REVIEW: ‘Doom Patrol,’ Season 3 Episode 10 – “Amends Patrol”

The finale of Doom Patrol is here, with the last episode of Season 3 titled “Amends Patrol.” With a chaotic cluster of character conundrums, it’s been one hell of a ride in a manner of storytelling only Doom Patrol can deliver.

Developed and executive produced by Jeremy Carver, starring Diane Guerrero (Crazy Jane), Matt Bomer (Larry Trainor / Negative Man), Brendan Fraser (Robotman), April Bowlby (Rita Farr), and Jovian Wade (Cyborg), Doom Patrol tells the story of a dysfunctional group of metahumans that were the test subjects of a mad scientist on the quest for immortality. The episode is directed by Rebecca Rodriguez, who also directed the prior episode.

In the previous episode, “Evil Patrol,” the team picks up the pieces of a very raw experience, for which each of them has forever been changed. Vic no longer has access to his Motherbox technology, and Kay/Jane has no powers. Larry is now a Father to a space parasite, Cliff is held accountable for his addictions, and Rita is hunting down Madame Rouge for her betrayal. The team is beyond fractured.

To add insult to the injury, Madame Rouge infiltrated Doom manor, in the form of Cliff’s grandchild, and kidnapped the Robotman to deliver his body to the Brain for a much-needed upgrade.

Now in the final episode of the season, things have gotten beyond bizarre as Jane finally finds the rest of the underground as they fight for independence from Kay, but to their own detriment. Meanwhile, Cliff finds a way back in dramatic style and scares his friends half to death. I’ll leave the rest to your viewing pleasure as it’s beyond bonkers in the most Doom Patrol fashion possible.

This episode had me caught in two minds, and it’s reflective of the season as a whole. Given the prior episodes felt like a lot of character development and plot framing, I was expectant of an explosive finale. Yet, that’s not really what we got. The pacing felt off as the story had to jump around to contend with all of the smaller threads and tie them up.

It also lacked a certain panache, something I believe we’ve become very accustomed to when it comes to comic book adapted TV shows.

That being said, where Doom Patrol excels, and why I loved this finale despite some obstacles, is once again in its pursuit and dedication of the show’s main characters’ development. This season, out of all of the seasons so far, has undoubtedly re-examined the trauma that was the catalyst in creating these meta-humans, but also what became of them once they’d reconciled with their differences and how that impacted their environment.

No one’s journey exemplifies this more than Jane’s. Her alters existed for years in response to Kay’s trauma, as each one played their part with their own powers to help the prime persona. Now with Jane creating a safe space, Kay has surfaced and wants more control creating a feeling of existential dread amongst the alters as they ponder their place when they are no longer needed.

Rita has also found herself in a dark place after living two lives, and losing a loved one at the hands of a friend causes her to seek vengeance. Larry’s situation finally comes full circle when his space parasite reveals its true intentions.

While it wasn’t a flashy finale, it was one I was extremely fond of as you can’t help but want to support this gang of super-powered misfits and the bizarre hijinks they constantly find themselves in.

Overall, the finale of Doom Patrol,” Amends Patrol,” doesn’t have one defining moment you can’t point to and say, wow! Instead, the story has been carefully cultivated to uplift and explore its core characters as they seek to figure out who they are without the leadership of the Chief, Niles Caulder. I’m excited to see that the show will be back for another season, and hopefully, it comes back around quickly.

Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 10, “Amends Patrol,” is available now exclusively on HBO Max.