Harley decides that to be taken seriously in her own right as a supervillain, she needs to get herself a crew. But hiring one might not be as straightforward as she hoped.

Having made her mark on the world of supervillainy, Harley realises she won’t ever be taken seriously (or successfully carry off high profile heists without getting one-upped by her old beau) until she has a crew. The one small issue she has is that given Joker controls most of Gotham’s underworld, and also that the world is a sexist mess, she can’t get herself one the old-fashioned way.

It’s another interesting exploration of themes, and also one that uses its adult licence to full and surprisingly mature effect. Ivy doesn’t want to join Harley’s crew in spite of the fact she loves her because that’s not her thing – she works alone (ish, as Frank keeps insisting on reminding her). She also points Harley to former supervillainess Queen of Fables for her own cautionary tale as to what happens when a woman tries to run her own crew and gain status as a supervillain in their own right.

Between that and some… interesting encounters with supervillain coach Maxie Zeus, it really does go all in on deconstructing the misogyny that lies just beneath the surface of a great deal of comic book villainy, and then it goes one better in exploring some serious double standards when one villain in particular uses a word that even this show feels is beyond the pale enough to bleep it out. The comical overreaction to this, as opposed to the other activities of said villain, underline not only the weird selectiveness of morality in general but also reinforce the boundaries of the sort of world in which a man can make a living teaching people how to be supervillains.

It’s deliciously messed up in all the right ways, and leads to a conclusion which is, on the one hand utterly frivolous but on the other so very perfect as well for its leading character. I note that Kaley Cuoco seems to be trying a little harder to do the Harley drawl now as well – not sure whether this is a narrative decision intended to show the character growing into herself or simply the actor trying to tick a perceived box for the part, but she doesn’t push it too hard, so it works well enough.

Verdict: Irreverent in exactly all the right ways. This is turning into a seriously good fun show. 9/10

Greg D. Smith