A quaint return to Doom Manor is brought to us in ‘Finger Patrol’ after last weeks provocative festivities, but not before we see many of the main characters split up into multiple diverging story lines that offer more of a build up for what is to come later on in the season. While at first glance there doesn’t seem to be much going on, we’re treated to a some delightful character bonding and development that was well needed, but its not until the episode reaches it end that we’re thrown a curve ball that could quite possibly change the dynamic of the team and even the show in episodes to come.
The dynamic robotic duo takes quite the spotlight this episode, with Cliff dubbing them “Steele & Stone.” After being given hope by The Chief that Cliff may one day be able to feel again, Cliff believes he could speed the process up with help from Silas Stone. This leads Cliff to drag Cyborg back to Detroit where Cliff is only met with disappointment. One thing that stuck out here and one of the first plot holes that I’ve noticed, Silas recollects that he denied helping Niles with the development of Cliff’s metal prison as it would make him an accessory to Niles’ crime. Yet in season one Silas says that if Niles would’ve taken his notes, that Cliff could’ve been so much more, which makes one wonder which story is true. Following this, we’re given some great development and bonding between Cliff and Victor, and for once Cliff offers some helpful advice to Vic about his current love endeavor with Roni Evers.
On the other side of things, that is about as delightful as it gets for this episode, for a second it feels as if Larry is going to be able to confront the guilt and regret he feels towards abandoning his family and never being honest to them about who he really is. He decides enough is enough and he and Rita venture out to help Larry’s family empty out his late son’s old home. All seems well and it felt almost cathartic to see the sulking seep out from beneath Larry’s bandages and see him happy for once. That is until his son, Paul, reveals that when he said he “followed in his fathers footsteps” he really followed his footsteps and joined the Bureau of Normalcy, and spouts years of pent up rage, anger, and blame towards his father, blaming him for his family’s troubles.
Finally we’re given a rather interesting side plot focused on Jane’s alter ego, Baby Doll, and Dorothy. Chief believes that the two would be the best of friends and for bit they are. since the season started there has been an interesting dynamic going on within Jane, a power struggle between her and those who reside within her head. she’d been dealing with the stress of being the main personality while the others demanded more time above ground. This delivers a more irritable and more sensitive Jane that has become much more of a hot head this season. Finally when we reach the boiler room were shown a distressing chain of events that leads to one of Jane’s personalities killing Dorothy’s best friend, Manny the Wendigo. As an act of childish rage Dorothy makes the decision to make a wish, the full might of Candlemaker is put on display, being stuck as voice within Dorothy’s head for a better part of the season it was unclear what exactly his abilities were, but once he infiltrates the underground and slaughters those who get into his way were setup for an interesting end to the season.
It is wild to think that we’re already halfway through the season, and with only four episodes left in season 2 and so much set up for the future just in this episode it’ll be interesting to see how they wrap things up in the end. Doom Patrol has become such outside of the box, breaking down limitations, type of comic book show. It doesn’t follow any sort of formula and just focuses on the characters and lets them push the story forward, and with this episode even though its basically one big recipe for the main course that is the rest of the season, it continues to deliver on every aspect.
