Harley Quinn (TV series)

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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 own comic series 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. A trailer has been released for Season 3, suggesting appearances by Amanda Waller, Firefly, and the Court of Owls.

Tropes used in Harley Quinn (TV series) include:

• Adaptational Villainy: Several:
  • Harley herself 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.
  • Harley's parents Sharon and Nick are much, much more evil than they were in the comics. Sharon was at least supportive of Harley and didn't approve of Nick's con artist activities, while Nick was a Papa Wolf who threatened to shoot Sportsmaster if he didn't leave Harley alone. Here, both conspire to kill their own daughter; both are Dirty Cowards who plead for their lives when Harley proves too tough to be killed, which she grants because they're Not Worth Killing.
  • Two-Face is often depicted as a once-good person who was driven insane through the marring of his face, but a flashback episode in this version shows Harvey Dent was a Corrupt Politician to begin with. Harley claims she called him "two-faced" upon seeing his hypocrisy, an Ironic Echo of his future identity.
• 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. As of the end of Season 2, the Scarecrow, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, and the Queen of Fables are confirmed dead; Granny Goodness is possibly dead (nasty wound, but no confirmation of death).
  • Downplayed, however, in that Executive producer Justin Halpern has stated that three characters - Bane, Poison Ivy, and Harley herself - have immunity to this policy, and will not be killed off.
• 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, the only real exception being Mr. Freeze. 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.
• Bad Boss:
  • The Joker, naturally. This guy actually sends a henchman to deliver Harley a message, that ends with said henchman blowing up, his blood and guts splattering all over Harley and Ivy. He also murders his accomplice - the Scarecrow - over rage when they discover Batman's identity - wasn't the Scarecrow's fault, he was just angry and had to kill somebody, Scarecrow being unlucky enough to be there.
  • The Penguin is worse. He executes a minion (something even Bane never does) who makes the mistake of saying "Hi!" to him after he had gotten annoyed with several others who had bothered him with that word. He even remarks offhand to a disguised Clayface that he had killed another henchman, as if that was a regular occurrence at the Iceberg Lounge. Pretty fitting that he is one case in this series of a villain's Karma Houdini Warranty being revoked.
• Bad Liar: Ivy insists, repeatedly, that she is not a member of Harley's crew, and any assistance she gives is done as "a favor". She can try to fool herself as much as she wants, but Ivy plays an integral role in most of Harley's plans, acting as The Dragon, Straight Woman, and Evil Genius in most episodes. Harley's crew would fall apart in an hour without her.
• 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.
• Biting the Hand Humor: In season 3, after Harley and Ivy break into the Fortress of Solitude, the one thing Superman seems upset about is that they put a subscription to HBO Max on his account, HBO Max being the service that Harley Quinn is distributed on.
• 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: Or possibly Bolivian Army Cliffhanger. The last episode of Season 2 ends with Harley and Ivy professing their love for each other, while being pursued by a squad of police cars in high-speed pursuit, followed by a caption showing a The End - or Is It? message.
  • In season 3, it is revealed they escaped (managing to get to the Arctic where they break into the Fortress of Solitude to lay low), but that Clayface and Shark were apprehended.
• 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. He didn't want Harley killed to begin with, and figured that had he not frozen her for that purpose, she’d have been gang-raped and murdered; he actually did this to protect Harley!
  • In "Dye Hard", Dr. Psycho does not use his mind-control on Harley - which he uses on Killer Shark and Clayface - because he wants her to suffer. Naturally, she escapes.
• 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.
• Deadly Change-of-Heart: The Joker, of all people. Once his villainous personality is erased, he actually becomes a decent person, getting an honest job (as a bartender) and a girlfriend named Beth. For a while, it seems his evil persona is truly gone and he is actually happy. Sadly, in order to save the city, Harley needs Queen of Fables book, Joker is the only one who knows where it is, but only in his villainous identity, so Harley is forced to restore him to normal. Oddly, however, this doesn't seem to hurt his relationship with Beth.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Harley kidnaps Amanda Waller in season 3 when Waller insults Ivy by saying "she hasn't done anything evil in years", intending to torture her once they get back to the arboretum. She doesn't know who Waller is at the time, but when she finds that out, it doesn't change much.
• Dumb Is Good: Clayface; there is no easy way to say this, he is a complete idiot in this version, even dumber than Kite Man. And among the bad guys, he is the least evil and least dangerous, only an actual threat when Brainwashed and Crazy in one episode.
• The Gadfly: Catwoman. Selina in this version is something of an instigator and gloryhound and often steals things as a jest simply to prove she can, like how she takes Ivy's jacket and puts it on before Ivy realizes it.
• 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: Sy Borgman does this in "Dye Hard" to allow Harley, Gordon, and the amnesiac Joker to escape Riddler and Dr. Psycho. However, while his body is destroyed, he survives by transferring his consciousness into a bionic eye he gives Harley, which she later downloads into her television.
• 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. However, Kite-Man applies the Trope himself, realizing Ivy would be much happier with Harley.
• 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.
• Informed Judaism: Harley herself and the Penguin are Jewish in this version, but it doesn't relate much to the plot.
• Interspecies Romance: Nora is intimate with Swamp Thing in season 3; both Harley and Ivy are a little squicked at this.
• 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.
• For Want of a Nail: Harley's childhood may have been troubled, but she at least tried to turn it around, pursuing athletics with dreams of competing in the Olympics and using it as a springboard to run for political office. Had she succeeded, her future - and that of Gotham as a whole - might have been very different. However, her asshole bigot of a father convinced her to throw a gymnastics competition after betting against her; that one event ruined those dreams, causing her to switch to pursuing a degree in psychology...
• 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. Eventually it ends with Harley and Ivy together, as Kite-Man realizes they love each other far more than he does Ivy, and he gladly acquiesces.
• 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.
• Never Gets Drunk: Nora is a Type 1. Her tolerance is higher than that of Harley, Ivy, and even John Constantine!
• 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:

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...

• Original Character: Frank the Plant is the only villain created specifically for the series.
• Race Lift: Queen of Fables is changed from Caucasian to black; Catwoman is changed from Caucasian to Cuban/Italian, possibly a Homage to the Eartha Kitt version in the live action Batman series.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Harley is Red to Ivy's Blue.
• 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. Unfortunately, Two-Face sees the perfect opportunity to use Harley as an Unwitting Pawn.
• Servile Snarker: Frank; he may owe his sentience to Ivy, but that doesn't stop him from being rude or snarky towards her, often showing a brutally honest opinion with a foul mouth. Both Harley and Ivy telling him to clam it is a Running Gag.
• 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: After Harley backs out of her deal with Darkseid, Dr. Psycho double crosses her and takes the position himself.
• 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: Two-Face fools Gordon into raiding Ivy and Kite-Man's wedding, promising a mass-arrest of the villains attending will be a boost to Gordon's reputation and career. Unfortunately, the end result is a disaster for both the couple and Gordon. By the end of the episode, even his daughter hates him.
• You Are Worth Hell: When Superman decides to use the Phantom Zone Generator on the berserk and mind-controlled Ivy, Harley pleads with him to use it on her too. Superman simply shrugs and say, "Uhm, okay." Fortunately he is distracted before he can fire.