‘Doom Patrol’ Season 1, Episode 9 ‘Jane Patrol’ Recap: The Underground

The Doom Patrol makes a new friend as they stop a Bureau full of bigots from killing a sentient street. However, one of their teammates falls into an identity crisis. Not knowing what to do next, she searches for a so-called well, buried deep within The Underground. The misfits, however, do not feel comfortable with her absent consciousness.

On Friday’s episode of Doom Patrol, the team tries to help Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero) regain consciousness. When Rita Farr’s (April Bowlby) incessant calls do not work, Larry Trainor/Negative Man (Matt Bomer/Matthew Zuk) asks her to stop. On the other hand, Victor Stone/Cyborg (Joivan Wade) comes up with a plan, sending Cliff Steele/Robotman (Brendan Fraser/Riley Shanahan) into Jane’s head via the Negative Spirit.

The Many Personas in Jane’s Head

DC Universe

Jane’s head is home to 64 personalities, each having different identities as well as powers. Some look like Jane, namely Driver 8 and Karen, while others look different. The following have distinct appearances: Penny Farthing (Anna Lore), Hammerhead (Stephanie Czajkowski), Lucy Fugue (Tara Lee), Silver Tongue (Chelsea Alana Rivera), Pretty Polly (Hannah Alline), and The Secretary (Jackie Goldston). They gather at a warehouse-like scene as Hammerhead brings Karen from the surface. Distinct personas prefer to stay in their areas, such as the Three Sisters (Monica Louwerens), Black Annis (Helen Abell), and Kay Challis (Skye Roberts).

The personas gang up on Jane after Hammerhead deals with Karen. Jane, however, was having none of it. While Jane did say that she is going back up to the surface, she convinces Driver 8 to use the emergency brakes of the train bound to the surface. Without someone being the primary, such as Jane, The Underground will likely fall apart. Despite the risks it posed, Jane decided to head to The Underground’s quietest place. She stays there until penny Farthing finds her.

Questions

DC Universe

Jane questioned the point of heading back to the surface. The world outside is harsh and unforgiving, and neither is it receptive to strange people like her. Also, most of the memories inside The Underground are not her own, and none of the other personas knew whose memories they were, either. Because of this, Jane decides to ask the Three Sisters, a three-headed fortune teller. From there, she decides to go ‘The Well,’ since this is what the Three Sisters instructed her to do.

Intruder

DC Universe

The team worried much since Jane never got hurt as bad as she is now before. When Cyborg suggests a plan to get inside Jane’s head, the Negative Spirit leaps out of Larry and proceed to bring Cliff into Jane’s mind. Cliff finds himself in an eerie train station, back to his human self. Thinking that Driver 8 is Jane, he asks for her help, only to be arrested by Hammerhead and Driller Bill. Cliff meets Karen in the jail cells, too, but she did not help him. When Cliff discovers that the walls are highly breakable, he starts punching and clawing the wall. Later, Jack Straw (Bethany Kasulas), throws him an ice pick, making it easier to break through. Finally, Cliff meets Penny Farthing, asking for his help.

To reach Jane faster, Penny takes Cliff through the personas’ collective memories. Cliff saw many happy moments as well as traumatic sceneries, especially when they pass through Miranda’s (Leela Owen) Station—- at least, what remains of it. Like Jane, Miranda sought answers from the Three Sisters and was also directed to go to The Well. With that, Cliff and Penny had to reach Jane before it was too late. However, Penny insisted that she does not go any further, so Jane’s fate lay on Cliff.

The Well

DC Universe

Jane meets Black Annis who stood guard outside the door that led to The Well. Once there, she finds Kay, playing a puzzle. Jane airs out her frustrations at Kay before she takes her place when Daddy (David A Macdonald) came to get her. Outside, Black Annis attacks Cliff, saying that no man is allowed inside. Seeing that the wounds reveal his robot body, Cliff peels off his skin. Convinced that he is no man, Black Annis lets him enter.

Cliff arrived just in time to stop Jane from jumping into the well. Furious, Daddy comes out of the well, assembled by thousands of puzzle pieces. He then bites Cliff in half which makes Jane snap out of it. Jane yells at Daddy until he finally disappears. On their way back to the surface, Cliff and Jane enjoy comfortable silence. When asked by the other team members about what happened, Cliff insists that it is not his story to tell.

‘Doom Patrol’ Season 1, Episode 9 ‘Jane Patrol’ Final Verdict

Jane’s spotlight in this episode finally gives her character a proper backstory. However, it seems as if we have more questions than answers, which is a good thing. Also, this episode contains perhaps the darkest tone in all of the season. After all, Jane’s personas are tricky and hard to understand, but at least now we know how her mind and The Underground work; partly.

Doom Patrol continues Friday, April 19th with ‘Hair Patrol’ on the DC Streaming Service.