Doom Patrol Review: Undead Patrol (Season 3 Episode 4)
Doom Patrol Season 3 Episode 4, “Undead Patrol,” begins with the spirit of a talking unicorn head and culminates with a no-holds-bar fight between the Doom Patrol — who just happen to be zombies at the time — and a pack of were-butts.
Needless to say, “Undead Patrol” is a weird one, even by Doom Patrol standards. And yes, were-butts are precisely what they sound like. It is not a typo or a tongue-in-cheek colloquialism.
Apparently, the butt creatures from Season 1 can turn people with their bite, and they turned a whole bunch of Bureau of Normalcy soldiers — including the awful Darren Jones — into the newest classic monster movie creature.
(Photograph by Bob Mahoney/HBO Max)
It’s absurd, fun, and entirely on-brand for this show. Part of the joy of watching Doom Patrol is embracing the weird mayhem of things like were-butts and just basking in the silliness of it all. It doesn’t get more Doom Patrol-esque than zombies vs. motherfudging were-butts.
In between all the irreverence, “Undead Patrol” is an episode with strong character moments and significant plot development.
Everyone has stand-out scenes on “Undead Patrol.” Jane processing her feelings about Caulder’s death and saying goodbye — you know, before she eats his brain — and Cyborg confronting his father are excellent moments for both characters.
The bulk of the episode outside of zombies and were-butts, though, focuses on Michelle Gomez’s amnestic Madame Rouge and her connection with Rita.
We learn a lot about Gomez’s character on “Undead Patrol,” as does she. She learns that her name is Laura de Mille and that she’s connected to the Sisterhood of Dada.
Oh, and she learns that she’s a bird who sometimes accidentally turns herself into an ottoman. Pretty standard stuff, really. Viewers know, of course, that she is a shapeshifter and not just a bird that can transform into human form. Something she’s sure to figure out soon.
Gomez continues to be a delightful addition to the cast. On “Undead Patrol,” everything she brings to this already fun character is on full display.
Madame Rouge is a character tailor-made for Gomez. Over the next six weeks, it will be a challenge not to turn these reviews into weekly love letters singing the praises of how good she is.
As expected, her delivery, comic timing, and physical onscreen presences are pitch-perfect. Gomez is having fun, and it comes through onscreen.
What is striking about her performance on “Undead Patrol,” though, is the vulnerability she brings to the character when faced with the possibility that she may have been a bad person before she lost her memories.
Viewers who have read the Doom Patrol comics likely have an idea of where things are going with Madame Rouge.
Even if you haven’t read the comics, though, it’s easy to see how the tension between whether she is a good person or a bad person will be a significant part of her character arc this season.
As the season progresses, we’ll learn more about what she did to make Niles hate her so much. She may end up being unquestionably a villain by the end of the season too. Still, right now, knowing very little about her, it’s hard not to feel for her and root for her to be the good person she thinks she is.
Much of the quick sympathy we feel for this character comes from how likable and engaging Gomez is. The writing makes her character immediately intriguing, but what Gomez does with the material, often in small or subtle ways, make us immediately care about her.
As more is revealed on “Undead Patrol” about Laura de Mille, the intrigue regarding Rita’s connection with Laura and the season’s overarching plot continues to deepen.
We already knew that Rita was going to play a big part in the main Season 3 story and that she is somehow connected to Laura de Mille. On “Undead Patrol,” any doubt that about that connection is put to rest.
Rita has something to do with Laura’s past in her future (it’s time travel, don’t think about it too much. It will make your head hurt)
Figuring out whatever timey wimy shenanigans put Rita in Laura’s path is already the most enticing plotline of Season 3, and “Undead Patrol” only makes it more so because of Gomez and April Bowlby’s great onscreen chemistry.
Their scenes together are some of the most entertaining of the episode. Seeing their relationship evolve over the rest of the season will be a treat and one likely full of surprises.
Hopefully, they will end up allies by the finale. If not, they will make fantastic adversaries as well.
“Undead Patrol” is a quintessential Doom Patrol. It’s that perfect blend of the sublimely ridiculous and emotional character beats that makes Doom Patrol one of the hardest shows on TV to describe but also one of the best.
Stray Thoughts
- We all agree that Cliff ordering prescription-free drugs on the internet to treat his maybe Parkinson’s will end badly, right?
- Can we take a minute to appreciate the delivery of the actor who played the Doctor that thinks she’s being pranked when Cliff calls her for medical advice? She was great.
- You have to admire Cliff’s complete commitment to hating Caulder even in death
- Aside from Rita, the character I’m most looking forward to seeing Laura de Mille interact with is Jane. Jane doesn’t trust de Mille at all, but they also might share more in common than they realize. In the hands of actors like Guerrero and Gomez, scenes between the two are bound to be some of the season’s best.
What did you think of this episode of Doom Patrol? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of Doom Patrol premiere Thursdays on HBOMax.
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Sarah Fields
Sarah is an obsessive geek who likes to get into the weeds and over think things. She is passionate about Sci-Fi and comics and is a giant classic film nerd. Sarah cares deeply about media representation and the power of telling diverse stories. When she's not writing or watching her favorite shows she spends her days working in the non-profit world trying to make life a little better for those that need some extra help.