Pain Patrol

"**Pain Patrol**" is the third episode of the second season of *Doom Patrol*.

## Synopsis

* DC Universe
* HBO Max
Niles, Rita, and Larry end up in the interdimensional clutches of Red Jack, an infamous villain who feeds on pain, while Cliff visits his daughter with Jane.

In the wake of a terrifying omen, Niles and Rita enter the interdimensional palace of the infamous Red Jack, who feeds on pain and has taken Larry prisoner. Jane is called to The Underground to receive an ultimatum, while her physical body travels to Florida with Cliff, who's eager to prove he's a good father. Back at the manor, Dorothy's game of hide and seek ends badly.

## Plot

### Whitechapel, London: 1888

Niles as a child is walking through an alley when he's stopped by a cop and warned about the Ripper. Niles pickpockets the cop's watch and stays in the alley only for a woman to come flying out of a cloud of dust screaming and bloody. A terrifying man follows suit but Niles doesn't run. He watches as the man kills the woman and butterflies escape her corpse.

### Present Day: Doom Manor

Niles eats a breakfast that Dorothy made but Cliff purposely interrupts it as he still very angry with Niles. Niles, for his part chooses to tell him that he needs to work on himself. He and Jane decided to leave and head on a road trip to Florida to see Cliff's daughter, Clara. Jane passes out on the way and ends up in The Underground for an intervention. They want her to stop being part of the Doom Patrol and to stop taking care of Dorothy.

### Present Day: Detroit

Vic shows up for another group meeting, but finds out that it's been changed to Wednesdays by Roni, who takes Vic up to her place where they end up having sex after revealing their respective physical traumas to one another.

While talking with Rita and Dorothy, a bunch of butterflies show up at the manor with an "invitation" for Niles from Red Jack and one of Larry's bandages. Niles convinces Rita to go with him and tells her if they get separated to follow the butterflies. In Red Jack's palace, Larry is suspended by chains, his bandages begin to unravel, which exposes those in the room with him to his radiation.

### Doom Manor: 1966

Larry arrives with Niles, wearing a heavy suit and using an oxygen unit to protect others from his radiation. Rita is left in charge of getting Larry acclimated in his room as well as with the bandages Niles has left for him. She encourages him to change into the bandages and doesn't look away when she sees how damaged his skin really is. They bond and become friends.

In Florida, Cliff goes to his daughter's home and tells her who he is and also discovers that she's pregnant. But this doesn't go particularly well, with Cliff overwhelming Clara. She closes the door on him, but he refuses to leave, resulting in the police coming after she called them. Thus, Cliff realizes he's been selfish and eventually, he and Jane leave.

At Red Jack's, Rita looks for Larry while the villain explains that he is lonely and wants Niles to come be an equal with him. He admits to just being bored with what he’s been doing for a millennia and how he wanted a new pet project. Which made him get fixated on how years ago, a young boy caught his eye in London. Red Jack confesses how he wants Niles to be his new apprentice in the art of pain, which admitedly already has a talent for given what he did to the likes of Rita, Jane, Larry and Cliff..

Niles at first seems tempted but turns him down so Red Jack takes him as a victim instead. Red Jack tortures him by making him experience being Cliff. Rita finds Larry and as Red Jack begins to turn them all into butterflies for his collection. She risks herself, exposing herself to his radiation to save him by using her powers. Niles kills Red Jack before he can fully transform them. While Rita and Larry free the butterflies who were all Red Jack's victims.

At Doom Manor, Dorothy accidentally breaks Danny the Brick playing hide and seek and Niles consoles her. Rita tells Larry that lost causes aren't lost if there's someone to fight for them and that right now she's fighting for him. Niles tries unsuccessfully to repair Danny and begins working on a Robotman 2.0 for Cliff.

Back in Detroit, Vic is stood up for the date he's asked Roni on, though she sends him an email revealing the truth about her past and the terrible things she's done. He leaves and Roni watches from her car. In the bus on the way home,

Meanwhile Jane is going through an intervention in where back in The Underground, many of her other personalities ask for her to stop using drugs to suppress them, putting her position as primary at stake. Jane makes a speech about how her life has revolved around cleaning up the messes made by the other personalities. But ultimately, Jane finds herself locked in a cell within the aforementioned Underground and no longer primary.

## Cast

### Starring

* Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane and Karen (inhabiting Kay Challis’ body)
* April Bowlby as Rita Farr
* Joivan Wade as Vic Stone/Cyborg
* Matt Bomer as Larry Trainor (voice only)
* Brendan Fraser as Cliff Steele (voice only)

### Special appearance by

* Timothy Dalton as Dr. Niles Caulder/The Chief

### Also starring

* Riley Shanahan as Cliff Steele (physically only)
* Matthew Zuk as Larry Trainor (physically only)

### Guest starring

* Abigail Shapiro as Dorothy Spinner
* Karen Obilom as Roni Evers
* Roger Floyd as Red Jack
* Catherine Carlen as Doctor Harrison
* Bethany Anne Lind as Clara Steele

### Co-starring

* Vanessa Cater as Darling Come Home
* Kat Cressida as Voice of Darling Come Home
* Craig Trow as Bobby
* Jackie Goldston as The Secretary
* Sarah Borne as Baby Doll
* Hannah Alline as Pretty Polly
* Shay Mack as Driller Bill
* Faith Dillon as Cop #1
* Christopher Gay as Cop #2
* Anna Borchert as Bloody Woman
* Joshua Holcombe as Palace Musician
* Matt Philliben as Palace Servant
* Brian T. Stevenson as Voice of Herschel

## References

1. ↑ "Watch Doom Patrol Season 2 on DC Universe" - DC Universe