Doom Patrol: DC's Biggest TV show Yet?
Doom Patrol is a team of traumatized and downtrodden superheroes, each of whom has suffered a horrible accident that gave them superhuman abilities but also left them scarred and disfigured. The members of the team have found their purpose through The Chief and have come together to investigate some of the world's weirdest phenomena. After The Chief mysteriously disappears, though, the reluctant heroes find themselves called to action by Cyborg, who comes to them with a mission that they cannot refuse. Doom Patrol part, support group, part superhero team is a band of superpowered freaks fighting for a world that wants nothing to do with them.
Doom Patrol made its way to tv in February 2019 and since then it had been a roller coaster ride for DC's second collaboration with Warner Bros after Titans. What had initially seemed like a broken record, quickly became one of the hottest things on tv, delivering above average CGI, top class scripting, brilliant plot and above all a very incredible narrative. What are the top areas in which this tv show has delivered incredibly? Why is it so highly regarded, what are the things DC got quite right as against the previous attempts at adapting DC comics?
Concept was brilliant. It was the perfect way to tell an origin story. If you were approaching this show expecting a regular superhero show, you are In for a very weird ride. First off, the way the show was structured, you had to run through the characters at least twice, first was their back story, and second was the exploration of their powers. And then there is the issue of bonding into a team, it takes time to form that bond and this show takes into cognisance all of this and more. This is why the show is so good. And as is expected of a great concept, it must present a conflict that follows the show or evolves with the show and Mr Nobody presented the sort of conflict that not only evolved as the show progressed, but also allowed a better narrative that factored in the fears and character development of the heroes. The show could not have asked for a better complement for such an amazing concept.
As for the plot, the plot of the show came off initially as straightforward, Catch Mr Nobody and rescue the Chief. But the persona of the villain and his peculiar super powers meant that the show's plot kept changing according to the whims and caprice of the villain. It is an incredible thing to have, allowing the villain to exert so much influence on the plot of the show. His narration was beautifully scripted and Alan Tudyk(Mr Nobody) delivered well on the role.
A lot of the viewing audience initially had issues with the oddity of the team, especially when you consider what they have been through, the weirdness of their powers, and Elasti-girl's utterly disturbing ability, but as you grow into the show and the exposé of their past and history, their present conditions become quite liveable and perhaps acceptable. But what is truly incredible is the perhaps 13 utterly bewildering storytelling journey before the team is ready to finally confront Mr Nobody. At some point, it didn't feel like a superhero show, but more like a spinoff of Supernatural, yet it delivered incredible stories and good acting.
That brings us to the cast. DC and Warner Bros assembled the absolute best for this show, and there is no way we could have asked for better. One of the most striking performances delivered in this show was by Diane Guerrero(Crazy Jane), who had to constantly transition between 8 different personas out of the 60+, and she did it with the reassurance of a veteran that bellies her age, incredible. April Bowbly( Elasti-Girl) was in inspired form. Her gait, poise and charisma shone through the disgust that her character portrayed and we cannot but commend her efforts for brilliantly bringing Elasti-Girl to our screens. Brendan Fraser(Robot Man), Matt Bomer (Negative Man) and Joivan Wade(Cyborg) came through also in their respective roles. While Alan Tudyk was an absolutely imperious marvel on screen. Not only did his character carry the show at some point, but his acting livened the show in more ways than we can count.
Perhaps, the biggest kudos goes to the creative crew comprising of the brilliant Jeremy Carver, the ever present puppet master Greg Berlanti and the crafty Harry Jierjian who led each of the production teams to deliver a script bereft of holes, boredom and cliché. The scripting was as much a success as it is creative. No one would have expected this type of script for a superhero show, and unsurprisingly it captured the Fancy of the viewing audience. In fact, it might be morose to state that the show is rated for Adult content and consequently relies very heavily on adult humour, language and violence to convey the message. This is perhaps why it's so highly regarded by the audience. For once, DC considered the fact that tv may not be the forte of the young adult anymore, and decided to create content that catered more to the fancy of the adult than the young. Moreover, who really impacts the success of tv these days? It's the adult audience.
