IR TV Review: HARLEY QUINN - EPISODE 5 (“Getting Ice…Don’t Wait Up”) [Max-S4]

Harley Quinn as a character at times simply wants to be accepted despite the fact that she doesn't fit in anymore. Poison Ivy, by comparison, is trying to be something she might not be in a leadership position just to be liked and verified when there is more important work to do. With Episode 5, it is a little bit of both, searching for something that can't be found in the hope that the timing will align for a better tomorrow. The title of the episode: "Getting Ice Dick, Don't Wait Up" is almost an afterthought of a subplot, speaking to the fact that almost all the characters, even ones on the periphery (like Jim Gordon here) are out of touch with what might be actually important.

Quinn wants to be accepted by her new Bat Clan though she seems to realize that her old crew accepted her for what she is. The problem is that there is no inbetween where she can simply be herself. Even Batgirl/Barbara Gordon's roommate speaks to this in terns of her past admiration for Harley. Granted that simply might be the need to include a woke statement in the sort of progressionary psychological breakdown of the characters. At one point there is even a joke about glasses and being able to see in the dark which, ironically enough, is dead on point. "Harley Quinn" is a series is not usually subtle but between the big swings are some interesting duality issues. Hopefully we can see that other side of Quinn more but a mirror sometimes is a hard thing to find. B

By Tim Wassberg