New, interesting, but loyal adaptations come around once in a blue moon, but with the first season of Harley Quinn coming to an end on DC Universe, it’s safe to say that the show has presented its own comedic and self-referential take on the titular character and the wider DC universe with great success.
Every episode of the first season has its fair share of laugh-out-loud jokes, well-constructed character moments, and a drive for the overarching plot and the emotional arc of it’s cast kept well in mind. It’s been a solid opening season proving the show has great potential for a second season, but which episode was the best? See the full season ranked below, according to IMDB.
Being Harley Quinn - 7.8
The lowest rated episode of the season saw Harley Quinn’s crew taking a trip into Harley’s mind to find the source of her apparent identity crisis. Starting off strong with an amusing super-villain-hideout shopping sequence, the episode gets banal pretty fast.
It’s not really a surprise that this has been perceived by the show’s audience as the weakest episode of the season, relying on a pretty tired trope of animated shows, going inside any given character’s mind. However, it does have some redemption in using this cliché to more deeply explore Quinn’s psyche.
Harley Quinn Highway - 8.0
Interestingly enough, the second-lowest rated episode is another episode involving the “entering someone’s mind” schtick. It’s a smaller part of the episode this time, however, as the bulk of the run time revolves around the capture of Poison Ivy by Scarecrow and Harley’s attempt to save her.
A solid episode providing commentary on the weird things that villainous henchmen do in service of plot within the super-hero genre. Dropping a great revelation as to the nature of Ivy and Quinn’s relationship, it’s set up for the season’s two-part finale, and it serves its role well.
The Line - 8.2
It’s safe to say that The Line is the episode to point to as far as the question, “Is Harley Quinn a villain or an anti-hero?” is concerned. By pitting Harley up against Queen of Fables, but starting the relationship out as a mentoring one, it draws the line between out-right evil and criminal for the hell of it, of which Harley is the former.
While that might be the main thrust of the episode, the most entertaining aspect is most definitely the developing romance between Ivy and Kite Man (Hell Yeah!) which is dead set to become a fan favorite pairing as the show goes on.
You’re A Damn Good Cop Jim Gordon - 8.2
Harley Quinn’s take on Jim Gordan is a real standout throughout the first season, constantly wired on caffeine and just a little drunk most likely due to the constant stress put on the poor guy by the Gotham crime rate. You’re a Damn Good Cop, Jim Gordan is his time to shine.
There’s a side plot with Poison Ivy and Dr. Psycho but that really plays second fiddle to the comedy gold that is Gordan’s relationship with Batman as he gets his Bat-signal privileges revoked.
A Seat At The Table - 8.3
The episode in which Harley finally becomes a member of The Legion of Doom and Joker’s equal. Throughout the season, the abusive nature of Harley and Joker’s relationship gets explored, but here, Harley’s emancipation from him truly begins to culminate.
The episode takes its time with the Joker/Harley plot, not only to allow her to trust him again (before his inevitable betrayal) but the audience too. This, plus the Bane vs Todd sub-plot makes it worth the watch.
So You Need A Crew? - 8.3
Opening with a brilliantly animated heist sequence showing Harley’s attempt at stealing a nuke single-handedly and failing due to the Joker’s interference, the episode revolves around Harley’s attempt to recruit a crew for future jobs.
The episode contains some great character introductions for the shows interpretations of Clayface and Dr. Psycho, satirical versions that actually play with the character’s comic book origins really well. Plus, we get more Kiteman, which is always a win.
L.O.D.R.S.V.P - 8.3
Sharing its score with So You Need A Crew? and A Seat At The Table, L.O.D.R.S.V.P sees Harley and Ivy attend a party at The Legion Of Doom headquarters for prospective members, not realizing that Lex Luther has only invited Harley to recruit Ivy.
The episode serves as a way to begin driving a wedge between Harley and Ivy as the former believes the latter is just trying to downplay her achievements when she tells her about Luther’s plan. Aquaman is a standout in the episode though, and his interaction with Bane is the most memorable moment.
Till Death Do Us Part - 8.4
The season’s opening episode has actually faired pretty well in the ranking department. It does everything a great pilot episode should; introduces the dynamic between its central characters, gives us Harley’s goals for the coming season, and sets the tone for the rest of the season perfectly.
Fans get a little fan service too, as the episode throws Batman on screen in the opening scene voiced by Batman: The Brave and The Bold alum, Diedrich Bader.
Bensonhurst - 8.4
Something fairly unique to the show is its exploration of Harley Quinn’s family life prior to meeting the Joker. Here we see that she actually broke away from a criminal upbringing to become a psychiatrist, only to fall afoul of the law anyway just like her old man.
It’s an episode with a lot of little details. Not only does it give an explanation to Harley’s seemingly miraculous athleticism (turns out she was a gymnast child prodigy) but it also sports one of the shows most dramatic endings.
A High Bar - 8.6
The second episode of the season really gets the ball rolling when it comes to the show’s approach to DC villains, revolving around Harley attending the bar mitzvah of the Penguin’s nephew, Joshua, in order to impress the Legion of Doom.
It doesn’t work out that way, of course, but she does end up showing the Joker up in front of the rest of the Legion. This episode has to be one of the most quotable, with some great lines from Bane and the introduction of Kiteman.
The Final Joke - 8.6
The season finale lands itself a very respectable score, being both hilarious and a cathartic conclusion to the season. It really shakes up the status quo too, Harley having abandoned her desire to join the Legion of Doom she settles instead for killing the Joker (maybe) and destroying Gotham.
The episode also brings the main cast closer than ever and even reveals Batman’s identity to the Joker. It even contains one of the season’s funnier moments when the Joker scolds Batman about his downpayment on one of Wayne Tech’s electric cars that have yet to be delivered.
Finding Mr. Right - 8.7
Harley goes shopping for a super-hero nemesis in the season’s fourth episode but comes up a little short when the media pairs her with Robin. It’s the Damian Wayne version of the characters and it’s a very different, far more endearing version than we’ve seen before.
On top of that, the episode offers up an awesome final fight scene between the dynamic duo, the Joker, and Harley’s crew. It’s not just a solid entry in the season but also a great standalone episode that might be perfect for introducing others to the show.
Devil’s Snare - 8.7
Is that a Harry Potter reference? The highest-rated episode of the first season was actually it’s penultimate episode. Likely because of the pure high stakes of the episode and the number of perfect character moments and pay-offs contained therein (but also because of all the Kiteman screentime).
We get the return and defeat of the Queen of Fables, the pay off to Batman and Gordan’s evolving relationship through an argument about tanks, and Ivy and Harley finally reconcile before the episode’s cliff-hanger leading into the finale. The episode ties everything up in preparation for the final episode’s disruption of the status quo.
