Doom Patrol Season 2, Episode 8 recap: The Good, the Dad and the Ugly
By Monita Mohan
The spotlight is on daddy issues in Doom Patrol Season 2, Episode 8.
Doom Patrol Season 2, Episode 8 is literally called ‘Dad Patrol’, so yes, several fathers take center stage, but few come across as good guys. We shouldn’t be surprised since this is a superhero show.
But first, let’s take a detour to re-visit Vic’s tumultuous romance with Roni. We worried that she was bad news, and in this episode, those fears come to fruition. When Rita, fresh off saving a man’s life, shows Vic a report about her heroic Beekeeper antics, Vic teases her about outfitting Rita with her own bee-named jet.
Rita is unperturbed, she starts daydreaming of teaming up with Vic as the super-team ‘Beekeeper and Borg’. I love the trailer for this imaginary spin-off, with its The Avengers (not the Marvel film, this is the British spy show) vibe. This is the second member of the team who’s dreamt of teaming up with Vic, so when are Larry and Jane getting their turns?
In all honesty, Vic is such a charismatic figure, especially since he’s part of the Justice League, it’s no wonder the team are infatuated with him.
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Rita and Vic’s banter is interrupted by him discovering the murder of a tech CEO. Turns out Roni is involved and seemingly killed the man. Roni stole some of the Scant’s uma jelly and cured herself and went straight to murder. So, what was the point of this romance?
Everything interesting about Vic is Vic himself, he doesn’t need a poorly plotted romance to break his heart and bring him down a peg. He has so many issues to deal with, many of which are relatable to viewers. Yet, the showrunners have squandered their ace-in-the-hole throughout this season. Let’s hope we’ve seen the end of Roni.
Doom Patrol Season 2, Episode 8: Cliff Finds Closure
Cliff’s daughter Clara (Bethany Anne Lind) had come to visit him at the manor. She seems to have overcome her initial shock at Cliff’s robot form and now wants to get to know her father. Despite some reluctance, Clara enjoys the exhaustive tour of the manor, especially Cliff’s room which has his miniature racetrack.
Clara tells Cliff that she’s getting married but is worried about ruining things because she’s a Steele. Cliff is very encouraging. He is certain that Clara will break the cycle of rotten Steeles to make a happy life for herself, her wife Mel and their son. Looks like Clara really needed that pep talk.
Cliff has a surprisingly great day with Clara. Aside from, accidentally, cooking up the detached finger that he was keeping for his eventual transformation to a feeling body, everything else goes smoothly. Clara even invites Cliff to her wedding.
But is it just me, or did Clara look particularly shifty throughout their interaction? She seemed to be particularly invested in knowing about Niles’ whereabouts, and also couldn’t get out of the manor fast enough. Did Clara really invite Cliff to the wedding, or does that envelope hold another message? Perhaps I’m too suspicious, but something about Clara didn’t add up.
Doom Patrol Season 2, Episode 8: Dorothy’s Day Out
Niles realized that Dorothy is a real threat to the world and asked Kipling to get rid of her. Niles decides to enjoy one last day with his daughter, not recognizing that he’s too late to stop her. Dorothy is no longer a child, irrespective of what Niles believes.
She may be small in stature and mentally immature because of her sheltered life, but Dorothy has been striving to be an adult throughout Doom Patrol Season 2. In this episode, Dorothy reaches a point of no return that empowers the Candle Maker to destroy the world.
While Dorothy is enjoying attending a fair with Niles, she keeps seeing visions of her mother telling her that it’s time. In the end, the Candle Maker comes to her, informing Dorothy of the same.
Meanwhile, Niles’ deal with Kipling is almost up. Niles is dying and he’s waiting for Kipling to end Dorothy. But, by the time Kipling arrives, the Candle Maker is out and he’s melting everything.
Doom Patrol Season 2, Episode 8: Trouble Underground
We know that Kay, the host body governed by Jane, had a cruel and abusive father. The well, that the Underground is afraid of, was part of Kay’s past. Kay’s father would leave her in the well near their home as punishment.
This is new information to Jane who has a lot on her mind. Quite literally. Jane’s noticed a few of her personalities have disappeared, but none of the others want to discuss it. Miranda dismisses her fears off-hand since the only goal is to give Kay what she wants.
Apparently, all Kay wants is her old teddy bear, Harry. No one else in the Underground is brave enough to venture back to Kay’s original home, so Jane goes and brings Larry with her.
Larry is still moping about how he destroyed any chance at reconnecting with his family. For a character who leapt out of the show in season one, Larry’s characterization has stagnated in this season. All the characterizations have.
Jane valiantly jumps into the well and not only finds Harry, but also a note left by Miranda. It was Miranda who finally helped Kay get out of that well and find her freedom. She’s been the bravest one of them all.
Jane returns to the Underground and concedes defeat. Miranda appears grateful before she shoves Jane into the Underground well. As Jane drowns, she sees the other missing personalities. The well isn’t healing them, it’s a place for them to die. And Jane’s going to join them.
I don’t know what to make of Doom Patrol Season 2. There is no direction. What made the characters’ journeys and emotions tangible in the first season have fallen away this time around. I think the biggest problem is that most of the characters are re-treading old wounds. They haven’t been allowed to grow.
Had the team been allowed to wallow in Niles’ betrayal and work towards becoming a family again, especially accepting Dorothy, perhaps the season would have been better. But the writers glossed over it; moved on and now there’s no cohesion.
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Which dad was the worst or the best in Doom Patrol Season 2, Episode 8? Let us know in the comments.