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ladyorlandodream · 3 days ago

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Finally, the day has come — a year and five months later, but who’s counting — to put into words my thoughts on the series finale of Doom Patrol. Long post!

Let’s start with this: I didn’t write anything right away because I was emotionally wrecked. This series came into my life during a very tough time, and as a longtime Brendan Fraser fan, seeing him return as the epic Cliff Steele was incredible. That monologue with the Sisterhood of Dada in Season 3? Chef’s kiss. And then there’s my overwhelming love for Rita — I was speechless.

To give you an idea: the first time I watched the finale, I was out in the field for work. I drove five hours on the highway just to get home past midnight, so I could watch the last three episodes in peace, alone, while everyone else slept. By minute five, I was already tearing up. And when it ended with “I am home,” I was sobbing so hard I had to step outside. I cried in the garden for at least two hours, one of my dogs sitting beside me, completely confused as to why I was falling apart.

I didn’t expect it to hit me that hard.

So, I waited. And with time, I decided to rewatch the whole thing — though I couldn’t bring myself to rewatch the final episode until much later.

And now, here we are. Let’s talk about those last episodes: tragic-comedic-tragic-comedic and then tragic again. Classic Doom Patrol, with a sprinkle of nonsense like the singing butts — because, fuck it, why not?

Let’s begin with the characters I liked the least, starting with Victor. Unpopular opinion, maybe, but I never really liked him. In the beginning, he was incredibly selfish — let’s not forget how harshly he criticized Rita for her wanting to be a superhero, telling her she wasn’t good enough. Sure, he tried to train her, but he wasn’t exactly helpful. A lot of his behavior struck me as childish. Toward the end, he redeemed himself a little, finally understanding his purpose as Cyborg. Still, he remains my least favorite. Personal taste, of course.

Then there’s Madame Rouge. She had so much potential (comic readers will know how powerful she truly is). I mean, she may have been the one — unknowingly, maybe even later — who gave Niles the file on Rita for Project Immortus. Remember how she hands him those documents while he’s toying with the green liquid the very same we see in the first episode? That was a huge twist. I wonder if the version of Rouge who arrived in the future without memory was actually the same one who had been attacked years before by our future Rouge. That whole scene was intense and really well done. But I can’t forgive her for something: she jumped on the Immortus train to regain immortality for everyone, but the moment she saw Isabel’s show, she flipped back into her “conquer-the-world” mode like nothing happened. Sure, she eventually got back on track, but that dark part of her is always there. Still, her ending worked for me. She’d lost everything, so destroying the Bureau with a flamethrower and that psychotic expression? Chef’s kiss.

Now the Fantastic Four.

Let’s acknowledge that this last season was poorly treated: obviously low budget, they didn’t capitalize on Brendan’s Oscar win, and marketing was nonexistent. The final season felt rushed. Still...

Larry, sweet Larry. Because of that rush, they just dropped Rama into the plot. Lovely character, sure, and I get the “love at first sight” angle, but their connection felt totally unearned. It needed more time to develop. (Though Cliff’s line about feeling “tension” between them cracked me up.) Also, what the hell happened when they exploded? And the original Negative Man could talk this whole time?! After seasons of just glowing?! Season 4 didn’t treat Larry well — and he didn’t even get proper closure with Rita. They didn’t hug, because she was a ghost. They say goodbye to each other, showing that they truly are soulmates in the friends way, but I felt something was missing. I found it so disappointing that, for his best friend of decades, the only thing he chose to burn with his body was so superficial… that? Really?

Jane: Her ending with the Kaleidoscope was beautiful. Seeing all the personas together was powerful and emotional. K is finally “healed” or at least allowed to grow. And against Immortus, thanks to this merge, we saw a return of K’s powers — which we hadn’t seen in ages! I screamed. But Dr. Harrison’s death? Completely unexplained. Season 3 ended with tension between her and Jane, hinting at a future clash of powerful personas. But with the show being cut short, that plot was axed — and H just died. No explanation. What a waste. Also... Jane and Shelley not staying together broke my heart. I adore Shelley. She waited for Jane… and maybe still is? But suddenly Jane is with Casey? After meeting during the musical episode?? Love already?! How?! Why?! When?! No logic. So rushed. And the goodbye with Cliff — not knowing it was the last time they’d talk — that hit hard. Their final drive together, neither of them able to drive due to Parkinson’s and dementia, was poetic. They understood each other. They knew they had to go home. To end with the others. Their parent-child dynamic is pure bittersweet gold.

