Hasitha Fernando reviews the thirteenth episode of Doom Patrol season 1…
In their effort of rescuing the abducted Cyborg from the Ant-Farm, our zany motley crew have an inadvertent stroke of luck. They stumble upon Flex Mentallo, the legendary lost superhero whose assistance the team have been seeking desperately. But there is a small snag; Flex is having memory loss and doesn’t remember who he is anymore…
After being teased about Flex Mentallo’s introduction in several consecutive episodes we finally meet the ‘Man of Muscle Mystery.’ His story arc in the episode opens on a warm summers’ day in 1964, when he and his beautiful wife Dolores are about to have a picnic. Things immediately go South for Flex, as he is tricked and kidnapped by the Bureau of Normalcy for nefarious ends. From the get-go the sheer chutzpah of portraying the character engage in day to day activities while being clad in his iconic leopard-print bodybuilder thong was quite original. It’s as if Flex Mentallo has leapt out of the comic book pages! David Chandler Long does a remarkable job injecting life to his comic book counterpart while avoiding the pitfalls of silliness inherent to the character. Flex Mentallo was created in part, as a parody to bodybuilder Charles Atlas’ advertisements from the past, which were also heavily featured in comics later. So, what makes this character so special and why did Danny the Street stress his importance early on? Like our devious Mr. Nobody, Flex too, possesses the power of altering reality; albeit by flexing his well-defined muscle and sinew. Undoubtedly this ability will come to play in a big way, as our menagerie of misfits assemble to take down Mr. Nobody in the series finale.
As we edge closer and closer to the inevitable conclusion, the frequency and time duration devoted to Mr. Nobody’s character keep increasing dramatically. In this installment we meet the character in his usual fractured-jigsaw-esque self as well as in his full unscathed human form. Alan Tudyk is an absolute hoot, breaking and tearing down the fourth wall, while being dressed up like a Doom Patrol mascot. The characters’ motivations appear to be in a state of flux though and contradicts his previous actions. The first few episodes in the TV series reinforced the serious implications of seeking out Dr. Caulder, but in ‘Flex Patrol’ Mr. Nobody eagerly awaits the inevitable confrontation with our ‘super-zeroes’ and is even pining that it took this long for it to happen. What gives? Perhaps there is a method to his madness. I guess we’ll have to wait and see…
‘Flex Patrol’ also spends time to explore Rita’ past as we learn more about her untold story. It truly is a devastating one and we can now understand why she’s been so traumatized by it. Following this cathartic incident, a now resolute Rita convinces Victor to somehow reintegrate himself with the Grid in order to locate Dr. Caulder. Victor reluctantly agrees, on the sole condition that they will have to face Mr. Nobody without him. Although he came off as an uber-confident, technologically proficient super powered being in the beginning, the truth is that deep down he is still nothing more than a young boy full of self-doubt and regret.
Once again, a strong story coupled with memorable performances made for one solid helluva episode. With only two more episodes left, my heart already feels heavy. It’s been one amazing ride thus far…
Hasitha Fernando
