#Living with a negative man series
Yes, he was in a miserable state of mind when the series began, but by the end of the season, Larry was able to grow and finally start to live. I hope I haven’t depressed you too much because I also feel that Larry’s story is an inspiring one about pride and acceptance. Can you imagine a more tragic way to spend decades? Indeed, when we first meet Larry in Doom Patrol, he had given up on love, life and himself. He deeply regrets the way things ended up with his former love John Bowers, and even though he agonized over it for decades, he never took the steps to seek him out for closure. His sons are both grown, and he never felt the need to seek them out because he thought any sort of relationship with them would only be a burden. Larry was too down on himself to do anything similar. Watch the scene again with that in mind, and you’ll get so much more out of it emotionally.Ĭliff had a desire to fix his life and sought out his daughter to reconnect. He hasn’t let “let himself sing” for decades. Larry is wallowing in his own depression. When he says he doesn’t sing, he’s saying he doesn’t embrace joy. Maybe I’m reading too much into the phrasing of Larry’s reply, but I find the simple and understated “I don’t sing” tragic.
Instead, he refuses the offer and simply states “I don’t sing” before walking away. The biggest kick in the gut comes at the end of the song when the fantasy is revealed and the real-life Larry looks at the microphone and briefly considers letting himself shine. The lyrics speak about healing from heartbreak, but Larry can’t bring himself to do that yet. He pictures himself as he was before his accident (and why wouldn’t he?), once again showing that he can’t accept himself for who he currently is. The entire sequence takes place in his head, because at this point in his life his imagination is the only place where he could be free. It’s one of my favorites, but it also makes me feel incredibly sad for Larry. One of the most well-received scenes of the season was when Larry gleefully sang Kelly Clarkson’s “People Like Us” to a packed house of dancing souls. The Larry Trainor audiences meet in the Doom Patrol premiere is very much a victim of his own negativity. Even the name Negative Man speaks to Larry’s state of mind.
Sure, they’re meant to protect everyone from the dangerous radiation, but it’s hard to ignore the bandages as symbolism, even if it’s coincidental. As we first meet Larry, he’s ashamed of his sexuality and doesn’t have a high opinion of himself, and the bandages that cover him almost seem like a visual representation of that. While Negative Man wasn’t originally conceived a closeted homosexual, it’s interesting how much of his character design compliments the storyline. This character change led to a powerful emotional arc for Negative Man, and I feel like there are some important lessons to take from it. In the comics, Larry is a heterosexual man (he briefly had feelings for Rita), but the Doom Patrol television series reimagined him as a homosexual man from the 1950s coming to terms with his identity. Since this is the last Couch Club of June, it seems appropriate to honor Pride Month by looking at the journey of Larry Trainor, the Doom Patrol’s own Negative Man.
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