The next comprises spoilers for Harley Quinn Season 3, Episode 2, “There’s No Ivy in Staff,” now streaming on HBO Max.
Harley Quinn has earned its spurs partially due to the fragile stability it strikes with its characters. Its humor stems largely from taking the stuffing out of DC stand-bys that followers know and love. But it could actually’t go too far into buffoonery or your entire affair turns into a parody of itself. There must be simply sufficient actuality to its DC Universe for it to operate in conventional phrases with a purpose to give the humor one thing to bounce off towards. As a consequence, the characters are sometimes a lot completely different than their earlier incarnations, however nonetheless could not be mistaken for some other determine.
Season 3 offers Dick Grayson his time within the barrel finally. Batman’s first associate had been absent from the proceedings to date, solely to make a splashy debut within the Season 3 trailer. His first formal look in Harley Quinn got here in Season 3, Episode 2, “There’s No Ivy in Staff,” and was all the pieces followers have come to anticipate from the present. The brand new model of Nightwing is a tad on the grim facet and ripe for a very good pasting.
Dick Grayson has historically been one of many extra cheerful members of Batman’s coterie, going again to his days as the unique Robin within the character’s early a long time. That modified following his evolution into his personal superhero — wherein he confronted his share of traumas and darkish deeds — however he by no means solely deserted his circus performer roots, which typically sat at odds with darker storylines. The most effective instance is likely to be his run in his mentor’s stead following the Batman: Battle for the Cowl miniseries by Tony Daniel, Sandu Florea, Jared Fletcher and Ian Hannin, which made his Caped Crusader the humorous associate and Damien Wayne’s Robin the grim avenger of the evening.
Harley Quinn zeroes on that incongruity, presenting its Dick as an excessively cocky lone wolf extra involved with trying like a badass than combating crime. Actor Harvey Guillen — best-known because the put-upon acquainted Guillermo on What We Do within the Shadows — was an impressed choice for Dick’s voice. He first seems on the bus heading to Gotham, whispering icy guarantees about bringing justice to the imply streets earlier than Harley, sitting subsequent to him, asks if anybody desires to alter seats.
The discrepancy between pun-spouting acrobat and brooding vigilante shifts ever so barely when he returns to Wayne Manor, the place the “Bat Household” expects him to be a group participant. Right here he resembles the too-cool eldest youngster, coming back from his adventures on this planet and right here to exhibit that he would not want any of them to do his job. Naturally, they saddle him with Alfred’s vigilante alter-ego, “The Macaroni,” who attire like an additional from Harmful Liaisons and flies a Bat-Copter that appears suspiciously like Adam West’s. It isn’t nice for his road cred.
Nightwing’s emotional tie-in comes by means of Poison Ivy, who’s struggling to slot in along with her group simply as Dick is along with his. They’ve an odd/awkward bonding as they confront their shortcomings, and Nightwing suffers a whole meltdown after failing to resolve the demise entice they’re each caught in. The scene tosses out a pair of Easter eggs to attach its barbs to the comics, together with a jab on the notorious Nightwing #93 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo, wherein Dick allowed fellow vigilante Tarantula to kill the villain Blockbuster. The problem earned criticism for its informal use of rape as a narrative trope and for its apparent emulation of Daredevil’s “Born Once more” storyline — so naturally, Harley Quinn dives proper in by citing the Blockbuster incident by title within the midst of Dick’s sobbing collapse.
Nightwing is slated to return later within the season, with the trailer promising extra Bat Household motion as Ivy’s plan to terraform Gotham bears fruit. Judging by his debut, the present has his comedic course set. Batman and his ilk make nice punching luggage for Harley Quinn: po-faced guardian figures right here to smash everybody’s enjoyable. It is no shock that even their most jovial member is quickly following swimsuit.
New episodes of Harley Quinn stream Thursdays on HBO Max.