Although it showed some potential,
the first season of Titans was generally underwhelming. However, I did
immensely enjoy its 4th episode, which featured the Doom Patrol and
set them up for their own DC Universe web TV series. Since then, I was greatly looking to it.
And, yes, indeed, the 15-episode
debut season is as deliciously bonkers and immensely entertaining as I thought
it would be. It’s something that The Umbrella Academy hoped it could be – a superb,
groundbreaking superhero TV show about a dysfunctional, drama-filled team of eccentric
individuals with weird powers and angsty personal issues.
The (initial) roster is mainly composed
of the team’s most known members in the comics.
Dr. Niles Caulder a.k.a. the Chief (Timothy Dalton) is their benefactor
and the one responsible for assembling them.
Cliff Steele a.k.a. Robotman (Brendan Fraser) is an ex-NASCAR driver
whose brain was transferred to a robot body after his body was destroyed in a
car accident. Kay Challis a.k.a. Crazy
Jane (Diane Guerrero) is a young woman suffering from dissociative identity
disorder or DID, and each of her 64 personalities has a distinct
superpower. Rita Farr a.k.a.
Elasti-Woman (April Bowlby) was a Hollywood actress, but when she got exposed
to a mysterious gas during a shoot in Africa, she started turning involuntarily
into an amorphous blob at random, sidelining her career. Larry Trainer a.k.a. Negative Man (Matt
Bomer) used to be an Air Force pilot, who, during a test flight of an
experimental rocket plane, encountered the Negative Spirit and crashed and
burned, and as a result, he now has to cover his body in bandages to hide his disfigurement;
meanwhile, the Negative Spirit dwells in him, which keeps him alive, for if it
leaves his body for a long period, he will die.
Lastly, Victor Stone a.k.a. Cyborg (Joivan Wade) – you must know who Cyborg is – is also strangely part of the core roster.
The main antagonist is Mr. Nobody
(Alan Tudyk), a supervillain who, in this version, has nigh-omnipotence and nigh-omniscience,
to the point that he narrates the story and breaks the fourth wall. He abducts the Chief, and brings him to a
dimension called “The White Space.” Thus,
most of the season’s main storyline is centered on the Doom Patrol searching
for their whereabouts.
I really like their chemistry and
characterizations, and I think their arcs during the first season have been
generally interesting. My least favorite
among the main characters is Cyborg, mainly because he has never been a member
of the Doom Patrol in the comics or in any other media prior to this. My guess is he’ll move to the sister show
eventually – to belong to the team he’s most traditionally known as a part
of. In addition, Joivan Wade also
delivered the weakest performance among the cast, in my opinion.
Nonetheless, the performances are
splendid in general. But there are three
standouts for me. Alan Tudyk is magnetically
and amusingly hammy. Brendan Fraser, whom
I was happy to see get work, made me laugh the most. And Diane Guerrero displayed James
McAvoy-esque versatility in distinctively portraying the various personalities
of her character.
Honestly, I haven’t read the Doom Patrol comics. I just know the team by reputation. I’ve also been aware that Stan Lee might have
borrowed some elements from it when he created the X-Me (DC Comics debuted the
former months before Marvel Comics debuted the latter). After all, both teams involve outcast
superheroes led by wheelchair-bound geniuses.
Nonetheless, in the end, the two are essentially distinct from each
other; their respective narrative and thematic paths went on completely
different directions.
But what possibly has remained
similar with the two properties is the penchant for introducing outlandish
characters. And the Doom Patrol comics
have had some pretty goofy ones, like a sentient street (i.e. Danny the Street);
a Charles Atlas parody who can bend reality by just flexing his muscles (i.e.
Flex Mentallo); and a supervillan who is a grotesque composite of a man, dinosaur,
vegetable, and mineral (i.e. Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man) – and all three, by
the way, show up in the TV series!
Doom Patrol is truly delightful.
There are spectacles and throwdowns, but they don’t necessarily feel momentous. Action isn’t a prime concern for it. And yet, it has high entertainment value as a
superhero show. I think it’s because it
simply has a lot of fresh, wacky concepts to throw at the audience. It’s pretty hilarious, too.
Moreover, it’s thoroughly comic
book-y in its use of storytelling techniques and plot conveniences. Meaning, it really feels like an actual comic
book popping out of the screen. And this
particular twist in its execution and writing is likely the reason why Doom Patrol works much more than The Umbrella Academy.
Seriously, even though there’s
now a lot of TV shows based on comic books, there has never been anything like Doom Patrol before. And that’s why it’s extremely worthwhile and a
lot of fun to watch.
Come to think of it, it’s my most
favorite new ongoing TV series of 2019 so far.
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