The inaugural season of Doom Patrol was a surprise hit last year, putting the relatively obscure superhero team in the spotlight and bringing one of the weirdest live action comic book adaptations to date. When it comes to the second season, I don't really have too much new to say. It's still a really great show, retaining much of what made the first season so loved.
The characters are well acted with their best moments shining in their most vulnerable moments. Said moments really make you feel for them and work well with the themes of trauma and mental health the show is about.
The rogues gallery grows further with more villains each bringing their own brand of strangeness. You have the more silly threats in Dr. Tyme and the Scants, the latter of which are microscopic creatures who feed on stupidity. There's also the disturbing and terrifying in Red Jack and our main villain of the season Candlemaker. Candlemaker doesn't have the same charisma Alan Tudyk had as Mr. Nobody last season and is really just a CGI monster, but he still has a scary look coupled with Lex Lang's voice acting.
If there are any new themes this season brings to the show, it's that of legacy, family, and connections, with each of the main characters trying to better themselves.
* The most obvious has to do with Niles Caulder, not just in trying to be there for his daughter, but also hoping to make amends with the rest of the group for what he did to each of them.
* Cliff/Robot Man, trying to prove himself a better father than Niles as well as his own dad, tries to reconnect with his grown up daughter. This plotline is a bit hard to watch, being a bit cringey as well as sympathetic. Though this does bring me to my biggest problem, or rather nit-pick, with the season: Cliff's Flanderization (look it up). He's constantly dropping f-bombs, and while it was a lot more funny in the previous season, it's now like an explosion in a Michael Bay movie. It happens so much that it's lost much of its impact.
* Larry/Negative Man returns to his family after the death of one of his sons, reconnecting with his other son as well as meeting his grandson and great grandson. This was my favorite plotline in regards to the legacy theme, as it brings as much emotion as his arc last season. I think of all the characters, Larry has the most baggage from the life he left behind.
* Rita/Elastiwoman recovers a repressed memory of her mother while Vic/Cyborg kindles a relationship with a woman he met in a support group.
* Jane has a more inner conflict with her other personalities who are growing unconfident in her role as "primary." This leads to another seemingly normal and more well adjusted personality named Miranda to eventually take over. The legacy aspect isn't as prominent here, having more to do with learning more of the traumas that lead the character to who she is today.
Unfortunately, these plotlines and more will remain unresolved until next season, as with the other current DC shows, production had to be shut down due to the pandemic. Only nine of the ten ordered episodes were able to be completed. Part of me wishes this season had been longer like the last season, as then we were able to explore more of the characters' backstories and personalities and connect more with them. But since production had to be shut down, it's probably good we were at least able to get 90% of what was planned.
That said, the finale we did get was probably my favorite of the season, even if it does end on a cliffhanger. With the characters having to face their old imaginary friends, it felt like the episode that embraced weirdness the most. Just a heads up though, without spoiling anything, the more religious will probably be as angry at this as an episode of Family Guy.
Overall, Doom Patrol continues to be one of the best and weirdest DC shows out there, even if we don't get as much this time around.
