Take Three: Doom Patrol

Doom Patrol: Season 1, Episode 3 “Puppet Patrol” (B)

This episode was considerably trippier than the two before it – and that’s saying something. This show continues to have an incredible approach to demonstrate powers, best on display here in the antithesis of Jane, one personality in many bodies. The greater weakness that all of the members of the Doom Patrol display is still their vulnerability to manipulation, something that happened throughout this entire episode. I like that Cliff, the least emotive of the group, finally got to express some of his anger when everyone came at him, though he was pretty horrified at the end by what he had done. Jane doesn’t seem to feel the same remorse, and she was more than happy to immediately eviscerate the machine that was messing with Larry for most of the hour. I had commented previously that it was brave for this show to cast Matthew Bomer, also recurring currently on “Will and Grace” in a totally different role, and have his face covered up completely, and it’s actually most powerful to see him pictured as his former self before returning to the stark reality of what is now, having lost both of the people in his life who were most important to him. The comedy is still front-and-center here, namely with the lengthy road trip they had to take to Paraguay and Larry driving when his spirit element tried to kill him, but at least it all worked out in the end when Victor’s dad sent the jet to come pick them up. Steve was an excitable addition, and he seems to have greeted his newfound powers with a considerably more positive attitude than all of our friends have.