Doom Patrol is one of the best products made by DC. The show presents fleshed-out characters, a good balance of humor and drama, and strong performances from the entire cast. As always, Alan Tudyk steals the show!
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of this Blu-ray that we reviewed in this blog post. The opinions we share are our own.
This review summed up in one sentence: Watch this, if only for Alan Tudyk!
Released earlier this year on DC’s streaming service, Doom Patrol introduces an unlikely group of super heroes who most non-comicbook fans likely don’t know. The season has fifteen episodes each running between 44 to 58 minutes in length. Here’s the official description of the season:
“Doom Patrol reimagines some of DC’s most unique Super Heroes – Robotman, aka Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser); Negative Man, aka Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer); Elasti-Woman, aka Rita Farr (April Bowlby); and Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero) – led by the Chief, aka mad scientist Niles Caulder (Timothy Dalton). Each suffered a horrific tragedy that left them scarred and disfigured, but with superhuman abilities, so the traumatized misfits band together to support each other while they investigate bizarre phenomena. When the Chief disappears, Cyborg, aka Vic Stone (Joivan Wade), offers the reluctant heroes a mission that’s impossible to refuse. In 15 intriguing and powerfully funny episodes, these superpowered freaks battle Mr. Nobody, aka Eric Morden (Alan Tudyk), in hopes of saving a world that, honestly, wants nothing to do with them.”
Doom Patrol is one of the best products made by DC. The show presents fleshed-out characters, a good balance of humor and drama, and strong performances from the entire cast. But as can be expected, Alan Tudyk steals the show!
In a brilliant move, the show opens with its best player. The year is 1948, and Eric Morden (Tudyk) has come to Paraguay to seek genetic enhancement from a Nazi using experimental research. Morden’s physical form is separated and turned into a Rubik’s cube of sorts. With his new-found knowledge that “The Mind Is The Limit,” Morden is ready to stop being a third-rate henchman, a real nobody . . .
Tudyk serves not only the role of the season’s primary antagonist, but also the role of the narrator. Instead of presenting the audience with the facts, Morden, now known as Mr. Nobody, gets to spin his own interpretation of events and insights on the other characters – all to hilarious effect! The fourth wall is merely an idea to Mr. Nobody. He often speaks directly to the audience and questions why they haven’t cancelled their DC subscriptions yet, much to the bewilderment of other characters in the scene. It feels like the creators of the show recognized Tudyk’s ability to effortlessly balance humor and drama and gave him the space to make the character his own. As with most of his projects, Tudyk again steals the show!
After the audience meets Morden, Mr. Nobody narrates the introduction of the other characters who will eventually become the Doom Patrol. He’s quick to point out that these characters aren’t really heroes – more super zeros. Why would anyone want to watch a superhero show about them?
First up is Cliff Steele (Fraser). A famous NASCAR driver, Steele seemed to have it all to the outside world, but his homelife told a different story. After an affair with the nanny and constant fighting with his wife, Steele was in a car accident that left him mostly dead. His brain, the only thing that could be saved, was placed into a robotic body. Though reluctant to live without his wife and daughter knowing he is alive, Steele will eventually become Robotman!
Larry Trainor (Bomer), a high-ranking astronaut with a well-guarded secret, was set to make the flight of his career. But on the day of the launch, his ship crashed. While burned beyond recognition and exposed to high degrees of radiation, another entity – a negative – took up residence in Trainor’s body.
Rita Farr (Bowlby) was a famous movie star who was disliked by her crew for her snobbish attitude and shallow values. While filming a scene, she fell into a lake with a mysterious green liquid. The screen queen went from beautiful to blobbish. The eventual Elasti-Woman seemed to no longer have control over her body or when it decided to expand into a gelatinous goo.
And, finally, there’s Crazy Jane (Guerra). Jane is just one of 64 personalities each with his or her own metahuman abilities. In Jane’s head is the Underground, the location where each personality battles for dominance. Jane may seem crazy, but she can be the toughest fighter in a battle . . . as long as the right personality is around.
These unlikely individuals have been rescued from the tragedies and traumas in their real lives by Dr. Niles Caulder (Dalton). Caulder, aka the Chief, is the Professor Xavier to their X-Men. He serves as a father figure who offers insight, support, and understanding. The Chief works to help his disjointed team regain control of themselves away from the eyes of the world. But the Chief has some secrets of his own, secrets that Mr. Nobody can’t wait to expose.
