Doom Patrol – “Jane Patrol” Review

ane stuck in a memory. Photo courtesy of KSiteTV.

Please Keep In Mind That This Article Contains Potential Spoilers For “Jane Patrol” and Events That Occurred Prior

It’s been teased the whole season, and now we’ve finally gotten to see it: the infamous Underground. The place where all 64 of Jane’s personalities reside—and boy was it a trip. I don’t know about you guys, but I noticed some heavy Inception and Leftover vibes. To be clear, I mean that in the best possible way. Seeing how everything works wasn’t a disappoint. Getting to see it through Cliff’s eyes—as a human no less—was the cherry on top.

It was great getting to piece together the dynamics in play within the underground, and seeing how the inner workings truly are. I absolutely loved how there was a huge emphasis on things not fully making sense—even to all the local residents themselves. Just another example of the influences pulled from The Leftovers. One intriguing surprise that the episode offered was how many of Jane’s personalities don’t look like Jane at all. It was neat getting to see a different personification of someone like Hammerhead—or even Baby Doll. At the same time, we got to see quite a few that we never had a chance to meet. A tantalizing tease at what we might see in the future perhaps?

Cliff trying to reach Jane at all costs. Photo courtesy of KSiteTV.

While the setting and world building at place was certainly on point for the entire episode, the real focus was on Jane. It was about her not only coming to terms with all of the heavy realizations in the real world, but also attempting to overcome to powerful darkness in her past that caused her to split into who she is now. While already having been alluded to, it was officially revealed that this darkness present inside her was a manifestation of her abusive father. Even more tragic was how we learned that Jane was not the first Primary responsible for driving the body. Miranda (and potentially others) came before her—and she led herself on a similar path looking for answers. One that pushed her into the Well, destroying her very being, while leaving gruesome reminders of her presence in the underground. Jane was doomed for the same result. But this time she has someone in her life now—someone that may be the most important personal connection she has ever formed: Cliff Steele.

The relationship between Jane and Cliff has been a backbone of the show since it started—and remains to be one of heavy emotional investment. Thanks to the Negative Spirit, Cliff got a VIP ride into Jane’s mind. The best part about all of this is how we got to see Brendan Fraser as Robotman—even sharing some important emotional moment with Jane herself. It was fantastic getting to see Brendan Fraser interact with this strange world and situation. I’m glad that the writer’s found a natural way to achieve this. While Cliff’s main focus was to bring Jane back and right his wrong, he had his own personal journey as well. Accepting who he is now. That he is no long human—he is a robot. Him ripping off his skin was fantastic (and literal) symbolism for him shedding his mask. His human facade—removes to reveal his true form. Who he really is. That acceptance was what both he and Jane needed in order for the two to connect  and get out of her mental prison.

Jane glancing at dark reminders of the past. Photo courtesy of KSiteTV.

“Jane Patrol” was a fantastic episode that got to let both Diane Guerrero and Brendan Fraser shine as they navigated the dangerous Underground. The structure of the episode didn’t allow much time for the other members of our team—but clearly something fishy was happening while Cliff and Jane (and poor Larry) were away. The show continues to knock it out of the park on every level, and is constantly building upon things introduced throughout the show. Even the smallest details never seem to be forgotten, and that is quite an accomplishment.

You can catch new episodes of Doom Patrol when they air on DC Universe streaming network every Friday.