Harley Quinn Season 1

Why is Harley Quinn so popular? True, she was a break-out character on Batman the Animated Series, odd if you consider the fact she was initially just meant to be a one-off henchperson to the Joker. But she stuck around, and voice actor Arleen Sorkin’s take on the character endeared her to audiences even as more…problematic aspects of the character were initially shoved aside. Over time, the “abused girlfriend” angle became more prominent as the character was perhaps rehabilitated into something a bit more independent while still being something of a wild card, DC’s answer to Marvel’s Deadpool, and we have the character as we see her today.

Well, she somehow got herself an animated series on the DC Universe service, and with season one finished and season two coming in April, it may be time to take a look at the show and whether or not it may be worth the time of any self-respecting DC fan.

The series begins with Harley (Kaley Cuoco) and the Joker (Alan Tudyk) doing what Harley and the Joker often do, robbing rich people. However, it quickly becomes apparent this won’t be a kid-friendly cartoon show. There’s some pretty cartoonish-yet-disgusting violence here as some of the rich types die horrible deaths, and Harley herself drops the F-bomb rather frequently. Plus, there’s obvious romantic problems between the Clown Prince of Crime and his frequent assistant/punching bag in that she wants to join the Legion of Doom and Joker doesn’t think a sidekick ever gets to join that august organization of supervillains. And that’s before Batman (Diedrich Bader, reprising the role he played so well on Batman: The Brave and the Bold) arrives. Harley goes to Arkham, Joker gets away, and once there, Harley is convinced the Joker will be coming by to bust her free any moment. Harley’s friend Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) doesn’t see that happening any time soon.

A few months later, and Harley is still in Arkham until Ivy comes back to break her out. Realizing the Joker was just using her, Harley breaks up with him in the most violent way possible without killing him and decides the thing to do is get into the Legion of Doom on her own. That means having a nemesis and assembling a crew. The former proves a bit difficult, but the latter comes around when Harley basically gathers together all the villains that nobody else wants, namely raging misogynist Dr. Psycho (Tony Hale), wannabe actor but generally well-adjusted ham Clayface (Tudyk again), and eternally optimistic computer guy King Shark (Ron Funches). Working out of Ivy’s apartment, they even eventually recruit Ivy’s elderly landlord, a cybernetic old man in a wheelchair who may be a war criminal by the name of Cy Borgman (Jason Alexander).

Now, I said back in my Mandalorian review that I actually looked forward more to Harley Quinn than The Mandalorian. And I meant that. Harley Quinn managed to pack more character development and drama into a 22 minute or so episode than most episodes of The Mandalorian could over something closer to 40. Cuoco gives her Harley a very distinctive voice. She’s angry, manic, and nothing much like Sorkin’s original dumb-but-sweet take, and that’s all to the better to fit into this show. Bell, meanwhile, comes across as the more pragmatic roommate, the one quick to point out she prefers to be called an eco-terrorist instead of a supervillain while still being embarrassed to be seen spending time with Kite-Man. In fact, most of Harley’s crew (except Dr. Psycho, whom the show always frames as wrong) are a rather likable bunch of well-meaning loser types. Harley may be a supervillain, but she’s still a nice person when she remembers to be, and there are real villains out there that are much, much worse.

Also, props to connecting Harley thematically from time-to-time with Batman, the one character the series more or less plays straight. Every other character here is just a bit silly, but Batman doesn’t make jokes. The closest he comes is an uncomfortable moment with the Damien Wayne Robin (Jacob Tremblay).

Season one ends in a very chaotic way, setting up all kinds of potential mayhem going forward. Harley learned a few lessons about herself and who really matters to her after repeated disappointments trying to set up relationships with other people she felt she needed to connect to, and though Harley may not be a completely benevolent person, she doesn’t seem outright awful either. That’s a promising start for what could be a very fun series.

Grade: B+