Undead Patrol

"*Good sh\*tting Christ. We're all a way through the looking glass now.*"
—Willoughby Kipling
"**Undead Patrol**" is the fourth episode of the third season of *Doom Patrol*. It premiered on HBO Max on September 30, 2021.

## Synopsis

The newly "undead" members of the Doom Patrol are inspired to work on themselves. Later, the team is rocked by the arrival of a mysterious woman on a time machine - and a former foe.

## Plot

At a motel, Willoughby Kipling performs a ritual to bring Niles back to life from his head, shocking the scientist for his noble act, which he didn't believe if he didn't need something, which Kipling claimed. To help Kipling make Baphomet fall in love, Niles contacts her to ask her if she wanted to have a romantic relationship with Kipling, but knowing that Kipling cut off Niles's head, Baphomet asks that their next meeting be serious, and Kipling is frustrated. Because his plan failed, much to Niles' mockery, Kipling realizes that a man entered his room, only for that man to attack him to take Niles.

In the Doom Manor, the mysterious traveler finishes preparing her tea, asking the group about when Niles would return, but Vic refused to answer until they found out who he was, but the traveler was interested in Vic's technology, and they found out that she has been with them since Larry found them dead. The traveler confessed that she did not remember his name, but she did remember that she wanted to find Niles and have the feeling of hitting him. The traveler reveals that she is a time traveler in search of Niles, which Cliff does not believe because time travel did not exist, although the group ends up believing him when they see the time machine. Rita saw the uniform that her other self wore in Codsville and the group considered that the alarm Rita heard was about the traveler who got angry after knowing that Niles died. Rita took a part of the machine to prevent the traveler from going back to the past and the group advised her to travel seven weeks, since there was Candlemaker and the sex ghosts. The traveler was about to travel to the past, but the machine failed, and she ordered Vic to repair it. Cliff decided to give up on the traveler's problems, annoying Jane because he promised to be with her to solve her problems, and Rita decided to take the woman with the alarm.

Arriving quickly in his room, Larry began to vomit blue, thinking he was going to die. Cliff had a call with Dr. Isa Gammon to investigate his Parkinson's, but she hung up on him thinking he was a tiktoker. Cliff's head began to turn rotten without him realizing it. Jane uses several straw bags and Niles' clothes to make a doll of him and a fly entered Jane's nose like nothing happened. Vic notices that his arm has a strange stain, before being surprised by Silas who came to visit to see the time machine, and learned that Silas was suspended from S.T.A.R. Labs because Vic helped Roni, starting an argument about her decisions, and Vic revealed to his father that his mother told him there was another way to be saved and Silas revealed that there was an experimental synthetic skin, upsetting Vic because he could to have looked normal, even though Silas implanted technology to protect him. While searching for the alarm, Rita gave the traveler a name "Shannon" and Rita introduced herself to her, asking if she remembers her from somewhere, which "Shannon" denied because her instincts told her nothing. "Shannon" activated the secret button of the alarm, revealing on a table a tape with a strange symbol, and went to see it while Rita had a green stain and was scratching her hair vigorously.

Cliff met with Jane after she finished the Niles doll, as Jane would try to ease her grief over Niles's death. Cliff recounted meeting him as a ghost, surprising Jane for having last spoken to him, and Cliff encouraged her to tell the Niles doll the things she never told him when he was alive. Rita interrupted Larry, who was watering his flowers, to reveal that another version of her was found in Codsville and she thought that "Shannon" would give her the answers, and considered being a famous time traveler, something that Larry doubted, confessing that he was dying to lose the Negative Spirit. Larry noticed that he had something green on his bandages and unexpectedly, Rita licked his head for some reason. "Shannon" watches a video produced by the Sisterhood of Dada and sees Shelley Byron holding a cat to creepy music, causing "Shannon" to start dancing. Vic realized that his skin was peeling off. Rita was terrified when her hair started to fall out and Larry went upstairs to help her but accidentally fell. Cliff and Jane try to get rid of Night Nurse's vomit until Jane spits up maggots.

Because of the vomit, Jane, Cliff, Larry, Vic and Rita turn into zombies. "Shannon" finished watching the video, where she appears after transforming into a bird, dancing with Shelley, and discovered that her name was Laura De Mille. Laura expresses her excitement to know her name and proclaimed to be a bird and realized that the group was turned into zombies. Kipling came to the manor for help, learning from his allies that they became zombies from the Night Nurse's vomiting after reviving from the afterlife. Kipling, Laura, and the group watched the video threatening Niles's head kidnapper, former Bureau of Normalcy agent, Darren Jones, who threatened to kill Niles out of revenge. The group refused to save Niles, but ended up agreeing. Laura realized that Niles could help her get her memories back. Kipling mentioned having a plan, which wouldn't work because they turned into zombies and Laura had a plan to use the zombies against Darren without eating their brains.

Lest they eat their brains, Kipling and Laura donned pine-scented hats and traveled with the group to Darren's cabin. Kipling gave Laura a dragon piss so that when he gives Laura the signal, she kills Darren easily by transforming into a bird. Kipling and the zombies arrive at the cabin, finding several sheets written by Darren's wife, and Kipling retrieves his coat, stealing Darren's journal about the strange things in the world. Darren surprises his old enemies, yelling at them to pay attention to his story, and Laura tries to transform into a bird to help. Seeking revenge, Darren comments on how he survived the destruction of the Ant Farm and Jane asks to see Niles. Seeing his patients turned into zombies, Niles was shocked and at that moment, Laura turned into a piece of furniture, failing her mission. Kipling didn't see Darren as a mortal threat and Vic threatened the villain more rudely than usual. When Kipling reluctantly inquired as to why his wife and children left him, Darren proceeded to transform into a were-butt from the bites of the same creatures, summoning them to kill his enemies.

Laura fought some to get the head, Cliff slaughtered the butts with his fists, Jane and Rita bit them to death, Larry used a chainsaw, Vic used a rake, and Kipling used his fire sword. With the butts dead, Darren was forced to flee, leaving the head behind, and Kipling and Laura managed to get it. Laura and Kipling had to flee for losing the pine trees and Kipling wanted to outrun the zombies, but Niles had a plan, explaining that he would feed the group's brains back to normal, which would cost him death, and Kipling delivered the Darren's book, saying goodbye to his old friend, who advised him to give Baphomet time to start a relationship. Laura asked Niles how he knew her, but since Niles knew who she was, he refused to give her information, offering to see her documents, in exchange for leaving the group alone, a deal that Laura accepted. The zombies crossed to the library, meeting Niles again, and he finally said goodbye to his patients, before they started eating their heads.

Traumatized, the group took mouthwash and Cliff asked what Niles tasted like, upsetting everyone, though Larry mentioned that it was peaceful being a temporary zombie. Laura discovers her documents, where she finds out that she was a bad person and a threat that deserves to be arrested, beginning to cry. Jane vents about Niles's death and burns the doll as planned. Larry realizes that he is not dying, but that he is pregnant with a being. Cliff buys medication online for his Parkinson's. Vic looks in a mirror and imagines being normal. Searching for answers, Rita tries to question Laura about why they knew each other, but since she was crying, she offers her cookies, and Laura happily accepts. When Rita leaves, Laura realizes that the Sisterhood video had Rita in the background.

In a post-credits scene, Darren continues running in his were-butt form, now transformed into a zombie, and heads towards Cloverton for revenge.

## Cast

### Starring

* Diane Guerrero as Kay Challis/Crazy Jane
* April Bowlby as Rita Farr
* Joivan Wade as Vic Stone/Cyborg
* Riley Shanahan as Cliff Steele (robotic body)
* Matthew Zuk as Larry Trainor (while bandaged)
* Matt Bomer as Larry Trainor
* Brendan Fraser as Cliff Steele (voice)

### Special appearance by

* Michelle Gomez as Laura De Mille
* Timothy Dalton as Dr. Niles Caulder/The Chief (voice)

### Guest starring

* Mark Sheppard as Willoughby Kipling
* Phil Morris as Dr. Silas Stone
* Wynn Everett as Shelley Byron
* Jon Briddell as Darren Jones

### Co-starring

* Shoni Baker as Dr. Isa Gammon
* Chantelle Barry as Baphomet (voice)

## Gallery

### Video

Doom Patrol 3x04 Promo "Undead Patrol" (HD) HBO Max Superhero series
## Trivia

* Sex Patrol is confirmed to have happened one week ago.
* Seven weeks ago is the safest time the team can think of for Laura to travel to; meaning it happens around Tyme Patrol, which is the safest time in Season 2 since Doom Manor wasn't in danger.
* Night Nurse's regurgitation from the last episode turns its victims into zombies; even those who weren't dead (as Larry was astral projecting) and don't have a organic body (as Cliff is just a brain).
* Kipling can understand zombie speak.
* The ending with the zombified Darren Jones bears eerie similarity to the ending of *Resident Evil.*
* Niles' research revealed zombies come back to life once the eat brains; but movies bastardized it for drama.