[7.3/10] I don’t know exactly how I feel about this one. On the one hand, I like what they’re going for here. Beast Boy earns the respect of his former colleagues and shows Mento that the TItans’ way has merit, even if it’s not what the Doom Patrol is used to. There’s a bit of “Garfield” proving his mettle and coming into his own here, which I appreciate.
But it seems like the reconciliation between him and the rest of the team, Mento in particular, is too easy. Honestly, Mento doesn't seem that far removed from Yal-Vor from “Troq”. He’s dismissive of all of the Titans, not to mention rude and even demeaning to Beast Boy. Everything gets forgiven a little too easily for my tastes, and his change of heart toward Beast Boy and the Titans comes a bit too easy as well.
That said, the episode does try to explain him a little bit, which I appreciate. He won’t let the Titans come on the mission because the Doom Patrol signed up to fight these battles even if it means their demise, but the Titans didn’t, and he can’t impose that on them unilaterally. There’s something to that idea, even if he’s still too harsh on Beast Boy and too stingy with praise for them as well.
The episode does do a nice, albeit repetitive, job of dramatizing the difference in perspective between Beast Boy and the TItans on the one hand, and Mento and the Doom Patrol on the other. As the Doom Patrol advances on General Immortus’s stronghold, they lose members one by one, with Beast Boy wanting to go back and save them and Mento insisting they keep on trucking. It’s not very subtle, but it shows the distinction between Mento’s “complete the mission at any cost” mentality versus Beast Boy’s “save our friends at any cost” mentality.
Of course, Mento eventually recognizes Beast Boy’s value and Beast Boy stands up for himself eventually. The ensuing fights and team-ups have some visual verve, and using The Brain’s own device against his Brotherhood of Evil is a nice turn in the story.
I just found myself wishing they did more to address how the Doom Patrol, and Mento in particular, kind of sucked here. Only Elastigirl ever showed any appreciation or kindness toward him, and even after the Titans prove themselves, all Mento can say is “You’re alright.” I’m sure there’s some built-in good will if you’re already familiar with the group from decades of comics. But as newcomers to this show, they mostly seem like jerks who had a presto-change-o change of heart at the last minute. That puts a damper on this one for me.
Still, it’s cool to see The Brain assembling his own Legion of Doom with the various foes the Titans have faced over the last four seasons (including Punk Rocket, the villain from the “Lost Episode!), so color me intrigued to see where the season goes from here.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-08-20T22:17:41Z
[7.3/10] I don’t know exactly how I feel about this one. On the one hand, I like what they’re going for here. Beast Boy earns the respect of his former colleagues and shows Mento that the TItans’ way has merit, even if it’s not what the Doom Patrol is used to. There’s a bit of “Garfield” proving his mettle and coming into his own here, which I appreciate.
But it seems like the reconciliation between him and the rest of the team, Mento in particular, is too easy. Honestly, Mento doesn't seem that far removed from Yal-Vor from “Troq”. He’s dismissive of all of the Titans, not to mention rude and even demeaning to Beast Boy. Everything gets forgiven a little too easily for my tastes, and his change of heart toward Beast Boy and the Titans comes a bit too easy as well.
That said, the episode does try to explain him a little bit, which I appreciate. He won’t let the Titans come on the mission because the Doom Patrol signed up to fight these battles even if it means their demise, but the Titans didn’t, and he can’t impose that on them unilaterally. There’s something to that idea, even if he’s still too harsh on Beast Boy and too stingy with praise for them as well.
The episode does do a nice, albeit repetitive, job of dramatizing the difference in perspective between Beast Boy and the TItans on the one hand, and Mento and the Doom Patrol on the other. As the Doom Patrol advances on General Immortus’s stronghold, they lose members one by one, with Beast Boy wanting to go back and save them and Mento insisting they keep on trucking. It’s not very subtle, but it shows the distinction between Mento’s “complete the mission at any cost” mentality versus Beast Boy’s “save our friends at any cost” mentality.
Of course, Mento eventually recognizes Beast Boy’s value and Beast Boy stands up for himself eventually. The ensuing fights and team-ups have some visual verve, and using The Brain’s own device against his Brotherhood of Evil is a nice turn in the story.
I just found myself wishing they did more to address how the Doom Patrol, and Mento in particular, kind of sucked here. Only Elastigirl ever showed any appreciation or kindness toward him, and even after the Titans prove themselves, all Mento can say is “You’re alright.” I’m sure there’s some built-in good will if you’re already familiar with the group from decades of comics. But as newcomers to this show, they mostly seem like jerks who had a presto-change-o change of heart at the last minute. That puts a damper on this one for me.
Still, it’s cool to see The Brain assembling his own Legion of Doom with the various foes the Titans have faced over the last four seasons (including Punk Rocket, the villain from the “Lost Episode!), so color me intrigued to see where the season goes from here.