Review: Harley Quinn “You’re A Damn Good Cop, Jim Gordon”

Overview (Spoilers Below)
Harley and the gang head over to Wayne Tech to steal some valuable objects in yet another attempt to impress the Legion of Doom. Unfortunately, Clayface accidentally leaves behind a powerful asset: his right hand! With his hand now in police custody, Harley and the crew must break into Gotham City’s Police Department to retrieve their lost ally.

Additionally, Harley’s crew got slandered big time by an online villain critic. Fed up with the critic, Ivy and Dr. Psycho attempt to teach the critic a lesson they’ll never forget.

Our Take
Wow. I must say, after a duo of so-so encounters, this installment blew me right out of the ballpark. There’s plenty of laughs to go around (particularly those involving Killer Shark) and fun adventures to behold. This episode has a charming, wacky style that just leaves me begging for more.

The piece de resistance within goes to none other than Clayface’s right hand. You wouldn’t think a show could work brilliance with such a simple concept. However, it works! The innocence of the fella not only tugs at my heartstrings but also makes me burst with child-like giggles. Tom Kenny did a fantastic job voicing the character here. While I mainly hear echos of his SpongeBob voice within his performance here, that only adds to the charm of the character.

What particularly got me though was Jim Gordon’s friendship with the hand. While it’s not explored in great detail (other than a dream sequence), you can really see the chemistry blossom between friend and foe. Who knew the one thing to give Jim a boost was the hand of a villain? It’s definitely a heartwarming friendship that I wouldn’t mind seeing pop up again in the future.

Honestly, I was taken aback a bit over the episode’s emotional turn towards the end. Harley’s realization was not something I was particularly expecting here. While it’s particularly evident this episode, Harley essentially has put her own desires above her crew throughout the majority of the run thus far. That’s why it’s surprising that she finally realizes her selfish nature. Additionally, I didn’t expect Harley to straighten out Batman and Jim’s friendship either. Heck, even Dr. Psycho gets a touching moment with his son (in a hilariously messed up fashion to boot). The entire ending really writes home a message of selflessness. Caring about others over oneself is definitely something to strive for. With all of these emotional knots tied back together, it really goes to show how important being there for one another is within our society.

The one thing I wish this episode had more of was Jason Alexander’s “Sy Borgman”. Maybe it has something to do with Seinfeld, but I’m genuinely curious to see more of a presence for his character. Sy Borgman largely feels one-note thus far, which I believe is limiting the character’s potential within the series. He could definitely add to the sheer insanity that is Harley’s ever-growing list of heists and hijinks. Plus, with an established comedic actor on the role, there’s guaranteed to be some laughs somewhere.

Overall, this is one episode that’ll stay engrained within my memory for sure. It combines a nice bit of humor alongside an uplifting message to create a work of beauty. This is what the show should strive for in the future. A nice mix of creative humor and inspiring messages certainly come together to make a perfect dish.