Harley Quinn season 2, episode 3 recap – “Trapped”

By Jonathon Wilson
Published: April 18, 2020 (Last updated: last month)
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Harley Quinn (DC Universe) season 2, episode 3 recap - "Trapped"
3.5

Summary

“Trapped” gives Poison Ivy something to think about, as Harley Quinn’s version of Catwoman is introduced and she’s forced to confront her lifestyle and relationships.

This recap of Harley Quinn Season 2, Episode 3, “Trapped”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words.


Another episode of Harley Quinn, and another introduction for a fan-favorite female character to complement the show’s already strong girl power sensibilities. In “Trapped” it’s the turn of Catwoman (Sanaa Lathan), who immediately fits the Selina Kyle mold as a sexually and morally fluid anti-hero – which poses some particular questions for Poison Ivy (Lake Bell), but more on that in a bit.

First, setup: the target of the week in Harley Quinn Season 2, Episode 3 is Mr. Freeze, though getting at him will, thanks to some convoluted circumstances, require a break-in at the Gotham Museum of Natural History, which just so happens to have been taken over by the rather esoteric villain Doctor Trap. Who better for a heist job – especially one featuring Saw-style traps – than Catwoman? It’s a great fit for the character’s introduction and excuses some introspection on Ivy’s part.

Of course, Ivy’s “relationship” with Kite Man was never to be taken all that seriously, but her doe-eyed fascination with Catwoman further proves that fact as well as some canonical queerness which the show has repeatedly promised to explore and thus far never really bothered to. And since Ivy is usually the voice of reason when held up against Harley’s (Kaley Cuoco) last-minute, often hare-brained schemes, the fact that she’s reduced to near uselessness whenever Catwoman is around does a good job of emphasizing the strength of the connection. Where it might lead is anyone’s guess, but it’s a much more proactive use of Ivy than having her be entangled with Kite Man, of all people.

Doctor Trapp also makes for an entertaining antagonist in “Trapped”, yes because it provides some fun jokes at the expense of how implausible all these villainous lairs and schemes tend to be, but also because it proves every episode doesn’t require an A-lister villain to work. Despite being the episode’s namesake, though, in a show that, lest we forget, is named Harley Quinn, this is really all about Ivy, her gradual embracing of her old identity and her hopeful rejection of a settled, unhappy life with Kite Man. Weaving Catwoman’s introduction into all that is a welcome bonus and proves that the show, staying true to the character, has a larger scheme in mind.

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