Doom Patrol: Danny Patrol
April 6, 2019 9:59 AM - Season 1, Episode 8 - Subscribe

Vic and Larry learn the word on the street. Rita is invited to a wedding, but Cliff is excluded.

As I've mentioned, I'm not very far into the comics at all, but I'm given to understand that Danny is a long time character there. They're pretty fun, and I liked what they were like here.

Stuff:
* Larry having to sing was pretty great. The basic trope of 'force the super serious character to sing' is time-honored, and almost always funny to me. (Reminded me of things like the time Batman was forced to sing on Justice League Unlimited, etc.)
* Danny's initial communication with Maura Lee Karupt was pretty great, as was that choice of stage name. (Also, I loved the menswear store with the dresses in the display.)
* Giving clues via comic book was great.
* Karen was indeed pretty scary. It was also interesting to see how close her power was to the good doctor's in the Decreator storyline - I wonder how much of Jane's power actually is specific to personalities versus all of them drawing on the same pool of immense, possibly reality-warping talent.
* The kid coming and having a dance-off with Cliff was fantastic. "I've seen Flashdance 87 times. What do you think?"

IGN review.
Den of Geek review.
posted by mordax (13 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
A smiling, well-coiffed, tuxedo-clad Matt Bomer is definitely something that has been missing from TV since White Collar ended production.

It seems that the actor playing present-day Larry is taller and perhaps slimmer than Bomer, which isn't something I would have initially guessed. (I just eyeballed that based on how tall each one was in relation to Maura Lee Karupt when they were on stage together).
posted by sardonyx at 10:38 AM on April 6, 2019 [4 favorites]


“Fabulosity incarnate stands before you; show some goddamn respect.”

A few months ago had you told me I could fall in love with a DC show I'd have laughed in your face.  And yet when Maura Lee Karupt uttered that line I swear my black and shriveled heart swelled three sizes.   At this point, I wouldn't care in the least if the Chief's disappearance were the maguffin that drove the show through its entire run until his return in the last episode years from now—not if they can keep delivering these delightfully off-kilter episodes.

I loved the very idea of Karen, that was a hoot.  Though I have to say it was apparent from the instant her eyes flashed that Cliff was going to save the day with his—obviously—immune robot eyes.   Still funny though.  I am enjoying Brendan Fraser's voice works immensely.   He's a treasure.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 1:17 PM on April 6, 2019 [7 favorites]


"I don't sing." was subsequently such a letdown because of how great the musical interlude was.

Poked a big fat sausage finger right into a big personal nerve.

Karen is super fun, but where do the people come from? Are they also ageless (and timeless), or just this particular decade's Dougie that she finds (or is it time travel/ pocket universe?)?

"You have incredibly psychotic eyes!"

The concept of 'Danny the Street' is fascinating. The aesthetics super remind me of a mix between Vancouver's Denman street and Commercial Drive neighbourhoods in the late 80's/early 90's.
posted by porpoise at 6:36 PM on April 6, 2019 [3 favorites]


Oh how I want to live on Danny the Street. How are their schools?
posted by jordemort at 9:41 PM on April 6, 2019 [8 favorites]


How are their schools?

Dunno about the curriculum, but I bet the outfits are spectacular.
posted by mordax at 12:17 AM on April 7, 2019 [6 favorites]


(I don't know whether this is extraneous bloviating, but Danny the Street is named after Britain's premiere drag queen in the 1970s, Danny La Rue. The translation was always something that would go through my head when he turned up on the TV - a set up looking for a punchline - and I expect the same thing happened to Grant Morrison. Danny is peak Morrison Madness, and I'm glad he's turned up.)
posted by Grangousier at 2:35 AM on April 7, 2019 [19 favorites]


I don't know whether this is extraneous bloviating

It's not. Thank you for additional details!
posted by mordax at 10:33 AM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]


HI DANNY HI <3 <3 <3

Oh, I really enjoyed this. It was about time to start adding on some new antagonists, and the Bureau of Normalcy seems like a solid choice. I hope as we learn more about them we get something to differentiate them from every other generic evil top-secret government agency. Like the Men in Black, only from the perspective of the aliens. (In the comics, did they all have to dye their pubes neon green, maybe? I mean, I'm not saying they have to here, BUT.)

