In season 3 of Harley Quinn, Harley and Poison Ivy are exploring their brand new relationship while getting into the same old trouble in Gotham City. The episodes are now streaming on HBO Max.
Episode 1 recap: Harlivy
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are enjoying some quiet time at the Fortress of Solitude before getting kicked out by Superman. They use Wonder Woman’s invisible jet to go on an “Eat, Bang, Kill” tour around the world that Harley set up.
While Harley is obsessed with causing as much chaos as she possibly can, Ivy just wants a peaceful and quiet time without too many interruptions. They round out the trip at ‘Edin’, a forest filled with prehistoric plants that Ivy had created long before.
Jim Gordon is running for mayor of Gotham with Two-Face as his campaign manager. Gotham is in ruins with so many problems but all Gordon is focused on is taking down Harley and Ivy for all the destruction they have caused.
Gordon sets a trap by allowing the incarcerated King Shark and Clayface to call for help. Harley and Ivy leave Edin and break them out of Arkham, using decoys to distract Gordon and the police.
They drop off King Shark and Clayface at their abandoned mall base and head back to Edin because Ivy wants to get back to her plants. While Ivy is enjoying herself, Harley is struggling without modern amenities and drama.
Clayface is aiming for a role in the upcoming Thomas Wayne biopic with James Gunn set to direct. He flubs his audition but convinces Gunn to hire him as a chair with perfect lumbar support.
Gordon faces off with the current mayor and Two-Face reveals that he’s switching sides. After a freak series of events, the incumbent mayor is killed and Gordon becomes the front runner.
She kidnaps a woman as a gift to Ivy, someone who had insulted Ivy back at Arkham while they were escaping. The woman turns out to be Amanda Waller, the person in charge of the Suicide Squad.
Waller calls in the Suicide Squad for her rescue but due to the A-team being busy elsewhere, Plastique is called in instead. She uses an array of bombs and explosives to combat Harley and Ivy and eventually sacrifices herself to allow Waller to escape.
Ivy looks at the destroyed remains of her garden and wonders what she will do now. Harley blames herself while Ivy has self-doubt creep in. Harley tells Ivy that she can achieve her dream because she now has Harley’s support.
Harley is just glad she’s by the side of the woman she loves.
Episode 2 recap: There’s No Ivy in Team
Dick Grayson returns to Gotham as Nightwing, ready to fight alongside Batman in a new adventure. Harley and Ivy are on the same bus after the invisible jet was blown up by Plastique.
They go to the abandoned mall where King Shark, Clayface and Frank are chilling. Harley tells them about Ivy’s new plan to take over Gotham but Ivy isn’t ready to share it just yet.
Nightwing goes on his first mission with the rest of the Bat-Family which includes Batgirl, the new Robin and The Macaroni. While Batman gives out orders on how to continue, Nightwing tries to do things on his own and messes up the mission.
Ivy explains the details of her plans to terraform the earth by using a sample of a fossilized mosquito but the rest of the team doesn’t really have the same vision as her.
They go to the museum to steal the sample and even though it’s a success, Ivy is the only one who comes out unhurt. She makes a potion to bring the undead plant matter in the ground back to life but messes up the formula.
She goes back into her shell, asking to be alone and not bothered by anyone. Harley wants to find a way to improve the camaraderie between their team and right then, a commercial plays on TV for an escape room.
Harley signs them up for it but it turns out to be a deathtrap set up by the Riddler. After Ivy starts smashing random objects because she’s annoyed and doesn’t want to be there, she flips a switch and the rooms interchange.
The villains find themselves with the Bat-Family who also came there as a team-building exercise. Nightwing and Ivy are stuck with each other, Batgirl and Harley are in the same room, and King Shark and Clayface are stuck with Batman and Robin.
After figuring out the answer to Riddler’s trap was “failure to succeed”, she gets a new perspective on things and is happy that Harley brought her there. Nightwing also learns a thing or two about teamwork and things improve.
Ivy fails with her formula yet again and destroys their mall base but this time she’s ready to accept it and try again.
Episode 3 recap: The 83rd Annual Villy Awards
Harley and the gang temporarily move into Catwoman’s apartment while she’s living with Bruce Wayne for the time being. She gives them some strict rules and guidelines for living in her house which Ivy promises to follow.
Ivy is getting into the groove after setting up her lab to continue her efforts of finding the right formula to terraform Gotham but she is interrupted when Harley gets an email stating they have been nominated for Best Couple at the Annual Villy Awards.
Ivy doesn’t want to go to some silly show but Harley is insistent because she never got to enjoy the novelty of the show even though she consistently won the award with the Joker.
Clayface is doing well in his role as James Gunn’s chair and tries to get some alone time with Billy Bob Thornton, the man playing Thomas Wayne in the movie. He impersonates Gunn and invites Bill Bob to his house for dinner to discuss the movie.
Harley and Ivy go to Villy’s but they are seated with Kite-Man and Joker is the host of the evening. This makes things awkward for Ivy and she goes out for some fresh air because of the anxiety she’s feeling.
Harley learns that the awards are always rigged and finds the man carrying the results. She tries to get a hold of them but the man turns out to be a cyborg and Harley gets into a fight with him in the washroom.
Ivy meets Golden Glider outside and realizes that she’s Kite-Man’s new girlfriend. The of them talk and realize that they have nothing to be nervous about and how Kite-Man is a great guy who compromises for his partner.
After an insane fight, Harley fails to get her hands on the results. That’s when Kite-Man walks in and gives her a pep talk. He tells her that he’s in the position he is in right now because of Ivy and that she made him want to be better.
Clayface welcomes Billy Bob into Catwoman’s apartment but he researches the wrong Gunn and fails in his facade. Billy Bob realizes that Clayface is just a hungry actor who wants to learn and agrees to become his mentor.
When he asks Clayface where the toilet is, he’s pointed to the wrong room and he ends up getting mauled by a tiger with his head ripped off. Clayface calls King Shark for help and King Sharks suggests that Clayface impersonates Billy Bob and benefit from his fame.
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are announced as the Best Couple but by then they have left the venue because they realize that they only need each other’s support and not validation from some hokey awards show.
Review
- The Meta nature of Harley Quinn is one of its best features. The references to other media, general pop culture and other similar jokes make for great popping moments that make the audience chuckle.
- The cameos by high-profile stars like James Gunn and Billy Bob Thornton playing themselves are a pleasant surprise and add some quality to an already stacked cast.
- The voice acting of Alan Tudyk, who has made a name for himself in this craft, is a treat. His performance as Clayface is over the top and thoroughly enjoyable.
- The main plotline is well balanced with the subplots as the story moves along effortlessly.
Rating: 3.5/5
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