'Harley Quinn' Episode 9 Review: 'A Seat At the Table' sees Harley let down the people counting on her
Spoiler alert for Episode 9 of 'Harley Quinn'
Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) has gotten everything she's been working for since the season began. A seat on the prestigious Legion of Doom, the admiration of the supervillain community, and, finally, the respect of the Joker (Alan Tudyk).
It's exactly what she's dreamed of, but what she’s forgotten is that none of her dreams included her friends. Her new life leaves all of them by the wayside.
It is not that Harley meant to leave her friends behind. She does everything she can to make her new life in the Legion of Doom be compatible with the relationships she’s built since striking out on her own.
She brings her crew with her, even getting Doctor Psycho (Tony Hale) reinstated into the Legion, making sure him, Clayface (Alan Tudyk) and King Shark (Ron Funches) get to share in her success.
She even reconciles with Poison Ivy (Lake Bell), being the first to apologize for the harsh words exchanged between the two last episode.
The new job seems to be working out well for Harley. She's not only gotten a seat at the table, but her voice and concerns seem to be genuinely appreciated by the Legion of Doom.
She is finally able to call the Joker (Alan Tudyk) out on how half-baked his ideas are — and he claims to appreciate her for standing up to him. Harley is fitting right into the job of her dreams.
The biggest problem with achieving these dreams is that they were all centered around Harley Quinn. With the best of intentions, Harley is still distracted enough by the realization of these dreams to focus on making sure her friends aren't left behind.
Her crew gets assigned to the goon floor, assigned to any villain who wants to work with them. Compounding those distractions is the Joker himself, who worms his way back into Harley's trust.
Alan Tudyk's Joker gives a fantastic performance this episode. His confident grin, even at its most charming, practically screams betrayal, but the Joker is smooth enough for Harley to still not see it coming.
He knows just how to play her, and just how to give her what she thinks she wants. It's easy, if not disappointing, to see Harley's slow descent back into infatuation with the Joker. All she wanted, for years, is for the Joker to look at her as an equal.
Everything she's done to get where she is has been about showing the Joker that she was worthy of respect. She’s continued to be obsessed with him in her own way, even after the break-up, and for the first time, she’s seeing the Joker treat her the way she always wanted him to.
Joker's betrayal might be a worse betrayal than the first time she realized he never loved her, as this time Harley had come to believe he genuinely respected her.
It's Harley at her lowest point, as her evening with the Joker meant she ignored her friends. It's the last straw for the crew, especially for Ivy, who is tired of trying to convince Harley to believe in herself enough to not need the Joker’s validation.
The episode highlights the one flaw with Harley's new solo career — how much it was about her and the Joker, and how little it took into account the friends around her. Harley’s singular focus has been both a strength and one of her greatest weaknesses, and this episode shows it to be a pretty major liability.
She’s going to have to find a way to make it up to her friends quick, as she’s going to need her crew to help her save Ivy from the mysterious forces that have kidnapped her, but even a last-minute rescue might not be enough to convince Ivy to forgive Harley for letting her down when Ivy needed her.
The next episode of 'Harley Quinn' airs on January 31 on DC Universe.
