Review: BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER 1×05 – “The Stress of Her Regard”
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Directed by: Matt Peters
Written by: Halley Gross
Starring: Hamish Linklater, Michelle Bonilla, Krystal Joy Brown, Jason Watkins, John DiMaggio, Eric Morgan Stuart, Gary Anthony Williams, Jamie Chung, David Kaye, David Krumholtz, Jim Pirri
Reviewed by: Joshua Raynor
Summary
Batman: Caped Crusader 1×05 – Batman and Barbara Gordon are set on a collision course when they each investigate the abductions of rich, powerful men in Gotham.
Positives
This episode serves as a great introduction to a brand new version of one of Batman’s most iconic villains — Harley Quinn. While we have seen Dr. Quinzel in previous episodes, it’s not until now that she finally dons the suit. However, it’s not the infamous black-and-red jester suit from Batman: The Animated Series, but instead a black-and-gold jester suit, complete with a big, white collar. It’s actually a really sleek looking suit, and even makes her look a bit more menacing. She also doesn’t come off as a comical character, instead leaning in a far more serious, and vicious direction.
We dive into Harleen’s sexuality in this episode as well, as she takes the step to ask out Detective Renee Montoya on a date. At first, I wasn’t sure if she was actually into Montoya, or just using her for some unknown reason, but by the end it’s clear that she does have feelings for her; however, her life of crime has created a roadblock to the advancement of that possible relationship. I’m very curious how Montoya will take finding out that Harleen is a criminal.
The episode also shows that Harleen does in fact care about Barbara, and vice versa, which is something Barbara struggles with in other Batman stories, and I hope we get to see a bit more of that struggle from her in future episodes.
It’s revealed that Harleen is brainwashing her clients and, seemingly, turning them into costumed villains, presumably to work as her henchmen; however, with her gone (for now), I wonder if these newly formed villains will show back up and cause problems for Batman. One of these villains is actually a relatively well-known Batman foe — King Tut! He starts off the episode, and I was super excited to see him pop up.
I spoke previously about Barbara’s relationship with Harleen and how it was explored a bit in this episode, but that wasn’t the only relationship of hers to get some screen time. Barbara took on a heavier role in this one, and due to that, we got to see more of the relationship built between Jim and her. We also get a tender moment between Barbara and Batman at the end, which was really nice.
Negatives
While I really enjoyed this version of Harley Quinn being so different from the one we know (particularly not having her directly linked to the Joker), I was disappointed that we didn’t get any sort of explanation as to what turned her into the vicious criminal we see here. Hopefully, we’ll get that explanation in a future episode, whether this season or another.
Verdict
Another fantastic episode of Batman: Caped Crusader, and a wonderful introduction to this really cool version of Harley Quinn. I sincerely hope she returns before the end of the season, because I’ve really enjoyed her character in these past few episodes.
Score: 4.5/5
