Doom Patrol- The Best Superhero Property of the Decade
I think it's fair to say DC hasn’t
been doing that well recently, whether you are a fan of their latest films or
TV shows they are always controversial, messy or lacking the identity of other
superhero products. However, with the announcement of their own streaming
service, I was optimistic as it seemed to be a way to allow the production of
more creatively challenging productions and at the top of my excitement was the
‘Doom Patrol’. If you haven’t read a ‘Doom Patrol’ comic, they are a bizarre
and surrealistic set of superheroes who all feel alienated from modern society
and have been a part of some of the most outrageous comics since the 50s. I was
mostly intrigued to see how they would manage to adapt this into a high
production Television Show but they did it in such a unique and highly
entertaining way that I can confidently say this is one of the most engaging
and fascinating pieces of Superhero media I have seen in a long time. Without
further ado, let's break down every episode and why I loved every second I
spent with this show.
Pilot
Pilot episodes aren’t easy, many
shows struggle with the ideas of balancing audience engagement and creative
integrity but within the first hour of ‘Doom Patrol’ the show doesn’t hold back
in creating an ambitious and thrilling journey for the audience. It is mostly a
flashback and set-up episode for the character of Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser)
and how he became Robotman, which is a surprisingly emotional story and there
is no holding back on emotional development. It is an episode of origins, of
the character set up and paving the way for the arcs these characters are going
to go on. Immediately there are stellar performances from all the cast, Brendan
Fraser blew me away and it is so fantastic to see him act again and pulling off
this a sympathetic messy and outrageously complex character with heart and
commitment. The supporting cast doesn't get as much screen time, it is Cliff’s
story through and through, but the glimpses of April Bowlby’s origin and her
portrayal of a classical Hollywood actress is spot on with the accent and
mannerisms. Matt Bomer plays this fantastic melancholy character in Larry
Trainor that makes him an intriguing part of the episode, Diane Guerrero as
Crazy Jane establishes her range and steals the episode immediately. Timothy
Dalton is, of course, sublime as the Chief but it is Alan Tudyk as Mr Nobody
that is truly incredible, the third act introduction to his character and
antagonistic presence is intimidating and incredibly entertaining. A fantastic
pilot which is emotional, entertaining and full of intrigue.
Donkey Patrol
After the monumental reveal and
call to action of last episode, to follow that up is difficult and daunting,
but ‘Donkey Patrol’ tones it down and decides to explore the characters first.
We are introduced to Jovian Wade as Cyborg who makes ‘Justice League’ seem even
more like a joke, he is charming and he plays off the rest of the cast really
well as the ‘professional superhero’ who is ultimately as alienated as the rest
of them. The episode splits into two, following the exploration of Jane’s
personalities as she copes with losing Niles as the other characters travel
inside a Donkey. Doom Patrol indulges in the weird and that’s what allows it to
pull challenging emotional moments off as well. We get these weird outlandish
characters literally travelling inside a Donkey to emerge in a world controlled
by an omnipotent Alan Tudyk yet this results in a dive into the trauma that
motivates these characters, in a powerful set of flashbacks and emotionally
harrowing scenes involving these characters. Seeing Cliff and Jane grow to each
other is very heart-warming, especially putting Cliff in the context of last
episode and the enigma around Jane we feel sympathetic and really supportive of
Cliff. The production design is brilliant, the look of these characters is just
so unique and daring, Larry, Cliff and Vic all look uniquely comic book-esque;
they stand out yet work in the reality of this show’s universe. After a complex
episode we finish with ‘Lazarus’ by David Bowie and a soft quiet moment of
reflection for all these characters and the development of Larry and the
Negative Spirit’s relationship, it’s a fantastic bookend to a fantastic
episode.
