Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (March 25, 2024)
Based on a DC Comics series, Doom Patrol focuses on a dysfunctional superhero group of misfits, and this three-Blu-ray set offers all 10 of Season Three’s episodes. The plot synopses come from IMDB.
Possibilities Patrol: “Dorothy (Abi Monterey) and the Candlemaker (Lex Lang) finally face-off, while the Doom Patrol - now freed from their wax encasings - face troubling side effects. Rita (April Bowlby) holds the key, but is she ready to answer the call?”
Despite the impact of the COVID pandemic, Doom Patrol didn’t take an extended break between seasons. Completed before COVID shut down everything, Season Two ran in the summer of 2020, and S3 screened fall 2021.
“Possibilities” picks up literally right where S2 left off, and even though the series didn’t vanish for an extended span between those two collections of shows, much of this episode acts as “catch-up time”. Which seems fine with me, as I last watched Patrol more than three years ago, so I needed the refresher.
“Possibilities” brings us a more somber episode than usual for this whacked-out series. Still, it gets us up to speed and hopefully sets up where S3 will go.
Vacay Patrol: “The team goes on vacation to get away from their problems following the aftermath of Niles' (Timothy Dalton) departure, but have a hard time reconciling with each other. Oh, and an alien named Garguax (Stephen Murphy) is there to kill one of them too.”
After the relatively dark start to S3, “Vacay” goes back to the wild and wacky vibe more common for Doom Patrol. Garguax adds spark to a lively episode.
Dead Patrol: “After being kidnapped into the afterlife, the team rely on Dorothy (Abi Monterey), Larry (Matt Bomer) and The Dead Boy Detectives (Ty Tennant, Sebastian Croft and Madalyn Horcher) to save them from certain death.”
Perhaps I misremember Seasons One and Two – it’s been a while since I watched them – but I recall them as more comedic than serious. So far, S3 tends to favor the latter over the former.
This means that like the prior episode, “Dead” mixes character drama with warped comic book shenanigans. I prefer the goofy side of the series so I could live without the melodrama, but “Dead” boasts enough life to make it enjoyable.
Undead Patrol: “The newly ‘undead’ members of the Doom Patrol are inspired to work on themselves. Later, the team is rocked by the arrival of a mysterious woman on a time machine and a former foe.”
After the more somber vibe of S3’s first three shows, “Undead” more fully embraces the series’ usual outrageous sense of weirdness. This turns into a nutty and delightful program that becomes the most fun of S3 to date.
Dada Patrol: “Madame Rouge (Michelle Gomez) enlists the Doom Patrol's help after learning about her unsettling past. While the rest of the team works to infiltrate the target, Rita stays behind and finds a surprising connection with their mysterious friend.”
Objectively, I know that I shouldn’t want every episode of Doom Patrol to offer manic nuttiness. Nonetheless, I admit I tend to feel less than enthralled whenever the series goes darker and more introspective.
As it does with “Dada”, an episode that helps move along S3’s overall narrative but not one that enchants me. I also find myself a little put off by the way Wynn Everett’s performance as Shelley Byron feels like a shameless attempt to impersonate Tilda Swinton.
1917 Patrol: “Plunged back in time, Rita attempts to navigate the Bureau of Normalcy with help from an oddly familiar group. Meanwhile, Jane (Diane Guerrero) gives Kay (Skye Roberts) her first taste of freedom, while Larry finds closure with his son.”
Given its time travel premise, I hoped “1917” would deliver a rousing romp. Instead, it becomes surprisingly dour and plot-heavy. As such, it moves along S3 narrative elements – especially related to the Sisterhood of Dada – but it doesn’t become one of the year’s more interesting shows.
Bird Patrol: “Vic (Joivan Wade) consults an old friend for help with a major life change, Cliff (Brendan Fraser) takes his online habits too far, and Jane battles the others for Kay. Sensing imminent danger, Madame Rouge attempts to rally the highly distracted group.”
Expect another mix of delirious weirdness and character melodrama from “Bird”, though with an unfortunate lean toward the latter. That becomes my biggest gripe with S3, as it just lacks the spark I got from the first two seasons, and “Bird” continues this erratic slide.
Subconscious Patrol: “While the fog obscures more than just the air, Vic, Cliff, Jane, and Larry must relive their most shameful moments until a breakthrough occurs, and Rita begins to better understand Madame Rouge.”
It took me eight episodes to figure it out, but I now realize my main issue with S3 stems from the fact so many of the programs keep the Doom Patrol members away from each other. Much of the series’ charm comes from their interactions, but S3 too often leaves us with the roles’ individual adventures.
The end of “Bird” implied the next episode would gather the Patrol together in a more active manner, but that doesn’t really happen. While “Bird” does embrace the more surreal side of the series, it continues to mainly focus on the characters’ solo melodrama, so it winds up as a bit of a mixed bag.
Evil Patrol: “With Madame Rouge vying for her old spot in the Brotherhood of Evil, the Doom Patrol brace themselves for their impending visit.”
As much as I hope S3 will eventually bring the Patrol back together as a collective, “Evil” continues their solo emotional journeys. In theory, these choices could work, but in reality, they continue to make S3 a less than engaging tale, though it gives us a few glimmers of hope that the finale will pop back to life.
By the way, “Evil” reminds me that Doom Patrol sports some genuinely terrible visual effects. Perhaps the series’ ambition exceeds its budget, but “Evil” shows some really awful CG.
Amends Patrol: “As the Brotherhood of Evil closes in, the Doom Patrol try to set aside past issues in hopes of becoming a true superhero team - or risk being taken out for good.”
Throughout S3, we got glimpses of the Brotherhood of Evil. In a more logical move, S3 would’ve concentrated on their threat more than the Patrol’s journeys of self-discovery.
“Amends” sort of comes around to the material I might’ve expected, but it only sporadically veers toward the kind of rousing finale we might anticipate. Though parts of “Amends” go for gleeful broke, most of the episode feels about as draggy as so much of S3.
To be clear, I don’t think S3 flops, as even with its flaws, it still brings decent entertainment. However, the choice to split up the Patrol so much of the time makes this an erratic collection of shows.
