‘Doom Patrol’ Series Premiere Recap: Breathing New Life

A day after DC Universe releases the extended trailer, and Doom Patrol goes full throttle. Tragedy strikes during the least expected time. Often, people find it hard to start back up after they hit rock bottom. Still, tragedies may result in something good. After all, disasters are what brought the show’s ragtag team together.

In the series premiere of Doom Patrol, Cliff Steele/Robotman (Brendan Fraser/Riley Shanahan) regains consciousness in the Doom Mansion. With Dr. Niles Caulder/Chief (Timothy Dalton), Larry Trainor/Negative Man (Matt Bomer/Matthew Zuk), and Rita Farr/Elasti-Woman’s (April Bowlby) help, Cliff adjusts to his new body. Sometime after Crazy Jane’s (Diane Guererro) arrival, Chief leaves on an indefinite tour to find others like them.

The Driver

DC Universe

Before he became Robotman, Cliff Steele was a famous racecar driver. Cliff wins the championship in his last race but also discovers that his wife, Kate Steele (Katie Gunderson) cheated on him with Edward (Bryan Murphy), a member of his crew. Cliff himself cheated on Kate with the nanny, Giselle (Ashley Dougherty), but Kate had no idea. He may have been a bad husband, but he was not a bad father to his daughter, Clara Steele (Sydney Kowalske). The Steeles fight the night after the race, but they eventually make up. Unfortunately, this became the last night their family was together as Cliff drove straight into a truck, killing Kate and Clara, or at least he believed he did.

The Pilot

DC Universe

Larry Trainor is an American Hotshot Pilot. In his time, he was one of the best that the US Air Force had. The ideal family man, Larry had a wife (Julie McNiven) and two kids. Although he had a big secret: he was having an affair with a fellow pilot, Bump Weathers (Alan Heckner). The US government had a secret space project. Larry worked with Bump there, and he was the test pilot. Sadly, the first program test-run ended disastrously. Larry encountered a strange entity as he exited the Earth’s atmosphere. The body made its way to him, knocking him unconscious, causing the plane to crash land. Larry survived the crash, his entire body damaged by flames.

The Actress

Reaching the peak of her career, Rita Farr filmed numerous pictures during the 50s’. Self-absorbed and highly inconsiderate, Rita was adored by her fans, but hated by her co-workers because of her demeanor. While shooting what became her last film in Africa, Rita’s career met its end as she falls into a swamp while shooting a scene. There, a strange green blob entered Rita’s body, making her deform almost as soon as she got out of the water.

Doom Mansion Occupants

DC Universe

Thanks to Chief’s constant observation and Elasti-Woman and Negative Man’s help, Robotman recovered and mastered the use of his new mechanical body. Drawing strength from his memories of Clara, Robotman relearned the basics. However, once he learned how to control his body, he had to master his mind, too. Unable to feel pain, Robotman tried to express his anguish after his memories come back to him. Kate and Clara died in a car crash right after he picked them up from his in-laws. For years, Robotman never said a word. It took a while, but Robotman eventually moved past his feeling and reconnected with the mansion’s other occupants, building a toy car track in his room along with Negative Man and Elasti-Woman.

Things changed when Crazy Jane arrived. Having 64 alternate personalities with differing powers, Crazy Jane was quite powerful. Her first interaction with Robotman was nothing short of awkward since her ‘Hammerhead’ persona took control, but they develop a closer relationship compared to the ones Crazy Jane have with Elasti-Woman and Negative Man. Seeing that all things seemed well in the mansion, so Chief decided to leave in an indefinite tour to find and aid others like them.

Out to Town

DC Universe

Because of Chief’s absence, Jane got bored staying in the mansion all the time, so she decides to have Negative Man’s horticulture bus repurposed to bring them to town. Robotman is the first to agree to go while Elasti-woman and Negative Man reluctantly join them. At first, all seemed well when they arrive in town. Although people did look at Robotman and Negative Man differently, they did nothing as much as gawk at them. However, everything changes when they lose control of their powers simultaneously, causing widespread chaos within the town. Robotman takes control of the situation and brings everyone home in one piece, but Chief was still disappointed with them as he reprimanded them that night.

Because of the publicity their actions did, Dr. Caulder’s enemies now found it easy to locate them. His fear and concern over their security bothered him so much that it made him decide to have everyone leave the mansion immediately. However, Cliff maintained that he would face these so-called enemies since they are sure to obliterate the town in their search. As Dr. Caulder, Jane, Rita, and Larry drove out of the city; Cliff went back to the site of their incident, eager to face the enemy, Jane could not bear the thought of Cliff facing them alone, so she turns the car around despite the Chief’s disagreement and Larry’s non-involvement.

Things happened in a flash when Rita, Larry, Cliff, and Jane stood there, not sure what to expect. Mr. Nobody (Alan Tudyk), a henchman who subjected himself to a Nazi experiment during the Second World War and one of Dr. Caulder’s enemies, decided to visit the city. He abducts Dr. Caulder into a dimension which he controls. Outside, the squad stood in front of a white donkey who farted out the words ‘The Mind is The Limit,’ Mr. Nobody’s mantra.

‘Doom Patrol’ Series Premiere Final Verdict

Doom Patrol creates a name for itself despite being a spinoff to Titans. With a runtime of over 58 minutes, the series premiere gave more than what the audience asked. Each character was given a well-established origin story. Also, having their enemy, Mr. Nobody, narrate the episode added a creative touch to the episode’s impact. Although the last scene was quite strange, the first episode excellently introduced and gripped the audiences, especially with the unresolved ending.

Doom Patrol continues Friday, February 22nd, with ‘Donkey Patrol’ at the DC Streaming Service.