After the Chief is taken by Mr. Nobody, the team must work together to rescue their leader. There are just a few problems though. They don’t know how to find Mr. Nobody, how to control their powers, or how to get along with each other. Cyborg (Wade), a friend of the Chief, comes to Doom Manor to help after detecting danger. Can RobotMan, Mr. Negative, Elasti-Woman, Crazy Jane, and Cyborg find a way to save the Chief? Do you even really want them to? Should maybe, just this one time, the villain get to win? Mr. Nobody certainly thinks so.
The debut season kicks off with a strong opening episode that is packed with crucial information, key character details, and the introduction of the season’s central conflict. It takes the time to plant the seeds for each main character to have his or her own story arc, but after that standout premiere episode, the reluctant heroes are not immediately thrown into their “destiny.” Instead, they’re given time to figure out if they even want to be heroes.
Doom Patrol is not a non-stop action show. At times, scenes are driven purely by dialogue and character development. Many individual character arcs are strengthened by flashbacks to a time pre-accident/power/trauma. While the audience knows that many of these characters were not “good” people, the show spends time letting the characters learn this for themselves. While the show may feel slow at times, it never crosses the line to becoming boring.
This slowed down pacing is more evident towards the middle of the season – with the exception of the ninth episode, “Jane Patrol.” While each of the central cast members delivers a strong performance across the season, Guerrero’s work in “Jane Patrol” ought to be award-winning. After becoming overwhelmed in the real-world, Jane retreats into the Underground. As Cliff tries to save her from her other personalities, viewers are taken on a journey through Jane’s head, many of her 64 personalities, and the traumas that created them all. Jane, with her refusal to make friends and non-stop profanity, can be grating at times, but this episode really helps viewers understand her aggressive and hostile nature. The story is beautifully told, the episode is beautifully shot, and Guerrero delivers several terrific performances in it.
The action of the show picks up again as the season reaches its finale. The season’s penultimate episode, appropriately named “Penultimate Patrol,” could have served as the season’s finale. It’s memorable and action-packed, and the episode’s big reveal could have been a season finale-size cliffhanger; however, the season’s central storyline is wrapped up right after in the finale. Oh that finale! It’s a bizarre and chaotic episode that viewers won’t likely forget, but it leaves the door open for more story and a compelling second season.
All in all, Doom Patrol opens with a strong debut season, well-rounded characters, and an entertaining antagonist.
Episodes –
Disc 1
- 1. “Pilot”
- 2. “Donkey Patrol”*
- 3. “Puppet Patrol”
- 4. “Cult Patrol”
- 5. “Paw Patrol”
Disc 2
- 6. “Doom Patrol Patrol”
- 7. “Therapy Patrol”
- 8. “Danny Patrol”*
- 9. “Jane Patrol”
- 10. “Hair Patrol”
Disc 3
- 11. “Frances Patrol”*
- 12. “Cyborg Patrol”
- 13. “Flex Patrol”
- 14. “Penultimate Patrol”*
- 15. “Ezekiel Patrol”*
*Unaired Scenes Included
Special Features –
Season one of Doom Patrol comes with the following special features:
- Doom Patrol – Come Visit Georgia PSA (5:06)
- Gag Reel (4:35)
The Blu-ray and Digital combo comes with a very limited number of special features. The PSA takes viewers through the real-life locations used as some of the sets for Doom Manor and Danny Street. It also discusses the role of location managers on a production. It’s a nice piece that gives insight about the making of movies and shows that viewers may not know. But, the inclusion of a feature on the history of the Doom Patrol in comics and its characters may have helped to boost the special features section.
Takeaway
Again, the highlight of the show is Alan Tudyk as both narrator and antagonist. However, each of the other cast members also delivers a great performance. Doom Patrol successfully attempts to introduce a group of flawed characters, a mysterious central conflict, and a lot of humor! While the pacing slows down towards the middle of the season, the show never becomes boring. The storyline wraps up in a bizarre and unforgettable season finale that leaves the door open for another great season. All in all, Doom Patrol is one of DC’s best.
