With two seasons under its belt, Doom Patrol has proven to be one of the deepest and most unique comic book shows currently airing. While some may criticize the show for being too bizarre, not having enough action and being too character driven, I would argue that Doom Patrol’s characters and bizarre nature is what helps it stand out from other comic book shows and makes it so great. Here is a ranking of every incredible episode of this amazing show:
24. Wax Patrol (Season 2, Episode 9): While this episode is at the very bottom of the list, it should be made clear that none of these episodes are actually bad. They are all still very entertaining and the season 2 finale is no exception. We follow the team as they go up against each of their imaginary friends that they had when they were children in order to save Dorothy (Abigail Shapiro) from the Candlemaker (Lex Lang). The imaginary friends of each character are both extremely creepy but also incredibly funny as well. We also get a terrific flashback on how the personality of Jane (Diane Guerrero) first manifested into the mind of Kay Challis. However, the reason this episode is at the bottom of the list is because it isn’t actually a finale. There was supposed to be one more episode afterwards. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the crew to shut down production and this episode now ends the season on a massive cliffhanger. If this episode wasn’t forced to be the finale and instead was the penultimate episode, then maybe it would rank higher. Unfortunately, the underwhelming and forced ending put this episode at dead last. Rating: 6/10.
23. Doom Patrol Patrol (Season 1, Episode 6): This episode showcases a great amount of comic book lore as we are introduced to the original members of the Doom Patrol (Will Kemp, Jasmine Kaur and Lesa Wilson) when Jane, Rita (April Bowlby) and Larry (Matt Bomer) attempt to find more clues on how to rescue Niles Caulder (Timothy Dalton) from Mr. Nobody (Alan Tudyk). Meanwhile, Cyborg (Joivan Wade) attempts to reach out to Cliff (Brendan Fraser) in order to avoid making contact with his father Silas (Phil Morris) when his body is damaged during the events of the last episode. This episode is great when it comes to expanding upon the past of the original Doom Patrol team. The reveal on what Mr. Nobody did to them the tone of the episode very creepy and disturbing. However, the episode perhaps showcases its disturbing qualities a bit too much. In addition to the very dark reveal on what happened to the original Doom Patrol, we are shown a flashback in which Rita accidentally kills a perverted Hollywood executive during an interview. While Doom Patrol is known for its dark moments, this episode just showcased them a bit too much. However, this episode is by no means bad and still manages to be interesting. Rating: 6.5/10.
22. Flex Patrol (Season 1, Episode 13): In addition to its overly bizarre moments, Doom Patrol is also criticized for being too slow at points. While it works most of the time, it is hard to argue that this episode suffers with its pacing the most. We follow the members of the Doom Patrol as they deal with the fallout of the fight against the Bureau of Normalcy at their headquarters and meet one of their most powerful prisoners Flex Mentallo (Devan Chandler Long), a superhero who can alter reality through the flexing his muscles. Flex is a great addition to the show, as his wacky powers and earnest personality just blend nicely with the already wonderfully weird environment. We also get a heartbreaking subplot of Rita confronting her past during a conversation with an elderly hospital patient (Ed Asner). Her tearful monologue towards the end of the episode is honestly Emmy worthy. However, when it comes to moving along the story, very little happens in the episode. It is understandable to need an episode to calm down after such a crazy adventure, but there needed to be a bit more action for the episode to not seem too boring. However, Bowlby’s performance and the heartbreaking ending allows this episode to be placed higher than the others. Rating: 7/10.
21. Cult Patrol (Season 1, Episode 4): A terrific episode that introduces an element of mysticism to the show, this installment sees the Doom Patrol meet Willoughby Kipling (Mark Sheppard), who asks for their help in order to stop a cult from summoning a powerful being called The Decreator. To do this, they have to protect a teenager named Elliot (Ted Sutherland) from being used as a book for the cult. The episode puts the team’s heroic qualities to the test as they struggle to either protect the boy at the risk of starting an apocalypse or kill the teenager at Kipling’s urging and prevent the end of the world. The episode showcases many great character moments, particularly with Rita, who develops a bond and almost maternal instinct with Elliot. Kipling is also a terrific addition to the show, as he provides a hilarious deadpan attitude and drops some hints that Niles Caulder may not be as good of a person as the team might believe. However, what puts this list towards the bottom is that it is mainly the first part of a self-contained two parter, and is overall the weaker of the two episodes that focus on this conflict. Regardless, this episode is still a great installment overall. Rating: 7.2/10.
