Harlem season 2, episode 2 review: She be Toxic!

Harlem kicked off in style a year back and has now returned once again with a new season and lots of intriguing drama from Camille (Meagan Good), Quinn (Grace Byers), Tye (Jerrie Johnson), and Angie (Shoniqua Shandai), especially with Camille's life rapidly falling apart.

The streaming giant dropped the first two episodes of the show on February 3, 2023, focusing on resolving the many cliffhangers and creating new ones for the sophomore season.

While episode 1 of Harlem also ended on a cliffhanger, the second episode proved why the Tracy Oliver show is considered one of the best-written dramas on television. With ample exciting twists, some intriguing and fun characters, and an overall comedic tone ideal for engaging viewers, the second episode of Harlem season 2 was a scriptwriting gem.

Disclaimer: Major spoilers ahead.

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Harlem season 2, episode 2: Witty scripting does not get any better

While Harlem may not be the talk of the town, over time, the show has garnered a loyal audience for itself. There must be a reason for that, and this episode proves why the show is so popular among its niche fanbase.

The second episode opened with Camille's cliffhanger as she finally breaks off things with Jameson (Sullivan Jones) and accepts her love for Ian (Tyler Lepley). It seems that every time viewers think Camille's character has finally progressed into another realm of maturity, things snap back to square one. This was somewhat evident throughout the second episode.

Things don't end up bright for Quinn either, who experiences her first breakup.

However, things are plenty brighter for cactus mom Tye, who, thanks to a website, meets her toxic other half.

Coming to the topic of the website, Shebtoxic.com is one of the most fun additions in this episode, and also something that will surely stand out in the season. This website lets people rate and review their dates. This means that a few of our four girls also feature on the website, especially Tye, who seems to be one of the most notorious names in the list.

Angie's adventures have always been fun on the show. This time, it is no different for the budding artist, who meets a man with a big house, trying to make up for something small.

The comic tone of this episode is so effortlessly mingled with the emotional drama at the center of it all that it actually ends up commenting on the tragi-comic life that we all lead in one way or another. And that is where the beauty of Harlem slowly starts to make itself more and more visible.

Whenever Tye, Quinn, Angie, and Camille sit together, it leads to some of the most fun sequences in the show. Episode 2 sees them engage in an elongated discussion that spans every topic from boyfriends to relationship toxicity, resulting in a brilliant dialogue-driven sequence that manages to make things much more interesting.

This is what great scriptwriting and great delivery do. The entire episode culminates in one big twist at the end of the episode. Sadly, viewers will have to hold their breath for a week to find out what happens to Tye.

Meanwhile, the first two episodes of Harlem season 2 are now available on Amazon Prime Video.