[7.5/10] I’m a sucker for these sorts of “explore a character’s mind”-type stories. As the episode itself acknowledges with dialogue references to A Nightmare on Elm Street, Being John Malkovich, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, there’s a lot of mileage to get out of the concept. And T.V. shows as varied as The Venture Bros. and The Owl House have utilized the idea as well, so there’s a good history of this kind of plot paying dividends.
Some of Harley Quinn’s rendition of the idea is standard. Harley and friends wandering around the equivalent of an art museum with various memories represented as paintings is a typical trope, but one the episode does well. Some of it is a little bolder. The gang getting chased by ravenous, murderous versions of Harley’s ten-year-old self is appropriately freaky, and the action set piece set in the spooky, Joker-filled carnival that is Harley’s subconscious is good stuff.
There’s plenty of laughs to be had from the setup as well. I’ve quickly come to appreciate Dr. Psycho’s acerbic exasperation, and him as the recalcitrant guide to this setup is amusing. King Shark blithely pointing out the tropes and contrivances gets some laughs out of me for the meta-ness of it all. And Clayface talking about performing as Air Bud for a day was darkly funny. Plus, Frankie Muniz was surprisingly game playing himself as Harley’s preteen crush, leading to more dark comedy.
Granted, I wasn’t crazy about the material with Sy and Golda working to haul our heroes into the furnace. There’s some laughs to be had from teh fact that the :suicide squad” t-shirts they’re al in when mind-diving make Sy think they’re in a suicide cult. But the schticky banter between Sy and Golda felt clumsy and not especially amusing.
Apart from the comedy, though, I really like what “Being Harley Quinn” uses the mind-dive conceit for. Harley is too indecisive to pick a new lair, or decide what she wants,and it’s not clear why. The truth turns out to be that she always thought Joker pushed her into the vat of acid that changed her life. It made her feel like someone else was always in control, that her destiny wasn’t her own, that another person was always making the decisions that determined where her life would go.
While a little wonky, I like that she’s able to go into her memory and rewrite history, if only in her own mind. It’s a nice dramatization of her taking control of her own life, owning her past choices, and rediscovering her agency. The fact that it gives her the gumption to choose a lair, which just so happens to be the dead mall Sy was going to dispose of her and her friends in, is the icing on the cake.
This is also a good Ivy episode! One of my favorite scenes in the episode is the point where the rest of the crew is ready to get the hell out of dodge, and Ivy points out what a good friend Harley’s been to all of them. Ivy sticking up for her buddy is heartening, and she makes good points about why Ms. Quinzel is worth fighting for.
Overall, this is a well-trodden concept, as “Being Harley Quinn” acknowledges with its title alone, but the show has great success in cutting its own path with the idea.
wow they managed a whole episode without making fun of minorities? this is the first episode that i actually enjoyed throughout
Not quite as funny as the previous two episodes but still not terrible.
This really felt like a Rick and Morty episode
Shout by Clobby ClobstersBlockedParentSpoilers2021-07-16T11:07:13Z
What a whacky series of events.
SCORE: 7/10