Puppet Patrol
And it just keeps getting weirder
and weirder, the group decide to leave the manor and go on a road trip to Paraguay,
whilst last episode was very character based this is a bit more conventional
structure wise yet still off the walls insane for ‘Doom Patrol’. During a heated
stop at a motel, where the group clearly struggle to work as a team with Cyborg
being the A-List Superhero and trying his best to take the leadership role and
the rest having none of it. This is mostly a comedic portion of the episode,
revolving around the character’s interactions and it really works because they
all have such amazing chemistry no matter what the pairing. But it is the
second half of the episode that really turns it up a gear, Jane/Flip gets
impatient and teleports Cliff and Vic to Paraguay and the rest of the episode
is puppet filled absurdist Nazi exposition and it is downright beautiful. It
stays consistently weird and hilarious, with the first appearance of Steve
Larson (Alec Mapa) as this wonderfully over the top character that maintains
this absurdist wonder for the audience. This segment is so strong that the
motel scenes with Vic and Rita just aren’t as impactful in comparison, the
Paraguay scenes use insane moments to reveal ideas about the characters yet
here it’s just a conversation that lays out the ideas very straightforwardly.
The action is surprisingly well choreographed, seeing Cliff rip through Nazi’s
was highly entertaining and then added another layer and conflict to his
character and his relationship with Jane. A fantastic episode with a bunch of
memorable comedic and character moments that lays a lot of ground work for the
rest of the show.
Cult Patrol/ Paw Patrol
I’m putting these two together
because they work as a complete story and are probably the most ‘comic-book’ like
episodes in the season. When Willoughby Kipling (Mark Shepard) in a
scene-stealing guest appearance enlists the Doom Patrol to help protect a book,
that’s also a boy, from a cult that is going to summon the end of the world
things get a bit insane. I love how this is the first time the show has really
dived into its comic book tone with a collection of outrageous characters and
situations that are visually engaging and absurdly fascinating. The episode is paced
wonderfully, with an opening call to action that is efficient and blissfully
outrageous, we are positioned as an audience to see the events as the Doom
Patrol watching this outsider coming in and the chaos that is ensued and this
feels authentic and engaging. The moral dilemma that the rest of the first part
is structured around is genuinely really compelling and seeing how characters
like Rita and Vic respond to the ideas presented is wonderful. Nurnheim has to
be one of my favourite locations in the show visually and conceptually, the
Archons look incredible and seeing Cliff struggle with this and his
relationship with Jane makes it that much more engaging especially due to the
inclusion of Penny Farthing. The cliff-hanger compels the plot into ‘Paw
Patrol’ which features the most ingenious way to balance stakes in a story like
this. The literal apocalypse is here and with the help of Mr Nobody and time
travel, they simply start their own cult and magical book to defeat the
upcoming apocalypse. It is a welcomed return of Mr Nobody and a fascinating
look into his relationship with Niles and this world that breaks the fourth
wall in this laid-back way that is so unique to his character. In typical ‘Doom
Patrol’ fashion, all the chaos and absurdity are put in comparison to the
characters emotional journeys, seeing Rita cope with losing the boy and how
these characters come to terms with Niles and Mr Nobody’s dynamic is amazing as
well as hints at Jane’s past being cryptic and enticing. Those closing moments
are tense and horrifying and add an exciting developed layer onto Cyborg’s
character which conclude a brilliant two-parter.
Doom Patrol Patrol
From apocalyptic absurdity, to a
disturbing look into how dangerous Mr Nobody and Niles Caulder actually are. At
the end of the last episode, Mr Nobody placed the idea in Jane’s head to find
the ‘Doom Patrol’ and we see Jane, Rita and Larry go visit the retired
superhero team’s school for superpowered youngsters (subtle I know) whilst
Silas comes and attempts to repair Vic and Cliff. This is a dark and grim episode
that is harrowing and tough to watch in many ways. The distressing dynamic
between Silas and Vic is disturbing as the audience and Cliff struggle to trust
this man and this technology. But it is the haunted house of the Doom Patrol’s
mansion that is the darkest the show has gone with a surrealist horror element
portrayal of the reality behind superheroes. As a comic book fan, it is
wonderful to see all these references to the classic Doom Patrol and their
portrayals are bang on, but it becomes more and more unsettling as the barriers
between reality and time seem to break down and strip away these characters to
the hollow shells they have become. Larry’s terrifying needle fingered doctor,
Rita seeing that baby again and the flashbacks to her dark moments in her
career as well as that harrowing jigsaw scene with Jane makes this a creepy and
unsettling episode that goes into the darkest areas of these characters. The
flashback with the original Doom Patrol is the first time I’ve been terrified
by Mr Nobody all series, that is some boundary pushing dark material and Lou
Reed’s ‘Perfect Day’ playing over those last moments revealing the truth behind
how Niles Caulder treats his mistakes is haunting. One of the less fun episodes
but a strong set of character and content that was refreshingly dark and grim.
