‘Harley Quinn’ Season 4, Episode 9 Review — Absurdity For Absurdity’s Sake
by Frank Martin
This week’s episode of Harley Quinn illustrated just how bizarre the show can really get. For the most part, a lot of things in the series make sense. It does get pretty ridiculous at times, but the stories usually follow a logical level of plot that, overall, works. This episode blew the door wide open as it revealed what has been going on with Harley’s (Kaley Cuoco) missing time and the double that has been wandering around, presumably doing things in her place.
After returning from the future, Harley and Ivy (Lake Bell) are left to deal with the apocalypse. While Ivy goes after Lex Luthor (Giancarlo Esposito), who was behind the whole thing, Harley confronts her doppelganger — who it turns out is a clone of her formulated with part potato. The clone also reveals that Harley was the one who killed Nightwing (Harvey Guillén) as she disassociated from herself. Through a series of corporate manipulations, Ivy is able to oust Lex from his company. She stops the laser causing the apocalypse, but it still doesn’t feel like a win for her. This occurs as Harley battles her clone, ultimately defeating her with Batgirl’s (Briana Cuoco) help.
Usually, when shows hint at a mystery as big as a doppelganger it has some meaning. But Harley just has a clone that’s part potato, which is perfectly in line with the program’s ridiculousness even if it is kind of pointless. This episode also had a scene that encapsulates Harley Quinn down to its core. Lex Luthor began explaining to Poison Ivy what photosynthesis was. That kind of blatant male condescension is the perfect embodiment of the show and just highlights that even four seasons in, Harley Quinn is still staying true.
Harley Quinn streams Thursdays on Max.
