Doom Patrol Review: Possibilities Patrol / Vacay Patrol / Dead Patrol (Season 3 Episodes 1-3)
Doom Patrol’s third season is here with three new episodes, Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 1, “Possibilities Patrol,” Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 2, “Vacay Patrol,” and Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 3, “Dead Patrol.” Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of ground to cover.
The first order of business on “Possibilities Patrol” is wrapping up the two big cliffhangers from the Season 2 finale.
That first cliffhanger is resolved rather quickly. When Doom Patrol Season 2 Episode 9, “Wax Patrol,” ended, the team had been defeated, frozen in wax by the Candlemaker, and Dorothy was about to face him alone.
Within the first few minutes of “Possibilities Patrol,” Dorothy talks the Candlemaker down, and the team breaks free from their wax tombs.
It’s a touch anti-climactic after the build up to this confrontation during Season 2, even with Coulder’s foreshadowed death coming to fruition. It’s a minor quibble, though.
As with many shows in 2020, Doom Patrol’s second season was cut short because of COVID delays. They had to conclude a few things in the premiere likely meant for a tenth episode of Season 2.
It’s a much better choice to resolve the Candlemaker story quickly than it would have been to short-change Jane’s story in the underground.
Jane and the other personas defeating the entity that had been masquerading as Miranda — the primary before Jane — is the real emotional climax of “Possibilities Patrol,” and rightly so.
It is a triumphant moment for Jane and the underground, even if we haven’t seen the last of that evil entity living in Kay. It’s significant character development that is much more important than how the Candlemaker is defeated.
Jane’s growth during Season 2 is going to be important for her journey during Season 3. It would have be a disservice to the character to rush her ultimate return as primary.
So much of Jane’s story has been colored by the conflict and politics of the underground and driven by the sole motivation of keeping Kay safe.
Also, until the final episodes of Season 2 and the first three episodes of Season 3, Kay has been a non-descript Mcguffin more than an actualized character.
She drove Jane’s motivation, and we knew her traumatic past, but we didn’t know much more about her than that. We got to know Jane and some of the other persona’s instead, making them feel more real and relatable than Kay.
The series is now beginning to introduce us to who Kay is beyond that of a victim and the innocent child Jane protects.
Coupled with the current harmony in the underground, the series has a chance to flesh Kay out as her own character. They could even examine how Jane can help her heal rather than simply protect her.
It’s too soon to know if that’s where the series will go with Jane and Kay, but it would introduce an interesting emotional tension for both of them.
If Kay heals, would she still need Jane? What happens to Jane and the other personas if Kay takes control and doesn’t need to be protected anymore?
Even if the season doesn’t go in that direction, hopefully, we’ll at least get to see Kay go to the surface for a bit sometime before the finale. It would be fun to see her interact with the rest of the gang and the real world as herself after so many years hiding in her head.
Would the rest of the Doom Patrol even acknowledge her as the owner of her own body? Or would they see her as a guest inhabiting the body that rightly belongs to their friend?
Most importantly, more interactions between Kay and Jane mean rich material for Diane Guerrero to work with, and that is always something to be excited about.
The other character being set up for a big third season is Rita. Like Guerrero, April Bowlby is brilliant as Rita, and it’s always a treat when she has the chance to dig into juicy material. Bowlby can make your heartache for Rita even when Rita is selfish and self-centered.
Rita has grown over the last two seasons, but she still hovers between embracing the more heroic version of herself and retreating into fear and self-loathing that amplifies her worst traits.
Season 3 might be the season Rita finally moves past the self-pity that has held her back for over half a century. It’s a storyline full of potential and one that’s been a long time coming for this character.
We can’t talk about the Doom Patrol Season 3 premiere without talking about the introduction of Michelle Gomez’s character, Madame Rouge.
Gomez joining the cast of Doom Patrol was one of the most exciting bits of news to come out about the third season, even before anything was known about her character.
Gomez always has an air mystery and cool about her on-screen. She specializes in enigmatic characters with hidden agendas that shouldn’t be trusted. Judging by her two short scenes on “Possibilities Patrol” and “Dead Patrol,” her role on Doom Patrol is going to be precisely that.
Gomez’s screentime on the first three episodes is brief, but her natural on-screen charisma and charm make both scenes delightfully weird, proving — as expected — she is a perfect match for this series, which thrives on the delightful and weird.
Doom Patrol’s third season is off to a strong start. A few parts of each episode feel a bit slow, but overall, the first three episodes set the stage for another wild ride that I am more than ready to take.
What did you think of this episode of Doom Patrol? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of Doom Patrol premiere on Thursdays on HBOMax.
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Sarah Fields
Sarah is an obsessive geek who likes to get into the weeds and over think things. She is passionate about Sci-Fi and comics and is a giant classic film nerd. Sarah cares deeply about media representation and the power of telling diverse stories. When she's not writing or watching her favorite shows she spends her days working in the non-profit world trying to make life a little better for those that need some extra help.