Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 7 is one of the weirdest yet, and for those who know Doom Patrol, that is saying something.
Warning, this recap and review of Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 7 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 Episode 6 recap, check it out.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 7
“Bird Patrol”
The episode kicks off with the Sisterhood of Dada preparing flyers and Larry birthing a slug-like creature out of his mouth. Vic goes to a doctor to learn about synthetic skin and learns that he would need to have all of his Cyborg tech removed — except for his artificial organs and structural prosthetics. He asks how long it would take and is told that it would be an overnight procedure.
He is also warned that he should think long and hard about this decision, and probably consult his father, to which he says he does not want to do. This is something his mother would want for him and that is enough.
Back at the Doom Patrol mansion Jane is yelling at Cliff for selling all of her records when she starts to choke. She pulls a handkerchief out of her mouth with the Dada logo and the word TONIGHT on it — the same flyer the group was printing at the start of the episode. Cliff’s shirt magically has the logo on it as well and they say something strange is going on. That is when Laura walks in and says yes of course there is something weird going on, the Sisterhood is coming for them.
When Jane finds out that Cliff also sold her Cher workout tapes she grabs his arm and transports him to his daughter’s house, forcing him to deal with his issues. He tells her that he has started taking pills for his Parkinson’s and even trusts him with the baby so she can go on a day date with her wife. When she leaves him with her credit card for emergencies he reluctantly takes it. Probably not the smartest idea considering his internet addictions.
As they leave his hand starts to shake. Cliff doesn’t end up using his daughter’s credit card, although it is clear that he is thinking about it. He is too busy dealing with the baby and the mess he is making — cereal all over the kitchen floor, a broken smoke detector, and the stove burning the bottle. Clara asks him about the weird fog rolling in, wondering if they should be worried. Cliff says no and that he will protect his family.
Past Laura has started to change and Rita has been noticing it. She is no longer looking out for metahumans but is recruiting them as weapons to the government. Rita tells her the Sisterhood misses having Laura around, who responds by saying she has a big responsibility protecting their country now. After Rita leaves she is confronted by someone from the Bureau who tells her she is protecting her friends (the Sisterhood) when they should be recruited to join the war. Meanwhile, the Sisterhood of Dada says they are ready to make a big move with the Eternal Flatulation after The Cyclone accuses them all of being complacent with the actions of the Bureau.
Larry takes his slug, which he is assuming is some kind of space parasite, into the woods to leave him there. He continues to walk away and then return bringing items to it to give it a chance of survival. He then notices a fog spreading in the woods, which is clearly the work of Shelley.
Roni is back in this episode when Vic reaches out to her to tell her that she was right about him and his issues. He tells her that he is going to take his tech out and she is shocked about it. She tells him that she thought he wanted to be a hero and help fight the fight against racism. She explains that his tech helps him be effective against change as Cyborg — and asks him what he wants more change or happiness. She leaves the conversation by telling him to do whatever he has to.
In the Underground Kay is very upset because someone stole her new bike. Jane knows that it was one of the other personas and they did it on purpose — to keep Kay from wanting to go back to the surface. It is working too, because Kay now says she will never leave the Underground again. When Jane confronts those she thinks it might be, even admitting they were created to protect Kay in the first place, they ask who is there to protect them.
Shelley is making her way through everything with her fog, and finding all of the Doom Patrol members, taking them to a central location. Cyborg is about to undergo surgery to remove his tech, Cliff is in his daughter’s garage with her credit card talking to his cam girl Ginger, and Jane is in the Underground trying to make things right with Kay. Present Laura is in the mansion sealing up all the windows and doors so that the Fog cannot get in when Larry walks right through the door bringing it behind him. It overcomes them both.
All of the Doom Patrol, minus Rita and plus Laura, is now in the very same Salon room where the Sisterhood would meet. All but Laura are being forced to do a dance which is clearly trying to jog her memory. Now the show flashes back to Laura standing in that room watching the Sisterhood do the dance when she ushers in the troops who take them all in. The troops are being very forceful, even as Laura tells them they will not vote back.
The man who talked to Laura earlier shows up and welcomes them all the metahuman weapons division — and forces Laura to stamp each and every one of their files with the word weapon. The whole team can see the flashback and what Laura did. Rita stands up against Laura and tells her she thought they were friends…family. When she refuses to get on her knees, Malcolm stands in front of her to protect her and is struck with a weapon and killed. She opens the bird cage inside of his body and takes out the paperclip heart before turning herself into a blob and fleeing.
Then Rita appears, dressed as Malcolm, and says “she’s ready”. The fog transports the whole lot to the woods where they are questioning what is happening. In front of them stands a giant bird cage in a nest with an egg inside of it. The egg hatches and out comes a close up of Malcolm’s face with wings. Laura and Rita start to fight, with Rita telling Laura that the Sisterhood is not evil, but rather she is. Laura fights back saying she is not evil.
Shelley tells Laura they all did unspeakable things for seventy years because Laura forced them into the weapons division. Rita opens the cage and hundreds of birds with people’s faces fly out, led by the bizarre Malcolm bird. Laura then turns into a bird and flies up to join them. Cliff asks if that was it and the Sisterhood answers him saying that this was just the prologue and the Flatulation is only bad if you are bad. As the episode ends birds are flying into the members of the Doom Patrol and transporting them to a place unknown — which fans are sure to see in the next episode.
This episode was one of the weirdest yet, but is surely setting up for something even weirder.
About Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 7
Vic consults an old friend for help with a major life change, Cliff takes his online habits too far, and Jane battles the “others” for Kay. Sensing immense danger, Madame Rogue attempts to rally the highly distracted group.
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.
