Harley Quinn season 5 welcomes back the clown princess of whatever she wants along with her queen to Metropolis.
Throughout DC’s media turbulence, Harley Quinn has been a steady source of entertainment through unapologetic humor, sex appeal, and chaotic justice on brand with the character. The Max animated series follows Harley Quinn, once known as Doctor Harleen Quinzel, the former psychiatrist and Joker’s ex-girlfriend. After waking to the harsh reality of how little Joker values her, she cuts ties with him to forge her path to becoming an unstoppable force in her own right. Eventually, she finds true love in fellow Batman foe, Poison Ivy.
As mentioned in the beginning, the fifth season takes Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy to Metropolis, home of Earth’s greatest boy scout Superman. They go there to take a break from the special kind of insanity that can only occupy Gotham City. Then they decide to stay after falling in love with all that Metropolis has to offer until it is revealed that Superman’s city is not what it seems as sinister forces are at play. Now Harley and Ivy must contend with Lex Luthor’s equally maniacal sister Lena, and the bigger maniac, Brainiac.
The Harley Quinn Show As We Know It
This season comes at a sensational time for DC following the successes of The Batman, The Penguin, Superman and Lois’s final season, and most recently Creature Commandos. It is hard not to feel the DC resurgence in the air. The backdrop of Metropolis this season further renews the excitement for the future of DC Studios with Superman coming out July 10th. Let’s not get carried away. This is about Harley, not Superman.
The series never loses sight of its titular protagonist this season, though a convincing argument can be made for Poison Ivy also being the star of the show. Kaley Cuoco continues to live up to the standards set by her live-action counterpart played by Margot Robbie. She is magnetic, hilarious, and strangely relatable in a chaotic way. Lake Bell contrasts her with dry humor and quiet confidence as Poison Ivy. The chemistry the couple share is palpable and fun to watch.
Everything you expect from Harley Quinn and everything you don’t expect is intricately balanced to deliver an enjoyable experience for fans. I can only imagine what was going on in the minds of everyone in the writers’ room. Without getting caught up in this wider corner of the DC Universe, the writers lived up to the challenge of using the lore, particularly Superman’s, as their playground to propel Harley Quinn’s story with Poison Ivy forward.
The premise of this season should not work, then again, the entire series should not work. Nevertheless, Harley Quinn persists in exceeding expectations. Season 5 offers a glimpse at Harley and Ivy’s domestic life with new relationship dynamics and impediments that stand in their way of achieving anything that resembles normal. Harley Quinn’s future and Poison Ivy’s past clash in Metropolis, presenting new and familiar threats to the duo.
… Brainiac?
Lena Luthor, Lois Lane, and Brainiac are fitting additions to the series with the talents of Aisha Tyler, Natalie Morales, and Stephen Fry behind them. Each character is showcased in even doses to provide insight into their characters without overlapping Harley or Ivy, except Brainiac. Despite Stephen Fry’s talents, his version of Brainiac is the weakest link in season 5. He has an episode dedicated to his backstory that accomplishes nothing in helping his case. Not only is that episode unnecessary, but the humor is not as organic as the other episodes. The attempt to inject comedy into Brainiac is unsuccessful, it only results in dragging dialogue and stale jokes until the protagonists finally appear in the episode.
Fortunately, Brainiac’s episode does not hinder the rest of the season. Harley Quinn continues to deliver a wildly entertaining story with its flamboyant personality, hilarity, and unexpected moments of tragedy. As entertaining as the show is it is not for everyone. The humor is unapologetically crude and the imagery dares to go into highly graphic detail at times. That being said, if you like Harley Quinn or DC, you will most likely love this season.
