DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Doom Patrol season finale episode “Amends Patrol” is riddled with spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome, residents of Doom Manor! Doom Patrol‘s Season Three finale, “Amends Patrol,” finds our heroes trying to correct past wrongs, namely Cliff and Madame Rouge. It’s a lovely button for a season-long arc involving grief, exploring trauma, self-love and becoming a better person.
While we don’t get to see much of the Sisterhood of Dada, I imagine we’ll see more of them in Season Four. “Amends Patrol” wraps up the Brotherhood storyline and manages to keep Madame Rouge involved with our “Doom Force.” The episode doesn’t end on a massive cliffhanger but, instead, a somewhat happy ending (save for Jane).
Ready to delve into “Amends Patrol”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with Rita (April Bowlby) waking up after the bus crash. Larry (Matt Bomer/Matthew Zuk) emerges from the vehicle itself, while Vic (Joivan Wade) carries an unconscious Jane (Diane Guerrero). Larry’s space parasite shocks him once again.
Meanwhile, in the Underground, Jane finds a wall of debris obstructing access through a corridor, and Kay is nowhere in sight.
She wakes up topside, but she informs Rita she’s not ready to venture the rest of the way to Florida to save Cliff.
Shelley Byron, a.k.a. The Fog (Wynn Everett), appears, and Rita wants nothing to do with whatever the Sisterhood of Dada is cooking. Rita’s disappointed with how The Eternal Flagellation played out; notably, Laura De Mille leaving unscathed.
Next, Madame Rouge (Michelle Gomez) lies on a gurney with Cliff’s brain in a pickle jar. Monsieur Mallah (Jonathan Lipow) observes her from afar, taking long draws on a cigarette. I was confident he tossed her over a cliff in last week’s episode, but she’s still alive.
He drives away, content on leaving her alone in the woods. Suddenly, Cliff’s pickle-jarred brain rolls down the cliff, and Madame Rouge decides to rescue him.
Our heroes waltz through the fog to the Sisterhood’s headquarters. Jane encounters Kay’s other personas as they roam through the mist. Larry’s space bug continues to lash out at him, and one of the personalities reveals that the parasite’s name is Keeg. Keeg needs to merge with Larry; otherwise, he’ll die.
Jane chats with Hammerhead (Stephanie Czajkowski) about the Underground situation. The other personas fled because Kay didn’t want them around anymore. And they can survive topside as long as they stay in the fog. Or can they?
Later, in Boca Raton, Brain (portrayed physically by Riley Shanahan) strolls through the retirement home with a newfound sense of vim and vigor. Life is grand! That is until Madame Rouge appears in the same massive red robot from Season One’s “Penultimate Patrol.” Cliff (Brendan Fraser) is now inside Brain’s old metallic body, and the pair pursues Brain with a vengeance.
Suddenly, Madame Rouge and Cliff crush Brain. So, there’s that.
Meanwhile, Jane wanders into Shelley’s sweet shop to find Pretty Polly and other personas in a dreadful state. Their skin crumbles as the debris Jane finds in the Underground. Jane talks to Dr. Harrison (Catherine Carlen), who doesn’t think anything’s wrong. They’re free of Kay. Isn’t that a good thing?
Jane surmises that the personas’ slow decay in the fog connects to the Underground’s current dilapidated state. She thinks they need to return to the Underground and STAT before they all perish.
Next, we learn that Cliff’s old body suffers potential destruction courtesy of the giant red robot. However, he spent his time in that pickle jar ruminating, and he wishes to move forward as a better person. He also believes Madame Rouge can change. But she morphs into a bird and flies away, leaving Cliff alone to operate the red robot with his mind.
Back in the fog, Larry feels hesitant about absorbing Keeg. Most people made significant decisions in his life for him, so inviting another Negative Spirit-like creature to take up residence in his body will be his decision. Vic persuades Larry into letting love in, just like he told his subconscious self during The Eternal Flagellation.
Then, Rita winds up in Boca Raton at Brain’s apartment. He finds the supervillain crawling on the ground with half a body — half of Cliff’s old metallic vessel.
Madame Rouge arrives at the Sisterhood’s old stomping grounds in the Bureau of Normalcy. After putting on some music, she launches into a beautiful dance routine, attempting to reconnect with her roots. Rouge finds her time machine stowed away in an unknown room. She climbs inside and wonders where she’ll go — perhaps she can undo everything she did in the past?
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Jane notices that Dr. Harrison’s also suffering from the same sickness as the other personas. Larry tries to absorb Keeg, but the space parasite doesn’t budge. They need to merge bodies in the safety of Larry’s room, which is radiation-proof. Thus, Vic volunteers to house Keeg in the interim.
