Harley Quinn (TV series)

Harley Quinn is an adult-oriented animated series set in a variant of the DC Universe, which premiered in 2019, starring Batman villainness Harley Quinn. The story is a loose adaptation of her solo comic book title, with inspiration taken from Knightfall, No Man's Land and a variety of other Batman storylines from the '00s comics.

In the main plot, Harley has broken up with The Joker for good, formed her own gang (consisting of herself, Poison Ivy, Dr. Psycho, Killer Shark, Clayface, and Sy Borgman) and is now dead-set on making a name for herself as a unique individual and leader in Gotham’s underworld - only to quickly find that there’s a "glass ceiling" among such villains.

The cartoon stars Kaley Cuoco (of Big Bang Theory fame) as the title character. It was among the first DC Universe animated shows (along with Young Justice, Titans, and Swamp Thing) available for DC's streaming service, and has a creative team headed by Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker and Dean Lorey (who previously worked on the short-lived Powerless.) Its first season premiered on November 29, 2019 and ended on February 21, 2020. Season 2 premiered in April 2020.

"Barbra Gordon: Dad, you don't have to do this. Jim Gordon: If saving Gotham means I have to gun down another lady clown, then so be it. Barbra Gordon: Wait, what do you mean another..."
 * Adaptational Villainy: Harley is a character who has gone all the way up and down the Sliding Scale of Anti-Villains, often into true villain territory, but most of the time, she’s regarded as a tragic figure corrupted by the Joker, who in New 52, went so far as to dunk her in the same vat of chemicals that drove him mad, making her just as insane as he is. Here, Harley’s backstory reveals that she was likely Evil All Along, having been a Yandere towards a boy as early as age 11 (having spent time in juvie for it) and possibly having killed her Alpha Bitch rival in high school. This is finally cinched by Repressed Memories that shows the Joker did not push her into that vat of chemicals - she willingly jumped in, and later rationalized that Joker pushed her in to absolve herself of any responsibility for it. This revelation causes Harley to embrace her dark side and plot to outshine the Joker in notoriety, which has been a major part of the ongoing plot.
 * Affably Evil: Harley, every member of her gang except Dr. Psycho, and quite a few other villains. The biggest surprise is Bane, who seems a very straight example of this Trope.
 * Ambiguously Brown: Catwoman is of Italian and Cuban heritage in this version, a clear Shout-Out to the Eartha Kitt version in the Batman series from the 60s.
 * And I Must Scream: In the first episode of Season 2, Harley is frozen by Mr. Freeze, who gives her to the Penguin to display like a trophy in the Iceberg Lounge. She’s like this for two months before she is rescued, and is just conscious to remember being mocked by the villains when freed.
 * Anyone Can Die: One major theme of the show is that Harley does not have the moral qualms against killing that Batman does, but opposes the same enemies he does, with the end result being established DC characters being murdered, often horribly.
 * Artistic License Chemistry: The Joker plans to "erase" the identity of "Harley Quinn" by giving her a second dunking in the vat of chemicals that gave her that identity, and instead falls victim to it himself. While it's true that no effort has been made to explain what that stuff is made of, in all logic, a chemical reaction could not be reversed by the same substance that caused it.
 * Ascended Extra:
 * Sy Borgman has, to date, appeared in only one issue of Harley's solo comic title; he's a regular in this cartoon, with much more of a backstory.
 * Kite Man. Usually a joke villain (which is more-or-less true here too), this cartoon gives him more dialogue than all his appearances in the comics combined, making him a more 3-dimensional character and a love interest for Poison Ivy, and gives him more of an importance to the overall plot of the story than any of his other appearances except maybe Batman: War of Jokes and Riddles (from Batman Vol. 3 25 - 32}, . He even seems on his way to [[Breakout Character status.
 * In most continuities, Nora Fries is little more than a living piece of the scenery due to being in a cryogenic chamber to keep her from dying. The Harley Quinn TV series is one of the few where she is cured and revived; she has more lines in "Bachelorette" than all previous versions combined, and acts as an Aloof Ally to Harley.
 * Asshole Victim: Most everyone Harley and her gang kills. And seeing as they’re still villains, Harley and her gang count in a non-lethal sense whenever they end up on the wrong side of a beatdown or humiliation, often doled out by Batman.
 * Axe Crazy: Joker, of course, but Queen of Fables can challenge him for title of "most insane killer" here.
 * Also, in a flashback showing when Harley and Poison Ivy first met, Ivy seemed on the edge of falling into bestial rage out of hatred for everyone, the episode strongly suggesting that Harley kept her from going over that edge.
 * Bedlam House: Arkham is only a mild case in this version, as the faculty seems to be trying harder, at least. A flashback episode, however, shows that it used to be much worse.
 * Black Comedy: With Harley as the protagonist, this is a natural, plus a lot of Gallows Humor thrown in.
 * Black Comedy Rape: For some odd reason, the fact that Dr. Psycho brainwashed Giganta into marrying him isn't considered as bad as him using the C-word.
 * Bolivian Army Ending:
 * Bloodier and Gorier: Almost all cases of named characters dying are brutal and bloody - civilians, mooks, and Red Shirts are frequently slaughtered, often with little reaction from the main cast.
 * Denser and Wackier: On the other hand, most of it is Bloody Hilarious violence that Crosses the Line Twice, possibly to the point of being a Comedic Sociopathy series.
 * Bond Villain Stupidity:
 * Rather than killing Harley, the Penguin and the other villains display her frozen form as a trophy. This actually makes Mr. Freeze the most Genre Savvy of them all.
 * In "Dye Hard",
 * Character Development: Everyone gets this, even Kite-Man, of all people.
 * Corrupt Politician: A flashback paints Harvey Dent (not yet the villain Two-Face) as this. He promotes use of unethical and illegal methods of security at Arkham, because he knows voters would admire a DA who is tough on the inmates, and later orders the police to open fire on the Joker even if they have to shoot Harley in the process - he was only truly concerned that he'd lose reelection if the Joker escaped on his watch (although at very least, he has enough decency to tell them to stand down once Ivy holds up her hands and surrenders). Harley calls him out with the moniker "Two-Face" for the first time, her way of calling him a hypocrite, which in hindsight, makes his later name an Appropriated Appellation.
