Doom Patrol “Amends Patrol”

Could it be…could the crazy kids of the Doom Patrol finally be showing some personal growth?

Regardless, I do think MIchelle Gomez is a fair trade for Timothy Dalton.

So, here’s the thing about the Doom Patrol: it’s as much about these characters learning to live with themselves as it is fighting the forces of evil. Arguably, it is more about learning to live with themselves than fighting the forces of evil. With an episode like this, it is very much about that personal growth where, sure, the Brotherhood of Evil is hanging around, but that’s just one talking gorilla and a brain in a jar, and one of them quits in this episode.

Yeah, even the bad guys can find some personal growth as Mallah decides he doesn’t want to be the Brain’s partner/sidekick anymore and leaves Laura and Cliff’s brain-in-a-jar alive where the Brotherhood always dumps their stuff and drives off since the Brain will just start the whole “world domination” thing, and that gets old after a while.

Of course, that just means Laura can put Cliff’s brain into a different body, namely the disposed of robot at the bottom of the pit near where Mallah dumped them. Somehow, she thought putting Cliff’s brain inside a larger robot was a good idea. She doesn’t realize it’s a dumb idea until he ejects here and goes…well, not on a rampage. But before that happened, she did guide him into stepping on his old body with the Brain inside of it. The Brain mostly just lost his lower half. Rita takes care of him later and does get the blueprints for Cliff’s old body back. Since that involved pouring hot water on the Brain, he probably won’t be bothering anyone anymore.

So, if this is all about personal growth, what exactly does that mean? It means Jane will find the other alters in the Fog but cut a deal with them to return with the promise that Dr. Harrison may be the new primary (Hammerhead, at least, doesn’t like that), but it will save Kay deep in the Underground and the alters who were dying outside of that self-same Underground. Larry allows the larva to merge with him, something he wasn’t too keen on before, but he has to in order to let the baby live. Vic, without powers of his own now, takes the baby inside of himself until he can get Larry back somewhere where Larry can safely take those bandages off. Rita, she’s told the Sisterhood doesn’t really believe in vengeance, so she has to learn forgiveness. She does (somewhat) pardon Laura. Laura herself seeks to be one of the good guys if people will just accept her.

And Cliff, well, he’s trying to make amends with everyone he’s wronged, starting with Clara, and he’s in a giant robot body now. He’s being sincere (for once), and the only real problem is when the body gets other ideas and stomps off to crush the town near Doom Manor, one where only a giant Rita can stop him. And her clothes grew with her for some reason, but that’s not my issue.

After all that, it does seem as if the team, perhaps calling themselves “Doom Force” (Cliff’s idea, no one else likes it), can finally be a superhero team as they rush off, taking strides towards being better, mentally healthier people. They have a time machine they can use to travel, and they know to leave notes for themselves so they don’t forget things as time travel generally does. Oh, and their first mission is against a giant testicle. So…this show may have the characters making some steps towards being the heroes that some of them think they actually are while still keeping the level of ridiculousness I have come to expect and greatly enjoy.

Oh, and there’s another season ordered up for the future. My guess is any progress they made will be short-lived or incremental.

In the meantime, I do need something else for Fridays. You know what? I think it is time to finish Lost in Space.