Poor Kite-Man.
What They Say:
Determined to become one of the vaunted Legion of Doom, Harley attempts to make a big splash by crashing one of their criminal enterprises with the help of her BFF, Poison Ivy.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The opening episode of this series certainly set the tone for what it wants to be and I naturally fell in love. The DC animated works could use some variety in a number of ways and I’ve been pleased with the way the animated film side has been going as well as things like DC Super Hero Girls and the like. But we also need something that’s just raunchy, violent, and guttural a well to play with. And Harley along with a host of rogues that Batman has to face fit into that category well. Especially when played up against things like the 70s style Legion of Doom base and all the weird and silly things that it evokes from people of my age that grew up with that bad boy sitting in a swamp somewhere, manifesting evil.
Playing it up as a workplace kind of thing with everyone getting coffee and wondering how to handle the Joker is delightful. That as an Office-like show alone would be delightful. The Joker is becoming frustrated by the way it’s getting out into the world that she dumped him, so he goes to make a statement by going on TV to set the record straight – and blow up Howie Mandel as well. This just sets Harley off even more while Ivy just sees more frustration in her future (and Frank just makes everything worse). Frank’s encouragement is just delightful and with Harley trying to get her to come with her to the Legion of Doom base is a great cold open kind of thing. There’s so much going on and so much awkward pressure applied that you can’t wait to see where it goes next.
The arrival at the Legion of Doom almost feels like it’s the show mocking the feature film version of Harley to some degree but I love the swagger in and its power and sexuality only to realize is a bar mitzvah for one of Penguin’s nephews. That has Harley refiguring her approach while Ivy has to struggle with Kite-Man hitting on her of all things. There’s just so much going on with this that I found myself laughing at joke after joke, especially as Harley fits into things pretty well, especially since it’s the kind of humor that feels right for the villains that would work if it was reality. Everything is so utterly high school with so many of these villains that it just has me grinning throughout.
With Harley wanting to prove herself, she opts to do what none of the villains have by going after the Gotham Mint. But this place is so secure, according to Ivy, that they rent out the atrium for the Legion of Doom building. And that in itself is utterly hilarious. Having her working through this solo while leaving Ivy with a group of kids that got some of her poison thanks to Kite-Man is just delicious as they’re slowly transforming into plants. The show works these two plots well as Harley discovers that the mint isn’t what she thought it was and causes more problems while Ivy has to deal with trying to help the kids. But the real problem is Kite-Man as he takes her back to her place to find the antidote but while she does that, he strips down and gets into her bed, thinking this was a date. His obliviousness is hilarious and shows just how bad some guys are in these situations with the misreads.
In Summary:
So many burns on Bane that I almost – ALMOST – feel bad for him. The show continues to build up the tension between Harley and Joker and it turns into the start of a pretty good fight when you get down to it. One that has Harley turning sentiment against him in a big way because it’s the whole calling out the bully for what he is and in classic movie form, everyone rallies against the bully as well. Mostly, it’s just Ivy but we see the moment once again where we’re reminded she really is a top-flight villain that doesn’t get the respect or storylines she deserves. Her and Harley are great together and the show playing up the high school cliques combined with a bar mitzvah is hilarious. The jokes are fast and plentiful with just about all of them landing. Bane gets picked on the most but everyone gets a lot of great stuff and nobody comes out unscathed.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: DC Universe
