Songs of the Sirens (Girls Rule)


 * This article is about the 7th episode of Girls Rule TV series.

"Songs of the Sirens" is the seventh (and final main episode) of the first season of the animated television series Girls Rule. First aired on November 10, 2022 on Cartoon Network and HBO Max simultaneously, it was written by series creator Chris Mckay, produced by Sam Register, and directed by Shane Acker.

The episode title is the name of the second issue of the "Gotham City Sirens" comics and alludes to the climactic events of the episode. The action of the episode revolves around the reactions of Harley Quinn, Catwoman and Poison Ivy and their plan along with Batman and Barbara Gordon, before Hush's revenge plan: In the port of Gotham, Batman is taken hostage, the girls they fight off the hordes of thugs and Harley and Barbara fight the villain, dealing with him once and for all. "Songs of the Sirens" was originally written as the show's conception, as an episode of around 25 minute demo.

The episode was well received by critics, who singled out the final battle scene as a particularly strong way to end the overall arc of the first season. In the United States, the episode achieved a viewership of 6.9 million on its first day, including 1.983 million viewers during its initial run on Cartoon Network cable.

Writing
The episode was written by showrunner Chris Mckay in a 17-hour newsroom. Like the rest of the first season, it loosely adapts parts of the many "Gotham City Sirens" and "Heart of Hush" comics. During Mckay's presentation to Warner Bros. executives, "Songs of the Sirens" was originally written as the conception of the show, as a demo episode of about 25 minutes, with plot parts from the episodes "Bad Deeds, Bad Weather" and "Working Together".

Mckay enjoyed the exposure of Hush's actions, using violence with his actions in the final episode, finding the battle scene between him and Harley more sad than epic, as it's about protecting others more than just fighting, as he did. reflects the music During production, Acker wrote additional scenes to expand the world and allow viewers to empathize with his characters during production. An alternate ending was written, focusing on an active Batman fighting and supporting the girls, rather than being held hostage by the villain. Mckay decided to omit it to demonstrate the team's focus.

Animation
The episode was directed by Shane Acker. The animation for the episode was provided by the Animal Logic studio, however, unlike the rest of the season, it was produced at the studios in Canada rather than Australia, in early-to-mid May 2021 due to production setbacks with The Lego Movie 3 (2024). Kris Bowers served as music composers for the season, and wrote 3 special track segments for "Songs of the Sirens".

Ratings
"Songs of the Sirens" was first aired on HBO Max and Cartoon Network simultaneously in the US and Canada on November 10, 2022. The episode had 6.5 million viewers in the United States on its first night, including cable viewers and viewers on HBO Max, an increase of 52% since the premiere episode, making it the most watched episode of the season and the third most watched season finale on HBO Max simultaneously, behind House of the Dragon and Euphoria. On the Cartoon Network cable channel alone, it was watched by approximately 1.98 million viewers on its first night and received a 1.0 Nielsen rating in adults 18-49. It became the channel's highest-rated telecast in over three years.