Harley Quinn Episode 2 Review
There’s a lot to go over this episode with so many character introductions, so I’m probably going to pounce on the topics in no particular order. This is a spoiler review and, as always, I mean no offense through my opinions. Feel free to either agree or disagree with any or all I have to say.
And the first thing I have to say is that I love how this episode’s intro music was deep and dark to build up a sinister mood for the legion’s layer… then it cuts to Bane and Scarecrow gossiping about the break-up. That was a pretty good play on how people subconsciously assume evildoers are always brooding and sinister, when in actuality it may just be another morning at work. Love it.
Okay, I know everyone’s been eagerly anticipating Bane’s debut, but I was actually looking forward to the Scarecrow more. Scarecrow is one of my favorite DC villains, and I’d seen/heard enough of Bane to already know he was a shoe-in. I gotta say, I love this portrayal. So far at least. The accent is great, giving him a rather friendly not-at-all-scary feel… which is what I hope they’ll turn around and give us a truly terrifying flipside some time down the line. ‘Calm and collected terror’ is how I’ve viewed Scarecrow after the episode “Never Fear” on Batman: TAS. This voice is PERFECT if the writers ever give him the limelight. There’s only one thing I wish they did differently with him: the hat. He needs his hat, because the hat is always awesome. ‘Nuf said.’
I do really enjoy this big puppy-dog version of Bane; makes me immediately want to root for him. I don’t doubt we’ll be seeing him a lot in the future. Most of what there is to say on Bane has already been said, so I’m leaving this short. Trust me, the rest of this review won’t be…
On the subject of the rouges being introduced, I’ll go ahead and say that Penguin was perfect and Two-Face… I honestly don’t love his design. Strikes me as ugly from both sides. I’m glad they went with blue scarring instead of red though; better balance. This isn’t a big deal, however, as I don’t think he’s going to be doing much. I’m gonna tag my opinion of him as ‘indifferent.’ Mrs. Cobblepot was a fun addition, and I kinda hope to see a little more of her at some point. I like how they actually made her look like she’s related to Penguin. The girls adjusting their voices for her was funny to.
Another thing I instantly loved was the easy comradery between Harley and the rouges… before Joker showed up. She was welcomed kind of like their fun little sister; not on the same level as them, but fun to have around. Actually, the whole dynamic between the villains is a lot more comradery-like. A nice contrast to the constant ‘I’m-teaming-up-with-you-because-I-have-to-but-I’ll-totally-kill-you-once-it’s-over’ vibe of most of the comics. I think we can expect some divided loyalties come episodes down the line.
The whole premise of this story was really stupid, but in the good kind of way. I mean seriously, an episode about Harley crashing a thirteen-year-old’s coming of age party? That’s hilariously dumb, and it was pulled off really well. It was laughable how badly she kept humiliating herself throughout, but she redeemed herself with her psych-out on the poor kid. I’d feel bad for him, but she was probably doing him a serious favor in the long run. Of course, Harley’s situation dims compared to what poor Ivy had to go through. (At least her issues were her own fault.)
Kite Man was hilarious. He’s so confident yet misses the mark so badly it’s painful. At the same time, obliviousness give’s him an innocent idiot outlook that make’s it clear he’s probably rather sweat. He has a lot- no, everything to learn about being around a woman, (and he needs to learn fast if he intends to survive Poison Ivy) but I really do want to see where this leads. It could end up being a really comedic and cute duo. I know everyone is set on Harley/Ivy, but the fact is we haven’t seen Ivy in any other relationship before. (legitimate, anyway) We know of past abuse, assuming this show includes that, her relationship with Harley in the comics, and an infatuation with Batman once upon a time, but that’s the case will all female characters at one point or other. So really, this is unexplored territory. And I already love it. Now, this is definitely a different Kite-Man from the one we all know and love from “The War of Jokes and Riddles,” but I think he’ll grow into that. It’s safe to say he hasn’t been through extreme love and loss like in the comic, so I like to view this iteration as a younger version of him. I think he’ll become a lot deeper and more genuine the longer he hangs around Ivy, shifting from the showoff peacock to the hopeful puppy. I want to see Ivy grow a soft spot for him… one she’ll never admit.
I will say that the scene with Kite-Man misreading Ivy’s reason for bringing him along was pushing it, to the point that they were on the red line. It wasn’t the joke itself so much as how it completely undermined any notion of intelligence from Kite-Man. I don’t think he should be quite that stupid. I would have preferred it if he’d just tried to kiss her or picked some of the flowers; those could have been funny as well. I think this joke would have worked better if a little further down the line, perhaps after they actually pulled a heist. Naturally, Ivy would see it as professional business while Kite-Man seeing it as a date wouldn’t be so far-fetched. Point being, it was funny but could have been done much better.
I love how they are treating Ivy’s toxin powers in this. Her fatal kiss is one of her more iconic powers, but never before has it been portrayed as such a begrudging burden. The tweens hitting on her was hilarious, and you really have to feel for Ivy’s predicament there at the end. But even if the people she has to kiss aren’t idiot kids, I don’t think she’ll be all too happy about needing to use it. Ivy kissing people isn’t ever a surprise, but if someone actually survives giving her a hug, I’ll be impressed. (Honestly, hugs always come across as a more genuine form of expressing love in my opinion; compassion as opposed to the passionate kiss.)