Friday, November 10, 2023

My Review of Doom Patrol's 4x12: "Done Patrol"

 


Written by Shoshana Sachi And Ezra Claytan Daniels 
Directed by Christopher Manley 

Rita (to the gang): "It's time to disband. The Doom Patrol is no longer but first, we have one last assignment."

Well, there it is. Four seasons and forty six episodes later and the era of the DC Universe shows (remember that?) in live action has come to an end. It's been interesting to say the least.

I remember not really having much anticipation for this show prior to its airing. It only turned out to be the best of the shows we got. With characters who well and truly endeared themselves in their own strange ways.

Last we left, Rita was dying and Immortus was winning. The Were-butts also were on the rampage and the rest of the Doom Patrol were fucked. In the first ten minutes, Immortus and the Were-butts were dealt with in a surprising method of defeat. A win is a win, right?

The Doom Patrol got their victory by inadvertently pairing their two biggest problems together in a beneficial way. A thriving and successful Immortus turned out to be less homicidal too. She even gave the gang toenails to restore their longevity.

Sadly, it was too late for Rita, who became a ghost, watched her body get burned up like smelling rubber and reunited with Malcolm in the afterlife. Rita and Laura shippers almost had their ship but alas, it wasn't meant to be. 

As for the rest of the gang, two queer ships did get their happy endings with Larry/Rama and Jane/Casey and I was happy to see that play out. Cliff lived his final days with Clara and Rory and Victor got the future we saw in the previous episode. Oh and Laura went firestarter on the Ant Farm, so she wasn't too sad. 

- The gang watched one of Rita's old movies after her funeral. The various items on her pyre were nice nods to her.
- Cliff saw glimpses of Rory's future before dying and Jane took on the moniker of Kaleidoscope or Kay for short.
- Did Matt Bomer and Brendan Fraser film new scenes for the episode? I don't think they did.
- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Done Patrol offered a strong ending to a fantastic series. It's been a crazy four seasons but even without the massive overhaul that DC has been undergoing, this was probably the right time to sign off. It's been fun though.

Rating: 8 out of 10

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