REVIEWED: SEASON 2 (ALL EPISODES) | WHERE TO WATCH: STARZPLAY
Back in the 1980s, there was a trend for taking mostly-forgotten comic book characters and squeezing them into different genres. Doom Patrol started out as a ‘superhero misfits’ book and got transformed into absurdist horror, blending superhero clichés with weird but chilling ideas, and it’s been like that ever since. The first season of the TV show did a very good job of balancing the surreal humour and grim horror of the source material and concluded in a very solid way. The question is, can the new season continue to wow audiences now that they know what to expect?
The answer is yes, though Season 2 has a distinctly darker tone. The main dynamic of the show hasn’t changed; this is not a superhero team, more a loose collection of strange monsters who hang out together and occasionally foil bizarre creatures and villains. The focus is still on the individual journeys of the heroes. Larry (an immortal radioactive man in bandages) is still coming to terms with his past, the amazingly elastic Rita is working through her issues, and Cliff is still an awful person trapped in a robot body.
Brendan Fraser seems to be having a blast as Robotman and does an incredible job with a role that has limited facial expressions. Joivan Wade steals the show this season as Vic Stone, AKA Cyborg. Despite having the most vanilla character, he’s magnetic and engaging throughout.
Season 2’s main arc storyline is extremely creepy and very well done, evoking multiple horror tropes and ditching much of the fourth-wall-breaking wackiness of season one. Spooky weird fun, we hope it gets renewed for a third season.
