Doom Patrol season 2 (HBO Max)

[Mister Six]

Hooray! The best TV show you haven't seen is coming to HBO Max (Time Warner's attempt to take on Disney+, and incorporating Cinemax and DC Universe, among other channels) on June 25, according to its Facebook page.

I'm astonished and delighted that this made it to a second season. Sadly no more Mr Nobody - Alan Tudyk is off on another show - but there's plenty to cover: the origin of Flex Mentallo, the regrowth (hopefully) of Danny the Street, Niles's daughter (and why Mr Nobody wanted her), hopefully some explanation of why Niles

Spoiler alert

did all those immortality experiments when he hasn't aged since the late 19th century...

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Who's excited?

[Small Man Big Horse]

I am indeed, though I'm quite surprised it's returning so soon as they apparently didn't quite finish shooting before the lockdown so I'm intrigued as to how they'll wrap everything up.

[Mister Six]

Animation.

Or maybe there was so little left to shoot (and with no/few VFX shots) that they think they'll be able to get the ending in the can before the season ends. Assuming it's another 15 episode run, it'll wrap up on October 8.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Animation.

Funnily enough I thought of that as a possibility, it's the kind of show which could get away with it too, and perhaps even benefit from such a thing.

Or maybe there was so little left to shoot (and with no/few VFX shots) that they think they'll be able to get the ending in the can before the season ends. Assuming it's another 15 episode run, it'll wrap up on October 8.

That's also definitely possible too, I've just seen on the BBC site that Eastenders is to resume filming next month and I doubt the US will be too far behind. Either way it's great that it's returning, and I hope it being on HBO Max as well means a larger audience see it.

[Alberon]

There's another show in the States going down the animation route. The Blacklist with James Spader had a partially finished episode so they're wrapping up the rest of it with animation.

Glad to see the return of the Doom Patrol. Best and most original of all the superhero shows on these days. Hopefully it can be at least as bonkers as the first season or, with luck, more so.

[sirhenry]

Excellent news!
I wonder if Negative Man will develop as he/they did in the comic. It would surprise me if it didn't happen, but I suspect that for TV it would be given a point.
And the idea of finishing it off in animation would be wonderful. If only...

I'm still really, really hoping that they do a Flex Mentallo origin montage over the Bonzos' Mr. Apollo. They were made for each other.

Sorry to see Alan Tudyk go; the show needs a similarly over-the-top villain to hold it together while the team continues to fail to gel.

[Mister Six]

Excellent news!
I wonder if Negative Man will develop as he/they did in the comic. It would surprise me if it didn't happen, but I suspect that for TV it would be given a point.
And the idea of finishing it off in animation would be wonderful. If only...

I could only see that happening if Bomer leaves, and even then it seems unlikely, since Rebis is basically a completely different character to Larry - and so (deliberately) alien, unsettling and distant that it would likely piss off a lot of fans.

The negative spirit leaving Larry (who is either healed or dies) and combining two other characters, maybe...

I'm still really, really hoping that they do a Flex Mentallo origin montage over the Bonzos' Mr. Apollo. They were made for each other.

I agree, but I'd be astonished if the showrunners were familiar with the Bonzos!

Personally, I'd like to see a few more actual superheroics this time around. Not overwhelmingly so, but I really enjoyed the Decreator story in season one, and would have liked something a bit lightweight and knockabout towards the end of the first season, when it was becoming increasingly character-focused and serialised. Just something that's a bit light, as a sorbet, before things get heavy again.

[Mister Six]

Doom Patrol season one now up on Max. If you know anyone who has HBO and might be interested, please spread the word!

In the meantime, I'm running through the episodes on my phone in the background while I work, to burn off some karma for, er, "acquiring" them previously.

[Small Man Big Horse]

The first trailer for season 2 is online - https://news.avclub.com/its-all-about-family-a-very-weird-family-in-the-doom-pa-1843984254 - the first half is a bit of a catch up for newcomers but after that it's all new footage, and it looks like it should be just as fun as the first season was.

[Alberon]

Looks as deranged as the first season, as it should be. Did that advertising hoarding have an Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man advert on?

