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Harley Quinn S5 Review

It’s been almost a month since the latest season of Harley Quinn ended, and I should’ve reviewed it by now. However, having other shows to watch and good old procrastination kept getting in the way. Thankfully, I was able to binge-watch the season in two big sessions, and I am so glad I did. This season serves as the biggest departure from whatever formula the show has had to date as Harley and Ivy leave Gotham behind for whiter pastures! They’ve gone to Metropolis!

Harley is Headed to Metropolis

A year following the end of season four, Gotham City is worse than ever. The Bat-Family’s disbanded, organized crime is no more. Even Harley and Ivy’s attempts to build an all-girls vigilante group has fallen apart, leaving the chaotic couple in a rut. Thus, when Lena Luthor hires Ivy to run a green initiative in Metropolis, they decide to move! Unfortunately for them, it just so happens that Metropolis is being targeted by Brainiac. And thanks to Harley, Superman has left to go on a sabbatical.

Uh-oh.

What an Improvement over Last Season

I’m just going to come out and say it: I think this season was a major improvement over the last one. I like how Harley decides to drop ant intentions of being a full-on hero and does whatever she wants, regardless of the morality spectrum. I like how the show decided to switch to a new location to keep itself fresh. And unlike my chief complaint about the last season, I dont mind all that much that most of the cast from the first season is now out of focus.

Joker and Bruce Wayne do appear, but they don’t even partake in any real heroic or villainous acts. Joker has become largely chill for a man who got thrown out of being mayor. As for Bruce, the longer he isnt being Batman, the more obvious it gets that this incarnation of him is…pretty sad to look at. He lost his parents and blamed himself for it. He’s lost two of his adoptive sons. His biological son has a strained relationship with him. Even his own butler is tired of him. He feels less like Batman and more like a character from The Venture Bros. It’s a very human look at one of the most iconic characters in the superhero genre.

The Most Human Version of Brainiac

Speaking of humanizing iconic characters, Harley Quinn continues that trend with possibly the last villain I could think of: Brainiac. If you’ve read my reviews for My Adventures With Superman, then you’ll know that I consider that incarnation of Brainiac the most vile I’ve ever seen. However, the Harley Quinn version of Brainiac might be the complete opposite, being the most sympathetic.

Whereas most versions of Brainiac are genocidal madmen, this version was a family man who tragically lost his entire planet while he was off doing his job. The trauma of that led him to seek out the best cities of other worlds, perfect them to his standards, and then shrink and bottle them. He’s a man motivated by tragedy and doesn’t want others to experience what he did, though he’s also driven crazy by his loss. He thinks he’s still talking to the family pet, though said pet has been dead for decades! And when Harley and Ivy show up in Metropolis with their usual brand of chaos, they become a major problem for him.

Harley Quinn Season 5

VERY SILLY but i like that it was more on the serious side with Brainiac and was actually pretty compelling. Lena was a goofy BUT cool villain. Frank dying wasn't on my bingo card thwts for sure, but Frankette is cute. The ending was peak ready for S6😩 pic.twitter.com/0VAf6581gA

— Gray = Natsu THE GOATS🗣🗣(Stan Holup & John) 💟🌸 (@WorthlessBaka) March 31, 2025

At its core, the fifth season of Harley Quinn is a conflict between order and chaos. Brainiac represents order, while Harley is an agent of chaos, albeit one that is wholly good or evil. Both are things that play a role in our lives, and many people have a preference for one over the other. Many claim that they would like a stable, controlled life like what Brainiac is offering, but the truth is, life is always going to be chaotic in some way. And that can be a good thing! Life can be messy, chaotic, and you may never fully know where it will take you. It can be scary, but that is also what makes it so much fun. In a way, Harley and Ivy embody this, living life to the fullest and encouraging others to do the same.

Also, in the end, it’s not Brainiac who serves as the big bad of the season; it’s Lena Luthor.

Lena is Just as Bad as Lex

Being Lex Luthor’s sister, Lena is just as evil and narcissistic as her brother, and she starts off working with Brainiac to rule Metropolis. However, it doesn’t take long for her to decide to turn on him, and she tries using Harley and Ivy as her instruments of destruction. To further drive home how evil she is, she murders Frank and pins it on Brainiac! Frank dies and doesn’t come back, being replaced by his daughter, Frankette! That was a pretty shocking moment!

