Television

Review: DOOM PATROL “Pilot”

Doom Patrol "Pilot" - cover image

“In the series premiere episode, the team – tired of being stuck in Doom Manor – decides to visit the local town while The Chief is away.  However, this seemingly harmless field trip leads to some grave consequences, including an encounter with the mysterious and powerful Mr. Nobody (series star Alan Tudyk)”

official synopsis – Doom Patrol “Pilot”

Hot dang. That’s a way to start a show.

The End (Just Kidding)

Doom Patrol “Pilot” starts the series off right. The beginning team as it starts is Niles Caulder/The Chief (Timothy Dalton), Larry Trainor/Negative Man (Matt Bomer/Matthew Zuk), Cliff Steele/Robotman (Brendan Fraser/Riley Shanahan), Rita Farr/Elasti-Woman (April Bowlby), and Kay Challis/Crazy Jane(Diane Guerrero). The show introduces each character one by one. It provides enough background so we know who they are and how they got their powers for three of the five characters on the list, and for Mr.Nobody (Alan Tudyk).

This episode is mainly focused on introducing the characters. There’s some plot building for the rest of the season involved, as with any opening episode. But the main focus is presenting the viewer with these unknown characters, and helping them understand this ragtag team. Each character’s origin is unique, and that’s what makes the team work.

From the episode, you can tell the cast has loads of chemistry. There’s not a stiff moment in the almost hour-long show, and you can tell they’re going to work well together. Brendan Fraser and Diane Guerrero steal the show. Crazy Jane is so much fun, and you can relate on an emotional level to Robotman.

This show is going to be very special. I didn’t think it was going to be with the lack of promotion until the last month or so. The first episode sets up the show properly with most of the background we’ll need to understand these characters and their motivations. I wish we had gotten a little more into the two characters I feel we’re missing context for, but other than that, this is a perfect episode — a great reason to invest in DC Universe.

Main Character: The Team, big focus on Cliff Steele/Robotman

Character Development: 5/5

Story: 4/5

Overall: 4.5/5

Clemson University Graduate. Lover of all things Star Wars and DC.