Love is in the air as Mr. Freeze graces us with his abominable presence in episode 4 of Harley Quinn. Another terrible plan by Harley leads to a very touching episode of a cartoon about costumed idiots and savage anthropomorphized animals. We all know the story, Mr. Freeze needs to save his wife Nora from a deadly blood disease, so he freezes everything in sight in the hopes she will be cured through osmosis or something.
When Harley presents herself as a viable candidate for a cure Freeze is developing, she’s confined a block of ice and prepped to become a frozen test subject. In the process, Harley learns a lesson about what true love is, and we all get to see Dr. Victor Fries for who he was always meant to be, a man desperate to save his wife. Another great up with some annoying actions from the hero we are supposed to root for. Loud sigh. Minor spoilers ahead.
1. Harley makes shit plans.
So after last week’s quest for Firefly’s heat gun, Harley makes the McGuffin a one-and-done item by creating an ice vagina in Mr. Freeze’s wall. For no other reason than to show out for her own crew. Then, they make it through the ice wall, sans heat gun, and the next step of the plan is to rush Mr. Freeze? While skating on ice? That’s not a plan. That’s not even improv. That’s stupid nearsightedness. Her plan to free Nora and kill Victor was ill-advised at best as she already had Mr. Freeze’s gun. Couldn’t she have frozen Victor, left with Nora, and had Ivy examine her before unfreezing her? You know, just to be safe and all. Nope. Now woke Freeze is dead. Long live Mrs. Freeze?
2. I miss King Shark’s bloodlust.
King Shark’s unhinged persona is thoroughly missed, right? The wild, untamed animal side of the shark man was glimpsed early in season one and never seen again. I thought the sight of blood made our gentle, savage giant a maniac. Then we see him tear a few dudes to shreds, get covered in the red stuff, and maintain his composure. Is he in therapy for his “anger issues”? Who knows. All I know is that quirk gave King Shark some depth, and connected him to the apex predator that he is. Now, he just feels a little less than. But only by a little, he is still king.
3. So how does the unfreeze option work?
I always assumed Mr. Freeze could freeze things. But unfreeze them? That seems counter-intuitive. The million-dollar question is, how does the unfreeze option on that big ice ray work? I would assume it’s some kind of demolecularization ray as Victor can’t be around heat. I mean, the man can’t ingest steak since it would raise his body temperature even a little. It’s probably outputting at a cold temperature while it unfreezes things as well. It really is a slap in the face of physics. What a genius.
4. Wedding venues survived the supervillain takeover.
Of all the things to stay open after the villains carved up Gotham, a popular wedding venue makes it? Sure it’s beautiful, but who even has money to rent it? Are people still working in Gotham? It was a steamy pile of rumble, right? Has the Old Gotham Corn Factory been exclusively supervillain focused since the collapse? We can all appreciate having to pivot your business focus after a crisis, but I feel like the pool of villains getting married would be pretty slim. I mean, Condiment King is a client. He can’t have money, he just can’t. He shoots mustard, and he’s a tool. I am curious about what other businesses are thriving in Gotham. So far, we have seen a college campus and a wedding venue. Perhaps a Panda Express is booming somewhere downtown.
5. Mr. Freeze is a man in love.
This is one of the few times an episode has turned me around on a villain by the end. Mr. Freeze turned out to be a decent, frozen facsimile of a human. Since the film Batman and Robin, I have pegged Victor Fries as a decent man put in an impossible situation. Who wouldn’t rob and freeze to save the man or woman they love? This episode drives that point home and hard. I was happy Harley didn’t get to ice him (pun), and Mr. Freeze exited this mortal coil by sacrificing himself for his wife. Even his oddly sensual need to have Psycho describe the mouth-feel of the steak can be forgiven by the end of the show. He’s a frozen block of ice with the warmest heart ever! You tell him how that mouth-feel felt!
The wrap-up
I came out the other end of this episode with a renewed appreciation for how cartoons can tug at your heartstrings. Shows like Steven Universe and Adventure Time have produced episodes that have made its fanbase well up with tears. Harley Quinn has joined that group. Do you love someone enough to sacrifice your life for theirs? What a tough thing to think about, and what an amazing sacrifice from Victor Fries. Also, Harley is really starting to get on my nerves with how ridiculously impulsive and oblivious she is to situations. At least when the Joker did reckless ass things, he succeeded. Harley just keeps fumbling at the 5-yard line. Step it up, Quinn!
Catch you next week, Hyenas! Stay safe and wash those hands!
