It was bound to happen. Harley Quinn’s third season (and the series in general) might have had its very first so-so entry. Luckily, the show is generally breezy and inoffensive enough that this dip isn’t too concerning. The episode’s title, “Another Sharkley Adventure,†is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the pairing of King Shark and Harley Quinn, who haven’t hung out all that much recently. Just when it seems like they might be about to have a buddy episode (the phrase even comes up in the dialogue), they end up being split off regardless into their own isolated adventures. There’s nothing wrong with each character’s story, per se — the Harley half of the episode even progresses the season’s plot — but the episode is plagued by an unfortunate lack of focus, especially compared to last week’s innovative spinoff.
Ivy’s constant attempts to locate her plant buddy Frank, via psychic fauna network “The Green,†leave her nauseated enough to sit things out this week. This allows Harley some room to grow outside of her ecoterrorist girlfriend, as she attempts to kidnap Frank’s apparent kidnapper: Bruce Wayne. Bruce and Selina have called it quits on their complicated romance, so the jewel thief is back at her penthouse ’round the clock, but she isn’t afforded much screen time to interact with her group of villainous houseguests. Clayface is sidelined too, off in his own undercooked corner as a Billy Bob Thornton impersonator, but supporting sweetheart King Shark gets a moment back in the spotlight, for the first time since the season-two episode “Bachelorette,†which revealed him to be the reluctant heir to his undersea home world, the Shark Men Kingdom.
After the death of Shark King’s father, Shark God, he becomes successor to the shark throne but willingly passes the responsibility to his brother, Prince Shark (Gary Anthony Williams), during an underwater funeral ceremony built in the image of Christianity, crucified shark Jesus and all. The blend between surface religion and undersea ceremonial garb is amusing in and of itself (as is the seeming appearance by Sebastian from The Little Mermaid), and it’s made all the more absurd by the tradition of Prince Shark wearing his father’s corpse like a scarf, as a nostalgic reminder. As usual, Ron Funches shines as the lovable King Shark, whose otherwise soft-spoken demeanor gives way to urgent concern when he learns of his brother’s plan to sell their ancestral homeland to Ocean Master (Alan Tudyk), the villainous brother of Aquaman, who hopes to construct a couple of sub-marine malls.
The sibling rivalry, though it occasionally drags en route to its climactic battle, does end up revealing a surprising depth to newcomer Prince Shark, as the resentful brother who stayed behind and faced the ugliness of God Shark’s late-stage illness, changing his diapers while King Shark was off gallivanting on the surface. King Shark is, of course, protective of his (former) land, but his perspective isn’t really offered the kind of emotional grounding that would make this story truly sing. His relationship to Shark Men Kingdom, past or present, is neither featured, nor referenced, nor even framed through dialogue or perspective, so there’s little sense of tangible conflict for what ought to be the character’s most important subplot yet. A big part of the episode’s implied tension stems from King Shark’s otherwise personable demeanor, now thrown into disarray by the battle for a throne, but it seldom plays like more than a distraction, even if it does result in King Shark accidentally murdering his brother.
Back on the surface, things feel a little more connected and harmonious. A disheveled Bruce sulks away in his cave, seated on his bat-eared swivel chair while Nightwing attempts to cheer him up and Batgirl tries to get him back out in the field. Her suggested target is a shipment of awkwardly large hats overtaking the Gotham fashion scene, which are each fitted with a brain-scanning A.I. that turns them into slaves, but the heartbroken caped crusader can’t seem to see beyond his breakup. Simultaneously, Batgirl also tries to make plans with Harley (after their escape room encounter in “There’s No Ivy in Teamâ€) but the clown princess is annoyed by the Bat-sidekick’s enthusiastic texts. She brushes Batgirl off, which leads to an awkward encounter when they both end up at Bruce’s charity gala that evening, with the opposing intentions of protecting and kidnapping the billionaire playboy.
When they rendezvous in an elevator, a fight ensues — both a fist-fight and an argument — but it’s soon broken up by a bunch of bunny mask-wearing hoodlums working for the man behind the giant hat scheme: Jervis Tetch a.k.a. the Mad Hatter (Blank Check’s Griffin Newman), who kidnaps the bickering duo. Like any good Batman villain, Jervis is both creepy and carnivalesque, with an Alice in Wonderland theme that clashes with his coke nail and his generally eerie demeanor. (He’s made all the more uncanny by an animation style that makes him seem disproportional in front of the other characters). However, what makes this version of Jervis especially amusing is that he doesn’t want to be perceived as a creep, especially to women, despite his comments constantly veering into inappropriate territory. Newman strikes a fun balance, wrestling between two major versions of the character — the twisted children’s cartoon, à la Batman: The Animated Series, and the implied child molester from the pages of Batman: Haunted Knight — as he attempts to shake off his predatory reputation, even while kidnapping a pair of female vigilantes. (“I’m not a perv. I torture and murder, nothing gross.â€)
Harley, claiming not to be involved with the heroic Batgirl, talks her way out of Jervis’s clutches since they share a villainous streak. However, a stern talking to from her former alter ego (therapist Harleen Quinzell) in an elevator mirror convinces her to go back and rescue her overbearing frenemy, resulting in a team-up battle rife with animated frame cells that feel like an homage to the campy Adam West Batman of the 1960s.
We all have that one friend who gets on our nerves, but they’re a still a friend at the end of the day, which is the kind of simple reflection of real life that makes Harley Quinn such a meaningful watch, even when its jokes don’t really land, and it feels less-than-tightly structured. At this point, the characters are well-rounded enough that tossing them into practically any situation seems to yield organic conflict — which is sure to grow more complicated next week, when a successfully kidnapped Bruce Wayne wakes up in Selina’s apartment.
Jokes’ Gallery
• Sadly, there’s only one joke that really hits this week, but it’s a doozy of a visual gag. Selina, explaining to Harley why she should be careful when kidnapping Bruce at his hotel, tells her: “Try not to make a spectacle. I don’t need the hotel tightening up security. It’s one of my favorite places to steal from. It’s where I got my Picasso.†This is followed by a swift whip-pan to Selina’s shelf of treasures, where she keeps not a cubist masterpiece, but an urn containing Pablo Picasso’s ashes.