 * Country Matters: Dr. Psycho uses the word on nationwide TV in reference to Wonder Woman - no surprise there, as he's always been a chauvinist. Poison Ivy remarks that he is now the least employable person on the planet, while Harley comments that if Psycho had henchmen, they might have advised him to instead use the "B-word". Later, Psycho's inability to keep himself from using the word becomes a Running Gag until Season 2, where he seems to have kicked the habit. Ironically, this is the only cuss word that is bleeped out in the show's dialogue.
 * Good Costume Switch: A variation, as Harley never truly stops being evil. She starts the series still the Joker's "hench-wench" and wears the jester outfit from Batman: The Animated Series. However, after forsaking him, she regards this costume as a slave-garment, and switches to a different outfit with a halter, short-shorts and no mask to prove she's her own villain.
 * Very Evil Costume Switch: Harley gets a change of wardrobe again in Season 2 when she pretty much becomes The Dragon to Darkseid himself, getting her own version of Granny Goodness' costume. However, it doesn't last long.
 * Good Is Not Nice: Batman and the Justice League push the limits of what can truly be called "good". Batman seems to think Harley has crossed the Moral Event Horizon by taking the Batmobile for a joyride. Even worse, in one episode, the League is intent on banishing Harley and her gang to the Phantom Zone for releasing a mob of killer trees without any attempt at due process. (And for the record, the Scarecrow was responsible - Harley and her gang were attempting to stop the trees.) At the very least, they stand down once Poison Ivy pleads with Wonder Woman to use the Lasso of Truth on her to confirm her story.
 * Hero Antagonist: Batman and the Justice League in this case, as well as Batgirl for much of Season 2.
 * Heroic Sacrifice:
 * Hoist by His Own Petard: The Joker falling victim to his plan to "erase" Harley's identity.
 * Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Dr. Psycho - a Depraved Dwarf - seems to have a fetish of sorts involving women much larger than he is. He brainwashed Giganta into marrying him and even sired a son before the brainwashing wore off and she left him. (Poison Ivy asks him in one episode how it was even possible.) In a later episode, Poison Ivy drinks some formula that makes her grow to giant size, and Psycho quickly starts gawking at her.
 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Initially, Harley seems willing to abandon Ivy, even volunteering to conduct her wedding to Kite-Man herself after gaining certification to do so.
 * If You're So Evil Eat This Kitten: A variation in season 2 - Harley and her crew steal Mr. Miracle's boom-tube device in order to travel to Apokalypse and petition Darkseid for their servitude in exchange for an army. Darkseid considers it, but wants to test Harley's competence as well as loyalty, and thus demands she fight Granny Goodness. (Dr. Psycho was given the same chance earlier, he claims, but this is where he chickened out.) While Harley wins only because Psycho cheats (Darkseid specifically says she has to do it herself and Psycho buffs her using telekinesis) Darkseid either doesn't notice or doesn't care.
 * Impossible Thief: While Catwoman has always been a master thief, this series pushes the boundaries of belief. In the first scene where she appears, she waltzes into a restaurant - in full costume - and casually lifts the jewelry from customers without being noticed. Then she manages to steal Ivy's jacket and put it on before Ivy notices. At the end of the episode she steals a ring from its box which Kite-Man has in his pocket - without even taking the ring box - and Kite-Man doesn't notice until he opens it.
 * Iron Butt Monkey: Harley, definitely. She endures a lot of painful humiliation in her goal to prove herself.
 * Kite-Man is run through the ringer every time he appears, his loyalty to the cast out of love for Ivy being one of the most admirable traits in any character.
 * Gordon spends the whole first season a Nervous Wreck, and it gets worse in season 2 as he watches Gotham fall apart, and after wife leaves him he starts to drink heavily. However, midway through, he gets a great deal of support from Barbara, gets back on the wagon, and in a Crowning Moment of Awesome, charges into Two-Face's HQ and takes the villain down by himself.
 * Friendly Enemy: Harley seems to be this to Batgirl, in both her civilian and heroic identities. Batgirl for her part tries to warn her about her father coming for her, but Harley is too Drunk with Power to consider laying low.
 * Friends With Benefits: Harley and Ivy are this, as always, but Harley has deeper feelings for her this time. She seems happy for Ivy after Kite-Man proposes, but later shows signs of jealousy and begins acting out of character, placing a photo of Ivy and her fiance face-down on a table while eagerly ranting about how she'll be the greatest villain Gotham has ever seen.
 * Freudian Excuse: Ivy had a horrible childhood. She had rich parents but no friends, and her cruel father told her to her face he was never fond of her. The nightmare shown here gives Harley's crew a brief glimpse of how Ivy's childhood was.
 * Genre Savvy: Kite Man realizes that Ivy goes berserk whenever someone kills plants, so he makes a point to bring her plastic roses for their date.
 * Lower Deck Episode: The 5th episode of Season Two focuses entirely on Batman and Batgirl with Harley and her gang not even mentioned.
 * Love Triangle: Much of the B-plot of season 2 involves this between Harley, Ivy, and Kite-Man.
 * Made of Iron: Harley survives a lot of things that by all rights should have killed her, mostly involving falling from great heights. In one episode where KGBeast throws her from a train as it's going over a bridge, her expression seems to convey that she's mostly annoyed rather than afraid.
 * Muggle Born of Mages: The source of Kite-Man's "issues" and why he tries so hard to be a super-villain. His father has ice manipulation powers, and his mother can fly; both were rather disappointed to have a son with no real powers. They warm up to the idea of him marrying Ivy very quickly when they see she has actual super-powers.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
 * Barbara's attempt to warn Harley that her dad is coming for her only encourages her to expand her goals, petitioning Darkseid for an army of Para-Demons, which he provides. Then, her attempt to warn her father than Harley is forming an army causes him to form an army of his own. The carnage that follows is only stopped when Harley comes to her senses.
 * Obviously, Harley is not a hero, but she's the lesser evil compared to the Riddler, and forcing him to run on a treadmill as a punishment eventually turns him from a skinny non-action villain to a muscular powerhouse whom she stands no chance against in a fist-fight.
 * Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: In this version, Harley and Ivy are directly responsible for Barbara Gordon being inspired to become Batgirl.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Clayface is practically channeling William Shatner in every scene he appears.
 * Noodle Incident:


