TV Review: ‘Doom Patrol’ Season 4, Episode 2

It’s still very early in Doom Patrol‘s fourth season, but it’s hard to tell where it’s going. It seems after returning from the future, none of the characters are particularly happy with where they wound up — with good reason, too! The characters are known for being misfits, so seeing that their futures didn’t turn out so well is kind of a destiny fulfilled for them. But this still isn’t new territory for the show. They have always been unhappy with the way their lives are going. If the season is to stand out from others, it’s going to have to find some way to make things new rather than rehash the same old storylines.

In this episode, the group has a consensus that Rita’s (April Bowlby) time as leader has come to an end. She is understandably unhappy about it, but they surprise her even more by picking Rouge as her replacement. In order to try and stop the coming apocalypse, Rouge (Michelle Gomez) goes on a secret mission with Cliff (Brendan Fraser) to stop a zombie. Meanwhile, Jane (Diane Guerrero) and Vic (Joivan Wade) head on their own assignments to capture one of the last remaining butt monsters.

Overall, it felt more like a stepping stone to further the plot rather than anything meaningful for the characters. They are moving on their predictable paths while the episode revealed some of the origin behind the butt monsters. Yet again, these monsters aren’t a new threat and the Doom Patrol has always been an unhappy bunch. The first episode hinted at a new villain in it’s closing moments, but that wasn’t even touched upon in Episode 2. It’s not a terribly bad episode, but some big strides are going to need to be made if this season is to capture that Doom Patrol magic from earlier seasons.

Doom Patrol streams Thursdays on HBO Max.