20. Therapy Patrol (Season 1, Episode 7): This episode helps solidify that Doom Patrol is mainly a character driven story first and a superhero show second. For the most part, that decision made by the writers works beautifully in this episode. We follow the Doom Patrol as their personal problems become too big for them to keep bottled up, as each of them reach their breaking point with how much their accidents affected them. To clear the air, the group decides (or are rather forced to by Cliff) to start a therapy circle where they get their problems off of their chests. However, as expected with these individuals, things go awry very quickly as Jane becomes angered with Cliff’s pushy attitude while Cliff constantly pokes fun at the members for their grievances even though the therapy session was his idea. The ending includes one of the most hilarious out of nowhere moments in the entire series when it is revealed that Cliff’s unstable outbursts and desire for a therapy circle are due to Admiral Whiskers, an ordinary rat who messes with Cliff’s robot wiring at the behest of Mr. Nobody after Cliff accidentally ran over the rodent’s mother. While this episode is still greatly entertaining, the team being at each other’s throats throughout the entirety of the episode did get a bit tiring and Cliff’s attitude was too mean spirited at times even though it was due to a rat destroying his mainframe. Rating: 7.5/10.
19. Tyme Patrol (Season 2, Episode 2): Time is certainly not on the Doom Patrol’s side as proven with this episode. When Niles reveals to the team that he is dying after giving up his immortality to Kipling, the team decides to steal an element that can slow down Niles’ aging called “continuinium.” In order to obtain this item, the team must infiltrate the lair of Doctor Tyme (Dan Martin), a powerful being with a clock for a head (and who makes it clear that his name is spelled with a Y) and steal it from him. While Jane, Rita and Cliff reluctantly go to steal the continuinium from Doctor Tyme, Larry deals with the death of his son Gary (John Schmedes), who killed himself after years of searching for his missing father. It is a heartbreaking subplot as Larry is not only forced to attend his son’s funeral, but also have an awkward reunion with his other son Paul (John Getz) who is revealed in a later episode to harbor a deep hatred towards his father for being absent in his life and driving his brother to suicide. In the main plot, Doctor Tyme proves to be one of the oddest villains as he mainly just dances in a roller skating rink to one song on loop with the people he has kidnapped (most of whom are thieves who tried to steal his continuinium). In true fashion to the show, the episode is off the walls, wacky and fun while also emotional and deep. The only reason that this is not higher on the list is because the team fails to get the continuinium and almost nothing is accomplished, with the team only further apart. Rating: 7.6/10.
18. Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1): The episode that started it all. The first episode of the series lets you know immediately if this is a show for you or not. Personally, I was hooked as soon as it opened with Alan Tudyk’s narration as Mr. Nobody. Throughout the episode, we are slowly introduced to each main character (except for Cyborg who shows up in the next episode) through both Mr. Nobody’s fourth wall breaking narration and Cliff’s first interactions with the team after he is turned into a robot. The episode also presents one of the best scenes from the entire series in which Cliff first learns to walk after being turned into a robot by remembering his time with his daughter Clara before the accident. With the ending capping it all off with a donkey farting words, it is the perfect amount of zaniness and oddness that allows the viewer to be sucked in. The best part about ending with a donkey fart (and that is something I never thought that I would write) is that it doesn’t seem out of place or childish. Only this show could end with something like that and get away with it. The pilot of this series is a terrific introduction for the show and everything only gets more insane from here. Rating: 7.8/10.
