Doom Patrol review, Episode 307, “Bird Patrol”
The shadows of the past loom large over the Doom Patrol as the Sisterhood of Dada prepares its grand attack. Speaking of the past, we watch Rita’s adventures in another time as relations between the Sisterhood and their once-proud member Laure De Mille begin to sour. It all ends when the caged bird sings this week in “Bird Patrol.”
Summary paragraph aside, I’ll be honest: this episode was pretty boring. The main reason, I think, is that it lacking any core storyline. Similar to last week, the members of the Doom Patrol are separated. Jane continues to battle her personas, Cliff visits his daughter to show how he has “improved,” Vic is preparing for surgery to replace his metal components, and Larry throws up a space worm.
I find myself having to repeat my criticism from last week. There just isn’t enough time to explore each of these stories to a satisfying degree. Granted, they definitely progress the characters’ individual arcs, but only by baby steps. There isn’t much in the way of interesting conflicts, problems, or solutions here.
The only storyline I found at all interesting this week is Rita’s. We now find her in 1949, troubled by the fact that Laure is becoming more distant and cold to her friends and fellow members of the Sisterhood. Additionally, the Bureau of Normalcy is pressuring her to reassign them. There’s some stew boiling in this plot. And it managed to be interesting without much screen time, with the bulk of the run taken up by the journeys of the other members, and I’ve already told you how exciting that is. Rita’s plotline at least offers change and conflict, but it’s still just setup for other episodes. Really the whole episode feels like that.
Well, at least by the end of the episode the Doom Patrol is reunited and facing imminent danger. So hopefully next week we’ll have a grand ol’ adventure again, but as for this week, there just isn’t much of note.
Grade: C
Next. Doom Patrol review: Episode 306, “1917 Patrol”. dark
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