Possibly the weirdest of the TV shows based on DC Comics properties, Doom Patrol says goodbye after four seasons. This three-Blu-ray set offers all 12 of Season Four’s episodes, with plot synopses from IMDB.

Doom Patrol: “As they struggle to function as a cohesive group, the Doom Patrol are confronted by a horrifying realization in the future.”

Even though Season Four hit screens barely a year after Season Three concluded, this episode spends a fair amount of time with exposition to catch up viewers. While I don’t know if this seems necessary, at least it creates a reasonably efficient open to bring us up to snuff.

More welcome, S4 launches with a tone more like the whacked-out insanity of its roots than the semi-dreary somber vibe of S3. This becomes a pretty solid way to open the series’ final year.

Butt Patrol: “The Doom Patrol must wipe out the zombie butts and reverse their grim future.”

The episode skips through time but does so in a surprisingly concise manner. While it also comes with a fair amount of exposition, it manages to accelerate the S4 narrative well.

Nostalgia Patrol: “The Doom Patrol attend a art house marathon of Rita's (April Bowlby) old movies, but find themselves more captivated than originally planned. Vic (Joivan Wade) attempts to reconnect with old friends.”

To some degree, “Nostalgia” hearkens back to the more dramatic vibe of S3, but it doesn’t stay stuck in the gloom for long. The excursion into Rita’s cinematic past manages some interesting detours that make this a quality show.

Casey Patrol: “When the safety of Danny and everyone housed within is compromised, Dorothy (Abi Monterey) is forced to step up, with some unexpected help.”

S4 takes a pretty significant detour via this episode, as it doesn’t include our usual DP characters. The show finishes in a way that implies how it’ll connect to the main S4 arc, and it delivers an intriguing set-up for where the series will go from here.

Youth Patrol: “When Rita awakens unexpectedly aged, a mishandled spell turns the Doom Patrol into teenagers, just as Willoughby Kipling (Mark Sheppard) asks for their help to stop Immortus - and the end of the world.”

The use of teen Patrolers offers the expected comedy as well as some plot impact. A fair amount of exposition pops up along the way and turns this into a worthwhile episode.

Hope Patrol: “Jane (Diane Guerrero) is determined to seize her greatest desire. Madame Rouge (Michelle Gomez) and Rita travel back to the Bureau. Larry (Matt Bomer) fights his way back after being cut from reality.”

“Hope” mixes some of the usual nuttiness with the series’ more dramatic side. While I prefer the former, the latter helps expand S4’s narrative arc, so those elements work fine here, even if we don’t find the most entertaining program.

Orqwith Patrol: “While trapped in Orqwith, Jane ropes Cliff (Brendan Fraser) into hunting for their longevities, as Vic gives Deric (Elijah R. Reed) his own superhero moment by taking on the Scissormen.”

Although S4’s first six shows ran over a one-month span from December 8 2022 to January 5 2023, Episode 7 – “Orqwith” – didn’t air until nine months later. This might imply that S4 splits into two distinctly different parts.

Nope. “Orqwith” literally picks up right where “Hope” ended. I think the pause relates to issues at the studio and Episodes 7-12 were ready to go well before they ran, though.

In any case, “Orqwith” feels a little sluggish and without as much drive as I’d like. We get a lot of interpersonal drama that seems a bit dreary. Hopefully matters will pick back up with the next show.

Fame Patrol: “Sent back to Earth after the cosmic blast, the Doom Patrol must figure out what to do with Immortus - which unexpectedly leads them to a Superhero parade.”

That sounds like a frisky concept for an episode, but “Fame” tends to remain a little stuck in neutral ala the prior show. I prefer the weirder side of the series to its more introverted elements, so that leaves me less than enthralled with S4’s current flow.

Immortimas Patrol: “Isabel (Charity Cervantes) puts the Doom Patrol, Dorothy, Casey (Madeline Zima), and Rama (Sendhil Ramamurthy) in an illusion of a perfect world where they live out a holiday in honor of her and constantly break into musical numbers.”

Back in November 2001, Buffy the Vampire Slayer offered an episode that used the musical format. I don’t know if Buffy innovated that kind of detour, but I think it remains the influence that has led other shows to follow suit.