But in the end, whether it’s Lex, Lena, or Brainiac, none of the villains are a match for the chaotic power of Harley and Ivy. Brainiac writes himself out by deciding to end his long existence, and Lena and Lex wind up getting eaten by Frankette. And just when it looks like Harley and Ivy might die in space, Superman saves them! Happy ending all around!

In fact, this feels like a moment where the series could end.

If this is the end, I’m at peace

I saw a video already saying this, but the final episode of this season of Harley Quinn feels like it could be the final episode of the series. It would make sense, too! Harley and Ivy are content with their lives and have a strong relationship. The supporting cast, both hero and villain, all seem happy with their lives. And with Superman looking to save all the other cities Brainiac shrunk, Harley looks set to help them all with therapy! It feels like the series could end here!

And, if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t mind that.

Don’t get me wrong, I would love it if the show kept going for a few more seasons. But sooner or later, you have to let a show rest before it ends up like The Simpsons. With no announcement about a sixth season, maybe now is the time for Harley Quinn to rest. And if it is, I might get sad, but would accept it in time. Plus, I think that the show will need to keep reaching into that barrel if it wants to remain interesting, and I don’t want to see that taking place.

I Give Season 5 of Harley Quinn a 4.5/5

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Harley Quinn Season 4 Review

When you’re the Clown Princess of chaos, there’s no such thing as a normal and stable life. At the end of last season of Harley Quinn, Harley went through a major shift in her life. Her girlfriend stepped up her villain game and ended up getting tapped to lead a new-and-improved Legion of Doom by Lex Luthor. Meanwhile, Harley broke good and got invited to join the Bat Family. At the time, I fully thought that this would lead to a major rift before the dust settles. It seems I was only partially right, because at the end of the day, Harley Quinn isn’t a hero or a villain. She’s freaking Harley Quinn, and she does what she wants!

Fall of the Batfamily

With Batman in prison for creating a plant zombie apocalypse, Harley steps up to take his place in the Bat Family. However, besides Batgirl, none of them trust her. Less so when Harley’s first outing leads to her killing a villain! 

Things go downhill from there. Nightwing’s edgy nature leads to him getting killed by, spoiler alert, a sleepwalking Harley. Damien’s taken back by his evil business mom, Talia. Alfred goes to jail to be with Bruce (and fails). And Batgirl goes from being a chipper crime fighter to her famous, wheelchair phase before the season’s out. The Bat Family falls apart on Harley’s watch.

Despite everything, though, Harley ends the season with a greater grasp on who she is. She’s not a hero or a villain; she’s a chaotic neutral anti-hero. She does whatever she wants or thinks is right no matter if it’s good or bad. She’s like her ex, the Joker, but without the pure malice in him!

Arleen Sorkin would be proud of her.

Ivy Bombs at Being a She-E-O

The other big plot point of the season is Ivy trying to make her mark as the CEO of the Legion of Doom. At first, it looked like Lex put her in charge because of how she let loose with her plant powers. However, it soon becomes apparent that he intended for her to be a puppet with little to no power. Worse, none of her new employees refuse to respect her, while her “assistants” want to make her a shallow vanity project.

At first, Ivy tries to play by the rules and use her new power to perform “socially conscious evil.” I.E., replacing every male tree in Gotham with female ones to prevent pollen, creating a space laser to help the Ozone, etc. But the more successful she gets, the more she realizes that one cares about what she’s trying to do. Not even her fellow evil female CEO’s like Talia, who only cares more about her profits. 

All of this puts a good amount of tension on Harley and Ivy’s relationship, and it takes going to the future and finding out they wrecked it to realize how bad things have gotten. So, by the end of the season, what does Ivy do? She takes a page from Harley’s book and burns everything down. Legion of Doom? Gone. Wayne Enterprises? Done. Lexcorp is likely gone, as well. 

So, by the end of the season, the show’s reverted to as close to the status quo of season three as possible. Batman’s out of jail, but the Bat Family’s broken up. Harley, Ivy, Catwoman, and Batgirl form the Gotham City Sirens. And Harley has embraced the fact that she’s a chaotic anti-hero. Those are all the positives.

Now for the negatives.

