Lovers' Quarrel

"Lovers' Quarrel" is the twelfth episode of the second season of Harley Quinn, and the twenty-fifth episode of the series overall. It was released on June 19, 2020, on DC Universe.

Synopsis[]

Darkseid agrees to give Psycho the world if he brings him the head of Harley Quinn, so Psycho controls Ivy to set her against Harley.

Plot[]

Poison Ivy, under the telepathic control of Doctor Psycho, wastes no time attacking Harley using the grass in Bethany's front lawn. While Harley and Ivy fight, the Joker watches bemusedly, not bothering to interfere.

Just before Ivy kills her, Harley is saved by Kite Man, lifting her into the air to safety. He explains the situation to Harley about Doctor Psycho taking over Gotham and mind-controlling people. Harley assures him that his fiancée and the city will be intact for tomorrow's wedding.

Wonder Woman
Where is Doctor Psycho?
[Parademon screeches unintelligibly]
[Wonder Woman looks at Superman]
Superman
Oh, what? Because I'm an alien, I understand all alien languages?
[Wonder Woman's eye's widen in distress]
Superman
Okay. I know a little Parademon, but it's still a racist assumption. Be better.
[Wonder Woman rolls her eyes]
— Wonder Woman getting her privilege checked

As Harley predicted, the newly-unleashed Justice League makes quick work of Psycho's Parademons. Superman uses his heat vision and brute force; a fully-recovered Batman uses exploding batarangs; and Wonder Woman uses her sword to cut through Parademons like wheat.

At last, Superman attacks the Parademon nest itself, throwing the colossal hive miles away from Gotham into the air. The battle now over, Wonder Woman kidnaps interrogates a Parademon with her Lasso of Truth for Psycho's location, although she has to turn to Superman to understand its language.

Young King Shark bullies his little brother

Doctor Psycho himself is in the Gotham Mall busy torturing King Shark, forcing him to reveal his most embarrassing moments until a Parademon falls through the ceiling and projects a towering hologram of Darkseid, who is not amused by Doctor Psycho's lack of progress in procuring Harley Quinn's head, especially with "Batman and his super friends" defeating many of the Parademons, The impatient tyrant declares that he will return at nightfall to collect someone's head: Harley's or Psycho's.

Harley Quinn
Zombie eye, zombie eye!
Kite Man
Wait, wait! My kite senses are fluttering.
— After Sy Borgman's mechanical eye blinks

Harley and Kite Man arrive at his apartment and try to brainstorm a way to combat Doctor Psycho without being mind-controlled. Harley remembers that Sy Borgman was immune to mind control, so he pulled out his mechanical eye and left her. As she thinks aloud, the eye suddenly twitches.

Kite Man recognizes the blinks as Morse Code, translating to "plug me in", at which point the eye sprouts RCA connectors to plug into a TV. Sy Borgman's face appears on screen, his consciousness having been into the machine. He explains that the CIA implanted in his head an anti-mind control device as an anti-Soviet measure. He offers to help them build such a device, but it will take some extra steps without the parts on hand.

Harley Quinn
Oh, my God! Superman's gonna kill Ivy!
Kite Man
Wasn't he trapped in a book? Who let Superman out of the book?
[Harley grins guiltily]
— Stroke of tactical genius

Justice League fights Poison Ivy — Justice League to the rescue

The Justice League flies by (with Batman pulled through the air behind them by a rope) to attack Ivy. Ivy, however, can singlehandedly hold the Trinity at bay due to Psycho's control. Clayface and King Shark, also mind-controlled, emerge from Ivy's vegetation. Batman immediately writes them off as harmless until Clayface grows to the size of a giant, and King Shark screams in a bloodthirsty rage.

In Kite Man's apartment, he is having trouble connecting Sy to the internet. Harley loses patience, screaming that the person she loves (which raises Kite Man's suspicion) will die, and steals one of his kites before Kite Man can ask questions. He immediately worries that she won't be able to fly properly, saying he had to train for years, but Harley soars perfectly on her first try.

Get off me you angry dolphin — "Get off me, you angry dolphin."

Meanwhile, at the battle with the Justice League, Batman nearly defeats King Shark with shark repellent, but is stopped by Ivy. and has to be saved by Wonder Woman, who is then quickly enveloped by Clayface. Superman tries to attack Ivy, but is held in place by King Shark's bite. Wonder Woman then bursts out of Clayface, only for Ivy to throw a car at her. Ivy repeats this move with a volley of cars, forcing the heroes back.

Arriving in the middle of this fight, Harley tries to talk Wonder Woman down since Harley and Ivy saved Themyscira. When Wonder Woman is unmoved, Harley jumps on her sword, and it cuts the heroine's cheek. This triggers King Shark's blood rage even more, and he chases Wonder Woman off. Harley irritated that Clayface has never turned into a giant before, throws a rock at him, freeing Batman, and then tries to distract Superman while she reasons with Ivy. Before she can even finish a sentence, Ivy slaps Harley away, but this gives Superman to the chance to launch Ivy across Gotham.

Under the calm, cool control of Doctor Psycho, Ivy doesn't panic and cushions herself with plant matter; the plants start carrying her like a living palanquin, fast enough to outpace even Superman. Wonder Woman lures King Shark into Mister Freeze's old realm, and she knocks him down as he slips on the ice. He breaks his teeth on her bulletproof bracelets, at which point she smashes his face with her shield, defeating him. Batman defeats Clayface by detonating two cooling systems, which completely encase Clayface in ice.

