You know a show's getting ready to bow out when the musical episode lands.
However, in this case, Doom Patrol Season 4 Episode 9 manages to impress with some catchy tunes while maintaining their trademark humor.
Power ballads interrupted by golden showers, ensemble dance pieces featuring sex ghosts, and seeing Larry and Rama in full tails just goes to show the Doom Patrol wouldn't know subtle if it came in riding a were-Butt.
The most compelling internal conflict is between Rouge's desire to let Rita be happy and her internal compass for truth.
In a perfect world, Bendy and Laura could meet again with their memories wiped, and no evidence would ever crop up to disturb their bestie-level friendship.
Unfortunately, Rouge insists on serving penance for the wrongs she's committed and is compelled to thwart Isabel/Immortus's intention to turn the world into its devoted zealots.
I have to wonder how integrated the personas of Isabel and Immortus became while mixing it up in the Time Stream.
I mean, who's really in control?
On the one hand, that first dimension-destroying scream on Doom Patrol Season 4 Episode 7 seems like it would be Immortus stretching his muscles after centuries of banishment.
But since returning to Cloverton, those god-like powers have only been used to serve Isabel's vanity and ego.
I guess knowing you have the power to subjugate all of reality to your will reduces any sense of urgency.
What exactly is Immortus's end game? One wouldn't think the ancient deity's goals would dovetail with Isabel Feather's dreams of fame and recognition.
[singing] Immortimus. Yes, it's Immortimus. / There’s absolutely nothing suss about today.
Dorothy
Keep in mind the whole Immortimas Day is a reaction to the Doom Patrol being lauded as heroes, celebrated with a parade, and having a day named for them.
A-ha. Even Immortimus Day isn't an original thought. Could Immortus be just as narcissistic as Isabel? Is that even possible?
Although everything about the musical nature of Isabel's fever dream smacks of manipulation and entrapment, there's merit in the way she's granted everyone's deepest desires.
Rita's in her element, planning the ultimate feast.
Cliff is human and healthy and... well, he's Cliff.
Cliff: [singing] I want to drive my stick.
Isabel: [singing] Come on, let’s go baby.
Cliff: [singing] Even to this holiday chick.
Isabel: [singing] Rev it up, now. Rev it up, now!
Cliff: [singing] Gotta shift gears, I’m in overdrive. / Immortus is coming and so am I!
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Larry's not radioactive. He and Keeg are content, and Rama's part of his life.
The hardest decision Larry has to make in this world is what to wear. Is it any wonder he's so tempted to stay?
Dorothy's finally got the family and home she's dreamed of having all her life. It is curious that Immortus doesn't bring Niles back to complete her bliss. Does the superlative divine being still harbor a grudge against The Chief?
Seriously, was there a single person not related to him that Niles didn't piss off?
Or is it possible that Dorothy has some lingering resentment towards her father?
Maybe she doesn't want him to return but would rather remember him fondly.
Casey's finding her way to real life and first love. In Immortimus Day world, she wouldn't remember that she's fictional, that her father's dead, and that she has no clue how to live in the real world.
Her tentative flirtations with Jane are excruciatingly sweet. Like Jane's bond with the Sisterhood of Dada on Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 5, there's something about Casey that fulfills something in Jane.
[singing] We celebrate Immortus and the day she was born. / From the time stream to our heartstrings, it’s Isabel we adore. / Oh, thank Immortus, I’ve got no one to answer to but me! / And I’m so blessed with this circus, my found family.
Jane
Jane's fantasy is the most heartbreaking and simultaneously, weirdly complementary to Casey's desire to be a part of something greater than herself.
Just to be herself. To forget Kay and the other alts. To exist and be responsible as a singular entity.
Jane: Why do I feel like something’s off?
Casey: Maybe your inner self is trying to tell you something? Hearing any voice in your head lately?
Jane: [beat] That’d be pretty weird.
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But even immersed in a fantasy, reality comes bubbling up.
Casey's suggestion that Jane add more color to her painting of the Underground echoes her organizing the puzzle pieces by color.
I suspect Casey holds the key to Jane finding Kay and the alts. With very few hours left in the series, I pray that Jane's conclusion is given the time and treatment it deserves.
Jane: You’re taking this remarkably well.
Casey: Yeah, I guess I’m just used to being ripped out of realities.
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And, of course, Rouge's dream of Rita's unconditional, unfettered friendship is the first one shattered.
Rita: I don’t want to be a monster anymore.
Rouge: Rita, you were never a monster to me.
Rita: That’s because in this friendship, you’re the monster.
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I wonder if there's a reason besides plot progress that Rouge seems resistant to Immortus's powers.
She was immune to Immortus's time-turning on Doom Patrol Season 4 Episode 8, and she's the first to recall her true memories here.
But it's Rita who saves Rouge and turns the tables on Isabel/Immortus.
Delivered with the scathing tone and demeanor that April Bowlby has perfected over four seasons, Rita demolishes Isabel's sense of self and status.
Your need for constant attention and adulation is inspiring. Your hunger for perfection – although a hopeless endeavor – is almost as impressive as your lack of self-awareness. And finally, and this is what I do admire most, your ability to be an even bigger narcissist than I could ever be. You think you’re all powerful. YOu think you’re all knowing. Well, I know you because I was you and I don’t want to be you anymore. It is a sad, lonely, pathetic existence.
Rita
It's a rallying cry for the team, illustrating why Niles handed the leadership of the team over to Rita. He always saw that she was capable, if she could only learn to trust in her abilities.
The rule about musicals is that you sing when you're too overwhelmed to talk, and when you're too emotional to sing, you dance.
Cliff's number is the best example of this -- well, not the dancing bit -- where he's so desperate to be with his daughter and see his grandson grow up, he manifests his Robotman self, complete with talking oven mitt, to reason with. In song.
My favorite overall number is Jane and Casey's duet, with Vic's power ballad interruptus a close second.
But the best lyrics honor goes to Rouge's counterpoint lines when she wakes up mid-song to the truth of their situation.
[singing] Shit, shit, what is this? / What the fuck is going on? / Am I speaking in a song? / Oh no, something is very wrong.
Rouge
And I love how Isabel/Immortus's chorus reprises the show's theme song. The acapella rendition of it over the opening credits is an ambitious flex. It's a difficult one to write out for voices.
If we were to compare two very different theme songs, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 9 did it a smidge better, but to be fair, their song isn't as naturally discordant.
In general, the choreography's nothing to write home about, but the cast holds nothing back.
Specifically, the sex ghost backup dancers deserve solid kudos for kicking up their heels while maintaining character.
Musical episodes always risk overreaching. If the material isn't robust, the cast isn't committed, or the narrative can't sustain the context, it's just a gimmick.
Happily, Immortimus Day turns out to be something worth singing about.
What say you, Fanatics? Hit our comments with where the high notes and broken chords fell for you.