The Initial Supporting Cast out of Focus

By this point in time, much of the initial supporting cast from the first season has largely lost its importance. Clayface’s working as a successful actor while King Shark focuses more on being a King and father. Dr. Psycho gets it hardest, though, focusing more on his podcast at Arkham. It’s a little disappointing seeing the initial cast losing focus, but the process started in the prior season. 

One side-plot that could’ve gotten more focus, though, was the one involving the Joker. Despite now being mayor of Gotham City and having a girlfriend and stepkids, Joker looked like he reformed. However, he’s still the Joker, and once he gets fed up with his semi-normal life, he tries to go back to villainy, with mixed results.

Considering his status as one of the greatest DC villains and his importance in Harley’s life, one would the show would put a little more focus on Joker’s return to crime. It feels like it’s a big deal. However, it’s relegated to a secondary plot until it becomes relevant. It’s a missed opportunity, if you ask me.

Regardless of whether or not this season hit the same highs as previous ones, this show’s still about Harley Quinn. Her character is immensely interesting, and the fact that she has her own show is a testament to how popular she is. Which only makes it harder to know that the woman who first inspired and voiced her is no longer with us.

In Memory of Arleen Sorkin, the OG Harley Quinn

During the airing of Season Four of Harley Quinn, Arleen Sorkin, famous for voicing Harley in Batman: The Animated Series and the DCAU, passed away. Her importance to Harley’s success cannot be understated. Series Producer Paul Dini, Arleen’s longtime friend, got the inspiration for Harley after seeing her play a jester on Days of our Lives. She was Harley, and Harley was her.

While other talented people would go on to play Harley Quinn, such as Tara Strong and, in the series proper, Kaley Cuoco, it was Arleen Sorkin who made Harley Quinn the icon she is today. She will be missed, but she got to see her character become a success that can live beyond her. It’s her legacy. Her crazy blonde, mallet-wielding, baseball bat-bashing legacy.

I Give Season 4 of Harley Quinn a 3.8/5.

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Harley Quinn Season 2, Episode 12 Review

So, after getting some actually helpful advice from the Joker of all people, Harley Quinn made up her mind about Ivy. She’s not going to give up on her love for Ivy or their friendship. However, Dr. Psycho continued to be a royal pain as he manages to mind-control Ivy and orders her to fight Harley to the death in a deadly lover’s quarrel. Man, that is evil.

Lover’s Quarrel Does Heavy Lifting

Some people think that the season finale to a show is going to have to carry the most weight. However, in my experience, it’s the second-to-last episode that’s most important. It’s the one that has to tie together all the plot threads together for a clean finale. And “Lover’s Quarrel” delivers in the most epic, and hilarious, fashion.

Firstly, there’s the fact that this episode sees the DC Trinity of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman fighting as one. Whenever they’re all on screen, things are going to be badass. The Parademons and Harley’s friends are no match for them. At least, until Psycho sics Ivy’s love potion on them. After that, they’re useless.

Do you know who’s not useless in this episode, though? Syrus Borgman! In a surprise twist, it turns out Sy survived as a digital program. And after transferring himself onto the Internet (I think), he teaches Kiteman how to build a device that will cancel out Psycho’s powers. If he’s now a computer program, then that could make him a way bigger help to Harley in future seasons.

The Heart of the Show

Speaking of Harley, it’s her relationship with Ivy that remains the heart of the episode. I daresay, it’s the heart of the show as a whole. Despite Psycho’s mind-control forcing Harley to fight her best friend, she chooses to gamble on their love for each other. Which leads us to the next big kiss of the season!

It’s a common cliche in fiction: an act of true love to save the person you care the most about. I’ve seen it done to death in countless stories. And yet, I never seem to get tired of it in the end. What makes this moment even more important is that Kiteman already tried this tactic on Ivy, only for it to fail. The evidence is clear: Ivy doesn’t love Kiteman as much as she thinks she does. And after kicking Psycho’s butt and sending Darkseid home (impressed with her ruthlessness), Harley makes her offer a second time.

But then, just to be a jerk, Psycho reveals what Harley and Ivy did at her bachelorette party. To everyone in Gotham!

Whatever happens in the finale next week, it’s going to be crazy. I can’t wait to see it. And then, I’m cancelling my subscription to DC Universe and switching to HBO Max. That’s where its at!