 * Rogues Gallery Transplant: Many villains on the show have previously had little, if anything, to do with Batman. Dr. Psycho is a Wonder Woman villain, and Dr. Trap was from the short-lived Chase comic. Characters like Lex Luthor and Darkseid seem to be clearly in Villain of Another Story territory when they appear.
 * Self-Deprecation: The show has gotten a lot of guff due to Sy Borgman being a stereotypical old Jewish guy, but a quick look at the credits shows quite a few Jewish names among the writers, suggesting this Trope.
 * Self-Restraint: In "Riddle U", Riddler takes over Gotham University, providing electricity to the place by forcing students run on giant hamster wheels; Harley and Ivy capture him and subject him to his own medicine, using him to power the mall they use as a hideout. The next episode, Riddler shows he can escape easily, but decides to stay because Gotham is in a state of anarchy, and by staying, he gets fed, gets lots of exercise, and best of all, gets "free entertainment" watching Harley's gang squabble amongst themselves.
 * In a later episode, Harley breaks into Arkham thinking it's the best way to let Ivy have a decent wedding while having a quiet place to sulk.
 * Slapstick Knows No Gender: In many cases, Harley suffers more indignity from violence than the rest of the main cast. Ivy isn't immune, either.
 * The Starscream:
 * This Looks Like a Job For Aquaman: Kite-Man gets this twice:
 * In one episode Queen of Fables uses a magical beanstalk to grab Harley and her crew and send them up to a cloud island where a hungry cyclops is waiting. Having access to a hang glider gives Kite-Man a serious advantage.
 * Kite-Man's mode of transport also becomes very useful when the earthquake destroys Gotham's infrastructure and there's no mass-transit.
 * Through the Eyes of Madness: Possibly the reason for the show's Denser and Wackier content. Similar to her solo series in the comics, the viewer sees it from Harley's side of the conflict, and Harley is clearly nuts.
 * Took A Level In Badass: After running on that treadmill so much, the Riddler becomes fit and muscular, able to use more than lame riddles against his foes.
 * Traumatic Toggle: The Joker's plan to "erase" the identity of "Harley Quinn" by giving her a second dunking in the vat of chemicals that gave her that identity. It happens to him instead.
 * Villain Protagonist: Although Harley is clearly on the dark side of the moral spectrum here, most of the other villains in Gotham are worse.
 * Wedding Smashers: