REVIEW: ‘Harley Quinn‘ Season 5 Episode 8 — “Family Feud”

A lot happens in Harley Quinn Season 5 Episode 8—rather, too much happens. We’re in a clear rush to the finish as storylines are wrapped up and threats are expanded following Frank’s death, Frankette’s birth, and Harley’s (Kaley Cuoco) and Ivy’s (Lake Bell) big fight. “Family Feud” is a fun but busy episode that tries a little too hard to fit everything in, sacrificing flow along the way.

Ivy is being unreasonable despite Harley saying that she had mere seconds to make a decision that would save her life. Ivy is right when she says that Harley too often makes decisions without thinking about the consequences, but the decision to strike a deal with Lena (Aisha Tyler) comes down to literally life or death. It makes their argument frustrating because it feels too forced, too fabricated for the specificities of Harley Quinn Season 5 Episode 8 rather than an organic culmination of mounting frustrations.

More than anything, Harley Quinn Season 5 Episode 8 wants to split the core pair up into separate storylines so they can converge at the end. So, the fight sees Ivy going after Lena alone in her pursuit of revenge while Harley gets a call from her dad, telling her that her mom is dead. Ivy’s storyline is the lesser, if only because it’s a drawn-out fight scene with one of the robots Lena uses to monitor the city. Harley Quinn often finds spark in its fight scenes, but this one is too stagnant, too confined to one area, to lack that usual electric push.

Harley, meanwhile, is dealing with a more significant personal crisis. Because her dad lied, her mom isn’t dead, and instead, he’s been paid off by Lena to capture her and keep her out of Metropolis and away from Ivy. It’s a good reminder of just how terrible her parents are, a call back to the times they tried to kill her or sold her out for a payday. And while he isn’t killing her, he has hired a rating-obsessed errand boy to harvest her organs to sell.

A shocking death pushes Harley forward in Harley Quinn Season 5 Episode 8. 

Harley Quinn Season 5 Episode 8 escalates the absurdity when the errand boy dies (but not before asking for a five-star rating), and more of Lena’s men move in, killing Harley’s father in a brutally swift moment. Harley turns away, and he’s gone. While Harley is frustrated at how much she mourns her father’s death, considering how terrible he was, it’s more of a means to wake her up to how silly her fight with Ivy was. It could’ve been her who died, and if she had, she would have died with Ivy angry with her.

It’s what inspires her trek back to Metropolis (with her mom tagging along — a character best implemented in small doses). Her father’s death leads her back to Ivy, and the two reconcile. Again, this lacks emotional heft or impact because the build-up is weak. Regardless, it’s nice to have the requisite argument over with because it’s not just that they’re more formidable as a pair. The show is stronger when they’re together and not fighting. Of all the shows to prove it, Harley Quinn clearly depicts that series can remain fun once couples get together and stay together.

Once they’re back together, Harley realizes they need Lex Luthor to leverage him against Lena. So they’re going to break him out of prison. It’s a funny way for Harley and Ivy to be constantly responsible for bringing chaos with them as prisoners rush the gates and explosions go off in the prison in the background. They bring Gotham with them no matter where they go. However, despite getting Lex, they seem to be too late. Lena has successfully bottled Metropolis and is keeping them out.

Harley Quinn Season 5 Episode 8 is solidly funny but frustrating. While many individual moments work, the story as a whole is too rushed to be as effective.

Harley Quinn Season 5 Episode 8 is out now on Max, formally HBO Max.

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