IR TV Review: DOOM PATROL - EPISODE 4 (“Casey Patrol”) [HBO Max-S4]

The context of protection and a sense of intuition is something that has always besieged the Doom Patrol. But what becomes interesting is when the light shines slightly out of the box. We had been slightly removed from Dorothy's story. The character always felt everything so deeply and retained a sense of wonder that many of the adults around her had lost. She found the connection through Danny, the intelligence that protects those who might be persecuted. But people (look at Wanda) cannot stay in a bubble forever. Life forces them to break free possibly against their own wishes. What plays out here in Episode 4 Season 4 ["Casey Patrol"] is when a sense of boredom creeps in.

Dorothy is growing up but without her father there is a sense of loss but also questions unanswered. So when her imagination breaks out it is based in some aspect of her own pathos. Which is why the impact of a hero like Space Case (real name Casey -- and played ironically and correctly by the well cast Mary Elizabeth Winstead) works so well. The trajectory of what the story talks about and why it allows for a certain psychology to peak through again speaks either to the destruction or resurrection of the Doom Patrol. Nothing lasts forever so it is the aspect of how the Reaper approaches even though her actual identity might not be known. The meta structure of how it wraps is an interesting idea depending if it can deliver a bigger perspective without being bogged down in its own ideas. B

By Tim Wassberg