Ezekiel Patrol

"Ezekiel Patrol" is the fifteenth and final episode of the first season of Doom Patrol. It premiered on May 24, 2019.

Synopsis
The Doom Patrol go their separate ways.

Plot
Still in White Space, Niles says that he needed the team to obtain the immortality they have. He apologizes, and Jane says that he lied to all of them. She lunges at Niles, and Nobody freezes the scene except for Niles. Niles asks Nobody to let them go, and Nobody says that it was all about getting Niles. He sends them away and says that Niles is the one that destroyed them just like he destroyed Nobody's human life. Niles wonders what's in store for them now. Mr. Nobody says that the world is an oyster for him but Niles' future will be a little different. He asks Niles how it feels to be a nobody and laughs when Niles has no answer for him. Nobody sends Niles away and laughs.

1961: The Ant Farm
Niles goes through the hallways, talking to Josh as he goes. Josh talks about what they're going to do to Larry, and wonders what it's for. Niles figures that once Forsythe grows bored, they can access Larry forever. Josh tells him that with Rita they already have a test subject that is showing no signs of aging, but Niles figures that now they'll have two. When Josh asks where the line is, Niles tells him to consider the alternative. The psychiatrist says that he only sleeps because Niles doesn't tell him anything, and Niles tells him that he's welcome before leaving.

Present Day: Six Months Later
Larry wakes up and Rita welcomes him as he goes to the kitchen. She says that her students are finally performing, makes herself a lot of food, and reminds Larry that they made a promise not to hide. Larry says that he's trying and Rita leaves for school.

As he goes for a walk in the woods, Larry, comes to a cliff overlooking a flooded quarry and releases the Negative Spirit. It flies off and Larry remains conscious for 20 seconds to watch it.

Rita rehearses the school play and gives them acting instructions. She demonstrates how to connect with their characters, and tells the students that's how they excel. Once student, Esme, tells her that she gets to watch a never-was outact her students.

1976: Doom Manor
Rita, Larry, and Niles celebrate New Year's Eve, and Rita and Niles both laugh at Larry's huge sunglasses. Forsythe arrives and Niles goes to meet him. Niles tells him to leave, and insists that the work they do there is essential. Forsythe says that their investigators have identified Niles' next test subject, and Niles determines from the paperwork that he made the request over a decade ago. They've finally found Jane and fits the profile Niles asked them to find.

Later, Niles drives off from the mental hospital with Jane in the back.

Present Day
Jane teleports into Josh's office and asks if he knew what Niles was doing. She figures that Niles was going to cage them like the others. Josh admits that he knew but blinded himself to what Niles was doing, and Jane tells him to make it go away. She describes of a wound on her chest growing bigger until there's none of her left, and Josh says that there's an opiate for metahuman powers that Niles created and gave to him for safekeeping. He warns that it quiets everything, good and bad, and they'd have to stick to a strict regimen. Jane grabs the vial and teleports to the bus, and injects herself with the drug.

Jane finds herself in the lakeside in her mind. She lies down in the grass and her other personas join her, lying down as well. Young Kay lies down next to Jane, and Jane apologizes to her. The young girl says that it feels better now and they take each other's hands.

1988: Doom Manor
Niles is in his workshop crying when Elinore Stone comes in response to his invitation. He shows her Cliff's brain in a container and says that he's his last research subject. Niles notes that the crash was supposed to be on the racetrack and nobody else was supposed to get hurt, and says that it's all gone too far. Elinore wonders how Niles knew when Cliff was supposed to crash, and he says that it's gone too far. Niles tells her that he needs to tell her something and wants her to promise that she'll still be his friend.

Present Day
Cliff goes to a food truck to get an order, and takes it to the bus. He lays it outside of the door and walks away. Inside, Jane lays unconscious.

2014: STAR Labs Medical Wing
Niles and Silas finish operating on Vic, and Niles says that Elinore would have wanted Vic to survive. Silas thanks him for the sentiment, and Niles tells him that Vic is going to need special holistic care. When he talks about compassion, Silas tells him that he's not fooling himself. Elinore told him what Niles did, and Silas tells him that his son isn't an experiment. He says that he did it out of love, and asks why Niles did it to the others. Disgusted, Silas walks off.

