Doom Patrol is a spin-off of another DC Universe original series, Titans. Though some of the cast has been changed from the Titans episode in which these characters first appeared. And you don’t have to have seen Titans to fully enjoy this series.
Doom Patrol follows the adventures of a ragtag group of “super-zeroes, or meta-human goose eggs” as they are referred to by Mr. Nobody. Over the past several decades, wheelchair bound scientist Niles Caulder (Timothy Dalton)—also referred to as Chief—has been taking in various enhanced humans, trying to help them control their powers. They live with him in his giant mansion, known as Doom Manor. It’s not unlike The X-Men, but these super-powered beings have a lot more personal and emotional issues to deal with, and are a lot less heroic.
Caulder’s first resident was 1950s Silver Screen starlet Rita Farr (April Bowlby). In 1955, while shooting a film in Africa, she fell into the river and was transformed into Elasti-Girl. When her emotions run high, Rita loses control of her body and becomes a massive blob—a far cry from her normally-glamorous Hollywood self. In the decades since the incident, Rita still struggles to control her body, but hasn’t really aged. Doom Manor’s second resident came in 1961. Air Force aviator test pilot Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer) was on a test flight in space and encountered cosmic radiation. A cosmic spirit entered his body, and his plane plummeted to Earth, bursting into flames, severely burning his body. Now Larry is constantly covered in bandages, looking like a mummy. The Negative Spirit inside of him can exit his body, but when it does so, it leaves Larry in a lifeless, immobile state—he has become dependent on this cohabitant to stay alive.
In the 1970s, Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero) found her way to Doom Manor. The troubled young woman has 64 personas, each with her own superpower. Jane cannot control which one of the personas controls her body—it could be anyone from the tough Hammerhead, to the teleporting Flit. Even Caulder hasn’t seen all of Jane’s personalities. In 1988, philandering race car driver Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser) was in a horrible accident, and only his brain survived. Caulder built Steele a brand new robotic body, turning him into Robotman. And finally, a late addition to the team is high school football star Victor Stone (Joivan Wade), who was recently in an explosion at STAR labs that left his mother dead. Silas Stone (Phil Morris) rebuilt the majority of his son’s body using nanites and other high-tech means, turning his son into the crime-fighting superhero known as Cyborg.
Meanwhile, another man had undergone a transformation of his own. Eric Morden (Alan Tudyk) was a member of the Brotherhood of Evil, a supervillain team in the 1930s. However, he was never taken seriously, and was often treated like a nobody. So with the assistance of the evil Doctor Heinrich Von Fuchs (Julian Richings), Morden transformed himself into a powerful human Rubix Cube, known as Mr. Nobody.
As the series opens, the group of misfits is at Doom Manor where they learn that Mr. Nobody has kidnapped The Chief. None of them have really left Doom Manor since they arrived, but now they must come together as a team if they are going to rescue Caulder. So they venture out into Cloverton, Ohio in search of the Chief, but things go horribly wrong almost immediately as none of them really have control over their powers. Over the course of this mission, the group finds itself up against things like Apocalyptic cults and other inter-dimensional obstacles. At the same time, Mr. Nobody is playing mind games with them, trying to make them turn against one another, using their past emotional tragedies against them.
The series has a very unique tone, which is largely comedic. The violence and language can be graphic and over-the-top at times, taking full advantage of the fact that this is not a broadcast network DC show. It has a very Deadpool sort of feel to it. Episodes are narrated by Mr. Nobody, who is constantly making sarcastic remarks, often breaking the fourth wall, referring to the series itself (at one point he even makes a speech next to the poster for the series). The world itself is also quite insane, from a flatulating donkey, to a sentient teleporting gender-queer street named Danny, to the talking Ezekiel the Cockroach (Curtis Armstrong) bent on world domination, to The Beard Hunter (Tommy Snider) a man with the power to learn everything about a person just by consuming their beard.
The crux of first season is spent less on superhero stuff and more on character-driven drama as the meta-humans deal with the ghosts of their pasts. This means the series is constantly jumping around in time visiting various moments in these characters lives, both before and when they ended up at Doom Manor. For Rita, it’s her struggle to be taken seriously as an actress, and then losing her good looks and struggling to keep her emotions in check. For Larry, it’s the double-life he led as a married man with kids and a closeted gay man who was in love with his flight partner. For Crazy Jane, it’s dealing with her multiple personalities and figuring out who she really is. For Cliff, it’s dealing with the loss of his family, and not getting to see his daughter grow up. And for Vic, it’s the idea that he was responsible for his mother’s death, as well as the lack of control he has over his own body.
