Things are getting tense over in Gotham! With two episodes left to go and Psycho putting his evil plan into place, there’s a lot of narrative and character work to be done – but Harley Quinn is more than up to the task.
After a little introduction from Frank the talking plant (always a welcome sight), things pick up straight after last week’s cliffhanger that saw Harley plunge the amnesiac Joker into a vat of acid to restore his memories (logic? I’m sorry I don’t know her). After nearly a whole season away, the Clown Prince of Crime returns – only to get immediately slapped and sworn at repeatedly by Harley. Good stuff. Alan Tudyk’s take on the villain is a welcome return, even if the character is a little less than savoury. But even so, he seems to be a better man than he was before – did his time as a regular man change him? It seems so, but we’ll have to wait and see if he stays that way – we’re not convinced we should get too comfortable.
The main plot this week sees Harley and Joker looking for the Queen of Fables’ lost fairy-tale book in order to free the Justice League, sending them on a pretty intense trip into the Parademons’ nest. The heist scene is the episode’s highlight, packed with green blood and crowbars and bats (oh my!), as well as a surprising heart-to-heart between Harley and Joker. Cuoco and Tudyk’s chemistry has always been incredible, and it’s nice to see an added layer to their relationship.
The only slight misstep this week is the step taken to get Ivy in the position the writers want her to be in: by the end of the episode she’s under Psycho’s control and under orders to capture Harley, but the way she gets there doesn’t quite gel. The B-plot this week is composed of her and Kite Man finalising wedding details, and the pair are attacked by Parademons while dress-shopping. Ivy’s dress is torn, she gets mad, and she goes to find Psycho for revenge.
Now, you could argue that Ivy’s under a lot of stress because she’s hiding and/or denying her feelings for Harley, or that she’s annoyed about the cost of the dress, rather than the dress itself being torn, but this feels quite out of character for her. She’s never been bothered by fashion in this way, and to make her lose her shit over a dress is an odd decision.
Regardless, we’re in an exciting place for the final two episodes: the Justice League are back, Ivy’s under Psycho’s control, Darkseid wants Harley dead, and poor Harley just wants Ivy to love her back. We’re on the edge of our seats!
HARLEY QUINN continues on E4 on Mondays and is available via ALL4, Amazon, and Apple thereafter.
