Doom Patrol season 4 episode 4 recap & review: Casey Patrol

In episode 4 of Doom Patrol, the story shifts focus to Dorothy who is now living with Danny the Street and a community that gets together to create a safe space for people. The episode is streaming on HBO Max.

Recap

A couple of comic panels flash on the screen as the characters narrate the dialogue. It shifts to Dorothy telling the story of how she got her father’s necklace with the help of the Candlemaker.

She is staying with Danny the Street who has disguised themselves as an ambulance with a portal to a safe space where people gather to enjoy their lives away from the outside world.

A person named Maura Lee seems to be the de facto leader in this community and they notice that Dorothy is remaining very closed off from the rest of the residents. They go to Dorothy’s trailer to talk to her and find out what she’s going through.

There is a swarm of cybernetic bugs that begin stinging the other residents who all fall unconscious. Maura Lee notices that Dorothy has a comic book with her detailing the adventures of Space Case, the very same comic from the beginning of the episode.

Maura Lee asks Dorothy to just be open to exploring outside so that she can meet other people who might understand what she’s going through. As Maura Lee walks out of the trailer, they see the other residents have turned into robotic creatures

They go back inside and barricade the door and Dorothy recognises the creatures as Vectra, the minions of the villain of her comic book, Torminox. Maura Lee asks Dorothy to call upon Candlemaker to help but Dorothy says he won’t be able to help.

She then looks at the comic and thinks of the only person who could help fight off the Vectra and suddenly there’s a flash of light and someone knocks on the door. It turns out to be Space Case, the hero of the comic book.

When Dorothy looks at the cover of the comic book again, only a silhouette of Space Case remains, letting Dorothy know that she brought the hero to the real world.

Dorothy and Maura Lee explain to Space Case (whose real name is Casey Brinke) about the real world and how she’s a fictional character whose story was written by someone else.

Torminox walks up to the ambulance but Danny blocks the pathway to the safe space. Dorothy explains that Torminox used to be a regular scientist and that he’s also Casey’s father.

Torminox succeeds in entering the space somehow and tells Dorothy that he’s there to acquire her necklace. Casey, Maura Lee and Dorothy run out of the ambulance and Torminox follows them. He turns Danny into a small cube and asks Casey to stay out of it.

Since he said “please”, Casey is overcome with feelings she has never felt before and she doesn’t fight back. In a moment of desperation, Dorothy calls the Candlemaker who is no match for Torminox but can buy enough time for them to escape as he’s turned into a cube as well.

One of the first things Casey learnt about the real world is that death is more permanent here and she explains that because of her attachment to her father, she wasn’t able to attack Torminox because she was afraid he wouldn’t come back as before.

Maura Lee says that maybe Casey can plead with Torminox somehow and reach his inner humanity, or any sliver of it that remains. They wait for Torminox to arrive and Casey appeals to his soft side but he grabs her and points a gun to her head.

Dorothy is ready to give the necklace and says that she held on to it because she has so much she still has to say to her father. Maura Lee asks her what those things are and Dorothy says that she lied about getting the necklace herself.

It was her friends that got it for her but she has kept all of them and the Candlemaker locked up because all of them reminds her of her father and how much she misses him. Torminox lets Casey go and takes the necklace from Dorothy before teleporting.

Danny goes back to normal and everyone is around a bonfire as Maura Lee tries to raise everyone’s spirits. They tell everyone that maybe it’s time for them to go out into the world rather than hunkering down in the safe space.

Danny reassures them that they can leave when they feel ready and there is no obligation for them to leave. Maura Lee begins singing a song as everyone else joins in.

Dorothy is in her trailer with Casey and she asks Casey what she would like to do. Casey says she wants to meet her creator and have him write a new story to reunite her with her father.

They decide to leave and Danny helps them out as Dorothy tells Casey to head to Cloverton. A glimpse of the comic creator shows that he’s working with Janus and Torminox to prepare for the rise of Immortus.

Review

• The episode does have some heartwrenching emotional beats but the fact that it focuses on Casey and doesn’t feature the Doom Patrol in any capacity is a drawback.
• Casey appears to be a bubbly character and Madeline Zima will be an interesting addition to the cast as the comic hero gets to the grips with the real world.
• There is also the subtle allusions to the bigotry that Maura Lee and some of the others face but the episode doesn’t explore the issue in depth which feels like a lost opportunity.

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Also Read: Doom Patrol season 4 episode 3 recap & review: Nostalgia Patrol