Love the healthy relationship conversations! This show balances the zany with the realistic so well.
[7.6/10] Watching “The 83rd Annual Villy Awards” in the middle of Oscar season makes the various awards show jokes and jabs extra funny. While Joker’s song was pretty weak, maybe it’s a send-up of cornball awards show songs in general. (And hey, we did get Jason Todd doing the batusi out of it!)
But the broader send-ups were winners. Riddler and Clock king were a laugh and a half, with some inside baseball gags about whining and dining the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that landed well. Harley getting into a big fight with the accountant robot carrying the briefcase got a chuckle out of me, especially when the bot turns out to be filled with Alien-esque milky liquid. And the red carpet round-up, silly categories, and Bane as a seat-filler all pry plenty of out there Harley Quinn gags out of the awards circuit setup.
The character work is even better though. I’m glad that, after a couple of episodes of fun, Harley Quinn is taking time to explore the fallout of the Ivy/Kite Man break-up. In truth, it’s a little tidy, and a little too gentle and forgiving in where everyone ends up given the pain of what happened. But for being so dark and puerile on the surface, Harley Quinn can be a surprisingly aspirational show, so I’m okay with putting things in a bit of an unrealistically positive direction.
That means an unexpected meet-up between Poison Ivy and Kite Man’s new girlfriend, the Golden Glider. The two of them accidentally meeting up on a bench outside of the theater is some sharp writing. They’re united in being nervous, albeit for different reasons. As someone with a partner who has social anxiety at big events like this one, it’s sympathetic to see Ivy trying her best but feeling overwhelmed at the crowd and the hobnobbing. And Golden Glider’s reluctance to sit next to her boyfriend’s ex-fiancee is instantly understandable.
That's why it’s so heartening when the two of them bond over not only their nervousness, but on the shared realization that their partners make sacrifices for their happiness all the time, and that makes them very lucky. Using Kite Man’s chili alterations as a metonym for the idea is smart, and the fact that they both choose to go back in despite their anxieties to be there for their partners in a big moment is sweet and even stirring.
I also like Kite Man and Harley bonding over their shared realization that being with Ivy made both of them better people. Again, Kite Man has more legitimate gripes despite him boosting up the ladder a bit. But both of them being glad for their relationships with Ivy, to where Kite Man’s good with his current situation, is likewise heartening, if a pit too pat and too easy.
The B-plot with Clayface trying to sidle up to Billy Bob Thronton is nice too. Thornton’s not the greatest voice actor, but he’s a sport, which counts for a lot. Clayface trying to have an “acting sesh” with Thornton, only to end up accidentally getting the guy killed, is an amusing exercise in escalation. Clayface trying to live Thornton’s life promises fun stuff to come. And as a Gilmore Girls fan, Clayface mixing up James Gunn and Sean Gunn in his impersonation got a big laugh out of me.
Throw in the cathartic quality of Harley and Ivy telling the awards show folderol to eff off because they don’t need external validation only to win best couple anyway, the hilarious but sweet bond between Riddler and Clock King, and Bane’s usual hilarity, and you have a stellar ep.
There are so many directions this could have gone that I was a little let down that Harley ended up being so petty most of the episode. Glad they weren’t around for whatever Joker would have done to them.
Shout by Gloom8BlockedParent2022-07-31T15:55:41Z
For those who don't know about hilarious censorship that happened to the scene between Batman and Catwoman.