Season 2 Episode 3 “Niles, Rita, and Larry end up in the inter-dimensional palace of Red Jack who has taken Larry prisoner; Cliff visits his daughter with Jane; Dorothy’s fame of hide-and-seek ends badly.”
What I Liked
1. This season is gaining a reputation for just having brutal starts. I loved the 1988 scene in London with Jack the Ripper references. It brings that reality into the scenes which I do enjoy.
2. We finally got to see what it was like when Larry first entered the house. He was in a makeshift black firefighter suit, of course with Niles having his room pre-prepared. It’s nice to see how he manages to cope with the complete change of being radioactive.
3. I have to give Cliff props in many ways. Although when he finally confronts his daughter and lets her know he’s her father, he does it in the most awful, unemotional way ever, it made me laugh. It’s literally just Cliff, did I expect anything different when he actually knocked at the door? I guess so, but it is Cliff we’re talking about here.
His reaction when the police show up was just even better.
4. I have to give Niles props, especially from my earlier point. He kills the Red Jack by himself as Rita heads off to save Larry. A solid overall scene from all of them involved here.
5. Some good solid tease for the end of the episode there, especially as Jane is locked up. Presumably, we’re about to receive an all-new host next week.
What I Disliked
1. So, Niles receives the letter from Red Jack, and only chooses to go and save Larry with Rita. I’m sorry, but WHAT? She’s the least stable in controlling her powers, you’d at least think he would try and involve Jane and Cliff, even after they left.
2. The Cyborg love scene put me off. Not for the scars, but the suit. I never realized how bad it was until this scene. It literally looks like a top, not cybernetics. I like the concept and idea behind the suit, but they need to make it less noticeable in scenes like this because, for me, this just took me away from the sentiment of the moment.
Favourite Moment
Surprisingly, my favorite moment was when Vic finds out Roni was discharged from the military due to voluntary manslaughter. I just hope that is all nailed in the bud and Vic can return to the house with the rest of the Doom Patrol.
Standout Character
It was a tough one to give out this week as they all played their parts great, but I have to just edge this one to Niles. He saved the day after all. Not only that, but the actor portraying the character is also doing an incredible job of showing the guilt in such a clever way, it’s well done. I do hope this season he decides to use his “talents” to further help the Doom Patrol.
Verdict
A very good episode again this week. Again, setting a tone that I’m extremely happy with. It wasn’t the best Doom Patrol episode ever, but we do have a lot of positives to take away here. Especially the teases at the end going forward.
Rating 8.2/10