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

Looks as deranged as the first season, as it should be. Did that advertising hoarding have an Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man advert on?

That's what it looks like. For "My Side", the autobiography of one of his heads, named Denise.

They'll also release three episodes at once on the first week.

[sirhenry]

They'll also release three episodes at once on the first week, seven more on week five and the remaining two on St. Bartholomew's day. And a Christmas special on Grant Morrison's birthday (31st January 1980).

[Mister Six]

Flex is back! Yay!

Direct link to the trailer: https://youtu.be/bwiq5ykj8wE

Rita's reaction to Cyborg's question is adorable.

[Artie Fufkin]

Awwwwww, man! Well chuffed about this. Had no idea a second series had been made. Brilliant.

[AsparagusTrevor]

A review I read mentioned there's only 9 episodes this season which is a bit of a let down. Hopefully just cut shorter due to Covid-19 and not the norm, assuming (and hoping) it's back for season 3 and beyond.

[Mister Six]

Ah that's a shame. Yeah, reports said Covid had interfered with the end of the season's shooting. I wondered how they had got around that. I'm guessing they just dialled it back to the last episode with a decent cliffhanger and used that as the season finale, then, since there doesn't seem to be a clear end in sight.

Timothy Dalton is an astonishingly well preserved 74, so I can't blame them for being very careful.

[sirhenry]

Right, that's tonight sorted...

It's going to be hard to wait till this evening though. I've not been this excited for a TV show for ages...

[Small Man Big Horse]

One episode down and I'm still extremely enamoured with it, so many various highlights but

Spoiler alert

Cliff wearing the rat skin, Timothy Dalton singing and Dorothy in general were all great, and I felt genuinely tense when her friends came out to play by the tunnel.

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Not sure where the flashback's with

Spoiler alert

Cliff and his Dad

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are going but otherwise I've no complaints and I enjoyed it an enormous amount.

[Small Man Big Horse]

As there's only 9 episodes this time around I'm doing my best to ration it, and so am only up to the third one so far. I'm still loving it an insane amount though, Dorothy's a little different to how I imagined her in the comic but if anything is a far more sympathetic and likeable character (albeit quite chilling when scared and out of control) and everything else has been fantastic too. Have to admit I'm quite enjoying the way Cyborg is off on his own having minor adventures, not that I dislike the character but I've never seen him as a real member of the group (if only as he wasn't in the comics I've read) and he's far more interesting when separated from everyone. If I've a minor complaint it's that I thought they could have done a little more

Spoiler alert

with Red Jack, perhaps spreading his tale over two episodes

[close]

, but otherwise it's been ridiculously fun viewing and I can't think of another comics adaptation that is better.

[sirhenry]

I'm the opposite, I don't have the willpower to wait so watch them as soon as I can.

I wasn't hugely enthused after the first couple of episodes; I was completely lost at the start because I'd forgotten almost everything that happened in the last 5 minutes of series 1, but by the end of  the first episode they'd brought it back together. Even their relationship with the Chief seems to have reverted to pre-revelation in an annoyingly comics fashion ("The appearance of change with no real change") It doesn't have the big baddie that I hoped for above, so this series feels more directionless/aimless - that worried me for the first 3 episodes, but less so as it goes on. As the theme of this one appears to be PAIN in all its forms, it's going to be interesting to see if they manage to maintain the level of comedy from the first series.

One of the things I really liked in the first series was Brendan Fraser having a script with just the word "Fuck!" for the first 3 episodes, but over the series he learned to deal with his crap life, got a purpose and toned it down. But then series 2 starts with him back on onlyfuck mode again. It gives some dynamic to his minimal relationship with Dorothy, but it feels contrived.
On the other hand it's good to see

Spoiler alert

the upgrading of his body storyline being followed

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- I'm really hoping it goes the way the comic did.

Cyborg's storyline feels as if it's just dawdling before a huge reveal but somehow I'm not finding it engaging in the meantime. Hopefully it won't be as predictable as it's looking.

Meanwhile Rita and Larry are lovely in their suffering and the actress playing Dorothy has done a remarkable job of making her sympathetic despite a wobbly accent and dehumanising (but rather good) prosthetics.

