Doom Patrol Season 4 Episodes 7 and 8 Review: Orqwith Patrol / Fame Patrol
This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Our loveable team of C-list superheroes is back for the second half of Season 4 with two new episodes, Doom Patrol Season 4 Episode 7, “Orqwith Patrol.” and Doom Patrol Season 4 Episode 8, “Fame Patrol.”
“Orqwith Patrol” was written by Tamara Becher-Wilkinson and Bob Barth. “Fame Patrol” was written by Eric Dietel. Bosede Williams directed both episodes.
Where We Left Things
Viewers can be forgiven if they don’t remember everything that happens on the Season 4 midseason finale, Doom Patrol Season 4 Episode 6, “Hope Patrol.” The break between part one and part two of the season has been long. “Hope Patrol” aired back on January 5th, and a lot happened on that episode.
The cliff notes version is Cliff, Jane, Larry, Vic, and Vic’s childhood friend Deric are in the pocket world of Orqwith. The episode ends with them captured by Immortous’s acolytes. Meanwhile, Rita and Rouge are still at the Ant farm after a disastrous mission to get information.
And, of course, there is an escaped but-monster on the loose somewhere in Cloverton. “Orqwith Partrol” picks up exactly where all these things leave off.
Saying Goodbye
Before we dive into the meat of the episodes, it’s worth mentioning that the context in which viewers will watch the rest of Season 4 has changed during the series’ lengthy hiatus.
When the midseason finale aired in January, there hadn’t been an announcement about the future of the series. As far as viewers knew, the second half of the season would only lead to a season finale. Sadly, a few weeks after “Hope Patrol” aired, it was announced that Season 4 would be Doom Patrol’s last.
We don’t know how much the writers knew beforehand, so we don’t know if they wrote the finale with the end in mind. Doom Patrol has always been a bit of a bubble show, but that hasn’t stopped the writers from ending seasons on pretty big cliffhangers in the past.
Hopefully, this time, the writers did write the season with an ending that works both as a season and series finale. It would be a shame for this show to end feeling unfinished.
More immediately relevant, though, is that knowing that these are the final episodes of the series and not just the season gives everything that happens to the characters a little more weight. Any growth or development we see is more significant because it’s final.
Every scene between characters we love is more precious because they are the last we’ll get. It makes it all a little bittersweet.
Orqwith Patrol
The second half of the season starts with”Orqwith Patrol.” Honestly, the episode is a bit of a letdown. It’s not terrible or anything. It just feels flat. By Doom Patrol standards, it is pretty tame, lacking the charming absurdity and chaos of some of the series’ most fun episodes.
Often, when an episode of Doom Patrol is less irreverent, we get more grounded episodes that highlight the other things that make the series compelling. Most often, that’s the series’ fantastic and complex character development.
To be clear, it’s not that the episode has no character development. “Orqwith Patrol” spends significant screen time on everyone’s emotional journeys. The problem is that most of the team falls back into familiar patterns.
Rita and Larry are wallowing in self-pity and self-loathing. Cliff is making impulsive, selfish decisions. And there’s Vic, who is still in the middle of an identity crisis.
It’s all done well, but it’s also all the stuff we’ve seen before, so it’s not as interesting as it would have been earlier in the series.
That said, “Orqwith Patrol” has some bright spots, too. First, there are the drunken interactions between Rouge and Rita. You can never go wrong putting these two characters together.
Whatever the scene is, Michelle Gomez and April Bowlby will elevate it into something special. They play off each other perfectly and are a joy to watch on screen. In the case of Rita, it doesn’t even matter that she is falling into patterns we’ve seen before because she does it in such an entertaining way with Rouge.
The other high point of the episode is its dramatic final scene with the return of Dorothy and Casey and the random reveal that Immortus has merged with Isabel Flowers.
For those that don’t remember, Flowers is Rita’s theatrical rival and the woman Rouge knocked into the time stream when she arrived in Cloverton.
It’s exciting to see Casey and Dorothy finally connecting with the team. I don’t even care that I have no idea how Casey and Dorothy found themselves in Orqwith. I am just glad they show up. I’ve been waiting for them to cross paths with the Doom Patrol since Doom Patrol Season 4 Episode 4 “Casey Patrol.”.
Fame Patrol
Lucky for viewers, the second half of Doom Patrol Season 4 is a two-episode premiere. While “Orqwith Patrol” falls slightly flat, “Fame Patrol” gets things back on track and gives the series’ return a strong finish.
“Fame Patrol” has less plot progression than “Orqwith Patrol.” However, the excellent character work makes “Fame Patrol” the stronger episode.
There are many wonderful moments to choose from on “Fame Patrol.” Much of that is because of the different pairings throughout the episode between characters that haven’t had much, or any, interaction in the past.
There is a lovely moment between Vic and Rita. Rouge’s quick scene with Isabel/Immortus is delightful. And, just when you think they will saddle Larry with the same dreary woe-is-me plot that he’s had since Season 1, Mr. 104 returns and changes the dynamic entirely.
As much as I love each of these pairings, my favorites are Cliff with Dorothy and Jane with Casey.
The scenes with Cliff and Dorothy are the most touching and relatable of the episode. There is a poignancy and truth to what Dorothy says to Cliff that resonates beyond the confines of the show’s narrative. I felt her words on a personal level that made me think about my own family and friends.
I said this in my review of “Casey Patrol,” but I continue to be amazed by what Abi Monterey has done with Dorothy, a character it admittedly took me a bit to warm to. Dorothy has grown up so much since her introduction, and Monterey has given her depth and nuance I never expected.
To take that overly precious, slightly grating character from Season 2 and turn her not only into a welcomed presence but a favorite character that brings so much heart to the series is impressive.
In my review of “Casey Patrol,” I also mentioned how much I looked forward to seeing Jane and Casey meet. Their introduction to each other does not disappoint.
Once again, we have two stellar performers — Diane Guerrero and Madeline Zima — elevating already strong material into these deeply heartfelt moments between two characters, trying to figure out who they are when the original purpose that defined them is no longer there.
Perhaps I’m just a romantic queer fan with a soft spot for cynic/ idealist pairings, but I’m already kind of shipping Jane and Casey. Maybe that also makes me a fickle fan since, earlier in the season, I was definitely shipping Jane with Shelley.
But I think it’s not so much that I’m fickle. I just want to see Jane find love and have someone take care of her for once. She deserves that.
Speaking of Jane, can we please acknowledge that Diane Guerrero’s performance is criminally overlooked in discussions of best TV performances? There are a lot of great sci-fi performances out there. Some are as good as Guerrero’s, but very few are better.
Her portrayal of Jane is consistently brilliant, and people don’t talk about that nearly enough.
Overall Impressions
The second half of Doom Patrol Season 4 starts slowly with “Orqwith Patrol” but finishes strong with “Fame Patrol.” There is a lot to look forward to in the lead-up to the show’s finale.
I hope they include lots more scenes with Rita and Rouge, at the very least, a developing friendship between Casey and Jane, a full-on romance for Larry, and of course, another musical number by the butt monsters.
What did you think of this episode of Doom Patrol? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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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.