Therapy Patrol
With the least actual plot
development and complete and utter dedication to character building, ‘Therapy
Patrol’ is a beautifully constructed exploration of these characters and what
has made them become the vulnerable people they are. It is a breather episode,
we take a step back and look at who these characters are in a structure that
pays off in a hilariously insane denouement. The flashback scene with Larry is
by far the highlight of the episode in my opinion, seeing him struggle with his
sexuality and the anxieties and self-doubt that comes from hiding all your life
was tough and the way they pulled it off was so unique and meta I really like
what they did to his character. We get some much-needed development for Cyborg
as he struggles to come to terms with how human or how robot he truly is and
the how much control over himself he has. Rita seems to be getting worse and
worse and I really sympathise for her character, the metaphor of her power
being a mirror to how Hollywood treats actresses is simply ingenious, and I
always love what is done with her character. Cliff confronting the reality of
his daughter was harrowing and his descent into madness became increasingly
hilarious, the group therapy scene may be the funniest thing the show has done,
and the Admiral Whiskers moment is so blissfully bizarre yet really makes sense
in universe. It is becoming harder and harder to sympathise with Jane as she
struggles to come to terms with Niles treatment of the Doom Patrol, her
emotional outbursts are cruel and the lead up to revealing why she is like this
is a frustrating yet ingenious character arc.
Danny Patrol
If ‘Doom Patrol’ wasn’t always
breaking records in character, absurdity and consistency it now breaks records
in representation and presents a beautiful piece of television that is
emotional, inspiring and mind-blowing. A long-awaited fan favourite character
in Danny the Street finally is given the justice they deserve in this amazing
portrayal. The fact this show is able to make a genderqueer teleporting
personified street as a means to explore coming to terms with sexuality and
identity in a balanced portrayal of what it is like being alienated by society
is downright fascinating. I genuinely could talk about that karaoke scene for
the rest of this review but ill limit it by saying Matt Bomer pulls of his best
performance and if your soul isn’t crushed by that hard cut into reality then
you aren’t human. I love the b-plot with Karen, Jane’s most entertaining
personality, it is dark twisted and hilarious, but I find it is completely
overshadowed by the other plot. ‘Danny Patrol’ is an important character piece
with a very direct and uncompromising moral lesson about accepting yourself and
others and it may be my favourite episode of the season.
Jane Patrol
This is the episode we have all
been waiting for since the show started, the exploration of the Underground and
a deep dive into Jane’s mind and it really doesn’t disappoint. Jane doesn’t
want to re-emerge from the Underground due to her anger, fear and confusion
towards Cliff, so with the help of the Negative Spirit, Cliff goes to explore
what is happening in Jane’s mind. It is so satisfying to see all these
personalities’ designs; the makeup and design of these characters are unique,
and all the performances come to life. Diane Guerrero’s performance is complex,
damaged and so sympathetic as she manages to portray her fear of her very own
mind, she also manages to showcase her variety as she interreacts with versions
of herself. The Underground remains enticingly mysterious, yet we see parts
that are relevant to the audience’s understanding of Jane’s character. Cliff
gets to experience his most emotionally relevant arc so far in the show, it’s
amazing to see Fraser act like this and his performance is miraculous and the
scene where he rips his face off is emotionally mind-blowing. In many ways this
is the conclusion to Jane and Cliffe’s character relationship, they still grow
but this is the episode that was needed to give some satisfying explanation to their
characters, Cliff realises to understand empathy and people’s perception of him
first whilst Jane comes to terms with fighting and owning her past and her
trauma and opening herself up to other people. The third act realisation is
dark, harrowing and also surprisingly empowering and proves ‘Jane Patrol’ to be
a risk-taking emotional powerhouse of an episode.
