Advance Review: Doom Patrol Season Two Is A Dark & Fun Ride
Our favorite gang of vulgar misfits are back to their old antics in the first three episodes of Season two of Doom Patrol. After the events of the Season one finale, Robotman, Negative Man, Elastigirl, Crazy Jane, The Chief, and Cyborg are still trying to deal with the “tiny” ramifications that got most of the team stuck on Danny the Street while also getting used to the newest member of the team, Dorothy Spinner.
As the first three episodes progress, the series takes a darker turn to focus on the individual traumas that encompass the team. In the first episode alone, we begin to unravel some of the darker aspects of our characters, specifically Crazy Jane and Negative Man, which brilliantly setup what is to come for the rest of the season. However, with these individual stories unraveling, the idea of a main story arc seems to be far off in left field. Though this is not necessarily a bad thing. The time taken to focus on the individual characters mixes so well with the team’s crazy far off adventures that a missing main story arc isn’t a drawback to the season.
If there is one thing about this season that is a high point, it is the addition of Dorothy Spinner. This new character, played beautifully by Abigail Shapiro, has the ability to bring her imaginary friends to life and that is causing quite the trouble for the team. Not only are they at a constant worry about her friends coming to life, but they are also having a hard time trying to keep emotionally distant from the young girl. She brings out the best and worst in each character as she searches for her place on the team, but it’s those moments, such as her ones between her and Cliff or her and Jane, that makes Season two so brilliant.
The first three episodes do a good job of setting up the character stories for the season, but as for the main arc things look a little dark. Still, Doom Patrol improves upon what was already a great show by patching some of the inconsistencies from Season one. Set to premiere tomorrow, June 25, on HBO Max and DC Universe, fans are in for quite a treat.
Grade: A-