The season also has some fun guest stars, in addition to those previously mentioned, there is the hilarious Alec Mapa as Steve Larson, a man who heads to Von Fuchs’ enhancement facility in Paraguay where he gets some ridiculous results, Devan Chandler Long as former superhero Flex Mentallo, and Ed Asner as a hospital patient.
The show knows it’s crazy and embraces it, and just has fun. There are some really dramatic moments in the series, but for me, it was all about the fun and wacky episodes. My favorites were the aforementioned Beard Hunter and Flex Mentallo episodes, but there is also a really fun episode where we head to The Underground, and get to actually see where all of Jane’s personalities hang out when they are not in charge…and we get to see how they really look.
The first season starts off with an action-packed first two episodes, but then meanders for quite a long time as it goes back to tell the stories/struggles of the main characters (Mr. Noboby even remarks about this near the end of the season). It does get back on track again by the end and finishes strong, with a surprising turn of events. I binged the entire season over the weekend and really enjoyed it overall. There is definitely quite a bit of adult matter in this series, so parents who wouldn’t let their kids watch Deadpool should probably have them steer clear of this as well.
All 15 episodes of the show’s first season are split across three Blu-ray discs. The release provides a solid video and audio presentation. The picture looks excellent and nicely captures all the special effects and craziness. The audio track provides clear dialogue and an immersive viewing experience. The discs are packed in a multi-disc HD keepcase with a cardboard slipcase. Inside is a sheet with digital copy redemption instructions as well as an episode guide insert.
The bonus material was slightly disappointing, consisting of about 15 minutes of deleted scenes, a 4-minute gag reel, and a 4-minute promotional PSA with the filmmakers. I wish there had been an audio commentary or some sort of behind-the-scenes featurette either about the making of the series, or discussing the origin of the comics and how it compares to the series.
What’s Included:
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Episodes: (12:56:38)
- All 15 episodes of the first season:
Disc 1: “Pilot”, “Donkey Patrol”, “Puppet Patrol”, “Cult Patrol”, “Paw Patrol”
Disc 2: “Doom Patrol Patrol”, “Therapy Patrol”, “Danny Patrol”, “Jane Patrol”, “Hair Patrol”
Disc 3: “Frances Patrol”, “Cyborg Patrol”, “Flex Patrol”, “Penultimate Patrol”, “Ezekiel Patrol” - 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Digital HD copy of the episodes redeemable via Vudu.
Only includes the episodes. - Deleted Scenes (0:14:36)
Collection of 24 deleted scenes from 11 of the season’s episodes, found on the discs containing the related episodes.- EP# 102 Sc 31
Cliff lays unconscious Jane down on a couch. - EP# 102 Sc 35-36
Cliff snoops around the manor basement. - EP# 102 Sc 46-48
Vic discusses his dead mother with Niles. - EP# 102 Sc 53 Pt1
The Doom Patrol approach a statue of Niles in the donkeyverse. - EP# 102 Sc 75
People in the Cloverton diner return to life. - EP# 102 Sc 80
Cliff interrupts Jane’s painting for a chat. - EP# 108 Sc 18
Rita catches Cliff rummaging through Jane’s room. - EP# 111 Sc 10
Flit returns to the manor. No one else is there for the meeting. - EP# 111 Sc 19
Larry talks to the bartender. - EP# 114 Sc 43
Jane (in the asylum) is dragged away. - EP# 115 Sc 14
Cliff daydreams about Clara. - EP# 115 Sc 26
Kipling tells Niles about Morden. - EP# 115 Sc 29-30
Morden is bored. - EP# 115 Sc 42
Larry wishes Rita good luck.
- EP# 102 Sc 31
- Gag Reel (4:35)
A fun gag reel with misbehaving props, bleeped cursing, flubbed lines, ringing phones, dancing, and general fun on set…plus a swarm of angry butts. - Doom Patrol: Come Visit Georgia PSA (5:06)
The filmmakers discuss the filming locations and experience in this promotional featurette for the film industry in Georgia. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with assistant UPM Ian MacGregor, co-executive producer/director Dermott Downs, line producer Gideon Amir, and location managers Sara Sheets & Sarah Williams.
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Blu-ray:
Digital: (Redemption deadline 12/31/2020)
Extras:
Bonus material is spread across all three discs.
Final Thoughts:
Doom Patrol is a fun, more character-driven drama take on the superhero series—it is basically DC’s version of The X-Men meets Deadpool. Warner Bros’ Blu-ray looks and sounds great, and contains a small but entertaining assortment of bonus material—lots of deleted scenes and a short gag reel. It’s great to see this made available for those who don’t subscribe to DC Universe, and that it also includes a digital copy of the episodes. The release makes for a fun weekend binge.