Despite the few quibbles, I'm still grabbing and watching them asap and enjoying each episode more than the last. Episode 5 is just

Spoiler alert

horrifically glorious - the escalation from Baby Doll's surprise reaction to the carnage that follows was horrible but perfect. It took me a while to realise that the Candlemaker wasn't the burning remnants of Manny, the prehistoric god, after revenge because it felt rather extreme, but as it was the Candlemaker this is presumably just

[close]

the beginning...

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

One of the main issues this season is that they don't do much with the villain of the week, beyond introducing them and giving them a couple of scenes at most. If Doctor Tyme is just in one single episode, he would barely register, outside the joke based on Rita's drawing.

Best episode so far is episode four, with the SeX Men and the Danny party. Naturally, I also loved the Steele & Stone credits from episode five.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Right, have finished episode 5 now so can respond...

I'm the opposite, I don't have the willpower to wait so watch them as soon as I can.

I wasn't hugely enthused after the first couple of episodes; I was completely lost at the start because I'd forgotten almost everything that happened in the last 5 minutes of series 1, but by the end of  the first episode they'd brought it back together. Even their relationship with the Chief seems to have reverted to pre-revelation in an annoyingly comics fashion ("The appearance of change with no real change") It doesn't have the big baddie that I hoped for above, so this series feels more directionless/aimless - that worried me for the first 3 episodes, but less so as it goes on. As the theme of this one appears to be PAIN in all its forms, it's going to be interesting to see if they manage to maintain the level of comedy from the first series.

Well to be fair Cliff is still hugely pissed off with the Chief, though they definitely could have made more of Larry and Rita's reactions rather than hand waving it away in the first episode. I don't mind the directionless feel to it though, there's still The Candlemaker lurking in the background as the big bad (and at the end of the fifth, in the foreground) and I'm happy for him to be the big bastard this year. That said of course it's been truncated down to nine episodes, meaning six weren't made, so I'm preparing myself to be a little frustrated on that front. Comedy wise I think it's matched the first season so far though, bar the fifth episode at least, but I've no issue with certain bleak ones.

One of the things I really liked in the first series was Brendan Fraser having a script with just the word "Fuck!" for the first 3 episodes, but over the series he learned to deal with his crap life, got a purpose and toned it down. But then series 2 starts with him back on onlyfuck mode again. It gives some dynamic to his minimal relationship with Dorothy, but it feels contrived.
On the other hand it's good to see

Spoiler alert

the upgrading of his body storyline being followed

[close]

- I'm really hoping it goes the way the comic did.

Well again, Cliff's fucked off with Niles so that's partially why he's back in Fuck mode, along with his daughter rejecting him, so it's understandable - though I hope by the end of this season he's grown and they tone it down as it can be a bit ridiculous at times. And as for the upgrading of the body storyline, if you mean an appearance from

Spoiler alert

Monsieur Mallah and The Brain

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, dear god yes, that would be amazing if they did adapt that issue.

Cyborg's storyline feels as if it's just dawdling before a huge reveal but somehow I'm not finding it engaging in the meantime. Hopefully it won't be as predictable as it's looking.

I'm struggling with that too but at least it doesn't take up too much screen time, and it did lead to Stone And Steel which I loved enormously.

Meanwhile Rita and Larry are lovely in their suffering and the actress playing Dorothy has done a remarkable job of making her sympathetic despite a wobbly accent and dehumanising (but rather good) prosthetics.

Despite the few quibbles, I'm still grabbing and watching them asap and enjoying each episode more than the last. Episode 5 is just

Spoiler alert

horrifically glorious - the escalation from Baby Doll's surprise reaction to the carnage that follows was horrible but perfect. It took me a while to realise that the Candlemaker wasn't the burning remnants of Manny, the prehistoric god, after revenge because it felt rather extreme, but as it was the Candlemaker this is presumably just

[close]

the beginning...

And I'm completely with you on all of those fronts.

One of the main issues this season is that they don't do much with the villain of the week, beyond introducing them and giving them a couple of scenes at most. If Doctor Tyme is just in one single episode, he would barely register, outside the joke based on Rita's drawing.

Best episode so far is episode four, with the SeX Men and the Danny party. Naturally, I also loved the Steele & Stone credits from episode five.