17. Dad Patrol (Season 2, Episode 8): Dad Patrol is another episode that is great at presenting heartwarming and hilarious moments combined with huge amounts of tension and tragedy. In order to keep the world safe, Niles decides that his own daughter Dorothy must die for the good of humanity due to her unstable superpowers and asks Kipling to do the deed at a certain time. Before doing the despicable act of taking his own daughter’s life, Niles decides to give her the best day of her life by taking her to a carnival. Meanwhile, two subplots occur in which Cliff reunites and bonds with his daughter Clara (Bethany Anne Lind) while Jane goes to her abandoned childhood home where her father (David MacDonald) abused her so she can retrieve her stuffed rabbit that she had as a child. All three stories in the episode are immensely tragic with each showcasing a father who is loving (Cliff), a father who is absolutely cruel (Jane’s father) and a father who is somewhere in between (Niles). All while this is happening, Dorothy becomes even closer to releasing the Candlemaker, a fire demon who lives in Dorothy’s mind that spreads chaos and misery wherever he goes every time she makes a wish. Abigail Shapiro especially shines in this episode, as her fear of releasing a monster into the world whether she wants to or not is quite heartbreaking and terrifying. Dad Patrol is a great episode, and would be much higher if it wasn’t right before the finale that ends on an unsatisfying cliffhanger. Rating: 7.9/10.
16. Space Patrol (Season 2, Episode 6): Taking place right after the shocking events of the previous episode, Space Patrol sees Dorothy run off and steal Niles’ old spacecraft to hide on the moon so she won’t hurt anyone else. Niles of course goes after her and forces Cliff to help retrieve her. Meanwhile, Larry meets the Pioneers of the Uncharted, an odd group of space travelers who were sent on a mission by Niles. One of them (Mariana Klaveno) also houses a negative spirit in her body just like Larry, which provides a fascinating character dynamic as he learns more about controlling the spirit and understanding it as a living being even more. The scenes in space are especially great, as Cliff finally connects with Dorothy, a person whom he greatly resented throughout the season. The sit down talk the two have is extremely touching and Brendan Fraser gives a great voice performance while Riley Shannan has incredible movement in the actual suit that captures the feel of the moment perfectly. Unfortunately, Rita, Cyborg and Jane have very little to do in the episode. Aside from that, this is yet another great installment. Rating: 8/10.
15. Hair Patrol (Season 1, Episode 10): It goes without saying that Timothy Dalton is an amazing actor who does not get enough credit. This episode puts him in the spotlight for the very first time as we see a flashback in which Niles meets a Neanderthal type of woman named Oyewah (Pisay Pao) during an expedition in the Yukon where he is injured. Niles soon falls in love with the woman after days of staying in her cave with her and we get our first hint of Dorothy’s presence in the show. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Normalcy hires a meta-human named the Beard Hunter (Tommy Snyder) to hunt down and capture Niles in the present day, unaware that he has already been kidnapped. The Beard Hunter is certainly one of the weirder villains in the show, as his special power is eating one’s facial hair and being able to know their fighting pattern as a result. It’s gross, weird and yet it somehow works in the show’s favor. The only downside (and it’s a very minor one) is that this episode is supposed to take place during the same time as the previous one, showing what Cyborg and Rita were doing while Cliff, Larry and Jane were occupied. As a result, not much progress is made to the story and the team is still nowhere closer to finding the Chief. Rating: 8.1/10.
14. Ezekiel Patrol (Season 1, Episode 15): The finale of season 1 packed quite the punch, as the team discovers the horrible secret of Niles being responsible for all of their accidents. As a result, the group goes their separate ways and cut the Chief out of their lives. Things are shown to become even worse for them as without a goal that unites them, they have hit rock bottom. Jane becomes an addict for a drug that keeps her other personalities in check, Cliff lacks any purpose besides anonymously bringing food to Jane, Larry deliberately tries to hurt himself by releasing the negative spirit from his body for lengthy amounts of time, Cyborg focuses solely on his crime fighting life and Rita becomes an acting teacher who has little to no respect from her students. Mr. Nobody soon becomes bored of his victory and decides to enact further revenge against Niles despite releasing him. He teams up with a religious genocidal talking cockroach named Ezekiel (Curtis Armstrong) who had made several cameos throughout the season and Admiral Whiskers, the rat who nearly destroyed Cliff’s wiring. The group must now come together once more, as the three literal pests attempt to kill the daughter of Niles. Just when you think the finale will be about taking down Mr. Nobody once and for all, the episode throws a massive curveball by having the cockroach and rat betray the villain and become the main threats. The season finale caps it all off by having the two disgusting animals make out with each other during their defeat. It’s insane, disgusting, confusing and everything a finale to Doom Patrol’s first season should be. While the conflict with Mr. Nobody could have been wrapped up in a better way, this is still a great finale. Rating: 8.4/10.
