Doom Patrol Review: Season 2, Episode 4, “Sex Patrol”

The newest episode of Doom Patrol, “Sex Patrol,” doesn’t take itself seriously at all, and ends up the funniest episode of the series so far.

When some of the Danizens arrive at the steps of the Doom Mansion, they and the team throw a party in hopes of bringing Danny back to their former glory. From Cliff taking ecstasy to Rita summoning a sex demon, this shorter episode may be the funniest one of the series thus far.

Niles and Dorothy work with the Danizens to create the right atmosphere to feed Danny. They sing a lovely duet of “Pure Imagination” and the party gets started. But unfortunately for Dorothy, her bedtime is approaching, and she only gets to spend a little time at the party.

The entire episode is structured around Dorothy’s bedtime. With each scene break, we’re told how long after she’s gone to sleep the events are taking place. We see quite a lot of the party through Dorothy’s innocent eyes as she sees more things she should not see.

Of course, even though her body and mind are 11, Dorothy has been alive for over 175 years, and her inner struggle to decide what she’s ready for brings up some interesting questions. Niles has continued to treat her like a little girl in hopes that the CandleMaker, the murderous imaginary friend from her past, stays dormant within her, but is that the right approach?

For better or worse, Dorothy starts to question her time living on Danny’s Street. It’s been pleasant enough, but she’s always been held there for the safety of the world around her, and not permitted to leave without Niles. Dorothy also has a moment where she’s let let down by an exhausted Rita, so she does a fair amount of growing up in this episode.

Speaking of Rita, she’s a comic highlight. In an attempt to clear her mind to use her powers, she enlists the help of Flex Metallo to give her, as she puts it, a “release.” We’re led to think she’s talking about sex but she just wants Flex to literally flex things into existence. This is what causes the sex demon to appear at the party, and things just get weirder from here.

Doom Patrol — EP 204 — “Sex Patrol“ — Image Courtesy Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jane is locked in the underground as different personalities try their hand at being the primary, failing one after the other. And Cliff is high as a kite, and way funnier than usual. He’s giving out free hugs, dancing with randos (including the sex demon, which Cliff assumes he’s hallucinating), and being the absolute life of the party.

Eventually, a bunch of Ghostbuster knockoffs called the SexMen show up; their job is to stop the sex demon from giving birth because, if the baby cries, all the children of the planet Earth will die. It’s as ridiculous as it sounds. In the end, it’s actually one of Jane’s personalities, Hammerhead, who kills the demon and saves the day.

This episode is designed to get you to laugh, not further the story, and it succeeded. “Sex Patrol” shows how a series doesn’t need to take itself too seriously to be really good.

Grade: A

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