[7.3/10] This has some of the looniest, most off-the-wall gags in Harley Quinn to date, which is an achievement! Cy hasn’t been my favorite character to date, but good lord, the absurdity and darkness of him secretly being a “Transchanger”, replete with uncomfortable strains and disturbing body horror during his transformation won me over with its dark goofiness.
Likewise, as out there as it is, I enjoyed the fact that the titular, Harley-designed “Harley Quinn Highway” turns out to be a giant-sized Hot Wheels track. Again, it’s a bit loony, but having the team race against time to find and catch Scarecrow together, replete with ammo drops and loop-de-loops, is the kind of outsized fun I enjoy from this show.
There’s also a strong central observation about the real source of conflict and betrayal between Harley and Ivy. In truth, I don’t love that the crew dives into Ivy’s brian. It hasn’t been that long since we did “Being Harley Quinn”, and it feels too soon for a reprise of the “journey of the mind” idea. But I do appreciate the reveal that Ivy’s deepest-seated fear isn’t environmental destruction or parental cruelty, but rather not being able to count on anyone as a friend. It drives home why Harley bailing on Ivy in favor of Joker was so hurtful. Harley acknowledging and understanding that is a nice way to do the work of her beginning to get the depths of her betrayal of everyone and start to make amend.s (Saving Ivy’s life doesn't hurt either.)
The rest of the episode is solid stuff. There’s some nice loopy comedy with our crew sneaking into Scarecrow’s facility with the benefit of a pretzel wiener truck and a slapstick “walk in slow motion” sequence. The crew’s day jobs and rejection of Harley’s entreaties were good for some laughs. And the teaser at the end, with a bunch of killer plants attacking Gotham, makes for an intriguing hook.
Overall, this one is a little all over the place, but includes some good laughs, and a nice central observation about the source of the schism between Harley and Ivy.
Shout by Clobby ClobstersBlockedParentSpoilers2021-07-17T07:17:02Z
Even with so many deus ex machinas, this show is still sweet.