Present Day
Vic dreams of being on the operating table surrounded by the group's body. Mr. Nobody, who is wearing Vic's face, is tearing him apart. Vic wakes up as Silas calls and asks if he's okay. He suggests that Vic go out in the field, but Vic figures that his time is better suited taking down cybercrime. Silas tells his son that he's proud of him and hangs up.

Back in White Space, Nobody initially parties about his triumph. He soon gets bored and reads a magazine article about how badly Doom Patrol is while sitting on the toilet. Nobody admits that the writer is right. Ezekiel arrives and says that he has waited centuries for The Rapture. It demands to know why Nobody has failed twice to bring it about. Nobody says that he was going for emotional stakes and admits that he's no God, and Ezekiel figures that God has brought him there to put Nobody back on the path of His glory. The villain figures that he's already succeeded in his life's work and turned everyone against Niles, and then remembers asking Niles about his wife. Ezekiel offers to bring Admiral Whiskers to Nobody as a henchman, and Nobody summons the mouse. He names the trio the Brotherhood of Dangerous Animals and figures that he'll have vengeance for real and then they'll destroy the world if there's time.

Larry gets up and wakes Rita, who is passed out drunk at the table. She's less than impressed with Larry's triumph, and says that a 13-year-old girl emotionally assassinated her. Rita figures that there has to be more to life than just getting by. They hear disembodied singing coming from a neighboring house even though the residents moved a week ago, and Rita figures they might as well investigate because they have nothing else to do. Larry suggests that it might lead them back to Niles and reminds Rita that they're the ones who don't get involved. Rita merely says that there'll be no more fighting.

Jane wakes up and hears Father calling to Kay. Hammerhead goes to get Kay, and the Secretary tells Jane that hiding isn't healing and she has to go out. Jane insists that they're safe and happy there, and wakes up in the real world. She opens the door and finds Cliff there, and realizes that he's the one who has been bringing her cold food for months. They both hear disembodied singing, and they immediately agree to go fuck up whoever is doing it.

Vic hears the music and follows it to Doom Manor. Rita and Larry arrive, and join Cliff and Jane as they go inside. Cliff says that he's grateful that the singer has brought them back together, and the five of them enter the manor.

Niles is sitting in front of the fireplace looking at a painting of Danny. Cliff puts a blanket on the painting, and Niles explains that Nobody has kidnapped Danny. He says that he needs their help to rescue Danny, and tells them that a long time ago he had a daughter. Niles is afraid that she's a danger to all of them, and wanted to live forever to protect her and protect others. That's why he created them to study any means possible of extending his own life. Niles says that they were initially experiments, and says that Danny agreed to be his daughter's caretaker. Somehow Nobody found out about her and has trapped them both inside the painting.

Cliff sarcastically agrees to help him with his daughter as soon as Niles makes a time machine so he can get back the 30+ years he lost with his own daughter. Jane says that she'll do it for Danny and the daughter, but not for Niles. Rita tells Niles that she'll go in because the only time she doesn't feel like an asshole is when she deals with superstuff. Cliff says that he'll go in so he doesn't look like an asshole, and Niles warns that getting out will be tricky because he doesn't know how to do it.

They all stare at the painting and find themselves on Danny. None of the residents are in sight, and there's a newspaper saying that Flex brought the Dennyzens to safety. A giant Ezekiel steps out and throws a car, declaring itself a Horseman of the Apocalypse. Nobody runs past them, screaming, into the Perpetual Cabaret.

Inside, Ernest is on stage singing and greets the team as they come in. He admits that he fucked up, and Nobody offers him famous beards for him to tell Nobody everything. Nobody is at the bar drinking, and says that trapping Danny turned him into a husk. He wanted to meet Niles' daughter, and it turned out she was just like Niles. The Cabaret shakes, and Nobody says that she enlarged Ezekiel and Whiskers. Vic figures that they're the only ones who can save Danny, and Rita asks what the plan is.

The team go out on the street and Niles says that his daughter is at the doll hospital. A giant Whiskers arrives and swallows Cliff, and Vic opens fire on it. Niles falls out of his wheelchair and Jane goes to help him, and Vic keeps firing at Whiskers. He's forced to run, and Niles tells Jane to find his daughter. Jane goes down the stairs in the doll hospital.

Nobody sits in the Cabaret drinking and complains to Rita that the girl bested him and threw him out of his own criminal organization. Rita bullied her and says that it's the past, and the future is theirs for the making. Nobody wonders what the point is, and Nobody says that she'd rather be nobody than nothing and that's what Nobody will be if he quits feeling sorry for himself. He figures that she's just saying it to save herself, and Rita admits that it's true but if Nobody gives up, his story is a disappointing defeat. If Nobody takes up his narration, he can turn his tale of a comeback into a legendary story. Nobody asks what she wants him to do.

Ezekiel tromps through Danny, singing a hymn. Nobody begins narrating, saying that Ezekiel was God all along because nobody is more powerful than a cockroach. Ezekiel agrees, and Nobody narrates that the cockroach will have to manifest Revelations itself. He directs it to Vic and it eats him, and Nobody narrates that now it wants to eat the world.

In Whisker's intestinal tract, Cliff complains about his life and Whiskers tells him that he's an orphan. Cliff figures that he deserves a second chance and nobody deserves to be eaten by a giant rat, and starts climbing up the tract.

Larry tells the Spirit that it will find a way out of Danny and releases it.

Jane reaches the basement and hears a girl crying inside of a room. She explains why she's there and the girl bangs on the door.

The Spirit weakens the dimensional barrier around Danny and then reenters Larry. Larry figures that everyone has to get inside of Ezekiel and calls to Rita. Rita comes out and recites the lines from the play, telling Ezekiel to eat her. It does.

Jane says that she has a friend, Baby Doll, who also gets scared. She sings the song her father used to sing to her, and Niles arrives and recites the lines with her. He invites his daughter to come out so they can see what the inside of a cockroach looks like. The girl opens the door, and Jane takes her hand.

Larry runs at Ezekiel and then wonders about Cliff. Nobody checks in on Cliff, who is climbing up Whiskers' throat and saying that he doesn't deserve what is happening. The villain then narrates Ezekiel and Whispers falling in love with each other. They tongue-kiss, and Cliff climbs up and crosses Whiskers' tongue to enter Ezekiel mouth. Larry removes his bandages and thrusts his hands into the dimensional barrier.

Nobody narrates the end of the story, and Ernest wonders what happens to them while the team is in Ezekiel's stomach protected from the radiation. As Nobody starts to answer, the radiation explodes.

On the lawn of Doom Manor, Ezekiel flies down onto Danny the Brick and says that radiation doesn't affect him. He insists that he can't die, and then dies as the team climbs out of his rear end. Niles introduces his daughter Dorothy to the others. Larry is full-sized and suggests that they deal with the issue at hand first. He takes them inside and behind them, a white easel shows Nobody and Ernest trapped inside.

Starring

 * Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane, Flit, Hammerhead, Baby Doll and Sylvia (inhabiting Kay Challis' body)
 * April Bowlby as Rita Farr
 * Joivan Wade as Vic Stone/Cyborg
 * Alan Tudyk as Eric Morden/Mr. Nobody
 * Matt Bomer as Larry Trainor
 * Brendan Fraser as Cliff Steele

Special appearance by

 * Timothy Dalton as Dr. Niles Caulder/Chief

Also starring

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

Guest starring

 * Phil Morris as Dr. Silas Stone
 * Alimi Ballard as Joshua Clay
 * Anna Lore as Penny Farthing
 * Tommy Snider as Ernest Franklin
 * Stephanie Czajkowski as Hammerhead
 * Charmin Lee as Elinore Stone
 * Curtis Armstrong as Ezekiel the Cockroach

Co-starring

 * Skye Roberts as Kay Challis
 * Jackie Goldston as The Secretary
 * Ethan McDowell as Charles Forsythe
 * Andrew Starr as Jagger
 * Jordan Rice as Esme
 * Kevin Saunders as Cook
 * Leon Lamar as Mr. Arnold

Trivia

 * The Chief finally came clean and revealed that he was responsible for the origins that turned his team into freaks. Jane’s injections, Rita’s on-set accident, Larry’s crash and Cliff’s auto-wreck – the Chief engineered them all. The idea comes from a story concept in Doom Patrol (1987) #57 (written by Grant Morrison and penciled by Richard Case) where Niles confessed everything to a paralyzed Robotman. Niles had been looking for test subjects, and had chosen Larry, Rita and Cliff because he thought they were conceited people who could use “improvements”.
 * In the comics Jane’s origin came from different circumstances but that didn’t stop Niles from finding other ways to manipulate her destiny. At least the Chief’s television counterpart expressed some remorse.
 * As Niles' backstory was explored, we saw a flashback of him and Joshua Clay at the Ant Farm. As they’re discussing Niles experiments on the future Doom Patrol, the name “Project Immortus” is referenced. That name is a nod to General Immortus, the first foe the Doom Patrol ever faced. General Immortus first appeared alongside the Doom Patrol in My Greatest Adventure #80 (written by Bob Haney and Arnold Drake, penciled by Bruno Premiani), and was constantly battling with Niles for the secrets of immortality.
 * Immortus is an aged man and he’s used various techniques to prolong his life. Niles first met Immortus when he was hired to help him recreate his immortality formula, but the Chief backed off when he realized the General was a bad dude. They’ve been sworn enemies ever since.
 * Another interesting thing about the Chief’s conversation with Josh was the antagonism between them. Josh didn’t find the Chief’s human experimentations ethical and was trying to get Niles to back off. This alludes to their relationship during the Grant Morrison run, where Josh was one of the few people who could see through the Chief’s duplicitous nature. Niles was secretly experimenting with genetic weapons and feared Josh was catching onto him. Everything came to a head in Doom Patrol (1987) #56 (written by Grant Morrison and penciled by Richard Case) when Niles fatally shot Josh, an action he shrugged off as an “unfortunate error” in Doom Patrol (1987) #57. With a friend like the Chief, the Doom Patrol doesn’t need any enemies.
 * We’ve witnessed Mr. Nobody do some pretty crazy thing this season, and this week he performed another improbable feat by capturing Danny inside a painting. This ability should come as no surprise for comic readers, since he once trapped an entire city inside a painting.
 * In Doom Patrol (1987) #27 (written by Grant Morrison and penciled by Richard Case) Mr. Nobody and his Brotherhood of the Dada baffled the Justice League by sucking the city of Paris inside a painting. The Doom Patrol were able to retrieve Paris safely, but nobody ever forgot what he was able to do with an empty canvas. This explains why Danny was so reluctant to face Mr. Nobody earlier in the season.
 * Fans of Danny the Street will be pleased to see he survived Larry’s radiation blast. While he lost a lot of his festive infrastructure, he was able to survive as a single brick. Danny suffered a similar fate in the comics during Keith Giffen’s Doom Patrol run. After being completely leveled, Danny was reduced to a solitary brick which Jane found. Jane revealed Danny’s new status in Doom Patrol (2009) #8 (written by Keith Giffen, penciled by Ron Randall and Matthew Clark) and made sure her friend was kept from harm. Danny eventually found a new home on OoLong Island where he grew into Danny the Bungalow. Say what you will about Danny, but he sure is malleable.
 * The origin of the Doom Patrol wasn’t the only secret Niles revealed this week. Viewers also learned that he had a daughter named Dorothy, who was first teased in Niles flashbacks during “Hair Patrol”.
 * While we didn’t get to officially meet Dorothy, we partially saw her from behind. Her hair and clothing appear to be a direct translation of her comic book counterpart who was first seen in Doom Patrol (1987) #14 (written by Paul Kupperberg and penciled by Erik Larsen).
 * In the comics Dorothy and the Chief aren’t related, but she was a young girl who became a member of the Doom Patrol. Dorothy had the power to conjure her imaginary friends to life, although she wasn’t always able to control it.