DISCLAIMER: This recap of Doom Patrol Season 4 Episode 10, “Tomb Patrol,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, Doomies! “Tomb Patrol” is, hands down, one of Doom Patrol‘s strongest showings in a hot minute. It deftly balances action and character-driven beats in a fast-paced episodic narrative. There are a handful of delightful plot twists, such as Vic’s new Cyborg tech, the return of the Were-butts and Dr. Margaret and Immortus sending our heroes down a portal. It’s entertaining, emotional and poignant. “Tomb Patrol” tugs at the heartstrings, allowing every character to wrestle with their mortality as they run out of time.
Performance-wise, everyone knocks it out of the park, but April Bowlby is my MVP. She delivers compelling, nuanced and searingly vulnerable work that hits you where it hurts.
Ready to delve into “Tomb Patrol”? Let’s get to it.
RELATED: Check out our recap for Doom Patrol Season 4 Episode 9, “Immortimas Patrol”
We open with The Butt Hunter (Tommy Snider) running through the streets of Cloverton. He spots a lone Were-butt and blasts it to kingdom come. Then, another Were-butt appears, and this one can talk! Teddy (voiced by Dylan Saunders) tries to rally The Butt Hunter to his cause. A whole host of the terrifying creatures make their grand entrance, much to TBH’s dismay. However, he agrees to help the talking Were-butt, the leader. See? Peer pressure works.
Meanwhile, Vic (Joivan Wade) pops into STAR Labs to visit ole pops. Silas (Phil Morris) chats with his son about his future. Vic notes how strange it is that he wanted to extricate himself from the Cyborg tech. Yet, even after losing it, he’s still being a superhero. Their conversation perfectly encapsulates their evolution as father and son, especially Silas, who regrets his decision to force the Cyborg tech on Vic.
DOOM PATROL Season 4 Episode 10, “Tomb Patrol.” Photo credit: Zac Popik/Max.
At Doom Manor, Laura (Michelle Gomez) tries to bar Isabel Feathers/Immortus (Charity Cervantes) from entry. However, Izzy just wants to invite them to her one-woman show, which she’s performing that evening. Here’s hoping it hits Broadway next week.
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Then, we see Larry (Matt Bomer/Matthew Zuk) digging a hole in the backyard next to the garden. Rama (Sendhil Ramamurthy) asks Larry why he’s digging his grave. We see blood seeping through the bandages on his arm. His body is slowly breaking down. Rama reveals he plans to travel to his birthplace and go out on the Bay of Bengal. Like Larry, his body is on its last legs. He’s as combustible now as ever. Rama urges Larry to accompany him. They can leave this world together. However, Larry wants to ensure Keeg is cared for before he goes. I hope this isn’t the last time we see Rama.
Meanwhile, Rita (Bowlby) is making dinner for the house. Laura walks in after Rita allows herself to become a blob. It helps with her arthritis pain. Laura tells her about Immortus’ invitation. Perhaps they can kill Immortus and obtain their longevities. But Rita wants to enjoy what little time she has left with her family. She’s learning to accept her fate.
DOOM PATROL Season 4 Episode 10, “Tomb Patrol.” Photo credit: Zac Popik/Max.
Later, Jane (Diane Guerrero) examines her reflection in a mirror. Like Rita, she, too, is showing signs of aging. Then, she notices she can put the puzzle pieces together — the ones on her floor. Jane winds up in The Underground. Finally! To her horror, Jane finds piles of ashes representing Kay’s other alters, from Hammerhead to Pretty Polly. What happened? While there, Jane flashes back to last week’s episode, “Immortimas Patrol,” wherein she sang and danced with Casey. She also spots Kay (Skye Roberts) sitting in her room, constructing a puzzle, when her father appears in the doorway.
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Cliff (Brendan Fraser/Riley Shanahan) pulls her out of The Underground. He asks her if she wants to accompany him to Florida to visit Clara and Rory. They can blow sh*t up while they’re there. Jane agrees on that alone. Later, Laura calls for a house meeting. Vic is out of town, and Jane refuses to waste what little time she has left, so it’s only Larry, Rita and Cliff. Laura shows them a picture of the necklace Niles Caulder used to wear. It’s one that contained a part of Immortus.
Then, Laura reveals a massive “skin tag” on the back of Immortus’ neck, similar in shape to Niles’ necklace. Laura theorizes that they could kill her by removing it. And the act of her death would return their longevities. Unfortunately, nobody is on board with this plan. They also accuse Laura of stepping out on them as they saw in their futures. Listen, everyone sh*tting on Laura is getting tiresome. She’s more than proved herself of redemption at this point.
DOOM PATROL Season 4 Episode 10, “Tomb Patrol.” Photo credit: Zac Popik/Max.
Meanwhile, at STAR Labs, Vic and Silas discuss their grief over losing Vic’s mom. We get beautiful performances from both Wade and Morris here. Vic shows the sketches he and Deric drew of Vic’s new and improved Cyborg tech. Vic wants his dad to perform the procedure.
