Television 

Five Thoughts On Harley Quinn’s “Harley Quinn Highway”

By | February 10th, 2020
Posted in Television | % Comments

Eleven episodes in and Harley finally has to own up to her mistakes. The chickens are coming home to roost. The quest to save Poison Ivy from the clutches of the Legion Of Doom has lead Harley to a reckoning of sorts. She broke the golden rule. “Besties before the resties,” which is totally a saying that exists, and I didn’t just make it up for effect. The plot of the show thickens as Scarecrow goes as crazy as possible and enhances his fear toxin with Ivy’s pheromones. All of a sudden, Lex’s courting of Ivy makes more and more sense. We already know these capers need to be preapproved and staffed by the L.O.D. Was harvesting out favorite plant-based character the plan all along? The sheer nerve of those bastards. Despite their nefarious plot, it leads to a cathartic confrontation between Ivy and Harley that was a long time coming. So let’s get into it. Minor spoilers ahead.

1. Why is Clayface a sidekick but the Riddler isn’t

Dr. Psycho made a great point back in episode 9. How are any of Harley’s crew considered goons? Watching Clayface play third or fourth fiddle to the Riddler is undoubtedly entertaining. It is, however, ridiculous. Clayface is a sentient mount of clay that can transform into anything he wants. The Riddler is a corny smartypants who bought one too many riddle books as a child. His ultimate scheme was to plant a bomb and have Batman guess a riddle to find it’s location. That’s really all he ever does. Are you telling me a big ass lump of nigh-indestructible clay would take orders from that bozo? Also, why would they sign up to be goons in the first place? Just because Harley made it into the Legion doesn’t mean they have to be in there too. Or does it? Are they indentured servants? I am thinking way too hard about that.

2. Didn’t Harley get shot in the gut by her horrible father?

Harley was shot in the stomach by her father in the last episode. She pressed a hot kettle to her wound and kept it moving. In episode eleven, there is no wound, and no one mentions it again. I understand it’s a cartoon, but it is trying to tell a cohesive story with these characters. Things carry over from episode to episode. I think our hero getting shot in a pretty vital place would warrant some lingering effects. Especially when we pick up almost precisely after “Bensonhurst.” Does Harley have Wolverine-style powers? D.C., please don’t force me to think this hard about your non-super super people.

3. Friends before your Ex’s

Please don’t put your Ex’s before your friends. Especially the friends who helped you realize your ex is trash and stood by you in your time of need. Harley took a dump on all of Ivy’s goodwill with her Joker-centric actions. While the patriarchal gunshot is a large plot (bullet) hole, Harley’s mistreatment of her friends in favor of Mr. J is a thread the show had to address. I am on Ivy’s side (as in most cases). You can’t abandon your closest peeps for some clown you know is wrong for you. Let’s face it, her amazingly powerful crew of friends caught the even shorter end of the stick, being relegated to the help. I also don’t think shooting a giant effigy of herself should absolve Ms. Quinn. Not sure why she thought that was a selfless gesture. What else can we expect from a legitimately crazy person?

4. Ivy is a total badass

We finally get to see Poison Ivy in all her badass glory. Plant mama put a bunch of bodies down with and without the help of The Green. She did her most dangerous work in a hospital gown while jumping from speeding truck to speeding truck. What a true supervillain. The Legion may have wanted to recruit her for less than above-board purposes, but damn it if she isn’t the truth. If Ivy were to join Harley’s crew, it might have to be a co-ownership with Ivy having 51% of the vote. She could totally take out all those chumps with a patch of dead leaves.

Continued below

5. Cy Borgman disturbs me to no end

I have voiced my concern about the Cy Borgman character. I didn’t understand how he fits into the group. Or the show for that matter. Well, this episode gave us a definitive answer. Cy Borgman is the horrorshow of the crew. My god, the body horror in this episode was way out there. “What if Transformers had flesh and blood in them?” is what some sick writer said out loud. Then they drew Cy with car parts bursting out of his fairly human body why he grimaced in ultimate agony. All so he could become a station wagon? Harley Quinn keeps putting me through things. This transformer abomination was one of the things I could have done without. I knew I didn’t like Cy.

As of this writing Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is out in theaters. Get out there and support your favorite Clown Queen of Friendship and her merry band of delinquents. One of those delinquents is Rosie Perez. You can’t beat that. Enjoy yourselves and be safe out there fellow Hyenas. Next week brings new lessons for us and our “heroes.”


//TAGS | Harley Quinn

Carl Waldron

Carl Waldron is a father, creator, and life-long nerd. You can find him arguing the rules of different magical franchises with friends or indoctrinating his daughter into the world of comics. Follow his other works on Super. Black.

EMAIL | ARTICLES



  • -->