The Doom Patrol Review: Season Two, Episodes Four-Six

“I should have seen the signs. Hacking secret documents. Poking around dark corners of the military. It’s young love!”
–Dr. Silas Stone

Doom Patrol’s second season continues with a wild party, a burgeoning relationship, a dysfunctional family reunion, 1950s space explorers, a production of Our Town,1, and some unanswered questions.

Title: The Doom Patrol: “Sex Patrol,” “Finger Patrol,” and “Space Patrol”

Cast and Crew

Directors: Omar Madha, Glen Winter
Writers: Eric Dietel, Tanya Steele, Chris Dingess, Shoshana Sachi, Neil Reynolds, Jeremy Carver.

Riley Shanahan/Brandon Fraser as Cliff Steele / Robotman
April Bowlby as Rita Farr / Elasti-Woman
Matt Bomer / Matthew Zuk as Larry Trainor / Negative Man
Diane Guerrero as Kay Challis/ Crazy Jane
Timothy Dalton as Dr. Niles Caulder / The Chief
Joivan Wade as Victor Stone / Cyborg
Abigail Shapiro as Dorothy Spinner
Karen Obilom as Roni Evers
Devan Long as Flex Mentallo
Alan Mingo Jr. as Morris Wilson / Maura Lee Karupt
Brian T. Stevenson as Herschal (voice)
John Getz as Paul Trainor
John Schmedes as Gary Trainor
Phil Morris as Dr. Silas Stone
Charity Cervantes as Isabel Feathers/ Valentina Vostok / Negative Woman
Julie McNiven as Sheryl Trainor
Leela Owen as Young Kay Challis / Young Miranda
Lana Jean Turner as Young Rita Farr
Greyson Chadwick as Rita’s Mother
Irene Ziegler as Micki Harris
Jason Burkey as “Specs”
Derek Evans as “Zip” Callahan
Skye Roberts as young Kay Challis
David Shae as Dex Trainor
Jonathan Bergman as Toby Trainor
Jackie Goldston as The Secretary
Michael Tourek as Lt. Kiss
Michael Shenefelt as Cuddles
Tracey Bonner as Torture
Brad Brinkley as Shadowy Mr. Evans
Lex Lang as Candlemaker (voice)
Michael Harney as RJ Steele
Stephanie Czajkowski as Hammerhead
Vanessa Cater as Darling-Come-Home
Sarah Borne as Baby Doll
Hannah Alline as Pretty Polly
Shay Mack as Driller Bill
Tara Lee as Lucy Fugue
Melanie J. Newby as Lady Dannyzen

Premise

The Dannyzens throw a party to restore Danny, currently in the form of a broken brick. Cyborg pursues a relationship with a woman who is not what she seems. Larry attempts to reconcile with his family when his grandson dies, only to encounter (very) serious setbacks. Cliff tries to be a hero, while exploring whether Cyborg’s far superior tech could work on him. Rita auditions for community theatre. After some time-lost space heroes from the 1950s return to earth, Dorothy heads into space,

High Points

Doom Patrol continues to blend Silver Age on stimulants madness with credible handling of characters and theme. A robot in a rock concert T handles the grief of a super-powerful ape-girl in a spacesuit on a barren but beautiful planet, and it actually works. “Space Patrol” also gets credit for strong editing and direction, resulting in exquisite transitions between different realities as it deals with building families and facing mortality.

“Finger Patrol” relieves some of the gloom with Cliff’s hilarious fantasy of he and Victor as the heroes of a 70s cop show.

The explanation for the rocketpunk ship existing in the 1950s is pure Doom Patrol.

Low Point

I had no serious problem with any of the episodes, though I suppose some viewers will raises moral concerns over elements of “Sex Patrol,” especially given the presence of at least one child in the mansion. The first half of “Finger Patrol” meandered a little, even for a story-arc-heavy show, though it brought its different threads together in the second half. Despite important developments, I found it the weakest of the three episodes.

The Scores:

Originality: 3/6

Effects: 6/6

Acting: 6/6 The show uses a talented cast to its advantage. These actors have shown they can make anything work, no matter how absurd. Kudos again to Diane Guerrero for her handling of Jane’s multiple personalities, and the teams of Matt Bomer and Matthew Zuk, and Riley Shanahan and Brandon Fraser, for their ability communicate emotions with covered faces.

Story: 5/6

Production: 6/6

Emotional Response: 5/6 We have several scenes that blend humour with pathos, and Rita’s encounter with an actor playing a version of her her is one of the strongest.

Overall: 5/6

In total, episodes 4-6 of Doom Patrol, Season Two, receive 36/42

Lingering Questions

Shouldn’t Niles be more concerned about the implications of two little girls with dangerous superpowers running wild?

Why does Niles do what he does at the end of “Space Patrol”? That’s some Cliff-hanger!

How do people on board a ship, in space, know what’s happening in Jane’s head back on earth? Did I miss something? Or is this a mystery to be resolved at a later date?

Will we see more of Negative Woman?

Notes

1. That’s Our Town!, not Our Town, much to Rita’s consternation.