When the announcement of a Doom Patrol tv show hit the media it left me puzzled. With all the teams in the DC Universe why pick the little known Doom Patrol for a series? That being said I thought the same thing about Guardians of the Galaxy and that surpassed all expectations; so how would Doom Patrol fare?
In a crowded super-hero market Doom Patrol is a breath of fresh air. A bunch of genuine misfits struggling in society in a way that plays out like a modern day Munsters family who are brought together by Niles Caulder aka The Chief (Timothy Dalton) who uniquely rehabilitates people who have gone through traumatic experiences.
As the episode unfolds we meet Cliff Steele/Robotman (Brendan Fraser and Riley Shanahan), Rita Farr/Elasti-Woman (April Bowlby), Larry Trainor/Negative Man (Matt Bomer and Matthew Zuk), and Kay Challis/Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero) and learn how each ended up with the Chief.
Another interesting premise is that the episode is narrated by Alan Tudyk as the villain of the show Mr. Nobody allowing us to learn about the character from his unique point of view before we even see him on screen!
Doom Patrol contains elements of everything that was ever cool from 50s/60s sci-fi through to 70’s/80’s synthesiser music tension and presents it back to the audience in a package that does not take it self too seriously- a fact highlight by the fact the climax of the episode involves a farting donkey!
Verdict: 8/10 An excellent start for a show that carves out its own unique identity – as it develops further I feel Doom Patrol will need to take more risks with its weirdness and not be afraid to delve deeper into its plentiful source material.
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