HBO’s original series ‘Doom Patrol’ season four episode one entitled “Doom Patrol” starts with a look at how the team has changed since they acquired a time machine. During a mission the viewer sees the team as they are described by one of Diane Guerrero’s Crazy Jane super powered multiple personalities due to her fascination with each members mental health problems. Also, the viewers learn that April Bowlby’s Rita Farr is now team leader due to no one wanting the job. This is a fantastic character development as in earlier seasons she wanted nothing to do with being a part of a team. This is a result of her horrific powers that turn her into a huge blob of meat causing her great shame. However, not everyone is happy with how things have changed such as Joivan Wade’s Cyborg who got rid of his robot parts to not look different from normal people. Unfortunately, Cyborg is reduced to being the team’s tech support as he is powerless to help fight bad guys. In his mind, he knows that he is not the hero he once was due to the loss of his robot parts. Not to mention that deep down he yearns to be out with the team fighting the bad guys. By the look on his face the viewer can tell that a part of him misses his robot parts and wants to be cyborg again even if he won’t admit to himself. What he doesn’t miss is being looked at like a freak by others because of his robot parts.  

Additionally, the team accidentally ends up in the future where the world is ruled by zombie butts and their future selves are now ghosts due to them dying to stop them. The interesting part is that when Rita talks to her future self she finds out that everyone died due to her failing as a leader. By the look on her face the viewer can see that she is heartbroken by this revelation. In her mind, she feels as if everything she tries to do goes horribly wrong as she has tried to start over constantly. This is a result of her trying to be a better person, to move forward and forget the horrible person she was earlier in life. Now that she sees that once again, she failed it has filled her with a desire to change everyone’s fate along with her own. 

Later into the episode, as the team leaves Cyborg gets one last message from his future self. That message was simply to tell him he can’t be normal and be a superhero. This could imply that he may choose to have his robot parts back so he can help the team change the fate of the world. However, by the look of annoyance the viewer can assume that he will try to keep things as they are by being normal and trying to be a superhero. 

At the end of the episode, the viewer sees a well-known associate of the team meet with an order of sorcerers due to a coming enemy who may require the team to help defeat him. The humorous part about the order is that their leader is revealed to be a guinea pig. From what the viewer sees everyone appears to fear and respect it, which matches the weird and humorous tone of the series as it leads into the next episode. 

Rating: 8.5/10