'Harley Quinn' Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Batman's return is naked, shameless fanbaiting and it's fantastic
Spoilers for 'Harley Quinn' Season 2 Episode 5 'Batman's Back, Man'
For fans on the fence about getting into 'Harley Quinn', makers of the show have made an entire episode centering around Batman (Diedrich Bader) to lure fans in, and they're very open about how shameless a ploy it is. The episode was shuffled around, from later in the season to an earlier one to draw even more eyes in. It makes direct fun at exactly the kind of audience that a plot like this aims to attract.
The opening moments of the episode feature two gatekeeping comic nerds, the kinds of internet trolls who deride social justice seeping into their beloved franchises and look down on 'Harley Quinn' for being a "feminist" show. It's a hilarious opening at the expense of DC's most toxic fans, and it doesn't let up from there, as Batman is mercilessly made fun of this episode, and he's had it coming for a long time.
The episode might be the most outright hilarious of the entire series thus far. Where the show usually balances its zany humor with a little depth, this episode goes all-out on the jokes, exposing Batman for the whiny, self-indulgent rich boy that he is. Alfred Pennyworth's (Tom Hollander) dry wit feature some of the character's best moments in any adaptation, as we see just how much of a headache it is to babysit a man who has no regard for his own personal safety and has enough money to buy his way around obstacles.
Bane (James Adomain) is also at his comedic best this episode as the petulant child who is trying to get Two-Face (Andy Daly) to see him as an equal. Bane has made quite an impression as a recurring gag in small doses throughout the series, but this episode's focus on him just gets funnier the more you watch him. James Adomain's parody of Tom Hardy's Bane never stops being brilliant, and Bane takes himself so seriously that it's hard not to laugh at how ridiculous he is.
We see Batman pass the torch of the Bat symbol (not a logo) on to Barbara Gordon (Briana Cuoco) this episode, who shines as the bright, social media influencing Batgirl of Burnside. The passing of the torch may just indicate that Batman will be taking a back seat this season to allow himself time to rest, and for Batgirl to take over this season's suphero duties. If that's the case, then the show has certainly made the best use of Batman that it could, cramming a season's worth of Bat-gags into a single episode to delightful effect.
The episode works as a one shot, as it was no doubt intended to. It's the kind of episode that provides a perfect example of just how funny the writing of 'Harley Quinn' is, while featuring familiar characters for people who aren't yet sure they want to give 'Harley Quinn' a try. The show is not subtle about what it's going for here, and that's exactly what makes it so much fun.
The next episode of 'Harley Quinn' airs May 8, on DC Universe.