13. Dumb Patrol (Season 2, Episode 7): Here is yet another episode that puts the zany nature of the show at full force. When the painting that trapped Mr. Nobody and the Beard Hunter is returned to the manor, Larry, Cyborg and his girlfriend Roni (Karen Obilom) are infected with a group of parasites called the “Scants,” microscopic pink organisms who feed off the good ideas from a person’s brain, all the while making the person extremely stupid and killing themselves after a lengthy period of time. It is hilarious to see the most rational characters on the show act so dumb but not to the point of it being annoying. In order to cure themselves, the group must now go inside the painting to kill the Scant Queen (Jhemma Ziegler). Meanwhile, Niles struggles on what to do about Dorothy’s increasingly unstable powers, especially now that she is being corrupted by the Candlemaker. The heavy nature and dark atmosphere of the subplot helps balance out the hilarious main story. Rating: 8.4/10.
12. Donkey Patrol (Season 1, Episode 2): After being introduced to the four main characters, I was originally nervous on how Cyborg would be handled on this show. After Ray Fisher’s somewhat underwhelming debut of Cyborg, it seemed unlikely that the version of the character in Doom Patrol could fare any better. However, I was thankfully proven wrong as Joivan Wade is terrific in the role of Vic Stone, showcasing a rather arrogant yet vulnerable side to the superhero, something that I had not seen before when it comes to Cyborg. His less than healthy relationship with his father is also terrific, as the series portrays Silas Stone as a very complex character. Silas and Vic’s relationship ranges from heartwarming to tragic to unsettling, and it never feels jarring or out of place. When Cyborg enters the picture, he is shown to have a rather poor first impression with the other main characters, especially Cliff who sees him as some nuisance who thinks he is better than them. When the town goes missing after the events of the first episode, the team discovers that it has been swallowed by Mr. Nobody’s donkey. Larry, Rita and Cyborg go inside the animal to confront Mr. Nobody, only to fail miserably. This episode does a great job at establishing how much of a threat Mr. Nobody is and how unprepared the members of the Doom Patrol are at going up against him. Donkey Patrol is terrific introduction for Cyborg and an even better follow up to the pilot. Rating: 8.4/10.
11. Puppet Patrol (Season 1, Episode 3): In this episode, the team travels to Paraguay in order to find more information on Niles and Mr. Nobody. The team’s first adventure is quite a chaotic one, as Cyborg and Rita are left behind at a hotel after Jane impulsively takes Larry and Cliff to the location with her alternate personality that can teleport. The three arrive at “Fuchtopia,” a spa run by Nazis that gives people superpowers after they pay a huge amount of money. After watching a lengthy puppet show that explains the backstory of Mr. Nobody, Jane and Cliff must fight their way out of the spa by killing as many Nazis as they can, while Larry confronts the Negative Spirit that lives in his body and reaches his breaking point of dealing with it for so long. This episode establishes the team’s dysfunctional dynamic quite well and has a terrific guest star in Julian Richings as Heinrich Von Fuchs, the Nazi who gave Mr. Nobody his powers. Richings gives a performance that is both immensely creepy and hilarious. On top of that, the end of the episode introduces one of the weirdest and most famous villains from the Doom Patrol comics Animal Vegetable Mineral Man (Alec Mapa). An all around fun episode and yet another great addition to the first season. Rating: 8.5/10.
10. Paw Patrol (Season 1, Episode 5): A terrific conclusion to the two-parter about the Doom Patrol’s conflict against a cult, this episode sees the team frantically try to figure out how to destroy the Decreator before it wipes every person on the world away with the blink of its eye. Mr. Nobody is even forced to step in and help the team with his fourth wall breaking abilities when it becomes clear that the Decreator is too powerful for even him to stop. The narrating villain allows Niles to be briefly reunited with the team (with the ability to walk) in order to defeat this common enemy. The ending is so bizarre and yet so smart that I dare not give it away. It is so brilliant that it has to be seen in order to be believed. In addition to all of that, Rita’s bond with Elliot comes to a tragic end after he is killed by the Decreator. It is very heartbreaking to see Rita finally make a connection with someone outside of the team only for them to be killed before he could experience true maternal love from someone. Cap it all off with a masterful performance from guest star Mark Sheppard as Willoughby Kipling and you have an all around amazing story. Rating: 8.8/10.
