Harley Quinn: “It’s a Swamp Thing” highlights the HBO Max show’s depth

“It’s a Swamp Thing” showcased the underrated depth of HBO Max’s Harley Quinn. There were life lessons everyone can learn from.

Harley Quinn the animated series is known for its comedy, cursing, and crazy action. Every episode you’re going to see or hear something completely insane and possibly inappropriate. However, in between all of that is usually a lesson. It usually revolves around Harley Quinn’s personal growth or her relationship with Poison Ivy. In some episodes, the other characters get their own development. This proves that there’s more than what viewers see on the surface. The most recent episode of Harley Quinn season 3, “It’s a Swamp Thing”, was a perfect example of this.

Before the episode began, this writer assumed it would be another episode about Harley and Ivy figuring out their relationship. That ended up being a minor part of the episode. This highlighted issues with Poison Ivy, Swamp Thing, Nora Fries, and the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, further proving that Harley Quinn is more than a comedic animated series.

Poison Ivy’s self discovery

So far, Poison Ivy has gone through the most this season. Being vulnerable for Harley hasn’t been an easy thing for her. It requires her to accept that she’s loved for her strengths and faults. Ivy struggled with this during her relationship with Kite Man as well. In this episode, her self reflection made Ivy a better and more powerful person.

When Poison Ivy admitted how and why she was so concerned about Frank the Plant, she broke down and cried. It was more than just needing him to terraform Gotham. Ivy admits that Frank is her best friend. Once she had that breakthrough, she didn’t need Swamp Thing to find him. After understanding her feelings, Ivy didn’t need Swamp Thing’s help. As much as she hated to admit it, the power was in her all along.

Swamp Thing’s boundaries

Swamp Thing isn’t just connected to the green all around the world. In this universe, he cares about all life. It’s why he and Ivy stopped being friends. Well, that’s what Ivy thought. Swamp Thing stopped being friends with her because he felt that the friendship was one sided. It hurt more when she wasn’t there for him during his divorce. That forced him to break off their friendship. A move that should be more common.

Ending a friendship isn’t always a bad thing. There are times when the relationship is one sided, feels toxic, or becomes more taking than giving. If that’s the case, a person should protect themselves. What Swamp Thing did wasn’t cruel. He knows that only he knew what was best for him so he backed away to safeguard himself. He didn’t let Ivy back in because he had to. He saw that she felt remorse and wanted to help a person in need.

Nora Fries’ destructive behavior

Victor Fries (Mr. Freeze) put his wife Nora Fries in suspended animation because she was deathly ill. Usually, Mr. Freeze never finds a cure for her. In season 2 of Harley Quinn (“Thawing Hearts”), he found a cure. Unfortunately, it killed him. Ever since coming into a new life, Nora has been living a wild life. Doing drugs, sleeping with whoever she wants, and more. In “It’s a Swamp Thing” she outdrank John Constantine. A feat very few can accomplish.

A lot of Nora’s actions aren’t bad. Everyone should be allowed to do whatever they want. However, within reason. In the end, Nora came to realize that she didn’t need to relive her life all at once. Like most things, it’s all about moderation and being safe. Nora may have ended up getting herself or someone killed. Well, maybe not herself. She can use her powers to freeze someone who tries to hurt her. Nevertheless, she now understands that living the fast life is fine as long as you’re cautious.

Catwoman’s acceptance

Selina Kyle (Catwoman) and Bruce Wayne (Batman) are attempting to be a couple. Unlike the comic book versions of this story, Bruce is needy. As many would have expected, that’s not something Catwoman enjoys. She expected something more fun. When they’re the Bat and the Cat, she got exactly that. After their adventures, she could leave and go home to her life of solitude with her cats. Meanwhile, Bruce was scared to be alone. Those two lifestyles conflicted with each other. This causes them to break-up.

Catwoman came to terms with who she is and what she wants in life. Unfortunately, it clashes with what Bruce desires. Bruce and Selina needed to break-up. Two people need to be on the same page to have a healthy relationship. They don’t have to agree on everything, but both of them should agree with each other’s lifestyles.

Harley Quinn season 3 episode 5 (and all previous episodes) is now streaming on HBO Max.

What do you think, readers? Did you enjoy this episode of Harley Quinn season 3? Let us know in the comments below.