I Give “Lover’s Quarrel” a 4/5

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Harley Quinn Season 2, Episode 11 Review

Well, folks, we all knew this was coming: Joker’s back! After an entire season of build up, Harley had to turn Joe Kurr back into her psychotic ex in order to find the Justice League and save Gotham from Dr. Psycho. But more importantly, save her friends and come to terms with the fact that she’s not over Ivy! So how does Joker act now that’s been brought back from his living nightmare of being a normal nobody?

Honestly, not much like the Joker. The show could have fallen back on the toxic relationship between Harley and Joker; it would have been so easy! He’s Joker, one of the most evil villains humanity’s dreamt up! But it doesn’t! Instead, it chooses to focus on the Joker coming to terms with his own relationship with Bethany, his girlfriend/the person who found in the rubble of his tower.

For all his hatred of being a normal guy, it turns out Mistah J liked being with Beth and her kids. It was the relationship he never knew he needed in life. So, in a surprising turn of events, he decides to keep it going with Beth even after remembering everything.

Yeah, even Batman’s surprised by this. If it were any other version of the Joker, I’d be suspcicious. But given how this show has that Venture Bros mentality going with treating villainy like a normal job, I’m not surprised. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just like a sitcom problem, but with superheroes and villians. And Joker did say he’s not going to stop being evil. I just hope he doesn’t teach Beth’s kids how to be evil.

Hell of a Cliffhanger

While all of this is going on, the sub-plot sees Ivy try to deal with her feelings for Harley by burying herself in her wedding plans. That, and not caring about what Dr. Psycho’s doing. The more she tries to deny it, though, the more apparent it is to me that she’s in denial. Which leads to her snap and just go after Psycho by herself, putting her under Psycho’s mind control, and then being sent to off Harley. So, not the best move on her part.

Regardless, I think it’s a great idea, from a storytelling standpoint. Not only does it bring multiple plot threads together (the episode, I mean), but it does them in a very organic manner. I mean, even Joker tells Harley that she shouldn’t give up on Ivy just yet. If Joker of all people’s saying that, then I think you should listen to him!

So, I think that this episode may be my favorite of the entire season, with it tying together many of the show’s long-running plot points. From the Harley+Ivy relationship to Batman’s return and the return of the Justice League, there’s a lot going on without feeling like too much.

We now have two episodes left this season, and so far, the finale looks like it’s going to be great! I can’t wait!

I Give “A Fight Worth Fighting For” A 4.8/5. Best Episode of the Season

Stray Observations

• I think the Justice League will need therapy after getting out of that storybook
• Even Darkseid condemns Psycho’s use of the C-Word.

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Harley Quinn Season 2, Episode 8 Review

So, the last episode of Harley Quinn ended with Harley and Ivy escaping Bane’s Pit. And then they kissed. THEY. KISSED. We knew it was coming, but to happen so suddenly is as crazy as Quinn is. The last time I got the same reaction to a kiss was the infamous “Booth Buddies” episode of Star vs. The Forces of Evil. Unlike that show, though, this episode actually addresses the effects of the kiss. Or rather, Harley denies there being any effects all episode, with terrible results.

See, Ivy chalks it up to adrenaline from the fact that they’re still alive. That’s what she seems to think, at least. She spends the entire episode working on her relationship with Kite Man and meeting his parents, who not only have powers, but see their son as a disappointment for his lack of them. I’ve seen this before in fiction: parents who see their kid as a disappointment get elated because they’re marrying someone who’s rich or powerful. Ivy never had a good relationship with her folks, so like the audience, we’re disgusted with Kite Man’s folks. Which makes it all the more satisfying to see her tell them to “f**k off”. Which, in turn, inspires Kite Man to stand up to them. Just goes to show the effects of the right partner can have on a person.

Harley Quinn Denies Her Way to Apokolips

Meanwhile, Harley’s trying to convince everyone, but most of all her herself, that her kissing Ivy didn’t mean anything when it clearly does! As a result, she doubles down on her “Harley-isms” and tries to up the chaos with the Injustice League gone. You think a genius psychologist would recognize she’s exhibiting denial, but she doesn’t. In fact, her solution is far more destructive, both figuratively and metaphorically.