That being said, the dialogues, monologues and even the narration were astonishing to say the least. These at some points ensured that the show never dipped below a certain level and in fact made for an evenly paced exquisite narrative!
Considering that every show must have a factor on which they did not properly deliver, we will call out the production unit for their choice of CGI. We are not impressed with the visual effects utilised on Cyborg's cybernetic body and we feel it could have been made to look more real than a sleeveless jacket. We hope, the second season will see an improvement on the use of visual effects.
As fans of DC's Titans, we didn't get enough fight scenes from this season and we are going to however put that down to the fact that it's perhaps because this is an origin story( Titans S1 was also an...). Where we did however get some fights, the simulations were weirdly outerworldy and quite good. It does seem as though DC retained the same fight instructor from Titans for this one. Plus the visual effects team ensured to put every punch, throw and kick into visually stunning context. Amazing stuff.
Having run through the entire concept without risking spoilers, this is a show we will recommend without a second thought, for its scripting, relativity ( mind not their bizarre abilities) and storytelling brilliance. Jeremy Carver may just have delivered DC and Warner Bros' golden goose with this one. If you were looking for a tv show to give Marvel a stiff competition, here you have it... a show that could have bested the now cancelled Daredevil. The DC tv universe just got a whole lot of upgrades with Titans coming to tv, Doom Patrol and the premiere of Swamp thing. Majority of the DC fans cannot wait for Berlanti and Co to put a halt to producing more seasons of Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Black Lightening. Gotham couldn't have chosen a better time to stop airing!
Concept was brilliant. It was the perfect way to tell an origin story. If you were approaching this show expecting a regular superhero show, you are In for a very weird ride. First off, the way the show was structured, you had to run through the characters at least twice, first was their back story, and second was the exploration of their powers. And then there is the issue of bonding into a team, it takes time to form that bond and this show takes into cognisance all of this and more. This is why the show is so good. And as is expected of a great concept, it must present a conflict that follows the show or evolves with the show and Mr Nobody presented the sort of conflict that not only evolved as the show progressed, but also allowed a better narrative that factored in the fears and character development of the heroes. The show could not have asked for a better complement for such an amazing concept.
As for the plot, the plot of the show came off initially as straightforward, Catch Mr Nobody and rescue the Chief. But the persona of the villain and his peculiar super powers meant that the show's plot kept changing according to the whims and caprice of the villain. It is an incredible thing to have, allowing the villain to exert so much influence on the plot of the show. His narration was beautifully scripted and Alan Tudyk(Mr Nobody) delivered well on the role.
A lot of the viewing audience initially had issues with the oddity of the team, especially when you consider what they have been through, the weirdness of their powers, and Elasti-girl's utterly disturbing ability, but as you grow into the show and the exposé of their past and history, their present conditions become quite liveable and perhaps acceptable. But what is truly incredible is the perhaps 13 utterly bewildering storytelling journey before the team is ready to finally confront Mr Nobody. At some point, it didn't feel like a superhero show, but more like a spinoff of Supernatural, yet it delivered incredible stories and good acting.
That brings us to the cast. DC and Warner Bros assembled the absolute best for this show, and there is no way we could have asked for better. One of the most striking performances delivered in this show was by Diane Guerrero(Crazy Jane), who had to constantly transition between 8 different personas out of the 60+, and she did it with the reassurance of a veteran that bellies her age, incredible. April Bowbly( Elasti-Girl) was in inspired form. Her gait, poise and charisma shone through the disgust that her character portrayed and we cannot but commend her efforts for brilliantly bringing Elasti-Girl to our screens. Brendan Fraser(Robot Man), Matt Bomer (Negative Man) and Joivan Wade(Cyborg) came through also in their respective roles. While Alan Tudyk was an absolutely imperious marvel on screen. Not only did his character carry the show at some point, but his acting livened the show in more ways than we can count.
