REVIEW: Doom Patrol – Season 3, Episode 5 “Dada Patrol”

Television Reviews

*SPOILERS*

“Dada Patrol” revisits the ongoing tension among Jane and her alternate personalities, as Kay would like to go up and choose a pair of new shoes. The therapist personality tries to talk her out of it, reminding the girl that there’s a system in place. Jane advocates for Kay’s rights to her body and mind, to no avail. Meanwhile, Cliff gets his new medication and decides to take half the bottle at once. Vic’s dad re-enables his Cyborg capabilities. Rita tells Larry the mass on his stomach is gone, but the two are horrified to discover it moving around his body. Laura calls a team meeting, to the chagrin of Rita, who reminds her that she’s not team leader and the Patrol isn’t a team. Laura tells the others about a group of terrorists freed in the Ant Farm break-in, the Sisterhood of Dada. Victor, Cliff, Larry, and Jane agree to go after Laura’s former cohorts only after she says she’ll leave the Manor once it’s done. As the others leave, Laura shows Rita the Sisterhood of Dada film featuring the both of them, but Rita merely takes it as confirmation of her status as a time traveler. The crew finds the Sisterhood, but it doesn’t go as planned. Each of them, particularly Jane, is distracted and tempted by various insidious mind games. In the meantime, Laura confides in Rita about the letter Niles wrote condemning her. Rita cheers her up by locating the part her time machine needs and giving it to her.

I find Kay’s alternate personalities endlessly frustrating. Jane asserts that Kay wants to reassert herself by going up and doing things on her own, and this sounds right to me. The alternates once existed to protect Kay, but it stands to reason that their ultimate goal should be to rehabilitate her. I understand that the personalities are “real” inside Kay’s mind; after all, Jane is the one we’ve spent the most time with. But some of them seem self-interested rather than wanting what’s best for Kay, and it’s very annoying. I really didn’t care for Jane at first, but she’s starting to grow on me. I still think she’s unnecessarily rough with her housemates. But she does have to put up with a lot on a daily basis just to live with her alternates. Some of the alternates make Jane look like Saint Teresa by comparison. Jane almost functions as a parent for Kaye, balancing protection and encouragement of the girl to get out there. I’m baffled that the therapist persona is so unconcerned with Kay’s needs in lieu of “people” who only exist because of her.

They also do a lot with a little for Larry this week. His lump appears to glow, indicating that there may be remnants of the Negative Spirit still with him. I really hope this is the case. They’ve implied that Larry could die without him, and he’s a very lonely character. He has Rita in his corner, but not much else going for him. I love the relationship between these two. They have such a strange friendship, but they’re still so supportive and wholesome. It’s a perfect example of the characterization and unique storytelling at which Doom Patrol excels.

Jane and Cliff didn’t get any heartwarming scenes in “Dada Patrol,” unless you count threatening to pop Larry’s “neck zit” (really the wandering mass). But they’re a great pair too. For that matter, Cliff and Cyborg also have an interesting dynamic, and I like how they contrast as human-machine hybrids with wildly different hardware and worldviews. I really enjoyed Victor’s conversation with Silas too. Silas finally apologizes for making the choice to turn Victor into Cyborg, and Victor shows gratitude for what his dad did to save him. After all the angst between these two, it’s nice to have a quiet, positive interaction like this. Notably, “Dada Patrol” is the first episode where we know the Chief won’t show up in any capacity, and the difference is palpable. He’s only mentioned in passing a couple of times, but in the opening, when Jane was listening to music, it was clear that she had him on her mind. It’s so strange to say it, but this swear-happy, ultra-violent, insanely silly superhero show displays some of the most realistic relationships and emotional reactions of any show I’ve ever seen.

Reading Niles’ letter has been a sobering experience for Laura. I like how she bounces back with the hope of learning more about the Sisterhood of Dada, then crashes as she tells Rita all she knows. It’s also interesting that Shelly Byron and the other members of the Sisterhood seem to hate Laura. Did she betray them in the end? Was she actually spying on them for the good guys? I can’t believe a brand new character might be my favorite element of the season so far. I’m on pins and needles to find out what Laura’s deal is and when/if she will be called Madame Rouge. Niles was wrong about a lot of things, so I don’t think it would come as a huge shock if he misjudged Laura. I also look forward to learning more about Shelly and the other Sisterhood members. We still don’t know what Dada stands for or why they organized at all. Is it even really a sisterhood? Some of the individuals the Patrol encounters are male.

Overall, “Dada Patrol” is good. It’s not as raw and introspective as “Undead Patrol” and not as funny either. But the character interactions are still strong, and I really can’t wait to learn more about Laura and her former friends, if that’s what they ever were. Likewise, I’m intrigued by Larry’s situation, and I hope it means he’ll get his powers back, as well as his old friend (or maybe a new one). This season has been fantastic so far, and I look forward to whatever lies ahead.