Cartoon Review: "Harley Quinn" (SPOILER ALERT!)
Did you ever hate a TV show so much, that you had to keep watching it, so you could have a complete and accurate list of all the reasons you hated it. But by the third episode, you finally admit to yourself, "Darn it, I like this show." Yeah. For me, that was "Harley Quinn."
This cartoon is over the top graphically violent. So much so, that even it's characters get sick upon seeing the blood and guts. Profanities everywhere. And it's so irreverent with its subject matter. I mean, this cartoon is in your face with everything your parents taught you was bad.
And it's wonderful.
Basically, it's the story of a psychopathic, young, attractive, former psychiatrist coming to terms with the fact that allowed herself to get involved in a destructive co-dependent, violent relationship with the king of violent, narcissistic psychopaths. And along the way, realizing that her romantic partner never really loved her, but loved his violent, psychologically damaged, emotionally detached nemesis seemingly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
And somehow makes its subject matter uproariously hilarious.
Every character is flawed. Jim Gordon is this cynical broken shell of a man, relying on dangerous vigilante to to do his job for him. The Joker is an alarmingly efficient, violent megalomaniac who continually gaslights Harley, but exists solely for the enjoyment he gets from antagonizing the easily triggered Batman. Poison Ivy acts as Harley's guide, and is the voice of reason throughout this series. But she's just going over the fact that she's anti-social, and somehow has fallen in love with the very type of man she thought she hated. And then there's Harley.
Remarkably talented, yet with multiple chips on her shoulder, Harley hails from a shockingly dysfunctional family, who superficially profess their love, but will sacrifice their own flesh and blood for their selfish benefit. She's out to prove that she's stronger, and more violent than any man, and that she can be a villain as dangerous and cunning as any member of the Legion of Doom. The entire first season features her quest to show that she's no side-kick, but a villain in her own right, free from the Joker's shadow.
And along the way, her efforts to establish her independence pits her against her former lover, so much so, that she, and her gang of outcasts from the criminal world, wind up in an endeavor to thwart one of the Joker's most potentially destructive plots.
The first episode drew me in with the introduction of Harley's relationship with Poison Ivy. Ivy is grateful for Quinn's past efforts to provide counsel and therapy for Ivy's deep psychological flaws, such as her deep, anti-social nature. Ivy wants to return the favor, by demonstrating to Harley that she's been wasting her time on a romantic interest who doesn't truly care for her.
Ivy goes so far as to enlist the help of the Riddler to devise a scheme that makes the Joker boil in anger: the announcement of a riddle so funny it will kill everyone who hears it out of laughter. "Funny is my thing!" the Joker jealously proclaims as he sees Mr. Nygma's plot announced on the local news. Harley, who has reunited with the Joker after being abandoned by him for a year, offers to kill the Riddler within an hour if her puddin' would just watch a Reese Witherspoon movie with her. Of course, the plot attracts both Harley and the Batman, who are captured by the Riddler, and dangled over a vat of acid, and not the kind that gives you super powers Harley learns to her disappointment. Nygma calls the Joker directly to invite him over, and offers him a choice, to save the one he truly loves. He can either save Batman from certain death, or Harley. The Joker tells Harley that he just couldn't let this "punctuation pr*ck" get credit for killing Batman. And Harley is seemingly dropped into the acid. We learn that Ivy is the one who set the whole thing up, since the Riddler owes her for helping him escape from Arkham, with the yellow liquid actually nothing more than margarita mix. But this demonstration is all Harley needs to finally realize that the Joker has never loved her, and thus begins her transformation into being her own woman. A transformation symbolized by ditching the corny harlequin outfit, in favor of playful, yet sexy, new look.
And so, Harley's quest to prove herself begins.
It is a quest punctuated by one-liners, irreverently noting some of the most outrageous tropes from the Batman saga, that constantly hit the audience from left and right. So that by the end of the episode, you are scraping yourself off the floor, and anxiously awaiting the next installment.
There are two seasons so far. You can binge to your heart's content. But when the series was first released through the D.C. Universe streaming service, you were forced, in restless anticipation, to wait for the next episode to drop.
Harley Quinn is not perfect. At times, the silliness of the plot goes too far. At times, the characters are rescued from impossible situations by wholly convenient inventions by the writers, that seemed to come from nowhere.
Most definitely, I would not let anyone under the age of sixteen watch this cartoon. And even then, make sure that your bundles of joy can handle the gratuitous violence.
But as much as I wanted to hate this cartoon, I just couldn't stop watching and anticipating its continuation.