Cliff travels to Claire’s (Bethany Anne Lind) house and makes amends with her. He apologizes for being a terrible father, and she accepts it. She hopes Cliff can heal from his Parkinson’s. Of course, he’s a giant crimson robot, so everyone in the neighborhood observes Cliff. After mending fences with his daughter, Cliff heads home to Ohio.
Meanwhile, Rita makes tea while Brain reads aloud Monsieur Mallah’s note. Mallah left for good — he wishes to be free of all the Brotherhood of Evil stuff. Rita persuades Brain into letting her join him, and she wants to venture into the dark side! In exchange, Brain will help Rita kill Madame Rouge.
Rita unscrews the lid on Brain’s body, revealing his, well, brain within. She dumps hot water on it, killing him. Methinks she plans on bringing Cliff’s body back to Doom Manor.
Then, Larry and Vic hastily barge into the former’s room. Keeg escapes Vic’s body and flies into Larry’s in no time flat.
Shelley returns Jane to Doom Manor. The pair flirt a bit, and we’ll see them together again. I can get behind this ship.
Suddenly, after Shelley departs, Jane falls unconscious. We see Kay’s personas are back in the Underground, including the reticent Dr. Harrison. They work together to remove the debris in the corridor. Hammerhead pulls Jane aside, and we learn that she struck a deal with Dr. Harrison.
Harrison’s now the primary, meaning Jane is out.
Later, Vic and Jane find Madame Rouge and her time machine in their front yard. Since Rouge knew she would lose her memories, she attached a letter to her shirt detailing everything she needed to know. Rouge declares herself to be an evil person in the note and names everyone in Doom Manor.
Cliff appears, but he’s unable to stop the giant robot. He stomps toward Cloverton, and Jane winds up inside the bot with him. She tries to slow him down, but she inadvertently presses the self-destruct button instead.
Larry soars after them with his new roommate — Negative Spirit 2.0. Madame Rouge attempts to join the fray, but Rita stops her. Rita snakes her hands around Rouge’s throat, intending to kill her, and Rouge encourages it; she knows she took Malcolm away from Rita. But Rouge doesn’t think she’s worth someone murdering her.
Jane and Cliff share what they believe are their final moments together before the bot self-destructs. Cliff apologizes for his behavior and thanks Jane for incessantly calling him out on his crap. I love their friendship.
Next, Cliff and Jane stomp toward the town’s local baseball field. Vic chases after the pair, but he turns back. Why? Because a gigantic Rita Farr appears, and she grounds the massive crimson robot to a stop.
Meanwhile, our gang watches the news, wherein the anchor praises “the eccentrics” for saving Cloverton. Rita gives a rousing speech about finally assuming the superhero mantle. It’s interesting — initially, Vic was gung ho about becoming heroes, but his stance changed ever since he had the synthetic skin surgery.
As it turns out, Rita spared Rouge’s life. So, Rouge voices her support for the superhero team. Cliff peers through the window since he’s still outside, and he calls them “Doom Force,” and that’s on that!
Larry, Vic, Cliff, Jane and Rouge are on board with the superhero plan. There’s a massive monster resembling hairy testicles (oh, Doom Patrol, never change) wreaking havoc in the Suez Canal. Rita proposes they travel there and work their magic. Jane passes out and meets with Dr. Harrison in the Underground. Harrison urges Jane to relent; it’s her turn to rule as primary now.
Later, everyone sits inside Cliff’s red robot body. They all have name tags on since time travel will affect their memories. Rita sits in the time machine and prepares for the three-minute trip ahead. Jane is still unconscious. Suddenly, the time machine burrows into the ground, and Cliff latches onto it, hot on its heels.
It’s time for the Doom Force, y’all!
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“Amends Patrol” isn’t a “guns blazing” affair. It feels quieter and less frenetic than past Doom Patrol season finales, and some might be disappointed because of that. But, overall, this season focuses more on character growth than cramming too much story into 50 minutes.
I wholeheartedly enjoyed the third season, but something feels off, and I think it’s the lack of Niles Caulder. While Timothy Dalton was usually billed as a special guest star, he had a significant presence on the show. The Chief’s influence expands even after his passing. Thankfully, Doom Patrol doesn’t forget him, and we see our misfits grieve his death in myriad ways.
I wanted more from the Sisterhood of Dada; I hoped to see more of their abilities in action. That said, I still appreciate the shift to our core group and their collective wellbeing.
Michelle Gomez is a fun addition, injecting Madame Rouge with nuance and a dry sense of humor that works for this series. She fits right in with the Doom Force.
Overall, this season’s exploration of grief and trauma and mental health as a whole is refreshing and so well done. Its trademark dark humor and macabre sensibilities punctuate well-written dialogue and solid performances.
I’m excited to see what Season Four holds in store for us.
All episodes of Doom Patrol are now streaming on HBO Max, with Season Four slated for sometime in the future.
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