9. Fun Size Patrol (Season 2, Episode 1): The first episode of season 2 takes things in a much darker direction as we are properly introduced to Niles’ daughter Dorothy Spinner. The prologue shows Dorothy’s dangerous ability of brining her imaginary friends to life, the most dangerous of which is the Candlemaker, who is the main villain of season 2. Abigail Shapiro is incredible in this role. I was originally very nervous to see how she would turn out, but she really won me over by the time of her second scene. The episode revolves around the team (aside from Larry) being shrunk down after the events of the season 1 finale. This episode arguably has the best set design as it always manages to look convincing that the main characters are actually super tiny now. On top of that, there is still a great amount of tension between Niles and the team, who now resent him following the big revelation last season. Frustrated by their current state and the grief that Niles has caused them, many of the characters even happen to take their anger out on Dorothy, particularly Jane and Cliff who casually insult her and Niles behind their backs. It’s a depressing but understandable situation for all of them. However, the episode is not devoid of comedy, as we are shown many humorously dark scenes where Cliff regularly kills rats for fun in retaliation for what happened to him last season with Admiral Whiskers. This episode is a great introduction to the second season, and the darker tone provides a very different feeling. Rating: 8.8/10.
8. Cyborg Patrol (Season 1, Episode 12): After Joivan Wade proved to be a pleasant surprise with his portrayal of Cyborg, it is fitting that he would get an episode that mainly focused on him. We see Cyborg get captured by the Bureau of Normalcy, which forces the other main characters to try and infiltrate the Bureau’s headquarters in order to break him out. It is here where the conflict between Cyborg and his father comes to a head, as the former’s unwillingness to trust his father proves costly when Mr. Nobody manipulates Cyborg into physically beating Silas nearly to death. It is one of the most gut wrenching endings from the entire series, and both Wade and Morris sell their roles beautifully. In addition to this, we see more intriguing flashbacks that center around Larry and when he was a prisoner for the Bureau of Normalcy. Meanwhile, Jane, Cliff and Rita all have fun and hilarious interactions with different members of the Bureau, who unsuccessfully and pathetically try to break them to no avail. The ending with a swarm of mutant butt monsters eating many of the Bureau of Normalcy members was a fitting defeat for a group that obsesses over stability and normality. With one of the most intense moments in the show under its belt, Cyborg Patrol is one of the all time greats from this series. Rating: 9/10.
7. Penultimate Patrol (Season 1, Episode 14): The appropriately titled penultimate episode of the first season sees the team believe that they are finally ready to go and face Mr. Nobody once and for all. At first it seems that the Doom Patrol is finally able to defeat the fourth wall breaking supervillain. The characters are no longer afraid of their pasts and are not easily fooled by the villain’s tricks. They even manage to emotionally wear him down when it is revealed that being dumped by his girlfriend (Victoria Blade) is what set him on the path to villainy. Just when it looks like Mr. Nobody has been killed by Cyborg and the team has rescued Niles, they become trapped in a time loop in which they are repeatedly killed by a robot while Niles watches on in horror and despair. As it turns out, there is no defeating Mr. Nobody, and the episode ends with a huge drop of a bombshell in which the villain offers to let them all go if Niles reveals his secret of being the one who is directly responsible for all of their accidents. This is one of, if not the most shocking moments in the entire series, and you can easily tell through Timothy Dalton’s amazing performance that he feels guilty for what he has done yet will likely never be forgiven for his actions. Top that off with a hilarious out of nowhere orgasm sequence accidentally caused by Flex Mentallo on Danny the Street, and you have a terrific prelude to the insane finale in this already insane show. Rating: 9.1/10.
