2x03 Catwoman

[8.0/10] This is a wonderful episode focused on Poison Ivy. For most of the first season, Ivy was the voice of reason for Harley, without a ton of personal problems of her own. Here, the show smartly uses Catwoman as Ivy’s Joker, someone who Ivy aspires to earn the respect of, who’s a selfish and uncaring person that brings out the most supplicating, self-defeating side of Ivy. Especially when Ivy’s in the heart of having true friends and a caring boyfriend, Catwoman is out there with her too-cool-for-school mean girl routine, subtly undermining Ivy’s whole life with her quietly cruel, insecurity-raising comments.

I like that story! Ivy is used to being a loner, like Catwoman. She sees Selena’s life--still a solo act, still in the thick of the crime game, still brimming with confidence--and wonders if she too should give up the close connections she’s forged over the last season or so and go back to doing whatever she wants. The idea that she’s been so wrapped up in Harley’s business, and so into her relationship with Kite Man, that she hasn’t had time to fight for the environment is an intriguing one.

You don’t have to look too hard to realize that this is a metaphor for the stage of being a young adult when you start to settle down a bit and worry if you’re losing your edge, or your freedom. Ivy sees someone who is still living the life, practically falls all over her, and wonders if she’s falling short of the yardstick she used to measure herself by. Seeing the normally sure-footed Ivy stammer and all but grovel for approval in the face of Catwoman’s queen bee routine helps humanize her. And Harley reassuring her about how the life Ivy’s built for herself is nonetheless better really resonated.

It’s a lovely sentiment. Ivy has connections now, with a BFF, a caring boyfriend who loves her, and even Harley’s crew as pals. The idea that she’s sacrificed a little of her solo goals she imagined when she was a single loner, which comes with a touch of melancholy and worry about the path not taken, is natural. That's why I love the reassurance from Harley (who gets to be the voice of reason for a change), that making connections and having people who love her has given Ivy a better life and made her a better person than anything the self-centered and callous Catwoman could hope for.

This is a nice Harley episode as well! I like the fact that she bears a little scorn for Kite Man since she thinks Ivy can do better. (And hey, he and Ivy are adorably gross together.) But the way she comes around once she realizes that however much Kite Man may be a dope, he’s a dope who genuinely loves Ivy and will go the extra mile for her, in contrast to Catwoman’s cruel selfishness, is well done. And Ivy coming around to Kite Man’s proposal at the end is heartening, even if it feels like a swerve.

The B-story with Riddler taunting Dr. Psycho as a fallen supervillain is a lot of fun too. Jim Rash and Tony Hale trading barbs with one another is great. There’s not much to it, but it gives Dr. Psycho something meaningful to do from a character perspective, and Riddler’s taunts are a lot of fun. The comedy was on point overall as well. All of Dr. Trap’s jibes were ridiculous and amusing, and Frank’s extended riffs on the Babysitter’s Club book series cracked me up.

Overall, this was a great episode that deepened Ivy and gave her some truly meaningful character development, while mixing up her usual dynamic with Harley. Splendid to see!