What does Quinn do? She goes to Apokolips and gets Darkseid (played by the big guy himself, Michael Ironside) to give her an army to take over Gotham. Meanwhile, Gordon talks the President into letting Gotham rejoin the US if he captures Quinn. When the two armies meet, it’s a disaster.

In the end, Ivy manages to make Harley realize that she’s lying to herself and gets her to call it off. Just when Harley’s about to tell her how she feels, she realizes that she doesn’t want to ruin Ivy’s chances with Kiteman and backs down.

I understand the notion of wanting your beloved to be happy, but if Steven Universe Future taught me one thing, it’s this. You can’t just bottle up your feelings; it’s not healthy!

The season has four episodes left and a lot to settle in that time: Gotham’s still in chaos, Harley’s the last big villain standing, Gordon’s after her, and Dr. Psycho just quit the Crew. Clearly, it’s anyone game, and I don’t know what will happen. I will, however, find it amazing.

I Give “Inner (Para) Demons” a 4/5

Stray Obsevations

• Look at the FBI’s file on Harley Quinn, and it’s filled with references to episodes from Batman: The Animated Series

• Welcome back to being Darkseid, Michael Ironside!

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Harley Quinn, Season 2, Episode 6 Review

One of the best things to come out of the DC Animated Universe was that it gave us Harley Quinn and her amazing origin story. “Mad Love” remains a DC classic that reminds us all that the Joker is the biggest jerk in fiction. At least he was in Harley Quinn, until Harley and Ivy dropped him in a vat of acid that wiped his memories and made him a normal Joe. However, when the two girls discover the now normal Joker at a bar, the two debate on whether or not they should kill him. Harley says they shouldn’t because she thinks people can change and recounts how she first met Joker and Ivy.

Rather than be just a rehash of “Mad Love” and it showing how toxic Joker was for Harley, this episode subverts this. Yes, Joker is in it (rocking the Heath Ledger look, no less,) and we see hints of how Harley’s relationship with him will turn out. However, the main plot point is how Harley and Ivy became friends. Seeing how Harley was probably the first person to treat Ivy with any form of respect is genuinely sweet to watch. As a result, it looks like Harley proved her point.

I understand that Harley doesn’t want to hurt Joker if he’s now normal, but this is still Joker. Now that we know he’s back, we know it’s only a matter of time before he remembers everything and goes back to being the Clown Prince of Crime. It’s his idea of fun, which is why he won’t change. Ivy even proves it by poking some holes in Harley’s story. Firstly, she gave up on humanity because humanity treated her like garbage; a lot of people would do that. Secondly, a sob story Joker told Harley in the past was something he stole from Ivy.

So, afterward the episode ends with Harley and Ivy being captured by Two-Face, and Mr. J’s repressed memories leaking to the surface. I’m betting that by the time the season ends, Joker will be back causing chaos. 

I Give “All the Best Inmates have Daddy Issues” a 4.5/5

Stray Observations

• It was fun seeing what everyone looked like in the past. Riddler had all his hair, Gordon was in good shape, and Joker looked he did in The Dark Knight. 

• Harley’s the one who coined the name “Two-Face”, but can she get royalties for that? 

• This isn’t the first time Joker’s gone normal. When it looked like Batman died, he went sane. As soon as he came back, he went crazy again. 
• Also, Jason Todd existed in this universe, but Joker killed him years ago. No word if he comes back.

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Harley Quinn Season 2, Episode 4 Review

We know that the Joker left a lot of mental scars on Harley Quinn before she finally dumped him. One of the scars that no one ever considered, though, was how skewed her concept of love. Or rather, she doesn’t think love is real. As she gets back to fighting Mr. Freeze, though, she gets a much-needed lesson on love and how it can thaw a cold heart. 

Thawing a Cold Heart

In a lot of incarnations, Mr. Freeze is not really evil. All he wants to do is find a cure for his wife, Nora. He just has to resort to crime to fund it, and to using prisoners to test his subjects on, like Harley. However, after Harley promises that Ivy can help cure his wife, he’s shown to be downright amicable. He brings his frozen wife out to eat lunch with everyone, and lovingly talks about how they first met. It’s a sight that’s both hilarious and heartwarming. 

Too bad Harley doesn’t buy it. Thanks to Joker, she thinks that love is, in her own words, “bulls**t.” That, and she thinks that Freeze’s cold heart is just like Joker: an abusive man who’s keeping a woman trapped in a relationship. She even cites Mr. Freeze trapping her in ice as an example.