Hair Patrol
Now this is a weird episode, a
bizarre introduction to one of the weirdest and grossest comic book characters:
‘The Beard Hunter’ whilst also being a flashback Niles Caulder origin story
thing. This is the only episode in the season that I didn’t love, it’s a bit
messy and a bit exposition heavy, it is still as absurdly entertaining as usual,
but I think narratively it serves too much of a purpose and also not a purpose
at all. The main goal of the episode is to explain Niles Caulder’s history with
this cavewoman and his life in the wilderness, the flashbacks are genuinely
entertaining with a ‘Revenant’ feel to them they are intense and engaging as
well as dark and emotional. However, they do not mesh well with the present-day
hijinks, The Beard Hunter is this Jack Black-esque comedic character that is hilariously
over the top and his scenes play out with this gross-out immature comedy that
the show takes pleasure in owning. Now both of these ideas work separately but
they are so tonally distant that I can’t quite enjoy either one as much as I
should. It is an important episode in the long run, seeing Vic lose control and
becoming less and less human is fantastic set-up and the flashback is
gigantically important to Niles’ character (and for comic book fans hints at
the inclusion of someone very interesting). Seeing Niles and Mr
Nobody interact in the final moments proves Tudyk as an incredibly intimidating
antagonist and these two characters work amazing at odds with each other. A
somewhat misguided and confused episode that with some tweaking could make the
set-up to the final stretch of episodes worth it.
Frances Patrol
Oh boy bring out the tissues for
this episode. This is the emotional conclusion to Larry and Cliffe’s hidden
demons and trust me it is incredibly emotional. The way this show has explored
Larry’s past is one of my favourite aspects of the whole series, using The
Negative Spirit as a character who is simply trying to help Larry come to terms
with his identity and his past is emotional and ingeniously unique. Cliff goes
to finally find his daughter after finding out her adopted Dad has passed away
from being murdered by a crocodile called Frances. This is a tough series of
events to watch and watching Cliffe learn to let go is just upsetting, I also
really enjoy Cliffe and Rita’s relationship and think they work really well
together. The real highlight of this episode is by far Larry finally going to
see an older John Bowers and I can’t really put into words the beauty in this
scene. This is the kind of scene that wins films Oscars, that melds emotional
storytelling with heart-warming satisfying character, and I loved every second
of it. The use of Frank Ocean’s cover of Moon River in John’s last moments is
one of the most powerful scenes I’ve seen in a long time. A feat of a
bittersweet beauty which is enticing yet hard to watch and it proved that ‘Doom
Patrol’ isn’t afraid to pull at the heart strings.
Cyborg Patrol
This episode feels like a brilliant
example of what a comic book adaptation should be, it is just like the
fantastic blend of the character and the absurdity of comic books. The Doom
Patrol perform a heist in order to rescue Cyborg from the Ant Farm, so obviously
the episode is framed like a heist movie. Seeing the team actually work
together and do some small essence of superhero-like activities is just
ridiculously entertaining, it is hilarious at times, tense at times and for the
most part just engaging. This 45-minute episode feels like a 20-minute episode,
it is beautifully paced and every scene never wastes time in getting the characters
from point A to point B in order to effectively pull off that off-the-walls
harrowing and absurd ending. Seeing the inside of the Ant farm is fantastic,
the weird and confusing world that exists in the Bureau of Normalcy is really
well-imagined. Jovian Wade gets to finally really show off his acting skill as
GRID progressively takes over his body, it is dark and incredibly uncomfortable
to watch Vic turned into this monster. But seeing Mr Nobody’s smug face pop up
after Silas has been beaten to almost death by Vic is devastating, it makes
your blood boil and it is truly proof of the power of Mr Nobody as a villain. A
fantastic dark episode, with a focus on more straight-edge comic book action as
well as people being eaten alive by butts, I love this show.
Flex Patrol
In many series, there tends to be
an episode which is a breather before the climax of the series and ‘Flex
Patrol’ serves to flesh out the comic book favourite character Flex Mentallo
and conclude as Mr Nobody puts it ‘Thirteen pointless meandering
episodes of character driven shlock”. Devan Long is just amazing as Flex,
seeing the powerless TV-Obsessed version of him interacting with an
increasingly frustrated Jane and Cliffe is hilarious, especially seeing Brendan
Fraser pretending to act in a bad sitcom as a celebrity guest is amazing. Rita
finally reveals her secret in a moment that doesn’t need anything but an
extended close up of April Bowlby as she monologues to guest star Ed Asner, a
DC veteran, it is “quite a cathartic journey” for her character and is really
what she needed. There has been this frustrating mystery behind her character
and seeing her act her heart out and reveal her past was touching and really
emotional. The team seem more broken than ever, yet this also seems to be the
episode that brings them to realise their traumas and come to terms with who
they are and how damaged they are. Rita reveals herself to be a stronger and forthright
character as she helps Vic come to terms with what he’s done, Larry understands
the Negative Spirit, Flex says goodbye to his love, and it all seems to be
ready to go into the finale. That is until Mr Nobody reveals himself and mocks
the position the show is in, threatening the audience in a hilarious monologue
to be careful with what they wish for in a superhero show.
