The revamped story of Mr. Freeze became one of the most renowned origin stories for a member of Batman’s rogues gallery, and rightfully so. Nora’s story was heartbreaking, tragic, and truly unforgettable. The Harley Quinn version of the tale is similarly poignant, though it retains the flare, style, and high octane energy that makes this series so special.
For example, before encountering Freeze, Harley Quinn and her amazing friends melt a vagina shaped hole in the icy wall standing between her and her vengeance, because graffiti needs female representation too. After breaching the wall, the team violently slaughters several icy henchmen. Harley slices throats with her skates, King Shark bites several heads off, the whole thing is a riot. This is the only big action scene of this episode, and it’s gratuitous, desensitizing, and as a fan, more wonderful than I could’ve hoped for.
Thawing Hearts… Like For Real
Despite how entertaining the violence and the comedy is, it’s really more of a garnish in this episode. This is very fortunate, as “Thawing Hearts” is best when it’s a thoughtful examination of what love is and what it means. In addition to Nora and Victor, the relationship between Kite Man and Poison Ivy is explored as the two attempt to secure Kite Man’s dream wedding venue, the Gotham Corn Factory.
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While their unique dynamic has been a highlight of the series so far, it’s very much the B story of episode 4, and it’s easily the weakest link. The chemistry and fun that Kite Man and Ivy bring to the table is marred by the appearance of Kite Man’s “nemesis”, the Condiment King. I strongly disliked Condiment King, and felt that his campiness was more grating than laughable, an (extremely rare) comedic misstep for the show.
Thankfully, he wasn’t in the spotlight for very long, and wasn’t involved in the main story at all. Poison Ivy and Kite Man ended up effectively relinquishing the venue to their schlocky nemesis when they left to assist Freeze in curing his wife. Harley, perceiving Freeze’s interaction with his frozen wife and his backstory to be both creepy and reminiscent of her relationship with Joker, unfreezes the terminally ill Nora, assuming that Freeze was lying about her health issues.
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Despite her mostly good intentions (she was still going to murder Freeze), she condemned Nora to death unless they could find a cure quickly, and that’s where Ivy comes in. As a biologist, she was able to synthesize a cure that would alter Mr. Freeze’s blood type to match Nora’s, making a transfusion possible. Unfortunately, the blood transfusion would prove fatal to Freeze, but he accepted his fate without remorse.
Harley Quinn is Capable of Character Development?
Selflessly, Victor Fries gave his life for Nora’s. His self-sacrificing act causes Harley to ponder her previous relationship, remarking that she never experienced anything like that with Mr. J. The death of Mr. Freeze was one of the most heartfelt and emotionally resonant scenes of the entire series so far, cementing Thawing Hearts as a both a great episode of the series and a great twist on the original Heart Of Ice storyline.
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Harley Quinn delivered another fantastic episode this week, proving yet again that this series is one of the best DC stories on the market. If you haven’t tuned in before, now’s the time to start, even if you’re not a DC Universe subscriber. Season one is heading to Syfy starting May 3rd, and believe us, you don’t want to miss it.
What did you think of the “Thawing Hearts” episode of Harley Quinn? Did you like Condiment King? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on social media!
