen shows up in the Seattle wilderness. As it turns out, the teen called "XX" (Jaimie Alexander) is a female version of Kyle and possesses all of his abilities. She is eventually captured and transformed into Jessi XX, giving Kyle his first real adversary.
The relationship between the two forms the season's core storyline, though the main focus in on Kyle's past. Again, although the show seems like the perfect setup for a superhero show, Kyle XY manages to avoid the "Smallville Effect." Kyle's powers are only one part of the show; most of it is about the characters and their relationships with one another. This is in stark contrast to Smallville (or in some regards Heroes), which tends to lean heavily on its "meteor-freak/super powers" gimmick to the point where it gets ridiculous.
This also makes characters like Jessi that much more interesting; she's a threat to Kyle physically, but at the same time, she's able to do some mental damage and even manages to put a kink in Kyle's budding social life once he becomes involved with Amanda (Kirsten Prout). Yes, there's a lot of "teen drama" in the show, but it works extremely well with the show's premise. Being a teenager is already an awkward time, but most teens just feel like freaks -- Kyle really is.
The DVD set comes with a few extras that should get fans of the show interested. The one that most fans will want to see is the alternate ending to the season finale as well as the collection of deleted scenes. Two featurettes are also included, though only one is really worth watching. "Livin' with the X's" follows the show's two main stars around for a "typical" day. You get a chance to see them do some studio work, go to the gym and even attend a party. The more interesting of the two is "The Science of Kyle XY," which gives some background on the show's premise.
If you're a fan of the show, the extras alone make Kyle XY: The Complete Second Season - Revelations a must-buy. Even though the show's mythology isn't too hard to follow, anyone who finds the premise interesting but, like me, hasn't seen the first season should probably hunt down the first season or at least look up some episode synopses on the Internet before jumping into Season Two.
Bonus Material
ExplanationPushing Too Hard
Home Again
Trapped