Both these ideas come back to bite her three-fold when she uses the villain’s freeze ray to thaw out Nora. Not only does Nora genuinely love Mr. Freeze, but she does have an incurable blood disease. To top it off, Freeze reveals that the Injustice Society wanted to kill Harley; he talked them into freezing her, and even that he didn’t like doing. Ouch.

Fortunately, Ivy does come through, creating a cure for Nora’s blood disease. Unfortunately, it involves injecting a serum into someone to change their blood type to match Nora’s, killing them. In a genuinely tearjerking moment, Freeze sacrifices himself for his wife’s sake, breaking everyone’s hearts in the process. 

In other words: Harley, you screwed up. BIG TIME.

Learning About Love

Meanwhile, the sub-plot sees Ivy and Kiteman try and get the perfect venue for their wedding. Too bad the D-List villain Condiment King wants the same venue. 

If you haven’t seen Batman: The Animated Series, I am not joking. There is, in fact, a villain called the Condiment King, and he’s just as ridiculous as he sounds. Even Ivy doesn’t like him, and she’s very tolerant of annoying people.

So, Ivy and Kiteman’s wedding may be on hold for the time being. However, I don’t think they’ll work it out. All signs are pointing to Harley and Ivy becoming an item. Harley even calls Ivy the “smartest, coolest, hottest person I know,” in this episode. Harley+Ivy4life! 

So, in short, this episode balanced the comedy and tragedy and transitioned between them with little effort. Harley’s already taken down three of the Injustice League, and it’s only episode four. So, I’m guessing something will go wrong or new villains will pop up. I’m already betting that Nora will become Mrs. Freeze and seek revenge on Harley. Here’s hoping Harley can learn from her mistakes!

I Give “Thawing Hearts” a 4/5

Stray Observations

• Clayface is getting better with his powers, it seems.
• Mr. Freeze is voiced by Alfred Molina, who Spider-Fans will remember playing Dr. Octopus in Spider-Man 2. Yet another Scientist who lost his wife.

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Harley Quinn Season 3, Episode 3 Review

You know who one of my favorite characters in Harley Quinn is? Poison Ivy. She’s stood by Harley when she needed it the most, and believed in her when no one else would. Ivy’s been Harley’s rock, but at the expense of her own development. That is, until this episode, where their roles are reversed, to my enjoyment.

Catwoman is Joker to Poison Ivy

Having killed Penguin and trapped Riddler in a hamster wheel, Harley’s next target is Mr. Freeze. He’s the one who literally put her on ice for months, so she wants payback. However, when she can’t melt her way into his fortress, she decides to steal Firefly’s plasma flamethrower from Dr. Trap. He’s this trap-based villain who’s got a museum of villain artifacts, and Harley and Poison Ivy can’t get inside. So Harley calls in a professional: Catwoman.

Personally, I don’t like this version of Catwoman very well. She has the whole femme fatale thing going for her, that’s for sure. However, I think she lacks the playfulness we expect from Catwoman. She looks down on others because she knows she’s good at what she does, especially Poison Ivy, who has a love/hate relationship with her. On the one hand, Ivy knows that Selina only cares about herself. On the other hand, she thinks that Selina’s so cool, even when she’s leaving her hanging.

From my viewpoint, Poison Ivy and Catwoman’s relationship mirrors what Harley had with Joker in the first season. Harley knew Joker was bad for her, but couldn’t help but fawn over the guy. Ivy helped her see that, so now it’s her turn to look after her friend.

Ivy Rediscovers Her Roots

In the end, Harley and Ivy’s boyfriend, Kite Man, help her realize that she shouldn’t try to emulate what Catwoman’s got going on. She’s got her own life that makes her happy, and she shouldn’t get rid of that. However, Catwoman does help the eco-terrorist realize that she’s spent so much time helping Harley that she’s neglected her own growth. As a result, she makes time to do what she loves: killing people who hurt the environment.

This leads to a moment where Harley and Poison Ivy have a heart-to-heart as the latter melts the board of directors of Ace Chemicals with their own toxic chemicals. Harley basically gives her friend the same support she offered her in season one, and Ivy admits that she’s happy with how her life’s turned out. It’s a heartwarming and morbidly hilarious scene that fits with the show’s writing, and I couldn’t help but smile at it.