"A robot for our wedding?! Cool!" On balance, the Karen drama maybe didn't quite keep up with the goddamn delight of Danny the Street or Cliff's dance-off/therapy session with a random child (which is no shade, this episode made me really happy.) But as power-sets go, "90s rom-com distortion field" is a wonderfully bonkers gimmick. Also, pretty bold of Cliff to hoist Karen over his shoulder like she couldn't instantly turn into a thirty foot giant with a sun for a head (though that would also, on balance, have improved matters). Was that our first actual visual of Jane's Underground? Getting dragged backwards down subway tunnels into the dark was an effectively creepy visual of how her mind works.

With everything else going on, I get why they had to mostly leave it to subtext how deeply complicated an experience the street and especially the cabaret would've been for Larry. One consequence of making Larry and Rita old, ageless, and reclusive is that it's almost impossible to tell how much they know about the outside world from the time they were with Niles or how they've internalized it, but either way, there are worse role models for Larry to run into than Maura Lee Karupt. (Who can come back any time, thanks.) Though if Larry's hiding out from the BoN too, it makes his reluctance to go out in the world seem more like a significant practical concern than psychological hurdle (body-hijacking aside), which I'm not sure is their actual intent for the character. (Just for one example--Cliff's big arc is with his daughter and how she grew up thinking he was dead. But presumably Larry's kids went through the same thing, and we have no idea if he's ever tried to contact them or even thinks about them. Wanting to keep them firmly off the BoN's radar could explain why not, but also kind of the least interesting explanation to me.)

All that said, they're still having some trouble selling me on why they all love and need Niles so much. It's not like they haven't made an effort to show him trying to give them a home and protection and seems to treat them kindly (like, someone hiding you in his house apparently rent-free for decades while you hide from evil government agents is a hell of a favor.) Maybe it's just that that dude oozes untrustworthiness to me and it feels like an act at least some of them should see through.

The My Greatest Adventure comic was a very cute shout-out. Now that we've got Danny and Darren Jones, I would LOVE to see Flex Mentallo pop up for an episode or two someday.
posted by jameaterblues at 11:03 AM on April 7, 2019 [4 favorites]


I really enjoyed the fantasy cabaret with Matt Bomer, he seemed so at home! But that cutting to Larry saying "I don't sing" was such a heartbreaker. But then it ends with him singing in the background before realizing he and Vic got transported back to the mansion and that was great!

I've combed through Wiki's Crazy Jane's list of personalities, and I love that the show can basically pull out new ones because not all 64 have appeared in the comics yet. Karen is one of them, and man is she scary. I also figured that Cliff was immune to her love spell. I wonder if we're going to see a new one next. Diane Guerrero is really knocking it out of the park with all these personalities.
posted by numaner at 1:06 PM on April 8, 2019 [3 favorites]


I got feels from "People Like Us." I think that's the first time I really liked a Kelly Clarkson song, albeit a cover.

Didn't danny "speak" polari in the comics?
posted by gryftir at 7:09 PM on April 8, 2019 [5 favorites]


(Reminded me of things like the time Batman was forced to sing on Justice League Unlimited, etc.)

JLU S01E05, This Little Piggy.

Circe breaks out of tartarus and turns WW into a pig. Hilarity ensues. Paul Dini Craziness.
posted by mikelieman at 10:11 PM on May 4, 2019 [4 favorites]


I hadn't entirely made up my mind until this episode, but this is VERY GOOD.

And I don't know if it was the font or--?? But Danny just seems so friendly!
posted by grandiloquiet at 7:48 PM on September 16, 2020 [1 favorite]


Yay, Danny the Street! So fabulous!

It’s hilarious that Jane’s worst personality is named Karen.

A nice touch in the subtitles: in the voiceover, when appropriate, it’s “Maura Lee Karupt” speaking, not “Agent Wilson”.

Cliff dancing the robot!

And yes, polari was in the comics.
posted by Pronoiac at 6:59 AM on March 25, 2021


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