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Next, Cliff and Jane are on the road, driving slowly to Florida. Jane urges Cliff to put the pedal to the metal. However, Cliff’s leg becomes frozen in place due to his advanced aging and Parkinson’s. Jane pulls the emergency brake before they almost crash. Jane declares she’s driving for the rest of the trip. Understandable.
Isabel performs her show at the Cloverton Theater. The audience watches as she bursts through her mother’s vagina and showcases the various stages in her life, leading to her trip through the time hole upon Laura’s arrival. After the performance, Isabel asks the crowd for feedback. We see Laura sitting in the back, observing. Nobody “gets” what Immortus is trying to do. They also don’t feel her show is ready beyond this workshop/rehearsal. Irritated, Isabel waves her hand, causing the audience to vanish. Laura emerges, revealing she empathizes with Isabel’s struggle.
DOOM PATROL Season 4 Episode 10, “Tomb Patrol.” Photo credit: Zac Popik/Max.
Later, at home, Dr. Margaret Yu (Keiko Agena) meets with her Were-butt love, Nicholas (voiced by Jimmy Smagula). She reads a letter from Teddy, who Nicholas thought was dead. Teddy urges Nicholas to join the revolution. It’s time to rise up. However, Nicholas merely wants to live a quiet life with Margaret. Suddenly, after reading the letter, Margaret transforms into a Were-butt. Plot twist!
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Meanwhile, on the road, Jane discloses to Cliff her belief that she has dementia. While driving, she starts hearing voices in her head and flashing back to Immortimas and Kay with her father. Cliff places a hand on Jane’s shoulder. Jane looks at him, but she only sees Kay’s father. Jane veers off the road. Cliff gently suggests they head back home. Neither of them is physically and mentally up to a long road trip. Jane nods in agreement.
Laura and Isabel lament their similar situations. Kids, this is a prime example of a conversation where neither person truly listens to the other. They’re talking at each other. Laura wonders how long she’ll have to eat sh*t before the Doom Patrol finally accepts her. She reminisces about her time with the Brotherhood of Evil. Sure, she’s no longer a villain, but she misses the camaraderie. This gives Immortus an idea. What if she pivots to being a true antagonist? Laura could be her sidekick. Then, Immortus can force everyone to love her. Uh-oh.
DOOM PATROL Season 4 Episode 10, “Tomb Patrol.” Photo credit: Zac Popik/Max.
Then, Larry joins Rita at the dinner table, even though he can’t eat. Rita’s disappointed in the group for not attending her dinner. Larry wonders why Rita’s attitude has changed so significantly. Usually, she would be fighting tooth and nail to save their skins. But Rita’s all acceptance these days. The conversation takes a turn for the serious as Rita weeps about how often she’s stuck her neck out for everyone. She hasn’t even received so much as a “thank you.” Nobody asks how she’s doing. Rita storms off.
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Meanwhile, Margaret explains that Teddy turned her into a Were-butt before she realized what was happening. Nicholas wants to exact vengeance against Teddy for doing this. Margaret insists he’s no better than Teddy if he goes down this path. He must prove to her that he’s the opposite of Teddy.
Later, Larry brings Rita another drink and fixes her record player. They sit together. I’ve always loved Rita/Larry scenes. They’re Niles Caulder’s OGs. Cliff and Jane join them, revealing they decided not to travel to Florida. Our quartet reminisces together, including the adventures we’ve seen onscreen over the seasons. Admittedly, this scene made me weepy. It truly epitomizes how they feel about each other. They’re a family. In Jane’s room, two puzzle pieces move together of their own volition. Hmm…
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Upon realizing that Laura went to the Cloverton Theater alone to save them, Rita tries to rally her pals to come to Laura’s rescue. Disappointed in their response, Rita departs by herself. Unfortunately, she collapses before she leaves the room. At the theater, Isabel/Immortus plans her rise to power. Laura spots the skin tag on Isabel’s neck. She mulls over whether she should strike. Larry, Cliff and Jane decide to save Laura in honor of Rita. They leave Rita in her bed and head into town.
DOOM PATROL Season 4 Episode 10, “Tomb Patrol.” Photo credit: Zac Popik/Max.
Our trio parks in front of the theater. Suddenly, a bevy of humans, led by Teddy, appears. They transform into Were-butts. Thankfully, Vic, aka Cyborg, comes to their aid. Boo-yah! He’s back. Laura transforms her arm into a blade to chop off the skin tag. Isabel freezes her in place. Meanwhile, the others lock the doors after seeking shelter in the theater. The Were-butts try to claw their way inside. They see Laura and Immortus onstage. She reveals she has an idea to give our heroes more time. Immortus conjures a portal in the middle of the theater. Then, she tosses Jane, Cliff, Vic, Larry and Laura into said portal. Bye-bye.
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Where do you think Immortus sent our heroes? Will Rita save them? Can they retrieve their longevities before it’s too late? Only time (and two more episodes) will tell.
Doom Patrol drops new episodes every Thursday on Max.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
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