“Space Patrol” The final frontier . . . Patrol. A new episode of Doom Patrol means things are only ramping up from here. Prepare for launch.
Previously on Doom Patrol
Season 2
Episodes 1, 2, and 3 – Fun Size Patrol, Tyme Patrol, and Pain Patrol
S2E6 Review (Spoiler-Free)
Play time between Baby Doll (Diane Guerrero) and Dorothy (Abigail Shapiro) has ended, and Dorothy is stricken with grief. Her next move is to run away, in order to protect everyone. This sets Niles (Timothy Dalton) and Cliff (Brendan Fraser/Riley Shanahan) on a mission to go find the most dangerous girl in the world.
Meanwhile, a spaceship lands on the earth containing Niles’ old research team of ageless astronauts, and Larry (Matt Bomer) is forced to play host.
Back in the Underground, Jane and her fellow personalities are forced to deal with the losses of Baby Doll and Flaming Katy, leading to organizing a funeral in The Underground.
Returning to the non-Jane head world, Vic (Joivan Wade) tries to help Roni (Karen Obilom) and discovers a connection between her and S.T.A.R. Labs, while Rita’s (April Bowlby) first rehearsal hits too close to home.
Where did Dorothy go?
Will Niles and Cliff find her?
How will Jane recover from all of this?
Is Larry a good host to their new visitors?
All these and more answered!
The Cast
The Doom Patrol continues to up the ante every week, by delivering knock-out performances consistently.
You should be able to predict this section by now, but Abigail Sharpio is killing it. Shapiro, just by herself, can be used as analysis for any acting class. She is commanding, captivating, and masterful. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. She nails making Dorothy so lovable and innocent that I would move the world and do the horrible things Niles did to protect her. Well, not everything. I’ll talk more about Niles in the reflection, but I will say this: Timothy Dalton is putting in the work.
Diane Guerrero is another constant juggernaut. This show doesn’t get enough credit; it houses two actors putting in the work of their careers. This episode delves deeply into the Underground, and Guerrero is accessing her emotions and technique, just like Jane calls upon her personalities.
Brendan Fraser puts in a very solid performance as Cliff and reaches deep to fulfill the role his character’s been built for. Matt Bomer continues to construct Larry from the ground up, and I look forward to seeing him on a weekly basis.
The Vision
This episode is in the same vein as the classic Doom Patrol entry I always talk about, except where this differs is there is barely any comedy. Thanks to scribe Neil Reynolds , we get the first episode of the season with only one writer, and this one is heavy. Nearly every storyline is wrapped into a narrative with serious implications or deep, introspective analysis. I needed a drink after this one, to be honest.
The one thing this show has constantly done through its run is heavily invest in Larry Trainor’s story, and it continues to get better and better. Give me all the Trainor.
Aesthetically, “Space Patrol” is so much fun. The introduction of the astronauts brings space travel to this world, which is a lot of fun to see. Doom Patrol does a great job blending the modern world with the colorful feel of the past.
Takeaway
Dude. This episode is so good, and its ending hits hard. Now firmly in the second half of the season, it’s time to jump on the Doom Patrol bus and take this journey.
Reflection (SPOILERS)
I’m keeping it short this week because, out of all the things that happened, the ending is all I can think about.
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.
Noooo, poor Cliff. He really didn’t deserve that. He was finally coming to his own and finding a purpose. This is the first episode in a long time that we heard a sentence from Brendan Fraser that wasn’t a curse every other word. His time with Dorothy was sincere, and he truly showcased the lessons from his parenthood. The scene on the Moon was simple yet so effective.
Niles has gone too far. All the remorse he expressed during the beginning of the season has seemed to go out the air lock with Cliff. It puts everything in perspective. He gave up his immortality not to save the Doom Patrol but to save himself and Dorothy. He only ever makes a decision or helps a Patrol member nowadays if he can see a means to the end to help Dorothy. He forces Cliff to come with him because he knows Cliff can survive in space. Maybe that’s why he didn’t feel remorse about shooting him into space.
No one knows except for Niles, and he is an asshole. His intention or reasoning could be debated to an extent, but there is one thing I know for sure: he has become the villain of Season 2.
