Rachel meets Gar and befriends him. He takes her back to his place where she meets his room-mates, Larry ‘Negative Man’ Trainor, Cliff Steel the Robotman and Rita ‘Elasti-Girl’ Farr. Oh and the Chief to whom they owe their lives…

Yes the best episode of this show so far is a backdoor pilot for another show but trust me this is GREAT. From the instant, sweet friendship between Rachel and Gar to Larry’s exuberant cooking there isn’t a beat here that doesn’t land. The Doom Patrol are a family in the way the Titans aren’t yet, but they’re also more than a little horror tinged. Larry’s comment about ‘You don’t want to see what I really am’, Cliff reminiscing over food and Rita’s terror of losing cohesion all give them a darker tone but an earned one. These are people who think they’re monsters and Rachel helps them see otherwise. Even if in doing so she re-injures the Chief so badly he’ll return played by Timothy Dalton…

The Titans themselves mostly do police work this episode as they track Rachel down but honestly they’re better for the break. It gives them room to breathe and time for the Doom Patrol to register, leading to a really touching final scene. Gar may be changing teams but the reason why he goes is heartfelt and pure in a way nothing else in this show has been so far. Also the entire episode will I suspect make you want to eat waffles.

Verdict: Weird, horrific and more successful than it’s been so far this is a welcome detour for the show. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart