DC Universe’s Doom Patrol season 1 finale recap: Ezekiel Patrol

Niles Caulder revealed a horrifying truth about his involvement in the creation of Doom Patrol. In the season finale, the team must come together to help the man who created them.

Mr. Nobody recaps the first season of Doom Patrol in rhyme to set up a mind-boggling final episode. Niles Caulder/ The Chief reveals that he orchestrated the events that changed the members of Doom Patrol because he needed their immortality. The Doom Patrol are obviously horrified and Crazy Jane tries to attack Caulder, but Nobody stops her and makes the team disappear. Mr. Nobody then gloats that Caulder has destroyed the team, just as he destroyed Eric Morden, saying:

"‘I’ve been waiting decades to ask you this; how does it feel to be a nobody?’"

Larry and Rita

In 1961, Caulder was working with the Bureau of Normalcy’s Ant Farm to intercept the ‘space anomaly’ which viewers now know as the Negative Spirit. Caulder was assisted by Joshua Clay (Alimi Ballard), who was introduced in episode 6 as the doctor in charge of caring for the original Doom Patrol team. Caulder had planned for Larry Trainor’s plane to be irradiated and burned with the hope of adding him to his immortality experiment. He and Joshua discuss how Rita Farr/ Elasti-Girl hasn’t aged a day since 1955, and Joshua is clearly upset about Caulder’s ways.

In the present, Larry continues to struggle with the devastating realization that Caulder had a hand in his transformation. He is trying to get his life back together, though – the Negative Spirit now releases his body on command, but Larry still struggles to stay awake without the Spirit in his body.

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Rita, on the other hand, seems to have grabbed this new lease on life with both hands – she’s an acting instructor excited about her students’ progress. Except, the feeling isn’t reciprocated. The students don’t care about acting and only attend her class to get an ‘easy A’.

Crazy Jane’s Struggles

In 1976, while Caulder, Rita, and Larry prepared to welcome a new year, the Bureau came knocking to inform the Chief that they had found someone with multiple personalities and abilities – Crazy Jane was precisely what Caulder had been looking for.

Now that the truth is out, Jane confronts Joshua about his involvement with Caulder’s plan. Jane is so distressed that she cycles through a number of personalities before Joshua comes clean. Desperate to make her pain go away, Jane asks for help and shockingly Joshua is able to provide. Caulder had created a ‘cure’ for metahuman abilities and kept it in Joshua’s care. The moment Joshua shows Jane the vial, she escapes with it and injects herself. In the Underground, Jane and her myriad personalities, including the original host, Kay, lie down and rest.

Robotman and Cyborg

Cliff Steele/ Robotman was injured in a car accident in 1988, while his wife was killed. Caulder was distraught by this turn of events as Cliff’s accident was supposed to take place on the race track so that no one else would be hurt. As Caulder cradled Cliff’s brain, he revealed his actions to Elinore Stone (Charmin Lee), Victor Stone/ Cyborg’s mother, and a woman who considered Caulder her friend and mentor.

This conversation came back to haunt Caulder in 2014 when he tried to recruit Vic into the Doom Patrol. Elinore had told Vic’s father, Silas, about what Niles had done to create the rest of the team and Silas wasn’t about to let his son – who Silas very obviously doted on – be taken under Caulder’s wing. It’s so clear now why Silas has been so against Vic’s quest to save Caulder all season!

Vic and Silas have finally made amends in the present, but Vic is haunted by the dream that he will kill Doom Patrol. Meanwhile, Cliff maybe suffering but it doesn’t stop him from caring for Jane. Despite her being in a drug-addled stupor, Cliff buys her food and leaves it at the steps of her truck.

Mr. Nobody’s Vengeance

Just when you think Mr. Nobody is out of the picture, he jumps back in, this time with the help of Admiral Whiskers (the rat) and Ezekiel, the cockroach. Nobody has forgotten a key piece of Caulder’s life – his life with Slava, the indigenous woman who saved his life.

Now the Doom Patrol hear disembodied singing and it brings the team together. The team is not pleased to see Caulder again, but he brings news – Mr. Nobody has captured Danny Street and trapped them in a painting. Rescuing Danny is of utmost importance to Caulder as Danny agreed to harbor Caulder’s secret daughter with Slava. Caulder’s desire for immortality was so that he could protect his daughter, but Invoking the girl as a reason for what he has done doesn’t sit well with Doom Patrol – they want their lives back, especially Cliff who has lost 30 years to be with his own daughter.

Though Cliff would rather leave, the team don’t want to abandon Danny. And, so, it’s time to jump into a painting. As soon as the team enters the painting, Ezekiel and Admiral Whiskers, now Kaiju-sized, start attacking. They hide inside the karaoke bar and find the Beard-hunter – he sold Danny out to Mr. Nobody for a bribe! Nobody is not the problem anymore though – he’s stuck in the painting just like everyone else, at the mercy of Ezekiel. He had nothing to do with Ezekiel’s transformation; Caulder’s daughter is responsible for the enlarged pests.

While the majority of the team prepare an assault, Rita attempts to convince Mr. Nobody to help them. Cliff tries to defeat the Admiral from inside, and Mr. Nobody fans Ezekiel’s ego, claiming that he is a god who can devour Cyborg. Larry releases the Negative Spirit so that it can search for an exit and Rita faces off against Ezekiel and is also devoured like Cyborg.

Jane and Caulder search for his daughter and successfully locate her as Mr. Nobody sets Ezekiel on Admiral Whiskers to set Cliff free. The entire team has to enter Ezekiel as he is the gateway out this dimension. While they escape, Mr. Nobody belatedly realizes that he doesn’t have an escape plan of his own.

Doom Patrol season one ends with Ezekiel being incapacitated in the real world, while Caulder introduces the team to his daughter, Dorothy. We don’t see her face but those who have read Grant Morrison’s comics will be familiar with what Dorothy looks like. Meanwhile, Mr. Nobody and the Beard-hunter are left trapped in the white space of a painting.

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The first season of Doom Patrol tried to create a balance between wacky entertainment and socio-political messages. Though the latter was eschewed in the finale, there is no doubting the high-octane entertainment on display with this series. With several nods to the source material and added layers that made the characters relatable, this show has rightly garnered praise from all who have seen it. The showrunners will have their work cut out for them for the next season, especially as the character arcs have been this season’s highlights. Without that, what will the show have in store for viewers?

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