After saving the world in that two-parter we didn’t turn into a trilogy, Doom Patrol delivers another self-contained story–though still contributing to the broader season arc–in this week’s “Doom Patrol Patrol.” That title sounds like a grammatical nightmare but it winds up making sense. There’s a lot to unpack this week so strap in, and remember as always, beware of spoilers. Here are five thoughts on “Doom Patrol Patrol.”
1. Good Day to be a Robot Boy
Not to further belabor the comparisons to Justice League but one would be remiss to not note the poor reaction to not only that film’s portrayal of Cyborg, but also to the early images that were released during Doom Patrol‘s production. The track-suited Vic Stone wasn’t every fan’s cup of tea, and his debut in “Donkey Patrol” still had some kinks to work out. The subsequent episodes, however, have seen greatly improved visuals, however, with “Doom Patrol Patrol” being the most revealing for Vic. With the tracksuit jacket removed we are treated to a full look at just how comics-accurate this Cyborg is and he looks fantastic. Not sure what’s happening under those pants yet, though…
2. The Queen of Muscle Beach
After the dynamic action of the last two weeks, “Doom Patrol Patrol” opts for a quieter opening. April Bowlby’s Rita Farr has truly been given the star treatment in Doom Patrol but the performance has made it well deserved. This isn’t to say her costars haven’t been given equal screen-time, but Rita is the most well-developed character on display here. We’ve seen growth throughout these six episodes while the layers of her backstory are slowly being peeled back, giving us a complex and very human member of this menagerie of freaks.
Rita’s introduction and romance with Mento as well as a teased reveal of her past carry this episode. She’s presented through multiple angles both in the past and present displaying weakness and strength, respectively. She is taught to quiet her mind through Mento’s “the person who is breathing is me” mantra, only to trade roles at the end, helping Mento to find his own peace. Though she isn’t ready for the role yet, Rita seems destined to lead this team, as she is already the heart and foundation of it.
3. Hot-diggity, Dog-ziggity Boom What You Do to Me
Doom Patrol never lets you dwell long on those more subtle moments and introspective moments from its cast. We’re only ever a moment away from a buttocks-shaped balloon or police being transformed into piñatas and torn apart by crazed park-goers. It revels in its own absurdity at every turn. Phrasing choices like Cliff’s complaining that Vic’s fingers are in him and Jane’s rebuttal to Rita that “Flit says to fuck yourself in the face” keep the humor and the pacing high.
4. Like The Shining, but with Puzzle Pieces
One of the standout scenes from “Doom Patrol Patrol” involves Jane and a subtle exposition that was foreshadowed in an earlier scene between Babydoll and Niles. We know that Jane’s fractured psyche is due to childhood trauma, and this scene plays on her buried feelings of being victimized. Babydoll is the manifestation of the innocence Jane has lost just as Hammerhead is the abrasive persona that keeps anyone from getting inside. Jane running from the sea of puzzle pieces flooding a hallway is an obvious reference to Kubrick’s masterpiece but the scene represents so much more underneath the surface.
5. Like Broken Little Toys
Those puzzle pieces represent more than just the bits of Jane waiting to be put back together, though. This entire team consists of people who have been broken, whether physically–such as Vic, Cliff, and Larry’s horrific accidents–or mentally–in the way that Jane was created or Rita allowed herself to become even before she was transformed. But each of the team are also interlocking pieces, stronger and more whole connected than they are apart. Cliff needs Jane to help him deal with estrangement from his daughter just like Vic needs Cliff to help him overcome his feelings of ineptitude due to his father. Each episode we are shown more and more just how much they need each other, and how the Doom Patrol truly are a team, no matter how they may try to fight it.
Also I just have to mention that Steve Larson returns this week as the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man for a bit of “aiding and a-biting” and if that pun isn’t enough on its own to love this show, nothing is.