6. Finger Patrol (Season 2, Episode 5): After one of the most insane things ever shown on tv last episode, the following installment is less weird but much more heavy in all of the best ways possible. We see Cliff accompany Cyborg to the parking lot of his girlfriend Roni’s apartment, as Cliff gives him some very useful romance advice. In addition to this, Cliff imagines a spin-off seventies cop show of the two of them called “Steele and Stone.” It is out of nowhere, weird and adds nothing to the story yet is one of the funniest moments in the entire show. Meanwhile, Larry and Rita meet with Larry’s surviving son Paul, who now has a son and grandchild of his own. When it is revealed that Larry’s son invited him over simply to have him arrested, it just hammers in how broken Larry is and why Niles’ actions were so terrible. Speaking of which, Niles try to give Dorothy a friend when she is feeling lonely by having Jane change into her Babydoll personality, the most childlike and innocent of her alternate personas. Both Abigail Shapiro and Diane Guerrero are amazing in this episode, as it is easy to forget that these are two adult actresses playing children (or in Dorothy’s case, an 100-year-old child). While things seem well and fine at first, the episode takes a dark turn when Dorothy and Babydoll start to fight with one another, culminating in Babydoll murdering one of Dorothy’s imaginary friends. This prompts Dorothy to retaliate by giving into the Candlemaker’s demands and making a wish. It is here where we see just how powerful and scary the Candlemaker is by entering Jane’s mind and brutally murdering Babydoll before the episode cuts to black. This episode is just incredible and it’s ending is one of the best cliffhangers ever put in a comic book show. Now can someone please make “Steele and Stone” into a real show? Please? Rating: 9.3/10.
5. Sex Patrol (Season 2, Episode 4): Even though the show has been known to have weird and bizarre moments, this episode might just take the cake as the weirdest episode in the entire series. Sex Patrol sees the team host a party so Danny the Street can return to its normal state after it was turned into a brick after the events of the season 1 finale. While the party is certainly odd enough already, things go absolutely bonkers as expected when Rita asks Flex to make her have an orgasm. This attracts a sex demon called Shadowy Mr. Evans (Brad Brinkley) who invades the manor. If that wasn’t weird enough, a group of sexual activity related Ghostbusters-like superheroes called The Sex Men burst in to hunt down the demon, and if that wasn’t weird enough, the demon gives birth to a baby that the team must kill before it cries, otherwise it will kill all children in existence. This episode just puts the audience’s tolerance for the show’s weirdness and vulgarity to the test as it might just be the raunchiest episode in any superhero show ever. For some people that might be a bad thing. For myself however, I could not get enough of it. It is the exact kind of insanity that this show does so well. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow wishes it could be this delightfully weird. Rating: 9.5/10.
4. Pain Patrol (Season 2, Episode 3): I can’t believe it took me until this episode to really appreciate Matthew Zuk and Riley Shanahan, the people who portray Larry and Cliff physically. Even though their faces aren’t seen and their characters are voiced by someone else, these two actors capture the emotions the characters are feeling beautifully. Matt Bomer and Brendan Fraser are wonderful as Larry and Cliff, but Matthew Zuk and Riley Shanahan definitely deserve just as much of the credit and should not go unnoticed. This episode does an especially great job at developing their characters. In this episode, we are introduced to the villain Red Jack (Roger Floyd), a sadistic entity that feeds on pain. After kidnapping Larry, the villain forces Niles to come to his home as he believes that the latter thrives on someone else’s misery just as much as he does. With Rita accompanying him, Niles is forced to confront Red Jack as well as his own inner demons in order to save Larry. Meanwhile, Cliff becomes fed up with the Chief and decides to leave with Jane. Taking the bus, he decides to reach out to his daughter, who at this point is unaware that he is even still alive. After impulsively revealing that he is alive and fully expecting her to accept this shocking and out of nowhere news, Cliff tragically has to deal with the fact that his life will never be the same again after his accident. Both of these plots are amazing, and develop Niles and Cliff even more than in previous episodes. However, the best story from this episode has to be that of Rita’s. Through flashbacks, we see Larry’s first day at the manor as the episode explores his relationship with Rita and why they are such great friends. Their friendship goes so far that Rita is willing to risk her life to save Larry not long after she declared that she only makes things worse. April Bowlby is simply delightful in this role, as she portrays her character with so much effort. The immensely heartwarming ending between Rita and Larry just make this one of the greatest episodes from the entire show and easily the best episode of season 2. Rating: 9.6/10.
