Review: Doomsday Brothers “Armageddit-On”

 

 

Overview:

Rafe has taken it upon himself to sign him and his brother up for a gladiator competition. The survivor takes all contest features a shipping container full of food as a grand prize.

Surprisingly, Gabe is quite adept at being a ruthless gladiator, thanks to his extreme anxiety. However, the further they get through the competition, the worse his state. And that is before they meet the final challenger.

Meanwhile, Judith is seeking some sweet revenge and uses the bunker’s drone to track down John Doe. After chasing the slippery man across the wasteland, she is left to make a choice when her kid’s lives are in danger.

 

Our Take:

One of the most exciting things about watching Doomsday Brothers is the puzzle that begins to form the more you watch. Each episode stacks on top of the last, building a world and an epic adventure simultaneously. 

The series walks a tightrope balancing as a comedic quick-consume sitcom and an anthology of significant proportions.

Finding that balance can be challenging on an episode-to-episode basis. Arguably the first half of the season did not give enough weight to the ongoing plot but pulled us through with timely hints and clues. The latter half of the season is making up for it in haste.

There is a lot to great stuff to unpack in the episode, story-wise. There is growth in Judith’s plot away from being secluded in a bunker with an annoying robot companion. Gabe and Rafe are moving towards their goal of providing for the town long-term. Even John Doe is steering closer towards his purpose in all of this.  

Unfortunately, the potential of what this episode could have been as a stand-alone got smothered.  

The gladiator contest theme is fun and well-established. It offers a lot of exciting prospects to bring together elements from across the board. Whether it be Thor crossing over with the Hulk or Darkwing Duck facing the worst of his enemies, the gladiator trope opens those doors.  

So, when Gabe and Rafe pulled up to a gladiator ring in the cold open there was a lot of hope for a significant event. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but this episode does not include any of the shows established villains crossing paths. Instead, it introduces a couple of new characters that are likely one-offs. 

The worst of it being that all the players you would hope to be in the contest later make an appearance as spectators. 

Contrary to that, the story does give Gabe some weight as a warrior. Up until now, he has played the role of the brains to Rafe’s brawn. It turns out the scrawny nervous Gabe can throw a sword around as good as any. And as the episode points out, it makes sense considering he received the same training and upbringing as his tougher brother. It is like this character received an upgrade in skills on his way to facing the final boss.

The episode closes out on a dark note with the return of General Hex revealing his ultimate plans. This set-up has been sprinkled throughout the last few episodes which will make the pay-off extra satisfying. There may not have been the big blowout in this episode, but it is getting closer.

One thing is for certain, Doomsday Brothers has a lot of depth. Just based on the idea that this episode could have gone in a multitude of directions is telling of how much is going on. The balancing act is evening out, the ongoing plot is reaching its head, and we are becoming more invested each week. It is exciting to think about when this season is a completed package and how it will be looking back at episodes such as this one and understand the masterplan of it all.