IR TV Review: HARLEY QUINN - EPISODES 1, 2 & 3 [HBO Max-S3]
The inflection of who Harley Quinn is moves through all mediums. It is interesting seeing her the most foul-mouthed and true per-se to herself version in the animation realm. “Harley Quinn” does not apologize for itself, even when it skirts and crosses the boundaries of taste. Kaley Cuoco plays Harley with fire and a schizophrenic energy that is both endearing and kind of bonkers. The end of last season was finally about coming to terms that she and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) were in love with each other and just needed to get it on. The first 3 episodes of Season 3 which dropped together take that new identity in focus but shows how it with deconstruct. The first episode (“Harlivy”) is simply the honeymoon phase per se (I believe they got married...maybe). Literally Harley either borrowed or stole Wonder Woman's invisible jet for what she calls the “Eat Kill Bang” tour. Ivy is the more practical but Quinn destroys everything she touches (especially if she loves it) so the initial elements plays like a ping pong volley. Ivy loves Harley but it is a matter of time to see whether she can live with her. Quinn is trying but she is an animal of a certain sort who will always come back to roost.
Episode 2 (“There Is No Ivy In Team”) brings the melee back home where Quinn is trying to let Ivy lead a little bit but Ivy is used to working along. They eventually end up at a escape room secretly run by The Riddler. The parallel story with the Bat Family per se including an egotistical Nightwing returning and clashing in a certain way with Batgirl is sort of inspired, especially when Quinn and Batgirl come face-to-face and compare notes. There is a sense of parallel psychology. Ivy also realizes she wants to be a certain kind of villain, but not too much and not too little. Like the first episode but a little less, the F bombs permeate like rain. Episode 3 (“The 83rd Annual Villy Awards”) is more of a sociological experiment. Quinn loves recognition and Mr. J of course is still around despite her being transfixed by only by Ivy. Ivy's ex Kiteman is still around too but it is interesting to see Ivy and his new girlfriend interacting in the bathroom. It is a moment of maturity in Quinn's melee...but when the series slows down for a minute like this, it really shows some of the context in the chaos that Quinn creates as a character. She wants a sense of normalcy and she craves it. But with her tendencies, she might never get it. Or if she has it...it will get destroyed in the process. B
By Tim Wassberg
