When we saw the Doom Patrol in episode 4 of Titans it was one of my favorite episodes due to how dynamic the characters where. 

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Never did I think that they were going to spin off into their own show and after seeing the first episode let me tell you all that you will NOT want to miss this series. The interwebs have been moaning and groaning about the DC Universe channel and that there is not enough to justify the purchase. Man are they about to be sorry they are not subscribers. Doom Patrol seems to be (if they can keep the chemistry) DC Universe’s new top show!

When you watch the first episode you will notice a change to the cast from the Titans episode.  The Chief will now be played by Timothy Dalton. He has always had a certain charisma that he brings to every role and with The Chief again he is masterful. Not to take away from the actor who portrayed him in Titans but Dalton is a marquee name that will bring people to see what it is all about.  Brendan Fraser is simply BRILLIANT as Robotman. You get to see a decent origin story and you really feel for his character.

Also, a few newcomers to the table that were not seen in the Titans episode are Crazy Jane played by Diane Guerrero. I had to do some research on her character because it has been a while for me since I last read about her and they did a great job bringing her character in. Guerrero and Fraser have a very funny onscreen chemistry that will have you tickled. Not to mention that Guerrero will also have you on the edge of your seat wondering what personality will arise next from her character. Crazy Jane’s Hammerhead persona will definitely be a crowd favorite.  We also see Alan Tudyk who plays Eric Morden, and as you do not really see him (which is explained in a scene) he narrates most of the episode and makes a grand entrance at his opportune moment.

When the episode starts it seems like a period piece that most of the characters are in the 50-esque time era. You see a brief origin of Morden, you get a little more info about Negative Man and Rita Farr (Elasti-Girl), and a whole lot of background on Robotman and Crazy Jane. You see days turn into years over a very nice montage of the characters helping Robotman cope with his new life in the mansion. The flashbacks are excellent and the story to be told has me hooked.

During the mid part of the episode, The Chief leaves to go attend to some business and assumes that the rest of the family will obey his wishes and stay home. That is NOT the case when Crazy Jane talks the family into a road trip to town. Weeellll that is when the crap hits the fan. Robotman and Jane share a nice talk to only to go downhill when Jane spills the beans about something The Chief withheld from Robotman. Rita enjoys a nice meal in a diner and meets with a fan who then tells her something that makes her very upset. During this outing, we finally get to see Negative Man’s ability. Without spoiling the episode let’s just say when the Doom Patrol gets back to the mansion The Chief is not happy with what they did and explains there are consequences and those consequences have now doomed the town and they have to leave. That does not sit well with Robotman and he wants to stay and help.   I am trying to keep this review spoiler free so you will have to watch the episode to get the rest.

Now fair warning this is most definitely NOT a kids show. I would put this up there with Game of Thrones as there are some sex scenes and  A LOT of curse words. This is not a show that would be on network TV hence why it is on a streaming service. With that said the curse words are not dropped for shock and awe, they are dropped in real time at the proper moments. Robotman and Crazy Jane are the ones who have the dirtiest of mouths and I say to DC, PLEASE DONT CHANGE A THING!!

I do believe that this series will be a crown jewel of the DC Universe streaming service. JQ gives this episode a 9.5 out of 10. You will NOT want to miss an episode.

Doom  Patrol premiers on the DC Universe, Friday, February 15.

By Jason Quaregna

Jason Quaregna (or JQ to the online world) is making his return to the Fanboy Factor after a brief hiatus. JQ is a single father of 2 beautiful girls, a computer teacher by day, and comic book store clerk by night. He is a HUGE Batman fan but does enjoy reading the other members of the Bat-family, X-Men, Spider-Man, Boom Studio's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and many many others. He is also a big toy collector with Japanese imports being his personal favorite. His personal favorite import line is the S.H. Figuarts Super Sayan (Power Rangers), Star Wars, and MCU collections. JQ is also a Batman Black and White Series statue collector.

One thought on “TV Review: Doom Patrol (DC Universe)”
  1. Does DC stream keep old episodes on the app? I know you cant binge ahead but I want to start from the beginning.

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