Jim Gordon (a.k.a Gordo) is smelling fresh and ready to take back Gotham. Harley and Ivy are deep in their post smooch feelings, and The Harlettes (coined it) is back as well. Episode 8 of Harley Quinn is here and its a fat one. One of my favorite DC characters makes his brief, painful debut. Mr. Miracle! No Big Barda, though, which is a crying shame. As a side note, if you have not read Jack Kirby’s Mr. Miracle, please go do so. It’s a book full of gorgeous art and campy dialogue that will make you smile in a way you didn’t know possible. It made me a Kirby fan. It also proved that man could not draw black people. Woof.
1. Gordon Watch 2020: Direct line to the POTUS phone.
Gordo, you wonderfully determined, man. Who knew Gordon had a direct line to the president. Not only that, but that damn dude also picked up the phone for him. Well, the Presidential Secretary did. After declaring Gotham an annexed state, why would the president be in contact with the commissioner of Gotham P.D? Wait, is Gordon the highest authority in Gotham now? Two Face was playing Mayor, so we know there isn’t a governing body in the city. Hm. Go, Gordon! Things really are looking up for our favorite top cop.
2. People can only bend so far, especially when they are super short
Dr. Psycho is the least essential henchman with the most powers, maybe in the history of DC. This episode really focuses on how effective Psycho can be, while simultaneously exhibiting how unimportant he has become. I’ve been harping for literal weeks on the lack of the crew in each episode. Episode eight lets it all come to a head, resulting in Psycho ditching the group. I say good. If you aren’t going to use him to his full potential, let me find gainful employment elsewhere. I don’t really know why he stuck around so long in the first place. He was a big-time villain. All the other villains are dead and gone. Psych didn’t need to play 12th banana to Harley any longer, and he finally realized it.
3. Of course, Jessica Walter is Kite Man’s mom
You know who Jessica Walter is. Even if you “don’t,” you do. She’s the Mallory Archer on Archer. She’s the mother on Arrested Development. She’s every mother who doesn’t like her kids. She’s a damn national treasure, and we should all be happy she decided to grace us with her presence. Have you ever seen her Lucille Bluth wink? Go look that up and tell me she’s not a genius. Anyway, Ms. Walter excels at the miserable mother roll, so she was perfect here. She’s on the road to playing every miserable cartoon mom on tv. I would be in for that.
4. Such big things with small payoffs
This is Harley’s show. I know this. I do feel a nerdy sense of discomfort when massive things are used in the service of very small payoffs. The universe of the New Gods, Mr. Miracle, Boom Tubes, and Darkseid are HUGE in DC. Yet all of it was in service of Harley’s inability to tell Ivy she loves her. The juxtaposition of there importance is the rub. I get that. But you can’t watch Granny Goodness get brained and replaced without a sense of sadness. That lady is a true terror, and she was shuffled off unceremoniously. Same for Darkseid and his Michael Ironside-ness. He was relegated to a king on a throne who just allowed his best general to get cheated and presumably killed. The whole world of Apokolips and the Para Demons are afterthoughts. Hell, Harley broke Granny’s staff over her human ass knee! This is Justice League all over again. How about some Justice for the New Gods, eh?
5. You can’t just go around kissing everyone
This episode really demonstrates how trying to overcompensate just makes you look crazy. My daughter hates wearing her slippers in the house. Whenever I catch her without them, she makes a huge scene of her looking for her slippers. She exclaims how she needs to find them, so she doesn’t get her feet dirty. This happens while she walks around without the slippers on, getting dog fur on her feet in the process. Oh, the dramatics when she finds the furry little slippers. She makes a show of putting them on, only to walk to the couch and take them back off. She then stands on the sofa and tracks all the dog fur on there. Why did I tell that story? Mostly because my baby was overcompensating for not having on her slips. Just as Harley overcompensated for kissing Ivy. But I also wrote that who thing because I didn’t have anything else to say about this episode and I needed five complete thoughts. Sometimes the thoughts will be false.
The wrap-up
Psycho is gone, and that’s fine. I wouldn’t be surprised if Clayface and King Shark booked it as well. While they are certainly not evil, they aren’t really doing much either. This is the Harley/Ivy show now. With love blossoming and Kite Man “Hell Yea” ing, there just isn’t room for our loveable scamps, Cy, and Psycho. Next week’s preview image is of Harley and Ivy in bed, so maybe we are getting raunchy. I, for one, am all for that development. And not in a weird sleazy way. In a sleazy journalistic way. Check you next week, Hyenas!
