After the death of Frank (JB Smoove), Ivy (Lake Bell) is in a rough place. Without her child, who she literally sacrificed herself to save, she does not know how to move on. She does know one thing: She needs to avenge Frank by killing Brainiac. However, “Frankette,” — the latest episode of Harley Quinn, has a few tricks up its sleeve. It’s all going to be a
Harley Quinn — “Frankette” — The Recap
Harley, Ivy, Bane, Lena, and King Shark attend Frank’s funeral. They admit this funeral is hitting them in a way that’s different than other deaths they’ve seen. Harley starts the funeral and plays a video Frank recorded before he died. After hours of Frank’s video, Ivy gets up to vow vengeance. When she does, a new seedling sprouts from the ground, which, according to Frank’s video, was what he expected. The new seedling is “Frankette,” created from Frank and Ivy’s DNA.
Harley cares for Frankette while Ivy tries to access the Green. Shaun Shark tries to eat the baby, eventually causing Harley frustration. She asks for help, but Ivy will not “replace Frank.” They’re interrupted when Lena Luthor arrives with news on who killed Frank. She accuses Brainiac and has a teleportation pad in her house so they can get to him.
Ivy and Harley get ready to take revenge, but first, they need to drop off Frankette and Shaun with Bane. However, Bane receives a note that the school gave his daughter, Goldie, detention. While he’s busy, they ask him to watch the two children, dropping him on his lap so they can leave.
Before Lana can tell Ivy and Harley how to find Brainiac on his ship, they teleport up. While they struggle to find him at first, Harley finds him when they split up. Brainiac seems depressed as he watches the Clayface musical. He continues to break the fourth wall and speak to the audience, but Harley reads it as insanity. He soon reaffirms their belief when he starts destroying the city after they reveal they’re going to kill him.
Suddenly, Harley realizes they have an advantage as Clayface’s song plays in the background. The distraught Brainiac does not realize the lyrics to the song explain how to operate his shrink ray, and Harley distracts him by dancing along. Ivy follows the instructions and shoots Brainiac as he realizes what is happening. Even though he’s captured, the robots continue to destroy the city.
Bane arrives at the school, where he fights with the teacher about Goldie’s performance. Outside, they see the city being destroyed. Harley and Ivy see the robots are approaching his position, but Brainiac will not tell them how to stop them. However, he does reveal that he is not Frank’s killer. It was Lena, which they confirm with video evidence. Ivy leaves the ship to kill Lena while Harley continues to find a way to stop the robots.
When Ivy arrives at Lena’s, Luther realizes she’s in trouble. She escapes on a telepad before Ivy can catch her. As Ivy goes to get on her own pad, Frank calls her to The Green. He asks Ivy to save “their” daughter because the robots are about to kill her. Bane uses Venom to bulk himself up, and with Shaun Shark’s powers, they’re able to protect the kids. Ivy arrives but cannot find Frankette until a giant robot (made up of the smaller robots they group has destroyed), nearly crushes her. Luckily, Frankette uses her own vines and takes down the robot.
Ivy gets impaled by the giant robot and faces certain death. Bane and Shaun are pinned down as well. Harley cannot figure out how to get the machine to work, but suddenly Lena arrives. Harley begs her for help, promising Lena she’ll do anything to help. Lena agrees and turns off the robots before they kill Ivy and Frankette.
Lena and Harley fight in Brainiac’s ship, but now Lena has the ship. She transports Harley back down to Metropolis. Back home, Ivy feeds Frankette and thanks Harley for saving the day. Harley comes clean about asking Lena for help, and Ivy is furious. As they fight, Lena sends a robot into the house and steals Frankette. Ivy blames Harley for everything, and Lena reveals to Brainiac that she only needs Frankette to get the women to break up. Using Brainiac’s technology, she becomes all-knowing.
Was “Frankette” worth watching?
This season of Harley Quinn comes into focus around “Frankette.” The episode weaves together the early season episodes and recent events to ensure that the Frank and Ivy story is central to the season. What was a fairly loose emotional thread became powerful at the end of the last episode and now takes an even stronger turn in “Frankette.” The love and caring have caused a literal transformation in both characters, and the result is something genuinely beautiful.
However, the result of their story also comes crashing into Harley’s season arc. While she’s been somewhat aimless, “Frankette” makes it clear that Harley only cares about her family’s protection. Even if it means dealing with someone who harmed Frank, she loves Frankette and Ivy too much to lose them. Despite that sacrifice, it’s unsurprising that Ivy reacts with anger. I’d be scared for Lena if they can survive the ensuing fight. However, this “betrayal” might feel impossible for them to overcome.
With Lena’s villainy exposed, it will be interesting to see if Harley Quinn can land the plan. The new villain has been present since episode one, actively pushing them towards defeating Brainiac. While they did it in a way, Lena did not intend, “Frankette” sees her goals fulfilled. Now she’s emerged as the true big bad of the season, the women will have to figure out how to take her on. It will be difficult, and the fallout may irreparably harm their relationship.
With “Frankette” setting the stage for the final episodes of Season 5, Harley Quinn has another little gem. This episode was driven by emotion and change, specifically as Ivy realized Frankette is part of her child that she loved so dear. Now that Frankette has been taken, Lena may have unleashed a monster even she can control.
Watch Harley Quinn every Thursday on Max. “Frankette” aired on February 27, 2025.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
