This second part of the fourth and final season of Doom Patrol finally brings an end to the era of shows that started on DC Universe. With some being bad, some being good and some getting cancelled. First appeared in Titans and then eventually spun off into their series, though it was the same characters played by the same actors except for Niles Caulder who was originally played by Bruno Bichir and then replaced by Timothy Dalton who appeared in every series of Doom Patrol.
Doom Patrol is a lucky show when it comes down to the management of of DC, surviving what used to be the streaming service DC Universe, surviving HBO Max which it moved to exclusively during Season 3, surviving all the sudden cancellations and the change from HBO Max to Max and then finally surviving the switch into Gunn’s DCU era.
Though it was given a final season and some may still see this as a form of cancellation, the cast and crew put all their love into this season and gave it the ending that it deserved.
In the final episodes of Doom Patrol, we see them come across old friend and foes as they race to face Immortus and get back their longevities. Battling between saving the world and each other, the Doom Patrol are forced to face their deepest fears and decide if they’re ready to let go of the past to take their future into their own hands.
Doom Patrol has been consistent through all four seasons,s and that doesn’t change during these final episodes. The greatest thing about this show as a comic book show, is that it genuinely feels like you’ve stepped into a comic book. There are certain plot lines that you can’t explain because of how weird and out there they are but it all adds to the show’s uniqueness and what makes it stand apart from every other comic book show.
If there was one story arc that felt forgotten about during these final episodes, it was the zombie butts, these episodes still touch on them but with something greater at threat, they don’t seem all that important anymore which is a great shame as they were a fun concept to have and episode 6 ended with that cliffhanger making it seem like something greater was to happen.
Fortunately, this is the only thing that slightly let me down with the season, everything else was outstanding. The performances during these final episodes were some of the best we’ve got, showing the emotional range that all of the Doom Patrol has as we focus on the inner character arcs which are all handled brilliantly.
It’s hard to single someone out as they all equally did a great job but it is worth saying that it was a great decision to keep Michelle Gomez on. Not only is she a perfect addition to the team but she manages to bring a lot of the humour and caught me laughing several times. These final episodes are for sure very impactful and emotional but it was nice to see that the comedic side of things wasn’t forgotten and even during moments where you would feel sad, happiness would come soon after.
As many people know from the behind-the-scenes that have been shown in the past year while waiting for the second half of Season four, there’s a musical episode. This musical episode puts any musical episode I’ve seen in any show to shame, not only is the choreography so good for a show whose focus isn’t singing or dancing, but they manage to fit it into the overall narrative of the season so it doesn’t feel like filler at any point. It’s a breath of fresh air after all the chaos that takes place prior and prepares you for all the emotional heartbreak that’s to come. The musical episode is without a doubt if not the best episode of this season, it’s the best episode I’ve watched of Doom Patrol.
Every Doom Patrol member gets to have a nice closed ending and they’re all endings that I believe fit the characters and the arcs they were going through. Out of all the characters, the one that was given the most justice was Cyborg. Fighting between his relationship with his father and friends to if he feels a complete man with his new synthetic skin. His story got dealt with in the best possible way and quite possibly is the best adaptation we’ve gotten of Cyborg, I can only hope for future adaptations to follow in a similar direction that Doom Patrol went in.
Doom Patrol Season 4 Part 2 solidifies itself as easily one of the best comic book shows of all time and one of the best adaptations we’ve received in comic book media. The cast and crew show all the heart they poured into this series with the outstanding storytelling, the amazing performances by the cast and the wonderful set design and visuals that brought this show to life. Doom Patrol is a show that will become a staple when talking about comic book media and though I wish it had more seasons and would never end, it got the best ending that any fan could’ve wished for.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Doom Patrol is available to stream on Max.
