What happens when Harley Quinn breaks up with her beau, Joker? A whole lot of crazy, that’s what!
Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) always gets the rough end of the stick when it comes to being the henchwoman of Joker (Alan Tudyk). After a failed attempt at robbing a yacht full of wealthy people, Quinn ends up back at Arkham Asylum while her on-off again boyfriend escapes.
Thinking Joker is coming back for her, Harley spends six months in Arkham and is constantly told by her fellow inmates, including her best friend Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) that he’s not. After another three months pass, Ivy tells her to give up. Not that we blame her. She’s right. Harley can do some much better than Joker.
Three more months after Ivy tells her this, Harley is still holding out hope despite Ivy telling her this is not the first time Joker has ditched her. Even Riddler (Jim Rash) chimes into the conversation. Even the other inmates are sick of her hoping for something that isn’t going to happen. Naturally, she tells them to fuck off.
Ivy decides enough is enough and decides to break her BFF out of prison. Harley refuses to leave and says she’s going to wait for Joker. Ivy makes her point known when she asks Calendar Man (also Alan Tudyk) how long Harley has said the same thing.
Knowing Harley won’t leave Arkham willingly, Ivy blows sleeping powder in her face, knocking her out.
The former henchwoman wakes up in Ivy’s apartment and meets Frank the Plant (J.B. Smoove). She panics when she fears Joker won’t know where she is. Annoyed, Ivy pulls her back and hands her a photo of the two of them back when Harley was a shrink going under her real name of Harleen Quinzel. Harley images the photo is talking to her and her past self walks her through diagnosing herself.
Break Up, Bust Up
Harley realises that she has co-dependancy issues when it comes to Joker.
Elsewhere, Joker plays pool when a news report reveals that Harley, Ivy, and Riddler have escaped Arkham. He shoots the television when the reporter says the Ridder is Gotham’s funniest villain. When his pal says Harley is funnier, Joker shoots him only for his friend to tell him that Harley and Ivy are standing behind him.
Harley, furious that Joker didn’t go back for her, breaks up with him. Joker laughs saying that was exactly what he expected her to do. This comes as a huge surprise to her. He tells her he was going to insist they break up because it was safer for her. When she asks why, he tells her that Commissioner Gordon has gone rogue since he thinks that he [Joker] paralysed his partner and wants revenge.
Joker manages to reel Harley back in, much to Ivy’s disgust and the evil lovebirds make out.
Gordon Calls Upon Batman And Joker’s Rant
Jim Gordon flicks the Bat signal on and off which attracts Batman who comes to his aid. He then mentions that Riddler’s jokes are enough to make anybody’s heads explode.
In Joker’s lair, the Clown Prince of Crime rants to his lady love that Riddler is getting more attention than him and he’s doing it on live TV. In irritation, he complains that Harley bread cake has raisins in it and he shoots it to pieces. Annoyed, Harley tells him they’re chocolate chips.
Joker apologises and complains that everyone is gushing over Riddler when they should be swooning over him. Harley asks if she kills Riddler, will they be able to have their date night and watch their Reese Witherspoon movie. Harley tells him the movie she picked out was Sweet Home Alabama. Joker proclaims that his day sucks.
Harley Tries to Murder Riddler And Her Realisation About Joker
Harley goes to Riddler’s lair is surprised that no one has found it.
Inside, Riddler shoots an episode of his television show when Harley barges in and Batman shows up much to Harley’s surprise. Riddler captures both of them and tells them that he plans on dropping them into a pool of acid, which is totally predictable to them.
Riddler calls Joker over and tells him that he hasn’t got a joke that will make everybody’s heads explode. He forces Joker to choose between Harley and Batman as to who he’ll drop in. He chooses Batman and Riddler drops Harley into the acid.
Harley reminisces over the time Joker proposed to her when she hears her past self say the memory didn’t actually happen the way she thinks it did. She suddenly remembers that the memory she thought she remembered was actually an attempt to kill Batman. It’s here that she finally realises Ivy was right, Joker never loved her and that he only ever ‘loved’ Batman.
Ivy pulls her out of the acid but then explains she set the whole thing up to show her that the Joker is no good for her. Riddler tells her he only helped because he wanted to thank her and Ivy for getting him out of Arkham.
A New Look
Harley changes her look and goes to Joker’s lair to tell him that they are officially over. She even tells him that the WIFI password is ‘It’s Me D*******’. Joker feels threatened by her and says no one breaks up with him and sics his goons on her. She takes them out easily enough which isn’t at all surprising given her love of violence.
What We Thought
We loved it! Despite the swearing and the mass amounts of blood, we adored it! This is exactly the type of show DC needs right now! It shows an anti-heroine going out there without her idiot self-absorbed boyfriend or in this case with Harley Quinn, the Joker. It also shows a woman breaking the cycle of violence in a relationship.
Kaley Cuoco is perfect as Harley Quinn. She takes the character in a whole new direction that sees Harley break free of Joker’s grasp while also dealing with her conflicted feelings on how he treated her.
