'Harley Quinn' Episode 11 review: The crew is back together on 'The Harley Quinn Highway' to save Poison Ivy
Spoiler alert for Episode 11 of ‘Harley Quinn’.
Harley Quinn’s (Kaley Cuoco) stint on the Legion of Doom has not gone well for her. It’s seen her publicly humiliated by the Joker (Alan Tudyk), her crew dissolved, and has formed a rift between her and her best friend, Poison Ivy (Lake Bell). Ivy is in trouble, and to save her, Harley and her crew are going to have to put their differences aside.
Despite their Insta story from last episode showing them having the time of their lives, Clayface (Alan Tudyk), Doctor Psycho (Tony Hale) and King Shark (Ron Funches) could definitely be doing better. They had been a surprisingly effective team working under Harley. Seeing the (reluctant) team back together this episode makes the show feel like itself again.
The Scarecrow (Rahul Kohli), in the meanwhile, has created a special version of his fear toxin that works on Ivy, because you don’t make the Scarecrow an episode’s main villain unless you’re fully prepared to have an extended nightmare hallucination to go with it.
After an unsurprisingly nutty plan to get in, and one of the most bizarre takes on the power walk parody in the history of the trope, Harley and crew find Ivy consumed by nightmares. The narratively handy psychic powers of Doctor Psycho take the team into Ivy’s mind. It’s an excursion that’s short enough to not rehash ‘Being Harley Quinn’ — they’re there just long enough to find out that Ivy’s greatest fear is Harley herself.
What follows is peak ‘Harley Quinn', as a hilarious running gag from earlier in the season pays off in the best way: we finally see the Harley Quinn Highway. Harley threatening the mayor has apparently paid off in a big way, as tax dollars have paid for a massive video-game-like ramp complete with neon signs, weapon caches, loops and a giant Harley statue. The car chase to stop the Scarecrow and his goons is a series highlight, with great action from Harley and Ivy and the show’s trademark violent humour. At the heart of it all is Harley’s heart-to-heart with Ivy, who admits just how betrayed and let down Ivy made her feel.
Harley knows she messed up when she lets her friends down, that was never in question. It’s not until this episode, though, that she sees the extent of the harm she did to her closest friend. It’s a quick, but powerful moment of vulnerability from Ivy in a rather tumultuous, action-packed episode.
This episode sees a return to the series’ status quo, even as it significantly ups the stakes. Seeing the team reunited — with the official addition of Sy Borgman (Jason Alexander) to the crew — is a lot of fun. This episode manages to pack a lot in (including the tragic tale of Denise, the secretary, cleverly crammed into the background), but the show’s dynamics have established well enough to make the chaos work. The team’s troubles, however, may just be beginning, as the Legion of Doom’s latest plot has been successfully unleashed.
The next episode of ‘Harley Quinn’ airs February 14, on DC Universe