One of the best things about Harley Quinn is just how well it understands the characters of the DC mythos, and never has that been more evident than in this week’s episode, Thawing Hearts. We’ve seen snatches of how well it gets characters before (its version of Robin, for example, or Jim Gordon), but this episode stands above all others with its interpretation of Mr Freeze.
A little refresher, first of all: Freeze is next on Harley’s hit-list, so she and the crew break into his fortress only to be captured and find themselves as test subjects for a serum Freeze has been working on to cure his cryogenically frozen wife of a rare blood disease. Elsewhere, Ivy and Kite Man are on the lookout for wedding venues. It’s really cute.
This is easily the best version of Mr Freeze since Batman: The Animated Series all the way back in the ‘90s, and it’s easy to see why the writing team made him the heart of this episode. For a story that basically lifts its arc entirely from the Heart of Ice episode of Bruce Timm’s show, it’s astonishing how fresh and exciting it feels – and it feels that way for a number of reasons.
Chief among these is Alfred Molina’s performance as Freeze. Yes, you read that right: famous character actor Alfred Molina playing a bit-part in a silly animated superhero show. And he’s amazing in it. He gets some good gags, as we’ve come to expect from Quinn, but the culmination of his arc is the show’s most emotional moment so far: the most interesting part of Freeze has always been how far he’ll go to save his wife, but here it’s taken further than usual as he must sacrifice himself to save her with a blood transfusion. It’s an incredibly tender moment that feels entirely earned over the course of the episode, and it’s really difficult to hold back the tears when Nora wakes and realises what he’s done for her.
Elsewhere this week, we had some sweet moments between Kite Man and Ivy on their hunt for the perfect wedding venue (which is thwarted, in a hilarious turn of events, by the dastardly Condiment King), and an incredible action sequence on ice that sees Harley and co. dispatch some goons in some of the most creative kills we’ve seen on the show yet – Clayface turning into a snowman and punching people? Harley beheading fools with an ice skate? Good stuff.
It’s rare for a show like Harley Quinn to get as heavy and emotional as it does this week, but, as it keeps proving, it can do that – and do it well. It’s a series that’s full of surprises and is only getting better – and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
HARLEY QUINN continues on E4 on Mondays and is available via ALL4, Amazon, and Apple thereafter.