Cliff: My treasure. My robot bear. Let’s talk about the foreshadowing — “I wanna die in peace with my daughter and my grandson.” I only caught it on rewatch, and it shattered me. And “Hey Zuul”? A nod for the Ghostbusters fans. Genius. The backstory with Niles was amazing — how Niles ended up in a wheelchair, the anger, the disbelief. The memory potion (possibly the same used later on Jane?), and Willoughby telling Cliff not to strip someone of immortality right after breaking their back — amazing. And Von Fuchs’ minions showing up? Total first-season nostalgia. Cliff being the first to say, “We have to save Rita,” just because “It’s Rita,” melted me. She taught him breathing techniques to handle anxiety — which he uses throughout the series. She helped him when he was a megarobot, just like he helped her when she became that city-devouring mega blob. I wanna go home. If Rita’s in danger, she gets saved. No questions asked. This is what Cliff says, no matter the danger or the risk of his skin. And his ending, guys, what can I say, is chilling. Immortus' gift of the gem is indescribable. Small note: Cliff "Swallowed" Isabel's nail, but unfortunately this could not stop her illness, the Parkinson’s still winning despite it all. I liked the fact that we were not shown a totally happy life… Claire having cancer, Rory repeating Cliff’s own life mistakes, but then returning to be there for his daughter — joy and sorrow, just like life, I'm getting emotional just thinking about it...and the fact that in the end he died with his daughter and grandson, simply saying "I'm home" and his eyes turning off. Pure poetry. A beautiful ending for a character full of highs and lows. It was sad, but undoubtedly wonderful.

Rita: My love since the pilot. A woman whose mood changes with the wind. Her growth through the series has been applause-worthy, and it truly shows in the final episodes. Let’s step back for a second though: her behavior toward Larry after returning from the past was awful. She kept saying she’d lost the most important person in her life, completely disregarding Larry — who had always stood by her through light and darkness. He didn’t deserve that. Thankfully, things got better, especially in part of their farewell. That dinner scene, when she finally broke down and explained why eating together was important and why the “Team Leader” title mattered to her — it wasn’t superficial, it was about family. For her, it’s always been the three of them: Larry, Cliff, and Jane.

The scene in the kitchen, her vulnerability as she talks with Rouge — so sad but so beautiful. April Bowlby perfectly portrays an aging woman: the movements, the stiffness, the pain in her joints, turning into the blob — the thing she hates most — just to feel relief. Her voice, her body language, everything spoke of fragility. Even forgiving Isabel showed her growth. And Rouge watching her, knowing her friend is aging faster than the others. The fireplace scene, remembering their best moments, felt like April herself was speaking — as if she was saying goodbye, not just Rita. The music as she dozes off at the table during breakfast was the quiet signal that something was coming. And then… her death. It hit me as hard as Cliff’s. Her decision not to be saved made sense, in her way. She was the glue holding them all together. Now it was time for everyone to live their own lives. Tragic words, but true. Beautiful. Devastating. She died holding her uniform, the colors of her family. And of course, Doom Patrol can’t go out without a bit of humor: the pyre scene, the stink, the farts — hilarious. Though I hated how meaningless the friends’ chosen items were. And the end with Malcolm? Please. That man knew Bendy, not Rita. Not the full life of Elasti-Girl, but the woman he met without memories. I get that it was meant as the best ending for her, but Bendy is only a part of who Rita was. I’ll end this part with her final words, her trademark, the ones she used to lie about being ok…those words, for the first time, she used them to truly comfort her friends.

It’s fine. It’s totally fine.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten so much, but this is already long enough. Many things remain — and will remain — unexplained. What happened to the Sisterhood, with their incredible potential wasted in Season 3? Where’s Dorothy? Danny — is he still an ambulance or back to being a street? And my biggest heartbreak of Season 4: the absence of my other bear, Flex Mentallo. He deserved one last appearance. The man who nearly ended the world by giving Rita a super-orgasm. The sweetest man in the universe.

So many things. But I’ll stop here.

Thank you Doom Patrol for what you were, and still are. I’m catching up with the comics now, so our story isn’t over. Only the show is, but never say never. But Thank You for showing that no one is perfect, and even so, you can find a family who will always accept you.

I’ll close with my heroine’s final words to the team in the livingroom:

The Doom Patrol is no longer.