I'm mostly in agreement with you, certainly Red Jack and Dr Tyme deserved more screen time, but I think having any more of Mr Evans would have spoilt the impact of his absurdly insane but gloriously funny scenes.

[The Roofdog]

Can't wait to catch up with this, the first series absolutely blew me away (after I got serious fatigue with most comics-inspired TV shows it's kind of a shame that it came out in the same year as The Boys really, I feel like more people would be shouting about this if they weren't going on about The Boys)

[sirhenry]

I don't mind the directionless feel to it though, there's still The Candlemaker lurking in the background as the big bad (and at the end of the fifth, in the foreground) and I'm happy for him to be the big bastard this year. That said of course it's been truncated down to nine episodes, meaning six weren't made, so I'm preparing myself to be a little frustrated on that front. Comedy wise I think it's matched the first season so far though, bar the fifth episode at least, but I've no issue with certain bleak ones.

I'm more than happy with it going mainly grimdark with occasional flashes of comedy brilliance like it has so far. The only other thing I've been watching recently has been the animated Harley Quinn, which is oddly similar in its tones, though skewed far more into the slapstick. That has come as a big surprise as I wasn't expecting it to be my kind of thing at all. And being old, I like the perverse pleasure of having to wait a week for each new episode of both. Speaking of which, it's Thursday, so more doom, gloom, angst and giggles!

My memory of the comic is that Cliff was far more protective of Dorothy in the comic than he has been so far on the show, so I'm curious whether I'm wrong or if they have a different dynamic planned, for whatever reason. It does mean that he won't be so torn between Jane and Dorothy if their battles continue, so it may just be to keep a better focus on their relationship and take him out of the picture.

...and it did lead to Stone And Steel which I loved enormously.

How could anyone not? I'm guessing that clip will be available on various media soon/by now in the hopes of going viral or at least raising the profile of the show. And it would be good to find a larger audience to guarantee the remaining 6 episodes and more get made.

[sirhenry]

Finally watched episode 8 - the

Spoiler alert

Avengers

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pastiche is absolutely glorious!

The story's coming on nicely too, with Jane/Miranda and the Underground developing nicely/horrifically.

[Artie Fufkin]

Naturally, I also loved the Steele & Stone credits from episode five.

That was incredible! I'd watch THAT for a dollar!

[sirhenry]

The finale is brilliant! Don't read/watch any spoilers, just jump in and enjoy. Pain, horror, trauma, laugh-out-loud moments and a lot of genuine pathos (Jane's origin is painful to watch and perfect). I'd love to discuss it more but even with spoilers I suspect people would be tempted to read them anyway and they would literally be spoilers. So maybe later.
Sadly no title sequences, but that would have destroyed the mood and broken the flow.

Instead, just brilliance in a way that strongly implies that this was already intended to be a mid-season break with a Cliffhanger ending before plans changed with the arrival of Corvid.

Watch it as soon as you can.

[AsparagusTrevor]

It was a great episode, but to me it did feel obvious we were missing a part to the finale. It was a satisfying enough cliffhanger under the circumstances though.

[sirhenry]

I've just discovered that the series was meant to be 10 episodes long, rather than the 15 that, for some reason, I thought it was. Which makes more sense of the way it ended in that it sets things up for the grand finale which will presumably be the opener of the next series. Normally I hate it when a series does that as it usually means that the first episode wraps everything up and the new season actually starts with episode 2 (Titans was particularly egregious in that regard), but at least there was a reason this time. Annoying that they were only a couple of scenes short when they had to stop filming, but...

[Small Man Big Horse]

I've caught up with the final two episodes tonight and loved both, and having Jesus as Cliff's imaginary friend was especially inspired stuff. But given the news about DC (that I posted in the comics thread, but in short there's been a sod load of lay off's and the DC Universe streaming service might be fucked - https://news.avclub.com/dc-comics-hit-with-huge-layoffs-dc-universe-streaming-1844681809) it was a little bittersweet, I know it's also an HBO Max show as well and so might live on there, but that's not exactly been doing enormously well either. Still, fingers crossed it'll come back for at least one more season...