REVIEW: ‘Harley Quinn’ Season 5 Episode 4 — “Breaking Brainiac”

Harley Quinn Season 5 Episode 4 delivers a superb one-shot adventure in “Breaking Brainiac.” The DC animated series has proven successful in the past when tackling isolated episodes, and this dive into the past of the season’s potential big bad hits the same mark. The dedication to the introduction and the distinctive animation signaling a different world and character make it the best episode of Season 5.

Even the most casual superhero fans are likely aware of Brainiac, even if he hasn’t yet made his way to a live-action iteration. For many millennials, the Brainiac who fuses himself with Lex Luthor in Justice League Unlimited is of particular note. For fans who don’t read the comics, it’s the DC animated universe that’s provided our images of Brainiac. We saw him appear again recently in Season 2 of My Adventures With Superman. But even still, the Harley Quinn version, voiced by Stephen Fry, is a standout.

Following the events of Episode 3, where Lena’s robots capture Harley (Kaley Cuoco) and Ivy (Lake Bell), we’re transported to Brainiac’s spaceship and then treated to his backstory. The backstory is fantastic, immersing us fully in this world. Rather than going the typical route where Brainiac is the Kryptonian AI, the series devolves into his Colulan origin. On the planet Colu, Brainiac has a family — a wife and child — and while their mode of affection is more robotic, they all care about one another.

The flashback is so clearly spinning towards tragedy that it disrupts some of the momentum, but it’s wildly entertaining at the same time. The harsh lines and neon colors of a regular Harley Quinn episode are traded in for muted purples and greens that echo the character designs. The science fiction elements are clear and striking as they seep into the world around them.

Harley Quinn Season 5 Episode 4 is also wickedly funny, utilizing the more programmed manner of speaking to great effect. There were almost too many one-liners worthy of jotting now. But in particular, Fry’s delivery of “I am repelled by that offspring” when referring to his own child was a delight. Their quaint, familial life is destroyed, however. Brainiac leaves for work with his monkey, Koko, and returns to find his planet in ruin and his family dead.

The Brainiac flashback is the highlight of Harley Quinn Season 5 Episode 4.

Here, we’d assume that Brainiac would take off for a single-minded focus path of revenge, but the writing cleverly subverts that expectation. His planet, he believes, was destroyed due to its imperfections. So he travels the galaxy to other planets that need help improving. He finds Krypton and helps it reach perfection before realizing that such perfection will simply rot in time. His better fix is to freeze the planet, then shrink and bottle it, collecting planets across the universe to store in his ship. This is a much more interesting direction for a villain to go.

This is especially true when he arrives on Earth, which has the lowest perfection rating he’s seen in his travels (a hilarious 8%). However, despite the trash-laden planet with its impossibly self-destructive population, there’s a bright spot in Metropolis that holds the highest rating on Earth (a measly 20%.) It’s there he’ll make his home base. But it does put him in line with Harley. While surrounded by those bots, Harley is described as the “ultimate barrier to perfection.”

Cuoco’s elongated shriek as Harley is transported onto Brainiac’s ship is hilarious and helps prove Harley’s destructive powers. However, before Brainiac can destroy her, Lena steps in. While we’ve always assumed she wasn’t quite as lovely as she let on, it still makes for a strong pairing. She interferes, reminding Brainiac that the humans of Metropolis are her problem. Not to mention, she’s fond of Harley.

Harley and Ivy awaken in their apartment, with the former realizing something is wrong but not quite sure what. The arrival of Lena adds to the sense of foreboding as Harley tries to figure out just what happened to get her from work to home, despite Ivy trying to fill in the blanks. They may say they’re happy in Metropolis, rid of the hell Gotham has become, but there are clear indicators of some unease under the happy sentiments. And it’s made more tremulous due to the interference of Brainiac and Lena, who are both waiting on the sidelines.

Harley Quinn Season 5 Episode 4 excels due to the full introduction of Brainiac, whose backstory allows the writers and animators to flex their creative muscles. Harley and Ivy’s happiness in Metropolis seems short-lived as they, unbeknownst, face up against new, mightier threats.

Harley Quinn Season 5 Episode 4 is out now on Max.

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