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Five Thoughts On Harley Quinn’s “L.O.D.R.S.V.P”

By | January 20th, 2020
Posted in Television | % Comments

Harley Quinn marches on with this week’s plot-heavy installment. The world-building continues as we, The Harley Hyenas, get a deep look at the inner bowels of the Legion Of Doom, along with a quick jaunt to the bottom of the ocean. That’s right, everyone’s favorite superhero, Aquaman, makes his triumphant debut and gives Clayface a run for his money in the vernacular department. This eighth episode did a lot of heavy plot lifting in its 30-minute timeframe. We didn’t get an immediate fallout from Queen Of Fables (who isn’t looking forward to that), but an old albatross returns to remind us if you don’t tackle your problems head-on, they will hit you with a dramatic swivel chair reveal. Every movie with a villain ever has taught us you don’t want to be on the receiving end of that.

With that, let’s dig into the five thoughts. Minor spoilers below

1. Strong first impressions are important
I’m excited every time a DC Comics stalwart makes an entrance in this series. The writers are taking small liberties with each hero or villain and turning their established personalities up a notch. Episode eight was a buffet of easter egg characters. There are lots of background villains to identify here. Calendar man, Solomun Grundy, and Parasite, to name a few. Each must have a quirky version of their personality that could lend some much-appreciated color to Harley Quinn. Aquaman (henceforth forever known as the Dickens of the Deep) not only played up to his regal canon but took on a vast majority of the Legion Of Doom with relative ease. That’s another great first impression for a hero people don’t clamor to follow. Don’t get it twisted, everyone loves Jason Mamoa, not Aquaman.

2. That being said, I’m still waiting on Sy
I don’t see the point of Sy Borgman (puns) in the context of the show. He as introduced as a roadblock for our plucky bunch of misfits and weaseled his way into the group. On his terms, no less. Since then, he has proven to be irrelevant, if at all memorable. His saving grace is his affiliation to Rea Pearlman and being voiced by George Castanza himself, Jason Alexander. I just named two real-life people to explain the best parts of a fictional character. That’s not great. His name is a pun of a way better character. Now I am supposed to care that his sister is turned into a giant purple squid monster? I don’t. You don’t either. Not to tell you how to think but, here we are.

3. So the Legion Of Doom is sexist. Not surprising
Harley isn’t the first woman in, but Lex can’t remember the name of the other woman in L.O.D. That should tell you all you need to know about this group of villains. I wonder how many women supervillains applied and were turned away. Better yet, is there an all-female secret cabal of super-powered ladies prowling around Gotham? Hm, I digress. I did understand Lex’s point of wanting Ivy over Harley. Harley is just a very nimble people. Ivy can control the Green. That’s a massive gap in the “Skills” department. Do you know who else can control the Green? Swamp Thing, that’s who. That guy is a pretty big deal. When hiring for a job position, you need to pick the candidate that will solve your problem(s) with the least amount of roadblocks. A lady with a bat will have a lot of hurdles to jump while another lady riding on vines may get by a little easier. Not only that, Harley will certainly cause workplace drama with the Joker there. I foresee so many HR interventions. The TL;DR version, Lex is a businessman, Harley is bad for business.

4. What was the point of the metal detector?
So the L.O.D. has a metal detector screening for weapons at the front door. Why exactly? Quite a few of the attendees of their little recruitment shindig have powers that outweigh firearms 10-1. Parasite alone could drain someone’s life force with a handshake. Solomun Grundy is an unpredictable, unkillable zombie monster. If anything, some of the guests should be issued a gun on their arrival, Harley included. I can’t grasp what purpose the metal detector serves. Is it a placebo to make people think the event is safe? Why would anyone of them want to be safe? They love mayhem and being all bad and such. To top it off, the damn hero crashes the party and promptly starts kicking everyone’s ass. You know what would have stopped that, a freeze ray. Too bad its in a cubby in the Weapons Check.

Continued below

5. Phil Lamarr Part 2
Allow me to pause here and shout out Phil Lamarr once again. He voiced my favorite DC villain Black Manta in this episode. I love him for how utterly ridiculous his entire schtick is. Yet, somehow it works, and if you get over the helmet’s Stewie-like qualities, the character can be very menacing. It was nice to have my favorite voice actor voice, my favorite villain. Mr. Lamarr also showed you his range by voicing the giant tentacle monster in the episode. Is there nothing this man can’t do? Before you answer, I know he probably can’t do most things, but this one specific talent is excellent.

Harley has finally reached the top, but nothing in this life is without consequence. Our hero will have to deal with her first major problem, Mr. J. It looks like this confrontation is coming to a head next episode if the swivel chair maneuver is to be believed. Will our hero foil the dastardly plans of her greatest bane (not THE Bane, to be clear). Tune in next week. Same Quinn time, same Quinn network!


//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.

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