Danny Patrol

"Danny Patrol" is the eighth episode of first season of Doom Patrol. It premiered on April 5, 2019.

Synopsis
A sentient, gender-queer, teleporting street named Danny who's being hunted by the secret Bureau of Normalcy needs help from Niles – but gets Vic and Larry instead.

Plot
Agent Morris Walker walks through the forest until he comes to what he's looking for: a street in the middle of nowhere. Morris steps onto the street and the wind blows leaves forming the words "Welcome Friend". People are walking on Danny, talking and laughing. Morris is talking to central command via an earbud, and his superior Darren Jones assures him that Morris can handle it. Darren asks for a report on the abnormality of the situation, but Morris ignores him and walks into Peeping Tom's Perpetual Cabaret. Realizing that something is wrong, Darren and his men move in but by the time they get there, Danny is gone.

At Doom Manor, Vic finishes repairing Cliff after his encounter with Admiral Whiskers, assuring him that he's fine. Cliff worries about Jane and Vic assures him that she's fine. He wonders what part of "fuck you" indicated to Cliff that Jane wants him involved with her, and Cliff suggests that Jane's painting of Vic killing all of them might have him upset. Vic tells him to shut up and walks out.

Elsewhere, Larry lies in his bed and tries to sleep, but find that he can't. Instead he has nightmares of being taken to the Ant Farm.

The Ant Farm – 1963
Larry wakes up in a containment chamber during transport, and Agent Charles Forsythe welcomes Larry to his new "base of operations". He says that the two of them are going to achieve great things together and they'll find a way to harness the energy within Larry. Forsythe tells Larry that his service is compulsory and gasses him unconscious.

Now
Larry wakes up from his latest nightmare gasping for air. He takes a military patch out of his drawer and stares at it for a moment.

In the manor, a phone rings. It's Jane and Cliff picks it up and apologizes for what he said. Jane says that it's okay and assures him that they're good, but doesn't remember who Cliff is at first. She asks Cliff to tell Rita that Jane is having a thing at Doug's place and hangs up. Rita comes in and explains that when Jane is feeling low, one of her personas Karen manifests. Karen is obsessed with 90's romcoms, and Rita figures that Karen is back to her "leading man", Douglas Jay Calhoon.

Karen dances in her room and kisses a photo of Doug.

Rita explains that Karen has broken up with Doug a thousand times but somehow manages to win him back.

Karen greets Doug as he comes out of his house, and Doug insists that he's not doing it again. She trips and falls in the mud, and Doug goes back and helps her up. Karen promises that she'll love him forever and they kiss.

Vic is looking at Jane's painting when Larry comes up and tells him not to let Nobody get in his head. The doorbell rings and when the two men go out, they find a box on their doorstep. There's a cake inside of the box and a note, asking Niles for help. The cake has a map on it in frosting, and it was sent from Danny Cakes in Springfield, Ohio. Vic confirms that there's no street in Springfield, but they figure that it's a lead to Niles.

Larry and Vic go to the address and find Danny the Street there. People close their doors and run as they see them, and the sign "Danny Cakes" on the shop window changes to "Where's Niles?" They continue down the street and mist rises up from a grate, forming the words "Cat got your tongue?" Vic and Larry continue on and are directed to the cabaret. The doors open and a sign directs them inside. The madam, who isexpecting them, takes them to a table. Morris is wearing a dress and lead-singing, and everyone applauds when he finishes.

Morris, aka Maura Lee Krupt, welcomes everyone and says that they have two new guests. She says that Danny told her that they're friends of Niles, and Danny the Street is all around them. Maura explains that Danny is gender-queer and explains what non-binary to Vic. She says that Danny travels all over the world and the people that live there are Danny-zens. It picks up people who slip through society's cracks. Maura tells them to talk to Danny directly. When Larry asks if it knows Niles, words appear on the curtain. Danny "says" that Niles is one of their oldest friends, and they need his help. Vic explains that Niles is missing, and Vic and Larry walk out.

Cliff and Rita go to Karen's house, and she greets them at the door. She's glad to meet Cliff in person, and explains that Doug's family just got there and things are a bit tense. Doug is telling his parents that he and Karen are getting back together again. His parents Joe and Geri argue that it's not a good idea and he's throwing away his life on the "whore". Karen asks Rita to lighten the mood, insisting that they're best friends. She says that she'd invite Cliff in but she needs the night to go well and he's weird. Cliff apologizes and Karen shuts the door in his face.

Out on the street, Danny tells Vic and Larry that it's trying to keep a low profile because they're on the run and Darren is getting close. it flashes up the Ant Farm insignia: the one that is on Larry's patch.

The Past
Forsythe and his men place Larry in a chamber and put him in the gurney. They lower the temperature in the chamber and then raise it, but doesn't affect Larry. Forsythe asks Larry why he's transferred so much and figures that he's struggled with normalcy his entire life. He tells Larry that a new mission has presented itself 100 miles from Miami, and thousands of American lives are in the balance. Forsythe offers Larry a chance to serve his country and be a hero, and Larry tells him to go to hell. Unimpressed, Forsythe sends men in protective suits into the chamber and they hit Larry with electric prods.

Now
Vic finds a paper with a headline about the Bureau of Normalcy, and Larry says that it's a top-secret government agency run by demented zealots. They stomp out anything that they deem aberrations. Danny points out that it's a teleporting transqueer street. Maura comes up and explains that Darren botched a search-and-destroy mission against Danny and lost his partner: her.

As Karen prepares the chicken for dinner, Rita asks if getting back with Doug is the best idea given Jane's situation. Karen says that she and Doug have a real chance with each other, and insists on giving Rita a hug. She then reverts to Hammer Head and tells Rita to get them out of it. Jane isn't around and Hammer Head tells Rita to worry about Karen, not Jane. Hammer Head says that she'll kill Doug if he fucks her body, and tells Rita not to fall for Karen's "love spell". Karen comes back and calls Doug in. Rita says that she wants Karen to be happy but tells her to slow down.

Soon, Karen proposes to Doug as Joe, Jeri, and their daughter Michaela look on. Doug accepts, and Jeri says that he can't marry Karen. The last time Karen left Doug, he wouldn't get out of bed for six months. His family all agree, and Karen tells Doug to choose love. She uses her power to make him choose her and make his family cheer, as Rita looks on in horror.

A boy rides by the house and sees Cliff on the porch, stares at him for a moment, and rides off. Depressed, Cliff sits on the steps.

In Maura's dressing room, Maura tells Larry and Vic that she couldn't tell people that she used to work for the Bureau. He says that she's a bad person if she worked for the Bureau, and Maura tells him that she was supposed to hate Danny and anything abnormal. Maura couldn't because Danny felt like home, and she felt lighter than she had ever been. She couldn't let any harm come to Danny so she tipped it off and they teleported away before Darren could attack. Maura warns that Darren is obsessed with finding Danny and has been following them ever since. Nobody feels safe on Danny anymore, and Maura insists that no one should have to feel uncomfortable in their own skin. The Danny-zens come to the cabaret and as long as they keep it going, Danny keeps going. If the party stops than Danny's heart stops with it and the Bureau wins.

Larry walks out on the street and Vic goes after him. Vic figures that they need to help the Danny-zens, but Larry says that they don’t have to do anything. He refuses to justify why he's bowing out of it, insisting that he's not going up against the Bureau. Vic wonders what the Bureau did to him, and Larry tells him to forget it. He suggests that Nobody was onto something and reminds Vic that the painting shows Vic killing his friends. Vic walks off and Larry says that he's done letting people tell him who he is.

In the past, Forsythe tells Larry that he's more than a degenerate flyboy. He plays back video of the men torturing Larry and the Spirit leaving his body for the first time. Forsythe says that is what is inside of Larry and who he really is. In the video, the Spirit attacks the men.

Now
Kathy looks in the mirror and practices saying "I do". Rita comes in and says that Karen will eventually leave Doug. Karen denies it, and Rita tells her that Doug and his family don't have a say in what they're saying. She insists that Doug doesn't love Karen, and suggests that Karen break the spell if she doesn't believe it. Karen curses her, telling her not to put her shit on her, and says that she will do everything in her power to not end up like Rita. She then reverts fully back to her Karen persona and apologizes, and uses her power on Rita.

As night falls, the boy from earlier comes up to Cliff wearing a cardboard robot costume. He dances and when Cliff asks if that's all he's got. The robot boy challenges him to do better.

Larry sits on the cabaret and the hostess says that it's karaoke night but they have to sing. She tells Larry not to be scared, and just chuckles when he says that he isn't. Larry takes the stage and Danny says that it's got him. The former pilot sings and imagines himself as a normal tuxedoed human being. Maura joins him on stage and they sing about people like them sticking together. Everybody cheers and joins in, and Larry feels his face in surprise.

Cliff dances for the boy, who then dances with him.

After he's done imagining singing, Larry tells the hostess that he doesn't sing and leaves.

Vic expands Grid's search of Danny and sees Larry walk out of the cabaret. Morris comes out and says that it's time for him to go back to the Bureau and his old life, and fix the mess he made. Danny objects, and Morris says that he can throw them off of Danny's scent by claiming that he destroyed Danny. Larry warns Morris that he can't go back in case the Bureau discovers what Morris really is, but Morris doesn't care as long as the Danny-zens are safe. Morris thanks Danny for letting him stay.

Vic detects the Bureau agents approaching and Morris tells Danny to teleport as soon as he leaves the street. Danny says that they're not running anymore and Vic agrees. He tells Morris that it's time to turn the party and asks Larry if he's in.

Darren and his agents approach Danny and find Maura and the Danny-zens waiting for them. Maura calls Darren old and Darren realizes that Maura is his partner Morris. She says that Danny helped her recognize who she is, and refuses to let Darren tell her who she is. Maura insists that she's not afraid of him, and Darren turns to discover that his agents are gone, teleported away by Danny. Darren throws a punch at Maura, who fights him. She beats him down and tells him to go home and never come back again. When Darren grabs a baton, Larry steps on his wrist and tells him to tell the Bureau that Danny is off-limits, and that Captain Trainor sends his best before punching Darren.

Cliff tells the robot boy about his dreams, and Rita comes out and tells Cliff that Jane wants to see him. He tells the boy to keep it real and goes inside.

Vic puts a star up on the street, and Danny tells him that Niles would be proud of him. It wishes that Niles was there to celebrate with them, and says that it will let Niles tell Vic how they met. Vic admits that he could use Niles' help and that he's scared that they may never get him back. He mentions Nobody, and Danny says that it needs to keep the Danny-zens safe and it's too dangerous. Vic begs it for any information that it has, and a streetlight flickers over a comic book of My Greatest Adventure. Vic finds himself back on the lawn of Doom Manor with Larry, who is in the middle of singing from where he was teleported away from the cabaret.

Rita and Karen show Cliff Karen in her wedding dress and explain that Karen is marrying Doug. Cliff wonders where Jane is, and Karen asks him to give her away. She tries to use her powers on Cliff, but it doesn't work because of his robotic body. Cliff wonders what Jane wants, but Karen doesn't care and tells him to back off. Doug comes in and thinks that Cliff is cool, and Cliff insults him. When Doug tries to shove Cliff away, he fails and Cliff shoves him to the floor as his family runs in. Cliff picks up Karen and tries to carry her out, and Karen reverts to Hammerhead and throws Cliff. She then starts to jam a broken chair leg into Doug and reverts to Karen. Karen apologizes to Doug, insisting that she would never harm him, but he crawls away in fear.

Karen falls back into The Underground and is yanked away into the darkness.

Jane reverts to her baseline body and stares off into space.

Starring

 * Diane Guerrero as Karen and Hammerhead
 * April Bowlby as Rita Farr
 * Joivan Wade as Vic Stone/Cyborg
 * Alan Tudyk (credit only)
 * Matt Bomer as Larry Trainor
 * Brendan Fraser as Cliff Steele/Robotman

Special appearance by

 * Timothy Dalton (credit only)

Also starring

 * Riley Shanahan as Cliff Steele/Robotman (physical)
 * Matthew Zuk as Larry Trainor (physical)

Guest starring

 * Alan Mingo Jr. as Morris Wilson/Maura Lee Karupt
 * Brent Bailey as Douglas Calhoun

Co-starring

 * Ethan McDowell as Forsythe
 * Jon Briddell as Darren Jones
 * Nasim Bowlus as Woman
 * Jack Ha as Man
 * Edward Michael Scott as Government Agent
 * Judy Kain as Geri
 * Tyner Rushing as Michaela
 * Lindsay Ayliffe as Joe
 * Robert Larriviere as Bouncer
 * Talbott Lin as Cocktail Waitress
 * Jay Amir as Robot Kid
 * Choppy Guillotte as Asa Diamonds
 * Brigitte Bidet as Saucy Songbird #1
 * Lala Ri as Saucy Songbird #2
 * Cici Nicole as Saucy Songbird #3
 * Dynasty St. James as Saucy Songbird #4
 * Kiki's Dream as Saucy Songbird #5
 * Japan Mugler as Saucy Songbird #6

Trivia

 * Danny the Street is a concept that came out of Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol run. Debuting in 1990’s Doom Patrol #35 (written by Morrison and penciled by Richard Case), Danny was a sentient street who enjoyed traveling the world and picking up wayward strangers along the way.
 * He eventually hooked up with the Doom Patrol and served as the team's headquarters for a time. In addition to helping the Doom Patrol, he was once a member of Tim Drake’s Teen Titans. Danny has expanded to other forms as well, and has been known as Danny the World, Danny the Ambulance, and Danny the Brick!
 * This episode also introduced Darren Jones and his “normalcy agents." Darren first appeared in Doom Patrol #35, alongside Danny the Street, and was angered by the sentient road’s mere existence. Darren hated anything that didn’t fit his description of “normalcy,” but he was so focused on hunting "freaks" that he didn’t notice his own sinister peculiarities. He tried so hard to make his own life seem normal and perfect that he installed a laugh track in his home, and took his wife’s eyes out when she screwed up. He tasked his Men from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. to hunt down and destroy Danny, but the Doom Patrol had the last laugh. When Darren confronted Danny, the street played a joke on him by placing the uptight agent in drag before teleporting him to his home...when his boss just happened to be visiting.
 * Before warping Cyborg and Negative Man home, Danny gave Victor a gift -- a vintage copy of 1961's My Greatest Adventure #51 (cover art by Dick Dillin). My Greatest Adventure was a DC Comics anthology title that featured science fiction and adventure stories. The series changed direction in My Greatest Adventure #80 (written by Bob Haney and Arnold Drake, penciled by Bruno Premiani) when it introduced a team of adventurers called the Doom Patrol. The group became so popular that the book changed its name to Doom Patrol starting with issue #86. The series continued until the original Doom Patrol were temporarily killed off in Doom Patrol #121. The book was temporarily revived to publish  reprints issues, ending with issue #124.
 * Poor Jane. First her Karen persona attempted to sideline her, then she ended this week's episode getting trapped in her own psyche. For the time being,  it appears Crazy Jane is stuck in "the Underground." The same thing happened to Jane in 1990’s Doom Patrol #29 (written by Grant Morrison and penciled by Richard Case), and it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Mr. Nobody and his Brotherhood of Dada had trapped the Doom Patrol in a painting, and Jane got lost in her mental Underground when she tried to help them escape. Cliff launched a rescue mission into Jane’s mind in Doom Patrol #30 (written by Grant Morrison and penciled by Richard Case).
 * In addition to characters and storylines, this week's episode brought one of the Doom Patrol comic's most iconic settings to life... Peeping Tom’s, the club located on Danny the Street -- in Doom Patrol #35.
 * The television show also called the performers “Saucy Songbirds," which was their moniker in the comics as well.
 * Honorable mention also goes to the Titans episode “Doom Patrol,” where Dick and Kory are told that Niles Caulder’s mansion is on Danny Street.