DC’s Doom Patrol season 3 episode 4 focuses on the gang dealing with the repercussions of being undead — and their new house guest.
Warning, this recap and review of Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 4 will contain spoilers. So if you have not yet watched this episode on HBO Max and would like to remain in the dark, please come back at a later time. If you missed our Doom Patrol Season 3 First 3 Episodes review, check it out.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 4
“Undead Patrol”
The fourth episode of Doom Patrol season 3 starts off with Kipling and Chief’s head and some sort of ritual. Fans will recall at the very end of the third episode Kipling dug Chief’s body up and cut off his head. He has now worked his magic so that the two of them can talk, but they are interrupted first by Kipling’s Unicorn-head girlfriend, and then secondly by a mysterious person that he is very upset to see.
Back at the mansion the Doom Patrol members are quizzing their unexpected guest about who she is and what she is doing there. The crazy thing is she has no clue. She cannot remember her name, although fans know her to be Madame Rogue. She also doesn’t know why she is looking for Chief, just knows that when she thinks of him she has an urge to punch him in the face. As she is talking to everyone, they are all scratching themselves uncontrollably, but they don’t know why.
Madame Rogue explains that she arrived via a time machine, but doesn’t even know when she came from. She takes the gang to see her machine, and when they tell her Chief is dead, she says she will just travel back a few weeks to talk to him. Rita had an encounter with her that she doesn’t want anyone to know about, and would like to get to know her a bit more, so she pulls a gauge off the machine making sure that will not work.
While Vic takes a look at the machine, Rita and Madame go off to look at the alarm that was sounding before she arrived. Poor Larry has some sort of weird stomach thing that he thinks means he is dying. Cliff is trying to have virtual doctor’s appointments about his shaking but they all think he is a kid making a joke. As he crosses names off his list, it is seen that something is up with his steel head — a weird dark blob is spreading across it, maybe even burning it. As Vic is working on the time machine, he notices something spreading across his skin as well.
His father shows up to help out, and he quickly hides that from him. He confronts his dad about his choice to put body-tech inside of him, and asks if it was the only way to save his life. Vic eventually tells his father the truth — that he died and went to the after life and spoke to his mother. He explains that she told him there was another way he could have been saved and he demands to know what it is. Vic’s dad confesses there was an experimental synthetic skin he could have used, which means Vic would have looked normal.
Rita is spending time with Madame Rogue trying to help her get her memories back, but she has an ulterior motive. Back during their vacation Rita was shoved back into the hotel by another version of herself — however that version of herself was wearing the same suit as Madame Rogue, and Rita thinks it could have been her somehow.
Madame Rogue simply does not remember her at all, but it isn’t all for naught, as she discovers a secret compartment filled with a collection of items that might help her get her memory back including a video. While watching the video she starts doing these bizarre dance moves, and it sparks a bit of her memory.
Cliff and Jane had both promised to seek help for their issues in the previous episode, and that is why Cliff was talking to the doctor. Jane on the other hand decided to try to take things upon herself in healing, and built a Chief like art project, which Cliff encourages her to talk to.
While talking with Larry, Rita notices that his bandages have something weird on them, and then things get really strange — she says he smells really good. So good that she licks him, before running off embarrassed. Things are going quite far with all of the Doom Patrol in fact. Rita’s hair is falling out and Vic’s skin is peeling off. Cliff’s stuff is spreading over his robot body, and then Jane starts throwing up maggots. Larry falls down the stairs and breaks a lot of the bones in his body, but is still able to get up and walk around.
As Madame Rogue rushes out to tell everyone she is starting to remember things, she is greeted with a hallway full of zombies. Yes, the whole Doom Patrol are now acting and sounding like zombies — complete with moaning the word “brains”. Just then Kipling shows up with a video tape that turns out to be a ransom note for Chief’s head. The person that showed up at his hotel room is Darren Jones from the Bureau of Normalcy and he wants them to come to him.
Kipling and the time traveler lady come up with a plan, and get the Doom Patrol zombies to follow them to where Darren is keeping Chief’s head. Darren complains about their last encounter and how he has been suffering because of it. Then he turns into a Were-butt which is exactly what you would think it is, and calls to more little butts to come and attack the Doom Patrol. Yes, this show just gets weirder and weirder in the best way possible.
The fight that ensues is Were-butts versus zombies and it is insane. The Doom Patrol are biting and eating the little butts that are attacking them when Madame Rogue shows up. She has been tasked with blowing up Chief’s head but is a bit distracted by all the Were-butts. Kipling grabs the head and runs through the portal back to the mansion with Madame Rogue. He is about to leave the zombie patrol behind but Chief says to stop, and that he can save them.
Madame Rogue gets some time to chat with Chief’s head. She says she remembers that her name is Laura and she is associated with the Sisterhood of Dada and that she is a bird. He explains that he doesn’t know her well but that he has documents about her. He is willing to share them with her if she promises to stay away from the Doom Patrol.
She leaves and lets the Doom Patrol is let in to the room, they eat Chief’s brains, and that heals them, making them back to their normal selves.
About Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 4
Rattled by the unexpected complication of being “undead,” the Doom Patrol are inspired to better themselves. But their efforts are soon disrupted by the return of a former adversary and the sudden appearance of a mysterious woman, who arrives by way of an even more enigmatic time machine.
About Doom Patrol Season 3
DOOM PATROL reimagines one of DC’s most beloved groups of superheroes:
- Robotman aka Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser)
- Negative Man aka Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer)
- Elasti-Woman aka Rita Farr (April Bowlby)
- Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero)
All led by modern-day mad scientist Niles Caulder aka The Chief (Timothy Dalton). Each member of the Doom Patrol suffered a horrible accident that gave them superhuman abilities, but also left them scarred and disfigured.
Part support group, part Super Hero team, the Doom Patrol is a band of superpowered freaks who fight for a world that wants nothing to do with them. Season three opens on the culmination of Dorothy’s (Abi Monterey) confrontation with the Candlemaker that leads to a devastating loss.
The Doom Patrol is at a difficult crossroads and each member struggles to face who they are and who they want to be. And things get a whole lot more complicated when Madame Rouge (Michelle Gomez) arrives in a time machine with a very specific mission, if only she could remember it.
The first three episodes of Doom Patrol season 3 will debut THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
with subsequent episodes launching weekly every Thursday through November 11 on HBO Max.