I’m personally glad Ivy’s recognized that she needs time to focus on herself. She’s a great character that’s neglected a lot of development by spending time helping others. Having seen Steven Universe: Future, I know the consequences of what happens when a person helps everyone but themselves.

Dr. Psycho’s Insecurity

Meanwhile, Dr. Psycho’s going through his own issues in the B-Plot. He used to be an A-List villain until he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Now he’s working for Harley and his ego’s hurt. As a result, Riddler messes with Psycho to escape. Then he willingly goes back into captivity, having only done it to show that he could. It’s a fun little side plot that shows some cracks in the crew, but time will tell if this ends up mattering.

What’s most concerning is how so easy it was for Riddler to escape. He’s only staying there because he wants to. He’s got great exercise, good food, and front-row seats to the drama the Crew goes through. Odds are, he’ll escape when he’s bored with messing with Harley’s Crew.

Okay Filler Episode

This wasn’t my favorite episode of the show, but even a great show can have a few bad eggs, I guess. What it does do, though, is set us up for some potential plot threads as the series progresses over the spring and summer. I’d love to see it focus on Ivy as much as it does on Harley and the others. As long as the comedy keeps on coming, though, I can’t complain.

I Give “Trapped” a 3/5

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Harley Quinn Season 2, Episode 2 Review

Harley Quinn’s back in the game and she’s on a warpath! After season two opened with the villains carving up Gotham and putting her on ice (literally), the clown princess vows to take them all down and rule the city. She’s off to a great start, having killed Penguin. Now she’s going after Riddler’s new school, Riddler U! It’s back to college for Harley Quinn

Welcome to Riddler U

So, despite Gotham being cut off from the outside world, somehow Riddler has access to electricity and clean water. Neither of which Harley’s Crew have. So Harley and Ivy sneak into Riddler U to figure out how he has that. Too bad they stick out like sore thumbs since they haven’t been to college in years.

Ironically, the member of Harley’s Crew that helps the most this episode is Clayface, who Alan Tudyk is killing it as! His hammy nature and dedication to acting helps him fit right in at Riddler U. Nobody questions him as “Stephanie” as they chalk his/her mannerisms to college drama. He’s actually the one who learns how Riddler’s got power:

TRUST ME, THIS IS A VERY ACCURATE IMAGE REGARDING RIDDLER’S POWER PLAN

Meanwhile, Psycho and King Shark try to get a water purifier for the hideout. However, they run afoul of Two-Face and Bane’s men. As a result, they get chased across Gotham in a Mad Max inspired vehicle. There’s not much to it, but it’s still funny

Out With the Old Gordon, In with the New Gordon

Last episode we saw Gordon hit rock bottom as he lost everything he knows. Batman’s missing, the GCPD’s joined up with the villains, and his wife divorced him. As a result, he’s now sponging off his daughter Barbara at Riddler U and eating chips out his chest hair. Gross.

That’s right! Barbara Gordon makes her big debut this episode as a student at Riddler U. While she’s every bit as capable as she is in most media, the show makes it how her worldview contrasts with those around her. Whereas her Dad’s a cynic who’s given up all hope, Babs is this wide-eyed idealist who still wants to make a difference in the world. So even though they supervillains, she jumps at the chance to help Harley and Ivy take down Riddler.

I personally like this version of Barbara Gordon. She’s sunny and optimistic in a world where everyone seems to be acting like a jerk. She doesn’t even swear. However, she’s also naive, as she lets the Gotham Girls take Riddler. Still, as Harley notes, the whole experience lit a fire in her. As a result, she becomes Batgirl and sets out to clean up Gotham.

I can’t wait to see if she can save the city or if Gotham breaks her. Either way, this is going to be fun!

I Love This Show

So, Harley’s now taken down Penguin and the Riddler and has clean water and electricity. It’s only the second episode, though, so I can imagine plenty of ways for things to go wrong for her. However, if the episodes remain as strong as they are here, then I think that I’m going to be entertained for quite some time. Plus, this episode sets up a future dynamic between Batgirl, Harley, and Ivy and I can’t wait to see it pay off!

I Give “Riddler U” A 4.5/5

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