Recreating History
As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, we begin this week’s episode with a brief recap and a look at Jane’s past life in the heart of the Punk era in the 70s. From here, we return to the present where the Eye in the sky begins obliterating people and objects out of existence. As the town is thrown into chaos once again, it’s up to the Doom Patrol to try to save the day. Or at least, what’s left of them. With Robotman and Jane stuck in Nurnheim and with no way of escaping, it’s at this point where a spanner is thrown in the works and we get our first glimpse of Chief and Mr Nobody in the great void of nothingness. After a self-aware jab about narrating the series, Mr Nobody and Miles concoct a time-hopping plan that involves using a specific version of Jane to re-write history. At this point things do get a little complicated but Doom Patrol pulls this off with finesse and surprisingly good writing. As Mr Nobody cuts back through time and finds Jane’s personality, Doctor Harrison, back in the present day Miles returns to Doom Manor to rally the troops and help change the future. After calling forth a magical spirit from another world, the new prophecy begins to take shape. This sees Jane convincing everyone in the past of a new book called the Recreator which will be used to counteract the Decreator when the eye descends from the sky. As the prophetic message begins to take shape, Jane decides to embellish a little, including the new book written on a dog and the words to come forth after a bell is struck three times. A specific bell, it seems, that lies in the heart of Nurnheim. As the pieces fall into place and everything becomes clearer, the group rewrite history, call forth the Recreator and subsequently save the world. All whilst saving Robotman and Jane from their fates inside the snow globe and destroying Nurnheim. All seems well until one final message from Mr Nobody sees Jane given a new mission and the true end-game kept a mystery as our antagonist appears back into the fold more maniacal than ever before. When it comes to writing yourself out of a hole, props to the writers in Doom Patrol because this episode was fantastic. The way everything effortlessly comes together here is really quite impressive and although the plot is essentially resolved through a very twisty, windy deus ex machina plot device, it’s so cleverly disguised here it really doesn’t matter at all. Doom Patrol continues to impress and this week’s episode is arguably the best since it came on air. While the show has always excelled with its eclectic mix of comedy, action and drama, this week proves the writing team can deliver a time-bending episode in a cohesive and clear manner without it ever feeling confusing or too complicated. It’s really quite remarkable and Doom Patrol deserves its acclaim; it’s shaping up to be one of the best shows of the year.
