Hell came to Cloverton last week in the form of incomplete jigsaw puzzle Mr. Nobody. Cliff’s selflessness brought the rest of the Doom Patrol back just as they were about to flee the small Ohio town, but, lord, did they find themselves severely out of their depth. Now, Cloverton is being swallowed whole by a vortex, the Chief has fallen into a supernatural madman’s hands and the desire to run still permeates some within Doom Manor. Luckily, backup is on the way in the form of Detroit’s finest. The doomed can always use a helping hand.
We’re Not Heroes
The vortex continues to wreak havoc, sucking in everything, including a brimstone preaching cockroach. Cliff saves Larry from being sucked in but the Chief isn’t so lucky. He and the bus tumble into the storm. Jane dives in after him before the vortex swallows itself, leaving Cloverton a bombed-out blip on the map. Rita is confident that Chief can handle himself but Cliff remains hysterical. She throws the blame at Cliff for making them come back but Larry blames the entire team. According to him, they aren’t meant to live in the outside world. He and Rita leave, positing that they aren’t heroes.
Rita has trouble maintaining her form due to the stress of the day. Larry decides to leave town altogether, but the energy being living within him forces him to collapse every time he tries to board a bus. He returns, frustrated, to find Rita in his room. He apologizes for running from her when she blobbed in town. The two make up as Larry makes himself at home for the long haul.
Enter Cyborg
Victor Stone, publicly known as Cyborg, utilizes his technological prowess to thwart a robbery via salty ATM and wrist breaks. His father, Silas, calls after the encounter to chastize him about using his skills on something so miniscule. Vic doesn’t want to hear it and sets himself to private mode before learning of the events in Cloverton. The name brings back his memories of meeting Chief five years ago. Chief always saw a monumental amount of potential in Vic, much like his father. Unlike Silas, Chief didn’t hold Vic hostage with such promise.
Vic arrives in Cloverton to find Cliff chasing after Mr. Nobody’s donkey. Vic easily catches it, which only incites Cliff further. Chief, Jane and the entire town are gone and Cliff isn’t suffering anyone else right now. The two argue until the donkey coughs up Jane. They return to the Manor and try to get any information out of Jane. Unfortunately, Jane is hyperactively switching through personalities, making the task all but impossible. Her Baby Doll persona takes hold until Vic unwittingly unleashes Katy, a persona made entirely of fire. Vic and Cliff battle Jane as multiple personas manifest. Rita and Larry make their way outside as Vic rushes Jane and locks her away in a spare room.
Donkey Hauntings
Larry takes an interest in the donkey as things calm. His and Vic’s belief that the animal is a doorway is confirmed when they find a keyhole in its throat. Vic’s pitches Rita on blobbing and scoping out the donkey’s innards, but she wants no part in this. She changes her tune after running into a sullen Cliff as he bares his soul and concern over Jane’s condition. She quickly sees that everyone that was sucked into the vortex is inside the donkey. Vic and Larry are ultimately pulled in with her, dumping the three on the banks of a island lined with crosses and paintings of Clovertonians. Headsets and Mr. Nobody’s fourth-wall breaking walking tour are waiting for them when they arrive.
The headsets transport each of them to memory traps meant to play with their sanity. The spectre of a child believed to be Rita’s cries out from an empty film set. Larry is returned to the X-15 as Nobody conjures his wife and his lover in the backseat. He labels Larry a hypocrite that always chose to run from adversity and conflict. Vic proves defiant against Nobody’s trap modeled around the lab accident that killed his mother and made him what his is today. Vic knows his burden, but Nobody counters by casting doubt on Vic’s memories. After all, his dad is a master programmer. Vic is transported to an operating table where Silas is dismembering him before Larry’s energy being escapes and rescues everyone trapped inside. The donkey explodes after their escape. They tell Cliff and Jane everything, though Jane knew that everything inside the beast was a trap. Vic believes that Nobody’s use of deep-seeded fears point to insecurity as a weakness. Nobody is scared of them.
Dead In His Arms
Cliff is exempt from the donkey trip, staying behind to watch over Jane. He makes her sandwich, reflecting on how he used to do the same for Clara. Unlike his daughter, Jane throws it and the plate back in his face. She isn’t his daughter and takes every opportunity to remind him between muttering the phrase “dead in his arms” over and over. The shattered plate causes Cliff to slump to the floor. He might be angry about Chief withholding the fact that Clara is alive, but he can’t fool himself into thinking that he deserves to see her. For now, he only wants to make sure Jane is safe. Jane asks for another sandwich.
The two welcome Larry, Rita and Vic’s return, but Silas’ surprise arrival throws water on the situation. He doesn’t care that Chief is missing. All Silas wants is to bring Vic back to Detroit. He invokes the same “burden” language regarding the death of Vic’s mother, but Vic chooses to remain at Doom Manor. Rita sets him up with a room as Larry unwraps his bandaged head in his room. He allows the energy being to leave his body in exchange for setting some ground rules about the uncontrolled manifestations. Elsewhere, Jane paints a portrait of the team. All have fallen except for Vic who clutches his father, dead in his arms.
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