IR TV Review: HARLEY QUINN - EPISODE 5 (“It’s A Swamp Thing”) [HBO Max-S3]

The realization of emotion should not be unbeknownst to most animated charcters but the feelings associated with it usually don't carry too much weight. With Episode 5 of the 3rd season of "Harley Quinn" entitled "It's A Swamp Thing", the angle is for Poison Ivy to find Frank (the would-be Audrey II plant) who has been kidnapped per se. Bringing in two new people including the title name character of this episode basically sets the gang on the way to New Orleans where drinking and intimacy issues continue. The integrating of new characters and mythology is obviously cool but the notion of sensitivity and how it works with these villains is pretty fun as well. There is a parallel storyline going on that does speak to the other elephant in the room, even on the side of the good guys. One of the more diametric parts of the episode is the fact of Harley separating her girlfriend comments from her psychologist comments which is the first time she has made that more than a passing perception. Of course the resolution is simple in some ways but others more complicated. The funny twist is that the solution happens because of the power of beignets. B

By Tim Wassberg