Penultimate Patrol
In a world where there is a
ridiculous amount of Superhero content it is effortlessly satisfying to witness
a gigantic assault on the fourth wall in this episode. In an opening flashback
we see what motivates Mr Nobody and why he is the way he is, he wants an arch-nemesis,
to be feared by superheroes and to make his superhero story come to life. The
team travel to Danny the Street, who is always a treat to see (big props to
actually putting the non-binary flag in!) and we witness what is undeniably the
best scene in any comic book property ever which is the ‘I flexed the wrong
muscle scene’ which had me in tears laughing. The team travel into the
white-space, a space in between the comic book panels that is where Mr Nobody resides
and to showcase the strength and progress these characters have come to, we
have the emotional empowering scene revolving the characters origins. These
characters have lived their trauma into seclusion, isolating themselves in
shame but now they get the opportunity to literally narrate their own stories,
to overpower the villain using their ability of self-realisation. It is a
compelling metaphor and makes the confrontation with Mr Nobody that much more
earned and then they win, with a bullet to the back Mr Nobody is defeated, and
we travel into the future where the Doom Patrol are, well, the Doom Patrol. Of
course, this isn’t real and is just a way to reveal the twist comic-book fans
have been waiting for, the realisation that Niles causes the accidents these
characters went through. This is simply a stellar episode, there is so much in
it that is satisfying, entertaining and suitably comic-book-y (seeing the suits
was amazing) and it earns every ounce of that incredible montage and that
incredible twist.
Ezekiel Patrol
After last episode’s reveal, it
seemed insanely difficult for the show to recover from such a daring move but
‘Ezekiel Patrol’ is bizarre, compelling and an insanely good finale. Eric
Morden has won, he has made Niles Caulder into a Nobody as revenge for what he
did, the team has just found out that everything that went wrong in their lives
was this man’s fault and it seems to be the turn of a sad ending. But the show
chooses optimism, community and absurdity in a melancholic first half that
embodies the show’s complete and utter devotion to authenticity. Rita and Larry
retire to a simpler life as they give back to the community, Jane finds a cure
for the noise of the 64 in her head and Cliff silently watches over her all
intercut with flashbacks exploring why Niles did what he did. It is a sad
sequence that showcases the importance of being able to recover together, it
really showcases the vital idea of the comics that it is possible for those
feeling isolated from society to come together and maybe even do some good for
society themselves. Morden is plainly evil, he did what he did for the sake of being
evil and he gets the big third act superhero fight he wants but he
underestimates what these characters are capable of and is beaten in a
wonderful ending. The finale features a gigantic Admiral Whiskers and Ezekiel
the Cockroach making out in one of the surrealist final battles I’ve ever seen
but I loved it because it felt earned due to the build up to this moment. The
actual ending cliff-hanger is quirky and thankfully low stakes, as well as intriguing
enough (Dorothy!) to keep me captivated in a thankfully confirmed season two.
Conclusion Patrol
I’ve never seen anything quite like
this show, I could spend hours trying to work out why I love it so much, but I
really struggle to put it into words. I think at the end of the day it manages
to do something I love in Films and T.V, be emotionally compelling whilst also
being hilariously absurd. If you can make me laugh in wonderment at some of
these characters, then I’m going to cry with sympathy when you try emotionally
tough moments. ‘Doom Patrol’ does the best with both and combines to a
politically relevant and heart-warming message reflecting on its own genre and
representation. In the comics and now the show ‘Doom Patrol’ is about people
alienated from society and who are recovering from trauma finding both
self-realisation and community, that is an idea that we need more than ever
right now.
Thanks for reading.