Episode 9 Review
Harley Quinn
Harley settles in as the newest member of the Legion of Doom and all is well until the Joker is unexpectedly congratulatory towards her. Harley even manages to make amends with Poison Ivy and they agree to team up and destroy a new plant for a paving company called Planetwide Pavers. But the figurative rugs start to get pulled out from under the cast. The Crew is treated like common goons. Joker and Harley's work drink goes off the rails and she regresses. Ivy is stood up. Harley lies about what she's doing. Joker uses Harley once again to escape from Batman. The news runs with a photo of them making out during the getaway. Harley doesn't answer calls from The Crew. King Shark is injured during Bane's op. The Crew and Ivy see the news and quit, leaving Harley alone. The worst that could have happened has and it only gets worse...
"A Seat At The Table" essentially continues right after last week's episode. Harley is officially sworn into the Legion of Doom. Even Joker is magnanimous, and everyone applauds Harley. The Crew is quick to warn Harley not to be fooled by Joker's niceties. She assures them she hasn't fallen for the act. But Joker's already got his hooks back in her. Harley and Ivy meet up in a coffee shop to bury the hatchet. Harley promises she will never abandon Ivy and will always be there to smash things for her. Ivy shows off her latest caper, destroy Planetwide Pavers, a demolition and paving company dedicated to making Gotham a better place. They agree to meet up Friday night. Back at the Hall of Doom, Harley is shown to her new office but The Crew learns they are have to hang out downstairs in the goon pool with all the other henchmen and anyone can use them after filing the proper paperwork. Bane is the first to request them. He's got a score to settle with a juicery. Harley attends her first board meeting and rather than rubber stamping Joker's funding request for his face tower, Harley is the lone voice to speak out against it. Lex Luthor realizes she's onto something and advises him to put more work into his plan. After the meeting, Joker thanks Harley for having the guts to question him and suggests a work drink so he can pick her brains about the tower. The Crew airs their grievance with Harley and she decides to go with the Joker and learn how to game the system.
Joker and Harley hang at Wild N' Wacky Wings. Joker butters Harley up, telling her Lex wants to keep her happy because she's an asset. At the apartment, Frank tells Ivy he wants in on her plan. Ivy quickly points out his lack of mobility. She's not to enthused at the prospect of carrying him around and throwing him around. He demonstrates his other weapon, hurtful words and gives her some fashion tips. Harley and Joker start reminiscing about the good old days. Harley tries to leave to meet up with Ivy but a waitress brings them shots on the house. She makes an excuse and texts Ivy. Ivy is about to leave the cafe but Frank arrives, carried by his "pot guy," Chaz. Ivy quickly surmises he's a weed dealer not a guy to literally carry pots around. Frank realizes Harley stood Ivy up and tries to hammer it home that she's changed and Ivy is on her own. The Crew get some snacks from the Legion vending machine but Bane arrives. Harley doesn't pick up her phone so they're forced to go along with Bane. Joker and Harley have relocated to a yacht and tied up an affluent young couple. Harley pitches her idea about the face tower and Joker surprisingly loves it and keeps on buttering her up for Batman to arrive. She flashes back to all the times Joker left her behind but he invites her to hurry. They make their getaway, make out, and Joker does what he always does. He shoves Harley out of the Jokercopter and Batman narrowly saves her. Batman, almost disappointed, states some things never change. She dives into the ocean and swims away. Bane becomes impatient while King sets the bomb and detonates it. King Shark's fin is blown into the windshield then he falls onto the hood of Bane's van. The employee Bane wanted to blow up doesn't work Wednesdays. Ivy meets up with The Crew at the hospital. They watch Tawny's live report about Joker and Harley getting back together and feel betrayed. Harley comes in still trying to lie but she sees the TV. No one believes her promise she won't mess up again. Psycho is the first to quit the Crew then the others. Ivy opts to go solo. Harley slumps down on a bench in the hall. Ivy infiltrates Planetwide Pavers but it was all a trap to capture her...
So yeah. Ivy was the target all along and Harley was just a pawn. It was gut wrenching and hair pulling level of frustration to watch as Harley screws up after everything she accomplished this season. But I guess when you reach the top, that just makes the fall a bigger drop. I suppose 20/20 hindsight, the pilot set up the idea that she might backtrack eventually. Going back and rewatching "L.O.D.R.S.V.P," it definitely comes off as one big set up and Planetwide Pavers is probably a front for the Legion of Doom. The subtle hint is the tone of both commercials that play. Going off of Luthor's words in "L.O.D.R.S.V.P," they seem to want to exploit her plant powers for whatever big scheme they have in mind. If the montage of past capers in their orientation video and Joker's face tower pitch are any indication, the city is in a lot of trouble. The worst part is no one would know Ivy is in trouble or missing after the big spat at the hospital. With just four episodes to go, it seems like we're going to be seeing what the master plan is soon enough but it'll be entertaining to see if Harley and The Crew can reunite to save Ivy. And well, Frank and Sy Borgman will probably be the x-factors. Maybe Mirielle?
"A Seat At The Table" is a gut punch of an episode and perfectly executes things going terribly wrong for the cast. Paving the way for the final stretch of season one, can the motley crew make amends to save Ivy and tear the Legion a new one (oh, yeah. And I guess save Gotham)? Four more episodes seems like a lot of real estate to pull it off. Harley's crew has proven in the past that even as underdogs, they got what it takes.
Rating: 8 out of 10