Doom Patrol Review: “Possibilities Patrol” and “Vacay Patrol”

“Even if he’s a supervillain– which he’s clearly not– he’s on vacation.”
–Cliff Steele

The most brilliant absurdist superhero show ever returns for a third season.

Title: Doom Patrol: “Possibilities Patrol” and “Vacay Patrol”

Cast and Crew

Directors: Tamara Becher, Chris Manley
Writers: Tom Farrell

Cast:
Diane Guerrero as Kay Challis/ Crazy Jane
Riley Shanahan/Brandon Fraser as Cliff Steele / Robotman
April Bowlby as Rita Farr / Elasti-Woman
Matt Bomer / Matthew Zuk as Larry Trainor / Negative Man
Joivan Wade as Victor Stone / Cyborg
Timothy Dalton as Dr. Niles Caulder / The Chief
Michelle Gomez as Madame Rouge
Bethany Anne Lind as Clara Steele
Abigail Shapiro Monterey as Dorothy Spinner
Leela Owen as Kay Challis
Samantha Marie Ware as Miranda
Stephen Murphy as Garguax
Ty Tennant as Edwin Payne
Phil Morris as Dr. Silas Stone
Irene Ziegler as Micki Harris
Walnette Marie Santiago as Mel
Miles Mussenden as Lloyd Jefferson
Karen Obilom as Roni Evers
Gina Hiraizumi as Sachiko
Micah Joe Parker as Malcolm
Mark Sheppard as Willoughby Kipling
Glenn H. Allen as Jim Thompson
Anita Kalathara as Holly McKenzie
Jackie Goldston as The Secretary
Ana Aguilar as The Balladeer
Hannah Alline as Pretty Polly
Shay Mack as Driller Bill
Charity Cervantes as Isabel Feathers
Stephanie Czajkowski as Hammerhead
Jonathan Lipow as the voice of Monsieur Mallah
Lex Lang as the Candlemaker
? as the voice of the Brain

Premise

The Doom Patrol regroup after the consequences of the season finale and the Chief’s death. Larry Trainor returns to space, Cyborg makes a potentially career-ending decision, Jane’s personalities join forces against their darker nature, Cliff visits his daughter and new granddaughter, Dorothy mourns her dad, Rita Farr loses her composure on stage, and a new villain materializes.

The Doom Patrol go on vacation, only to encounter a villain who has been waiting a long time. Cliff realizes that his one organic component may require medical attention.

High Points

Garguax’s arrival at the resort demonstrates the Doom Patrol‘s hilarious sense of the absurd. The gag may be simple but its execution is brilliant.

The show has one of the strongest casts on television. Although they all do well, Diane Guerrero continues to showcase her range as an actor.

Several performers continue to do voice-acting. While Matt Bomer and Brandon Fraser continue to shine, April Bowlby must perform a long stretch of the second episode as voice-only.

Danny makes a cameo as some kind of psychedelic ambulance / magic bus. Too much.

Low Point

The premiere works but, saddled with a thousand threads to resolve and COVID interruptions during production, it feels a lot more rushed and fragmented than it might have.

The Scores:

Originality: 4/6 The show continues to draw from its source and develop it in unusual ways.
The underlying premise of the Garguax plot resembles one used a few times before, though it has been handled in the show’s unique manner.

Effects: 6/6 The first two episodes feature an impressive range of effects.

Acting: 6/6 I comment on the performances under “High Points,” but I would like also to call attention to Cliff’s stay with his daughter, daughter-in-law, and new grandson. The actors play a real-life situation with complete sincerity, despite the fact of a faltering robot in the grandpa role.

The small-town community theatre production has been performed very like a small-town community theatre production. The acting isn’t so strong there, but deliberate subpar acting takes talent.

Story: 5/6 The first episode has some awkwardness stemming form its fragmented nature. The second works almost as a stand-alone. I guess we won’t ask how the resort stays in business. Perhaps the Brotherhood of Evil left an endowment.

Production: 6/6 The second episode features superlative editing.

Emotional Response: 5/6

Overall: 5/6 Doom Patrol is back.

In total receive 37/42