IR TV Review: DOOM PATROL - EPISODE 10 (“Tomb Patrol”) [Max-S4]

The essence of "Doom Patrol" as it closes in on its swan song is the context of finality and mortality and the context of leaving something beyond. Episode 10: "Tomb Patrol" works on the essence of reflection even when everything seems set in stone. The previous episode, using an alternate reality based in musicals was an interesting play on the internal life of the characters but also let Brendan Fraser and Matt Bomer to again be briefly on screen to be able to show the real essence of what these characters want versus who they used to be. With Episode 10, it shows a reflection of what might need to be accomplished. What is interesting here is the path of certain pairs of characters one would think would be nihilistic versus hope is reversed but this has also been the case across the board throughout the series. Jovian Wade as Cyclops though (particularly in this season) has been sidelined in certain ways.

The addition of Chase & Dorothy does disappear here in a way, even though Dorothy is the ultimate heart of the series. There is a McGuffin in play with Immortus but even that character seems less defined and more a pun on current modern life. The character almost needs to be more severe and brutal to really create a sense of dread which earlier seasons of "Doom Patrol" seemed to have more of. The notion of self as a metaphor, especially with Rita, -- and in reflection, Immortus, has always been part of the path of the show but the abstract mythology doesn't seem as edgy. Hopefully this is rectified in the final two episodes because considering the very vivid path the 4 main characters (Larry, Jane, Cliff and Rita) have been on, it seems only fitting. At one point in the episode, they are sitting in front of a fire almost as if they had come to terms with their lives and their eventual end. Such is the essence of life. B

By Tim Wassberg