The Rowdy 3

**The Rowdy 3** are a group in the television series *Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency*.

Despite their name, they are a quartet of psychic vampires. They are a Project Blackwing subject, code-name **Project Incubus**.

They travel in a beat up van, wreaking havoc wherever they go, feeding off the energy of other people (particularly Dirk Gently and Amanda Brotzman).

## History

### Early history

At some point Martin, Cross, Gripps, and -- separate and later -- Vogel were discovered and collected by Project Blackwing, and they received the collective codename **Project Incubus**. They were brought in by Mr. Priest.

After the first temporary end of Project Blackwing, they roamed free, calling themselves the **The Rowdy 3**. They traveled in a black van, which has "Rowdy 3" spray painted across the side.

They began tailing fellow Blackwing project Dirk Gently to feed off of his energy, which they like taste of, referring to it as "gourmet panic".

### A Completely Lost Dog

The Rowdy 3 tailed Dirk Gently when he was driving Todd Brotzman to visit his sister Amanda. After the two had returned to Todd Brotzman's apartment, the Rowdy 3 attacked and trashed the apartment, fed off Dirk, and then left through a window. Martin briefly popped back in and took a framed photo of Todd's sister Amanda Brotzman.

After the theft of her photo, the Rowdy 3 began following Amanda Brotzman, situating themselves outside of her house for the most part, parking their van but not venturing outside it. An unsettled Amanda left the house and threw a brick at their van, then went back inside. They threw the brick through her living room window with a note that said "Hi.".

 File:Rowdy 3 dghda103 feeding off amanda.png
When Amanda went on an unusual shopping trip, the Rowdy 3 tailed her to the store. Amanda had a Pararibulitis attack, and the Rowdy 3 first fended off a group of laughing onlookers, then fed off her, which lessened the attack. They brought an unconcious Amanda back to her home and left her and her groceries in her garage.

...

### The Middle of Everywhere

During the Blackwing attack at the end of the Spring case, the Rowdy 3 were separated: Martin, Cross, and Gripps were captured by Blackwing, while Vogel and Amanda evaded capture. Vogel and Amanda spent two months on the run, guided by Amanda's visions, trying to find their captured friends.

Martin, Cross, and Gripps were imprisoned at Blackwing. In their shared cell, each was straitjacketed and bound to a litter basket hung on the ceiling, which could be lowered into the floor. Most of the time they were kept sedated.

Supervisor Hugo Friedkin woke them up to question them about Dirk Gently. Gripps and Cross were put back, and Martin was kept out to talk, but fed off Friedkin before being sedated by Mr. Priest.

Priest and a squad went to Bergsberg to capture Vogel and Amanda, taking the Rowdy 3 van to use as bait for a trap. They surrounded the Cardenas' Family Motor Inn where Amanda and Vogel hid, but they evaded capture by transporting to Wendimoor.

Martin, Gripps and Cross were freed when Amanda, with Wakti Wapnasi's guidance and help, managed to transport them out of their Blackwing cell over to Wendimoor. Newly arrived, they defended the settlement against a group of Kellum Knights and fed on them. At night, they celebrated their reunion and victory with the Bofuki Nepoo.

...

...

The Boy, Francis, sent them back to their world, giving them back their van. They were joined by the Beast as their newest member, who had also been sent over by Francis.
...

## Members

* Martin, Project Incubus #1 (driver)
* Gripps, Project Incubus #2
* Cross, Project Incubus #3
* Vogel, Project Incubus #4
* Amanda Brotzman
* The Beast

## Character and Abilities

They are anomalous entities who are able to feed on pure (psychic) energy, i.e. neurological energy, to feed on people's emotions, earning their description as **psychic vampires** or **energy vampires**. When they feed, a slightly enlarged version of their face is projected outward out of visible energy.

They roam about, punctuated by bouts of comitting wanton destruction and mayhem around them while yelling manically. They do so too before feeding on a person's energy, possibly to heighten the victimized person's emotions.

Their feeding is able to lessen the severity of Amanda Brotzman's Pararibulitis attacks, the fearful energies of which Martin describes as "a buffet for us".

## Behind the scenes

* Their collective Blackwing code name is "Project Incubus"; the name stems from a mythical creature. Their Blackwing project symbol is a small circle with four lines going out in an X shape, each line crossed by a small line in the middle and forking into a V at its end (somewhat resembling the Norse 'Ægishjalmr/Helm of Awe' symbol); the symbol is also used split into four, which then looks like stick figures. Their uniform is white with a red band.
* Each member of the group uses a different weapon: In season 1 that's a baseball bat for Martin, a hammer for Gripps, a crowbar for Cross, and a stick for Vogel. Amanda, when she joined the team to attack the SWAT team at the Spring Mansion, used a pipe wrench. In season 2, Vogel uses a golf club early on; later in Wendimoor they pick up new weapons: Martin a wooden club, Gripps two gauntlets made from Kellum Knight helmets, Cross two croquet mallets, and Vogel a scissor sword.

### Appearances

* Season 1 (BBC America)
* Season 2 (BBC America)

## Notes

* The discrepancy between the number of their title and their members is believed to be a humorous reference to the inflating number of Douglas Adams' *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* books.
* A possible reference to Shakespearean plays, sets of three are traditionally held in Shakespeare’s works to be evil, unlucky, or simply a bad omen. Their initial entrance to the story in Season 1 implies them to be antagonists in the story, hence the “Three.” However, since there are actually 4 of them, they end up as a positive influence on Amanda later in the story.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Two Broken Fingers*
2. ↑ Max Landis on Twitter, 21.10.2017[1]
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Very Erectus*
4. ↑ *Horizons*
5. ↑ *Lost & Found*
6. ↑ *Rogue Wall Enthusiasts*
7. ↑ *Space Rabbit*
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 *Fans of Wet Circles*
9. ↑ *Shapes and Colors*
10. ↑ *Nice Jacket*