Harley does the walk of shame in today’s episode of Harley Quinn Not so much shame as crippling sadness and regret. It’s better to have loved and lost, isn’t that what people say? The gang returns from their respective parties to deal with the consequences of their actions. King Shark is handling his arranged marriage way better than a lot of the people I knew who went through that. Harley, on the other hand, isn’t doing great. And what do we know about Harley? Whenever things get tough, she runs into the arms of the Joker! Even when he isn’t the Joker anymore.
Speaking of which, everyone seems to know this guy is or was the Joker. How has he not snapped out of his weird amnesia fit yet? Has no one tackled him, but Gordon? No one else has bright up the fact that he looks exactly like the worst villain to hit Gotham? I find that hard to believe, but here we are. Belief suspended.
Also, Swole Riddler is fun. I also know for a fact that he would not be that thick, just running on a glorified treadmill. I lost maybe 20lbs doing extreme cardio, and I just got skinny. To gain muscles like that, you need to lift heavy. Stop perpetuating false narratives cartoon about super people!
I have other thoughts, you know. Five, actually. They are about this episode and not muscles. Spoilers ahead.
1. Gordon Watch 2020: The joy of flight
Nothing is more intoxicating than feeling wanted. Our boy Jim Gordon has that in spades today. Batman makes his whole life by sending Jim a gift, which turns out to be a ticket to fly the Batwing! Ever since Barbara pulled her papa out of a depression spiral, it has been all good for Jim G. He took down Harley and the ParaDemons a few episodes ago, in a tank no less. Today, Jim gets to both tool around town scooping ParaDemons in the Batwing and arrest the Joker. That’s a far cry from sleeping in his daughter’s dorm room. I can’t be too sure, but I think the artists even drew him a bit slimmer. I am Team Gordon 100%. If you don’t like this Pheonix Rising story, you can go home. Or, to another room in your home, as it stands, you are probably home right now anyway.
2. Batman in a robe is me at work
Batman, in a robe, is literally me during every virtual meeting at work. It’s all business up top and laziness below. I try to look as presentable as possible from the shoulders up. Everything below that is a total mess. Batman took it a step further and zoomed the camera into a tight profile. Allowing him to don a comfy Bat Robe. I half expected it to be branded with a bat of some kind. That scene struck a chord with me. It literally emulated how countless other people and I are forced to operate these days. Hell, As I type this, I am rocking the “Business Shoulders” look I mentioned before. I have a meeting in ten…
3. Psycho is taking his shot
I harped on the lack of respect given to Harley’s crew for the entire stretch of this season. Today, Psycho addressed it by throwing his hat back in the villain ring. Psycho is playing out another Pheonix Rising story. The man was a big-time villain, taking on the likes of Wonder Woman and the Justice League. He was busted down (rightfully so) and not used to his full potential. Let’s be quite clear; he is definitely the stronger villain out of those six folks we have been following. He demonstrates it here by taking over the minds of ParaDemons, along with his former colleagues. It was a long time coming if you really think about it. Why not try to get back on top? Every other major villain is down, Harley didn’t clock him as a threat, and Gotham is in perpetual chaos. You have to strike while the iron is scalding hot.
4. Goodbye, Cy
Ah, Cy Borgman. My (least) favorite character. I’ll miss you (the absolute least). We had some good times(when you weren’t in the episodes), didn’t we? You were (not) a valued member of Harley’s organization. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we wish you the best (worst) of luck in all your future endeavors (in hell). And hey, who knows? No one is ever really dead in the DC Universe. Maybe you can come back (as a completely different character).
Continued belowHe blew up good, though, right?
5. The resurrection of chaos
Harley makes terrible decisions. All the time, it seems. Don’t resurrect the Joker, woman! That being said, the Justice League would be really good right about now, so I get it. You can make the argument that he was going to revert back to Mr. J eventually. As we saw, the bartender veneer was cracking at an alarming rate. But what makes Harley thing Joker will give up the Book of Fables? Either way, this demonstrates Ivy’s point, my ongoing point, and Harley’s point about herself. She makes a lot of messes. Lucky for us, Gordon is around to give the Joker a good thwacking when he comes back. Maybe Harley will surprise us and get the newly resurrected Joker stuck in the Book of Fables after freeing the JLA. I can stand to have a talking Joker book.
The wrap-up
We get another solid episode where we get a new twist on the status quo. Dr. Psycho is back in full form, he’s teamed up with brainy, swole Riddler and has a rock-solid plan to take over the world. Who better to team with than Michael Ironside’s Darkseid? The crew is in shambles, Cy is “dead,” and the Joker is on his way back. A lot happened, guys and gals. Hopefully, we get the JLA back, if only for Dr. Psycho to get some comeuppance from Wonder Woman. If we are lucky, maybe Psycho will dress him and his newly formed crew in some nifty Apokolips-inspired uniforms a la Granny Goodness or Mr. Miracle. That won’t happen, but one can dream. Someone do some fan art of King Shark as Big Barda.
Next week, Hyenas!