In the case of “Immortimas”, does the musical framework really benefit the narrative? Not really, as the song/dance numbers feel more like a gimmick than anything necessary for the arc.

Not that this means “Immortimas” sputters, as it moves along the material. However, the amount of development in this episode needs less time than the almost 55 minutes involved here, as the production numbers take up a big chunk of that running time.

Tomb Patrol: “After uncovering what she believes is the source of Immortus' power, Rouge tries to rally the Doom Patrol, but the team seems more content to enjoy the little time they have left.”

As the season – and the series – draws to a close, “Tomb” offers a fairly downbeat and emotional take on developments. Though I still prefer when matters go nutty – which they occasionally do in this episode – the path toward a final stand by the team works reasonably well.

Portal Patrol: “Thrown into the timestream by Immortus, the Patrol travel back in time to recover their lost longevity.”

A long-gone former series regular returns here and adds some charge to S4. Via a mix of time jumps, “Portal” becomes a bit of a mess, but it still manages to set up the final episode reasonably well.

Done Patrol: “The Patrol make their last stand against Isabel and the Butts.”

The series concludes with an action sequence, a choice that subverts expectations it’ll finish in that way. After the DP wraps up the S4 arc, we get a denouement that allows the DP a form of farewell.

Expect a fair amount of sentiment, though we get a dollop of standard DP silliness. I don’t know if I think “Done” concludes matters on a wholly satisfying note, but it wraps up matters in a generally positive manner.

Doom Patrol appears in an aspect ratio of 2.00:1 on these Blu-ray Discs. Season Four followed essentially the same sense of picture and sound encountered in the first three years, so rather than reinvent the wheel, enjoy these comments regurgitated from those reviews!

Sharpness became the weakest link. While most of the shots demonstrated positive accuracy, more than a few interiors felt oddly soft.

No signs of jagged edges or shimmering appear, and edge haloes remained absent. Source flaws failed to show up here.

Colors varied, with a fair amount of the usual orange and teal. However, the shenanigans of the Doom Patrol meant a mix of other hues, and these added vivacity. The colors tended to seem appropriate.

Blacks seemed fairly deep and dense, while shadows looked smooth. The shows usually looked fine, but those soft spots became a distraction.

Given the series’ TV roots, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundscapes didn’t dazzle. Nonetheless, they opened up the shows well.

This meant a reasonable amount of action from the various speakers. The mixes concentrated on the front but they added a fair level of involvement from the back speakers. These tracks created a pretty good sense of place and popped up life during fight sequences.

Audio quality worked fine. Music was full and lively, while speech became natural and distinctive.

Effects appeared accurate and dynamic, with good range. While the audio’s TV origins held back the material’s potential some, the tracks still added life to the shows.

All the set’s extras show up on Disc Three, and Unsung Heroes runs two minutes, 52 seconds and offers notes from executive producer Jeremy Carver and actors April Bowlby, Diane Guerrero, Matthew Zuk, Riley Shanahan, Diane Guerrero, Michelle Gomez and Joivan Wade.

“Heroes” looks at the physical actors who bring Robotman and Negative Man to life. We get a few minor notes but the clip seems too brief to tell us much.

Transformation Patrol spans two minutes, 43 seconds. It involves Carver, Guerrero, Shanahan, Gomez, Zuk, Bowlby, Wade, and makeup department head Leo Satkovich.

Here we investigate some character changes for S4, especially in regard to makeup to age the actors. It becomes largely superficial despite a handful of insights.

Finally, Off-Off-Broadway runs three minutes, 52 seconds. Here we find info from Carver, Wade, Gomez, Bowlby, Guerrero, Zuk, Shanahan, choreographer Kiki Ely and director Omar Madha.

S4’s musical episode comes under the spotlight here. Expect another watchable but fluffy reel.

Doom Patrol rides off into the sunset via Season Four, and it does so in adequate style. While not the series’ best collection of shows, it largely works. The Blu-rays come with pretty positive picture and audio but they skimp on supplements. Though it doesn’t excel, S4 still acts as a generally engaging finale.