TV Review: ‘Doom Patrol’ Season 4, Episode 8 — Even The Characters Are Tired

The second episode of Doom Patrol‘s two-part premiere for the second half of its fourth and final season (as confusing as that may sound) felt like filler. After the arrival of Immortus at the end of the previous episode, it wasn’t quite clear how the heroes would handle this new threat. The answer: they don’t really want to. The whole premise behind Doom Patrol is that they’re not necessarily heroes to begin with. They are just unique individuals who get thrust into heroic situations. But after being beaten and abused for so long, they’ve just kind of had it and they’re trying to make the most of their strange lives. While it’s interesting from a character level, it is getting tiresome.

The town celebrates as Isabel Feathers (Charity Cervantes) has seemingly returned after being missing. The Doom Patrol wonders if she is indeed evil as Immortus or just a regular person. There are signs that she has extreme power and darkness inside of her, but she is somehow able to rewind events and play them again to hide what she’s become. It’s unclear if she’s doing this on purpose or it’s happening by accident, but only Rouge (Michelle Gomez) is able to see it. All of the other Doom Patrol members are affected by the rewinds and don’t see the threat that she poses. The episode ends as she unleashes her power now that the Doom Patrol is getting more attention than her.

In its first couple of seasons, Doom Patrol went very hard in its absurdity and ridiculousness — So hard  and so fast, in fact, that the show has hit a spot of fatigue. Even the characters are tired of the absurdity they constantly face. While the threat the main villain poses may certainly interesting, the show is not quite there yet. The heroes don’t have to actively face her. If this second half of its final season is to end on any high notes, then things are going to have to ramp up very quickly.

Doom Patrol streams Thursdays on Max.