By: William J. Kovatch, Jr.
The video version of this critique can be found on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qcFKiWlxeSM
Look for the Dantooine Free Press on Twitter (@DantooineP), Instagram and YouTube!
This cartoon is over the top graphically violent. So much so, that even it's characters get sick upon seeing the blood and guts. Profanities everywhere. And it's so irreverent with its subject matter. I mean, this cartoon is in your face with everything your parents taught you was bad.
And it's wonderful.
Basically, it's the story of a psychopathic, young, attractive, former psychiatrist coming to terms with the fact that allowed herself to get involved in a destructive co-dependent, violent relationship with the king of violent, narcissistic psychopaths. And along the way, realizing that her romantic partner never really loved her, but loved his violent, psychologically damaged, emotionally detached nemesis seemingly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
And somehow makes its subject matter uproariously hilarious.
Every character is flawed. Jim Gordon is this cynical broken shell of a man, relying on dangerous vigilante to to do his job for him. The Joker is an alarmingly efficient, violent megalomaniac who continually gaslights Harley, but exists solely for the enjoyment he gets from antagonizing the easily triggered Batman. Poison Ivy acts as Harley's guide, and is the voice of reason throughout this series. But she's just going over the fact that she's anti-social, and somehow has fallen in love with the very type of man she thought she hated. And then there's Harley.
Remarkably talented, yet with multiple chips on her shoulder, Harley hails from a shockingly dysfunctional family, who superficially profess their love, but will sacrifice their own flesh and blood for their selfish benefit. She's out to prove that she's stronger, and more violent than any man, and that she can be a villain as dangerous and cunning as any member of the Legion of Doom. The entire first season features her quest to show that she's no side-kick, but a villain in her own right, free from the Joker's shadow.
And along the way, her efforts to establish her independence pits her against her former lover, so much so, that she, and her gang of outcasts from the criminal world, wind up in an endeavor to thwart one of the Joker's most potentially destructive plots.
The first episode drew me in with the introduction of Harley's relationship with Poison Ivy. Ivy is grateful for Quinn's past efforts to provide counsel and therapy for Ivy's deep psychological flaws, such as her deep, anti-social nature. Ivy wants to return the favor, by demonstrating to Harley that she's been wasting her time on a romantic interest who doesn't truly care for her.
Ivy goes so far as to enlist the help of the Riddler to devise a scheme that makes the Joker boil in anger: the announcement of a riddle so funny it will kill everyone who hears it out of laughter. "Funny is my thing!" the Joker jealously proclaims as he sees Mr. Nygma's plot announced on the local news. Harley, who has reunited with the Joker after being abandoned by him for a year, offers to kill the Riddler within an hour if her puddin' would just watch a Reese Witherspoon movie with her. Of course, the plot attracts both Harley and the Batman, who are captured by the Riddler, and dangled over a vat of acid, and not the kind that gives you super powers Harley learns to her disappointment. Nygma calls the Joker directly to invite him over, and offers him a choice, to save the one he truly loves. He can either save Batman from certain death, or Harley. The Joker tells Harley that he just couldn't let this "punctuation pr*ck" get credit for killing Batman. And Harley is seemingly dropped into the acid. We learn that Ivy is the one who set the whole thing up, since the Riddler owes her for helping him escape from Arkham, with the yellow liquid actually nothing more than margarita mix. But this demonstration is all Harley needs to finally realize that the Joker has never loved her, and thus begins her transformation into being her own woman. A transformation symbolized by ditching the corny harlequin outfit, in favor of playful, yet sexy, new look.
And so, Harley's quest to prove herself begins.
It is a quest punctuated by one-liners, irreverently noting some of the most outrageous tropes from the Batman saga, that constantly hit the audience from left and right. So that by the end of the episode, you are scraping yourself off the floor, and anxiously awaiting the next installment.
There are two seasons so far. You can binge to your heart's content. But when the series was first released through the D.C. Universe streaming service, you were forced, in restless anticipation, to wait for the next episode to drop.
Harley Quinn is not perfect. At times, the silliness of the plot goes too far. At times, the characters are rescued from impossible situations by wholly convenient inventions by the writers, that seemed to come from nowhere.
Most definitely, I would not let anyone under the age of sixteen watch this cartoon. And even then, make sure that your bundles of joy can handle the gratuitous violence.
But as much as I wanted to hate this cartoon, I just couldn't stop watching and anticipating its continuation.
The video version of this critique can be found on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qcFKiWlxeSM
Look for the Dantooine Free Press on Twitter (@DantooineP), Instagram and YouTube!
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