Suicide Squad ISEKAI

Episode 8

The queen isn't the queen, and much of the dramatic tension with the bombs does not apply to our characters. Some things in this episode felt like a bit of a narrative letdown. In some ways, the writers made the obvious payoffs to go with some of their setups instead of tackling them with the usual balls-to-the-wall energy we saw before. However, I would argue that a show like this needs an episode where the characters showcase how they act at their lowest point.

There were two major highlights of this episode. The first was the bar scene, which was the kind of messy chaos that I love about the show. Everyone is getting drunk, throwing caution to the wind without really taking a hard look at themselves. They're all projecting about how shitty they feel, but no one wants to admit it. The irony is that they are projecting how shitty they feel onto people that are also projecting how shitty they feel in return. Harley isn't getting into these messy fights enough compared to everybody else. Maybe it's because the show still puts her on a pedestal, but I would like it if someone dug into her more when she is arguably the most messed up part of the group. Then again, maybe that's why nobody fucks with her because she's a lot more unpredictable.

The second major highlight of this episode is Rick standing up to Waller at the end. He is a soldier and believes in carrying out his mission, but he's seen firsthand what people in positions of absolute power will do when crossed for the most benign reasons. That's the Rick Flag I've always known and loved from the comics. More often than not, he is the bow scout dad who tries to keep his crazy children together, but that's because he always tries to see the good in a situation. He knows his team is messed up but sees them as the lesser of two evils. I love that little smile that Harley gives him when she asks why he tried so hard to make sure that they were OK because it's probably the first time in a long time that someone valued her as a person so openly. If there's one person I don't want to die by the end of this show, it's probably Rick, but given my history of reading Suicide Squad comics, that probably means he is now the most likely to die. Bonus points if it ends up happening in a dramatic sacrifice kind of way. Still, I expect the tension and pacing to pick up significantly in these last couple of episodes now that we have such a tight deadline.

P.S. I know I just complained about it, but the bomb not affecting Clay Face was still probably one of the funniest scenes in the show. I love the way that it cut to everybody's reaction (especially Peacemaker's very subtle shake as he tried to maintain his composure) and that even though he knew the bomb wouldn't affect him, he still went along with everything because he had one of the biggest cases of main character syndrome I think I've ever seen. I hope to see this version of Clay Face in other media outside of this show.

Rating: