Another great day to rewatch Doom Patrol! Welcome to everyone who joins in to relive this great 2nd episode with us! :robotman_dp: :robotmanscrap_dp:
The show stars April Bowlby, Diane Guerrero, Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, Joivan Wade, Timothy Dalton and Alan Tudyk.
Please read on below to prepare yourself for how this works:
THE DEETS
Who: You, silly!
What: Doom Patrol, Season 1, Episode 2
Where: Right here on the forums! In this thread! In the comments below! Maybe on your phone! But also, you’ll be watching Doom Patrol on a big screen. So there, too.
When: Wednesday, June 3rd, at 7p PST/10p EST
Why: Because the community that geeks out together, stays together.
How: Great question- read below!
CAN’T WIN IF YOU DON’T PLAY – You must have a subscription to DC Universe to access Doom Patrol.
DUAL-WIELDING – Watch-Alongs are best experienced on two devices; Your phone for comments, and your big screen for viewing.
2, 1 LET’S JAM – Have your clicking finger on the “play” button and ready for action- we’ll be starting at the stroke of the hour.
A WRINKLE IN TIME – If you get lost in the time, you can calculate where the audience is by checking the minute- For example, if it’s 7:15 pm PST, then we are 15 minutes into the show. Or, just check with us in the comments and we’ll happily let you know what we’re watching.
Yea, baby.
Anyway my theory on how the powers/disabilities of Rita, Larry and Cliff relate to their past lives. First, this came up in a discussion last year in which someone was complaining about the time spent on Larry’s past. Their argument was that it was irrelevant, at least that was their public complaint. In responding, this is generally what I came up with.
The powers and disabilities of our first three Doom Patrol members directly reflect their sins in their previous lives.
Cliff’s is very easy to see, and Cliff talks about it a number of times. As a NASCAR driver, Cliff let his desire for physical pleasure override his responsibilities to his wife and daughter. Cliff drowned himself in alcohol, drugs, sex, and food. The physical was far more important than the emotional. Then as Robotman, he cannot feel anything. He can’t taste food or drink or even feel the wind against his face.
Rita as well has a straight line from her vanity which covers her insecurities and her inability to not turn into a blob. She is so concerned about physical appearance that she has a camera operator fired because he was missing part of a limb. I saw this as a refection of her own mirror gazing focus on looks. Of course now, she literally melts when when she feels insecure.
Finally, Larry. Larry fault was hiding his true self from the world and torturing himself and those around him in the process. Under the circumstances of the day, you can empathize with his not coming out and loosing his position in the military, but that doesn’t excuse the lies to his wife or the lies to John. The pilot’s flight suit was as much a disguise as the bandages he wears today. As Negative Man, he must hide himself behind his wraps not to harm others, and he and the negative spirit are at war torturing one another. This of course was played out as the season went on and Larry and the spirit came to some closure over his previous life.