Back in 2011, Marvel Studios made an announcement of a little film called Guardians of the Galaxy. A team within the comics that next to no one had ever heard of. Sure, you had your hardcore fans who knew about the team. The majority of audiences had never heard of Star Lord and his rag tag team of misfits. That gamble played off though – Marvel crafted a huge hit with the team of unknowns. When DC had made its’ announcements for its streaming service, Doom Patrol was one of the titles listed for a series. History repeated itself as little to no individuals had heard of the team and didn’t know what to expect.
Doom Patrol’s first season focuses on the villainous Mr. Nobody, played by Alan Tudyk, kidnapping Niles Chaulder or as he’s known to his team of misftis, The Chief, played by Timothy Dalton. Dalton takes over the reigns from actor Bruno Bichir, who played the character in Titans. For the most part both Tudyk and Dalton are almost background noise to the overall series. They do have their moment in the sun towards the end of season. Dalton’s character feels a bit undeveloped compared to the rest of the cast. Tudyk on the other hand is such a menacing presence to behold through this season’s duration. He does disappear for the middle portion of the season but when he is on screen – he is everything you desire in a villain and then some. Smart, cunning, and a wicked sense of humor doesn’t hurt either. The dude is pure evil and Alan Tudyk absolutely electrifies the role.
Villains and leaders aside, the heart beat of the show is the team. While with the pilot, we got the origin story of Cliff Steele aka Robot Man; the rest of the series slowly explores and builds the origins and arcs beautifully of every character involved. Whether it is Larry Trainor, aka Negative Man, Rita Fair, aka Elasti-Girl, or Crazy Jane – the series masterfully delivers and builds up each character arc with such sheer care and perfection. Even, Cyborg’s arc is handled with utter beauty. Cyborg is the character within the team that has been doing for five years. He’s an established celebrity within this world. Yet, what could have merely been a throwaway arc is so much deeper. Every arc within the series not only builds these characters up and pushes them forward but each arc manages to fuel the plot forward. Credit to the amazing writing of the show.
Overall, Doom Patrol: Season One, is an unexpected ride of emotion from start to finish. A team of misfits strongly cast in Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby & Jovian Wade make for an incredible viewing pleasure. Every actor delivers such strong performances marinated in heart, humor and some of the weirdest stuff ever put to film in the comic book television medium. The series is surprisingly heartfelt with much depth. The series villain in Alan Tudyk’s Mr. Nobody is another home run for the series. What an electrifying performance. Although, some of the choices with Mr. Nobody and The Chief characters leave a bit more to be desired. Still Doom Patrol is worth every second of your viewing pleasure.
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