Perhaps, the biggest kudos goes to the creative crew comprising of the brilliant Jeremy Carver, the ever present puppet master Greg Berlanti and the crafty Harry Jierjian who led each of the production teams to deliver a script bereft of holes, boredom and cliché. The scripting was as much a success as it is creative. No one would have expected this type of script for a superhero show, and unsurprisingly it captured the Fancy of the viewing audience. In fact, it might be morose to state that the show is rated for Adult content and consequently relies very heavily on adult humour, language and violence to convey the message. This is perhaps why it's so highly regarded by the audience. For once, DC considered the fact that tv may not be the forte of the young adult anymore, and decided to create content that catered more to the fancy of the adult than the young. Moreover, who really impacts the success of tv these days? It's the adult audience.
That being said, the dialogues, monologues and even the narration were astonishing to say the least. These at some points ensured that the show never dipped below a certain level and in fact made for an evenly paced exquisite narrative!
Considering that every show must have a factor on which they did not properly deliver, we will call out the production unit for their choice of CGI. We are not impressed with the visual effects utilised on Cyborg's cybernetic body and we feel it could have been made to look more real than a sleeveless jacket. We hope, the second season will see an improvement on the use of visual effects.
As fans of DC's Titans, we didn't get enough fight scenes from this season and we are going to however put that down to the fact that it's perhaps because this is an origin story( Titans S1 was also an...). Where we did however get some fights, the simulations were weirdly outerworldy and quite good. It does seem as though DC retained the same fight instructor from Titans for this one. Plus the visual effects team ensured to put every punch, throw and kick into visually stunning context. Amazing stuff.
Having run through the entire concept without risking spoilers, this is a show we will recommend without a second thought, for its scripting, relativity ( mind not their bizarre abilities) and storytelling brilliance. Jeremy Carver may just have delivered DC and Warner Bros' golden goose with this one. If you were looking for a tv show to give Marvel a stiff competition, here you have it... a show that could have bested the now cancelled Daredevil. The DC tv universe just got a whole lot of upgrades with Titans coming to tv, Doom Patrol and the premiere of Swamp thing. Majority of the DC fans cannot wait for Berlanti and Co to put a halt to producing more seasons of Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Black Lightening. Gotham couldn't have chosen a better time to stop airing!
Based on: Doom Patrol by Arnold Drake, Bob Haney, Bruno Premiani, Grant Morrison
Developed by: Jeremy Carver
Starring:
Diane Guerrero
April Bowlby
Joivan Wade
Alan Tudyk
Matt Bomer
Brendan Fraser
Timothy Dalton
Narrated by: Alan Tudyk
Composer(s): Clint Mansell, Kevin Kiner
Executive producer(s): Jeremy Carver, Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter
Production location: Georgia
Cinematography: Christopher Manley, Noah Greenberg, Magdalena Gorka, Scott Winig
Editor(s): Harry Jierjian, Brian Wessel, Sara Mineo, Brandon Hwang, Marc Pattavina, Arman Tahmizyan, JD Dawson
Production company(s): Berlanti Productions, Jeremy Carver Productions, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television
Distributor, Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Developed by: Jeremy Carver
Starring:
Diane Guerrero
April Bowlby
Joivan Wade
Alan Tudyk
Matt Bomer
Brendan Fraser
Timothy Dalton
Narrated by: Alan Tudyk
Composer(s): Clint Mansell, Kevin Kiner
Executive producer(s): Jeremy Carver, Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter
Production location: Georgia
Cinematography: Christopher Manley, Noah Greenberg, Magdalena Gorka, Scott Winig
Editor(s): Harry Jierjian, Brian Wessel, Sara Mineo, Brandon Hwang, Marc Pattavina, Arman Tahmizyan, JD Dawson
Production company(s): Berlanti Productions, Jeremy Carver Productions, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television
Distributor, Warner Bros. Television Distribution
FCA's AppR: 8.9/10
Lovely series 👍👍😘
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