Harley is good at a lot of things, and avoiding dealing with her feelings is way up on that list. She led an invasion of Earth, or least Gotham, to not think about her and Ivy kissing, and now she’s throwing herself into a new distraction. We get an island getaway, a weird boat party, some unexpected developments, and a reveal about one of the character’s backgrounds. You can get an idea of what’s going on in one of the storylines from the title: “Bachelorette.”

On the way to Themyscira, there’s a grim running joke about the invisible plane, and the gradual reveal of who Harley has gotten together for Ivy’s party. Aside from Ivy herself, of course, there’s Nora Fries, Mr. Freeze’s Widow, Jen, some weird friend of Ivy’s from the past, and a mostly disinterested Catwoman. There are several awkward moments just on the flight that make it seem like it’s going to be an odd weekend, even ignoring the “All men will be killed on landing” that’s part of the in-flight announcement. On getting there, they meet Eris, who seems to be in charge, and see many changes from the classical idea of “Paradise Island.” One of the things that gets mentioned is the many changes since Wonder Woman disappeared, as seen in the big battle with the Queen of Fables. The Justice League has been missing for a while, actually, and there’s no sign of them returning. Ivy is impressed with the amount of planning Harley put in to all this, and Catwoman makes a cutting but insightful observation.

The bachelor party is… well… quiet. Kite Man, King Shark, Clayface, and Frank the Plant are on a boat working on a jigsaw puzzle. King Shark is ill at ease, which seems odd for a shark man on the ocean. They get visited by a talking lobster and we learn a lot about King Shark’s past, as well as get a few Little Mermaid jokes. Back on the island, the “guests” aren’t getting along, and Harley goes even crazier than usual on them. By dinner, they’re all with Harley’s plan and looking somewhat cowed, even Catwoman. Eris shows up again, playing resort host, and directs them to Hedonika, a small nearby island that’s apparently a male strip club. Sure, why not?

Under the sea (pun intended), there’s a parody musical number that’s kind of on the gross side, and we get a clearer picture of the stakes in King Shark’s reluctant homecoming. There are a lot of breaking the fourth wall comments in the scene, and Ron Funches does a great job with his lines. At the strip club, the previously withdrawn Jennifer loses her reserve, as does Nora Fries. Ivy, drunk out of her mind, babbles about tattoos and a cutesy name for her, Harley, and Catwoman. The Gotham City Sirens title was a lot better. Everyone is very drunk, and there’s a morning after scene that causes a lot of stress for Poison Ivy, although I saw it coming. Ivy decides she’s going to hide in her room for the rest of the weekend.

In a surprising homecoming, King Shark gets leaned on to perform an obligation, and finds out the other person involved isn’t too wild about the idea, either. Harley is really bummed out about how things are happening, and has another less-than-pleasant encounter with Catwoman. Selina is really kind of being a bitch this episode. Harley rallies everyone around to try and salvage the weekend and reveals the big surprise she has within the special weekend. It’s a really unique idea but perfectly geared for Ivy. Ivy is flattered, and the others throw in for various reasons. It’s a hell of a fight they’re gearing up for.

Down in whatever weird under-sea city this is (we never get a name, but it sure ain’t Atlantis), King Shark has a confrontation with his family and makes a fateful decision, then leaves on a comedic note that touches on the earlier musical number. Back on the island, Eris is close to completing her evil scheme with a mastermind we know well, and lots of paperwork. This is when Harley and company show up and there’s another huge fight with the show’s customary blood splatter. There’s a great victory, a big celebration, and a completely predictable repeat of an earlier “mistake.” In the aftermath, Harley makes a desperate pitch for something that clearly both tempts and troubles Ivy.

After the male end of things reunites and finishes their puzzle, the women fly home for a reunion. Some of them have changed, some brought back souvenirs, and Ivy makes a decision. No matter what she picked, it was going to hurt someone, and it’s a bitch of a place to be. Then again, they could have actually talked things over, but this show seems to be singularly bad at that. Ivy does make some very good points about why she chose what she did. It does make me wonder what they’ll be doing for the next few episodes.

 

What I liked: They’re doing a good job with their spun-off unique continuity. The touch about some of this stemming from Wonder Woman being missing is a nice little point. I can’t say I was wondering too much about King Shark’s back story, but this was an entertaining look at it anyway. I get why Ivy decided what she did, mostly.

 

What I didn’t: This show suffers from the American culture problem. Violence, blood spatter, and swearing are all fine, but the scenes where we could have, and even should have, seen the characters naked? Nope, can’t do that. Ivy’s big dilemma at the end could have been avoided by an actual adult conversation. Eris didn’t seem like she was as much of a threat as she should have been, and Jennifer and Nora were a lot more effective than they should have been.

 

It was a decent episode but not one of their best. I’ll give it a low 3 out of 5.