Editor's note: The below article contains spoilers for Season 3, Episode 5 of Harley Quinn.While Harley Quinn has a central focus on its title character and her misadventures, the series has been known to diverge into other corners of Gotham from time to time. Whether it’s Bane’s (James Adomian) credit card declining as he attempts to purchase explosives at Mor-4-Lex Wholesale or Commissioner Gordon’s (Christopher Meloni) ill-advised mayoral campaign, managed by Two-Face (Andy Daly), there is no shortage of B-stories to explore. Episode 5 of Harley Quinn Season 3, "It’s a Swamp Thing," features its own B-story specifically focused on the relationship between Bruce Wayne (Diedrich Bader) and Selina Kyle (Sanaa Lathan). Better known as Batman and Catwoman, the bat and the cat have been on thin ice with one another throughout the course of the season.
While Harley (Kaley Cuoco), Ivy (Lake Bell), and the rest of the crew stay at Selina’s penthouse apartment and manage her many, many cats, Selina has been residing with Bruce at Wayne Manor. Bruce approaches Selina, offering her a chance to stay in his wing of Wayne Manor, and presents a toothbrush as a gift. Selina is nonplussed and calls Bruce clingy, declaring she needs to head back to her apartment for some time to herself. Not even the promise of Alfred’s nachos is enough to get Selina to stay.
The dichotomy of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle has been explored for decades, throughout comics, film, and TV alike. Traditionally, both Bruce and Selina, much like their alter-egos, are loners. Nocturnal creatures that go out at night and lead a closed-off life, unwilling to let anyone get to truly know them. As a result, they are always intrigued by the other’s mystique upon their first encounters. Catwoman yearns to know who is under the mask, and Batman can’t shake the feelings he has for the elusive cat burglar. Whether their relationship progresses to secret-identity-reveal status, or they are unaware their gala date is the same as their rooftop companion, they don’t always see eye to eye and their clash of beliefs tends to be what makes or breaks their connection.
However, Harley Quinn brings something new to the table as it allows the relationship to be dissected under the lens of comedy. In addition to the series being animated, the comedic skew allows for an easier discussion of the tragedy in Bruce’s life as it can poke fun at the Wayne’s murder without feeling insensitive or tone-deaf. Much like it was toyed with in The LEGO Batman Movie, Harley Quinn also has several running jokes about the Waynes' death. Despite the light tone, it does wonders for fleshing out these iterations of Bruce as there is tragedy found in the comedy that sometimes isn’t found in even the most serious Batman adaptations.
Attempting to reconcile with Selina and salvage what’s left of their relationship, Bruce shows up at Selina’s apartment (pulling her away from a tranquil bubble bath) to present her with yet another gift – two identical Persian cats. Selina questions Bruce, “Is the only thing you know about me that I like cats?” Bruce insists that they’re special and mentions that he even gave them strong Christian names, Thomas and Martha (no relation to his dead parents). Selina rejects them and Bruce once again finds himself alone with Alfred.
Alfred, always looking out for the boy he considers his son, is understandably concerned by Bruce’s behavior as he watches him eat dinner with Thomas and Martha (the cats). Even worse, Bruce has dressed them up and refers to them as his parents repeatedly. It's clear that someone needs to intervene and pull Bruce from his loneliness and Alfred just so happens to be that person. Drugging his soup, Alfred arranges for Bruce and Selina to talk about their differences in a very unique way.
Bruce wakes up to find himself next to Selina in what appears to be the Wayne Manor library, but they aren’t alone. They find themselves across from a man with a clear penchant for music, from his gold chain with a music note to his embroidered bucket hat. The man admits to having a flair for the dramatic as a disco ball descends from the ceiling. Their captor, assumedly hired by Alfred, claims to be a therapist willing to help clear the air between the two. But when he forces them to sing their feelings to one another, Bruce realizes the therapist is none other than Music Meister (Larry Owens).
First appearing in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Music Meister is a villain from the 5th Dimension with the ability to control his victims through the pitch of his voice. The villain may not ring a bell, which is understandable, considering he is very much a Gotham D-Lister, but the actors who have portrayed him in prior years, like Neil Patrick Harris and Darren Criss, are much more recognizable. Criss played Music Meister for several crossover episodes on Supergirl and The Flash when he hypnotized Barry and Kara into a musical inside their minds, forcing them to act out his script if they wanted any chance to escape.
Harley Quinn alternatively finds Bruce and Selina faced with a much less sinister Music Meister who really, maybe, is also a therapist. Bruce and Selina wouldn’t ever choose to be vulnerable or open up about feelings willingly. It’s a conversation (song?) that never would have happened otherwise due to their individual stoicism and stubbornness but with the element of mind-control, they can’t do anything but discuss (sing?). The cloak-and-dagger romance that the two have had for decades is a defining characteristic of their relationship but choosing to incorporate Music Meister as an instigator allows the rules to be bent without ruining their dynamic or changing their characters.
Music Meister’s trance spirals the unwilling pair into a duet. As Selina sings about wanting to be alone, Bruce belts about how he just can’t be alone. When all is said and done, Music Meister ends the hypnosis. It’s conclusive that the two just aren’t compatible — at least for now. Bruce continues to sing about coming to terms with the fact that Selina needs her space, admitting that he is sad over their breakup, unaware the trance already ended.
Music Meister’s unexpected but delightful cameo serves multiple purposes in furthering the overarching story. Giving Bruce the final push he needs to see that his relationship with Selena isn’t working, pushes him back into his work in typical Batman fashion. Bruce, frustrated, claims to Alfred that he is fine and that he doesn’t need Selina. Their B-storyline finally merges with the main plot as the episode ends with Bruce experimenting on the sentient plant Frank (J.B. Smoove), Poison Ivy’s best friend. Harley and Ivy have enlisted the likes of Constantine (Matt Ryan) and Swamp Thing (Sam Richardson) in order to find Frank when he has been in Bruce’s lab the entire time. Propelled by his frustrations with Selina, Bruce’s kidnapping and experimentation with Frank are bound to put him at odds with Harley and Ivy moving forward.