Ivy doesn't fall as easily as her compatriots; however, she lures Superman into Riddler University, crushing him with a massive amalgamation of plants. Still, under Psycho's will, she ignores Harley's pleas to stand down. The plants capture Harley, and bring her and Ivy to the Gotham Mall, where Doctor Psycho awaits. Superman and Wonder Woman's flight keeps them just behind Ivy, while Batman follows with his grappling gun.

Kite Man
Oh, frick, I killed him.
Sy Borgman
No way, Jose! Synet is online!
Kite Man
Where are you?
[A mixer walks over]
Sy Borgman
Hey, let's build this anti-mind-control device and then if there's time, we'll make some fresh pasta.
Kite Man
Hell, yeah!
— Sy Borgman enters the internet

Kite Man finishes getting Sy to the internet, and he takes over household appliances to assemble the anti-mind-control device with Kite Man. While they work, Ivy stops atop of Wayne Tower. For the first time in her life, Harley urges everyone to settle things without violence, and Batman agrees to avoid collateral damage. He surgically frees Harley from Ivy's plants, which are then burned by Superman's heat vision. Wonder Woman then seizes Ivy with her Lasso of Truth.

❝ Wow, this is so dramatic. It's like a CW show, if the cast was less hot. Yeah, you guys are right. Ivy's too dangerous to be left alive. You should have killed her when you had the chance. Because now? You're right where I want you. ❞

— Doctor Psycho speaks through Poison Ivy. Imagine his inflections.

"I can't let you kill her. I love her more than anything in this world:"

Harley begs the Justice League to spare Ivy, but both Superman and Wonder Woman decide that Ivy is too dangerous to run amok before Psycho is defeated. Superman prepares to send Ivy to the Phantom Zone, but at that point, Ivy suddenly starts mocking them all with Doctor Psycho's voice. Ivy releases her pheromones on the Trinity, making them all fall for each other, to Harley's disgust.

As they're distracted, Ivy frees herself from the Lasso of Truth and snatches Harley again, resuming her trek to the Gotham Mall. However, as Ivy drags Harley away, Kite Man flies overhead and tells Harley he's there to aid her. At the Gotham Mall itself, the Riddler and Doctor Psycho are gleeful at having defeated the Justice League and captured Harley Quinn, assuring their world domination.

Darkseid then arrives, fully prepared to unleash the armies of Apokolips for Doctor Psycho, but Doctor Psycho wants to rule more than Earth. To prove that he is tyrant material, he'll give the example of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn by making them kill each other. While he's explaining this proposition to Darkseid, Kite Man sneaks up and gives Harley two anti-mind-control devices as a backup plan, while he intends to kiss Ivy to help bring her back from Doctor Psycho's control. He comes before her, pours his heart out, and kisses her - only for her to be totally unaffected and knock him out cold.

Doctor Psycho
Okay! Mr. Johnson's up! Girl on girl. So hot.
The Riddler
What are you, 13?
— Doctor Psycho is having the time of his life

Watching this all unfold, Darkseid is mildly intrigued by "evil usurping love", as Doctor Psycho has just now revealed that Harley and Ivy are secret lovers (having stolen the knowledge from Ivy's mind). Ivy then fights Harley ferociously, so Harley must switch from defense to offense. Harley nearly manages to get the anti-mind-control device in Ivy's ear. Still, she slaps it aside and overpowers her, nearly strangling her until Harley, who has run out of options, herself kisses Ivy - which actually does work, the sight weakening Psycho's concentration just long enough for Harley to put the anti-mind-control device in Ivy's ear.

Finally freed, Ivy easily defeats Doctor Psycho. Impressed by this change of events, Darkseid offers to restore the deal that Harley broke. Offered with total dominion of humanity, Harley turns it down, saying that she isn't a true supervillain after all. She says that until now, her life choices have been reactions to please others, but now she knows what she truly wants. However, this "baffles" and "angers" and Darkseid. He declares that he will one day return to ruin the Earth, then leaves.

Shattered triangle — The truth is revealed

Resolved, Harley once again pleads her case to Ivy for them to be together, take a leap of faith, and try. Before Ivy can respond, Kite Man wakes up, hopeful that he might have helped. However, all Kite Man is met with is Doctor Psycho's revenge: he creates a telepathic projection in the sky of Ivy's memory of having sex with Harley for all of Gotham to see. Clayface and King Shark are both surprised while Bane, who watches from his Pit, claims he knew all along. Commissioner Gordon and Batgirl cover each other's eyes, the Joker laughs, and Alfred sneaks a peak through the curtains of Wayne Manor. Afterward, Doctor Psycho passes out while Kite Man is left stricken and speechless, looking between Harley and Ivy.

Cast and Characters[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Cast[]

Cameos[]

Trivia[]

Doctor Psycho references the movie Jaws, saying King Shark is like Jaws if he only ate fat people.
Sy Borgman tells Harley and Kiteman that they will need an 8-track recording of Monkees Daydream Believer in order to create an anti-mind control device.
Dr. Psycho mentions Wesley Snipes when trying to think of a witty comeback to Riddler.
Harley saying, "I'm Harley Quinn, I'm impetuous, I kiss people," and kissing Sy Borgman is the call-back to "Inner (Para) Demons" when she repeated that same mantra and continuously kissed the people around her in order to make light of her kiss with Ivy.
This episode brings back the Shark-Repellent Bat Spray, first seen in the episode "Finding Mr. Right" and a reference to the Batman T.V. series from 1966.
Doctor Psycho compares the melodrama on Wayne Tower to a "CW show, if the cast was less hot", a network known for mostly teen and young adult-oriented shows with high drama and conventionally attractive casts.
- The CW is also well-known for many shows based on DC properties, together known as the Arrowverse.
The line "Darkseid is... leaving" is a play on the phrase "Darkseid is" frequently appearing in the comic books featuring him.