3. Danny Patrol (Season 1, Episode 8): Be honest. In a comic book show that is already known for being so weird, would you ever have expected a character who is a sentient teleporting genderqueer street that communicates with its shop signs to work? Somehow, this show succeeded in not making it seem dumb and out of place. We follow Cyborg and Larry as they continue their quest to find Niles and Mr. Nobody. During their search, they come across a living genderqueer street named Danny, who has an extensive past with Niles. Despite Danny’s extremely bizarre nature, Larry and Cyborg find out rather quickly that it is very friendly and a benevolent entity. Danny’s purpose is to invite people who are lost in life to live on its street where they become the “Dannyzens.” However, Danny is revealed to be on the run from the Bureau of Normalcy, who wish to destroy the street and all of its inhabitants. This episode is just so much fun and another great episode for Larry, as we get more amazing scenes revolving around him and his past and see him learn to open up more. Matt Bomer gets to especially shine as he even gets his own musical number. Meanwhile, Jane transforms into her alternate personality of Karen, a ditzy romantic teenage stereotype who has an obsession with romance movies from the 1990s. According to Rita, Karen is the worst of Jane’s alternate personalities. When she hypnotizes a man named Doug (Brent Bailey) into loving her (in which she has been said to have done this to him more than once), Cliff and Rita are forced to find her and get Jane back to normal. It is a hilarious subplot, as Diane Guerrero just does a terrific job at playing this perky airhead of a character. Danny Patrol is a delightful episode from start to finish, and should absolutely be watched more than once. Rating: 9.7/10.
2. Frances Patrol (Season 1, Episode 11): I’ve said it before and I will say it again. This entire cast is amazing. In this episode, we see Cliff go with Rita to his daughter Clara’s bar, as she is hosting a wake for Bump Weathers (Alan Heckner), Cliff’s pit crew member when he was a race car driver who slept with the latter’s wife and adopted his daughter when he was believed to be dead. It is revealed that Bump was killed when he attempted to fight an alligator named Frances in order to retrieve a watch that the reptile swallowed. In an attempt to make things right with his daughter, Cliff goes out to the woods to fight Frances and take back the watch so he can give it to Clara. Meanwhile, Larry reconnects with his former secret lover John Bowers (Tom Fitzpatrick), who is now an elderly man. This is an episode that will just melt your heart, as Cliff’s determination to get back the watch for his daughter and Larry’s acceptance of his past with John are honestly inspiring for anyone who might be afraid of confronting their troubled history. Larry’s final goodbye with John as he peacefully passes away in his sleep is honestly one of the few moments that genuinely made me cry, and it is rare for that to have happened to me with a superhero show. With a powerfully bittersweet ending, Frances Patrol is a masterpiece of an episode, and worth checking out for anyone who has somehow not even seen the show yet. Rating: 9.8/10.
1. Jane Patrol (Season 1, Episode 9): This is not just the best episode from the entire series. It is the absolute best episode from a comic book show. Jane Patrol sees Cliff travel to the Underground, a world in Jane’s mind where all of her alternate personalities live. We are introduced the actual appearances of many of the personalities, like Hammerhead (Stephanie Czajkowski) and Penny Farthing (Anna Lore). Cliff must now hurry in saving Jane when it is revealed that she is attempting to kill herself by jumping in the well, a dark location within the Underground where any of the personalities can die. During Cliff’s journey, he along with the audience discover many different things about about Jane that are just gut wrenching, such as how there was a different personality named Miranda (Samantha Marie Ware) who served as the primary personality before Jane. However, the darkest and most shocking revelation is that Jane had an abusive father who not only beat her original primary personality Kay Challis (Skye Roberts), but also regularly performed sexual assault on her when she was extremely young. The episode has a beautiful ending in which Cliff proves just how much he cares for Jane by attempting to save her from jumping in the well. However, when a giant monster in the form of her father appears and tries to kill Cliff, it is Jane who saves Cliff by tearfully standing up against the physical manifestation of the person who mentally broke her and caused her to have so many different personalities. The entire ending showcases how much of a great pair Cliff and Jane are, and why they really do need each-other, especially in a world that would not accept them. This entire episode a fascinating dive into Jane’s past and emotions and deserved to be nominated for at least one award. Jane Patrol is a masterpiece of an episode, and shows just how far we have come with comic book shows on television. Diane Guerrero is amazing and one of the best actresses to ever appear on a superhero show in my opinion. Rating: 10/10.
