TV Post-season Review: Harley Quinn
Jun. 2nd, 2020 12:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cjlasky7Harley Quinn (streaming on DC Universe)
I never understood the appeal of Harley Quinn.
Oh, I was there from the beginning, when Harley (dubbed in thick Brooklynese by Arleen Sorkin) bounced onto the screen in Batman: The Animated Series. I thought she was a sad character, an intelligent professional woman who threw her life away to be the Joker's personal plaything, investing all her energy into loving a monster who could never love her back. I was also uncomfortable with how comfortable part of the male B:TAS fan base was with Harley's subservience to her "Puddin'": for some male fans, it's as if Harley was wish fulfillment, not cautionary tale.
Even when Harley broke free of the Joker in the comics, I still didn't get it. Her new look was designed to make male nerds drool, and her love of chaos seemed to be a lingering effect of Joker's influence. (She ditched her jailer, but the prison was still standing.) I've read essays about Harley from women writers who love Harley as a feminist icon, rebelling against the male gaze and the expectations of society while forging her own path. Well written, some of those. But I'm not feeling it.
Which brings us to the animated series (hereby abbreviated to "HQ").
Despite my misgivings about the character, when SyFy bought the rights to s1 of HQ from DC Universe, I was curious. The series promised an irreverent, Venture Brothers-style view of the DCU and the cast sounded top notch: Kaley Cuoco as Harley, Lake Bell as Poison Ivy, Alan Tudyk as Joker, Tony Hale as Dr. Psycho, Diedrich Bader as Batman, and Christopher Meloni as a version of Commissioner Gordon who desperately needed a good night's sleep (or a little less coffee).
I haven't completely changed my mind about Harley, but the end result was better than I expected. The smart move by the creative team was centering the season around the friendship between Harley and Poison Ivy. The series posits both as severely damaged women finding a way to trust each other despite their histories. Ivy here is a far cry from Uma Thurman's camp seductress in Batman and Robin: she's emotionally withdrawn and misanthropic, preferring the company of plants to people. (And she's an "ecoterrorist," not a supervillain, thank you very much.) Bell gives Ivy a sadness and vulnerability that's genuinely affecting.
They complemented each other well in s1: Ivy pulled Harley away from Joker's influence and tried to rein in her less-than-reasonable schemes to climb the Gotham supervillain social ladder; Harley offered Ivy friendship and emotional support without judgment.
[Harley/Ivy 'shippers who wanted the lesbian subtext to become text didn't get the payoff in s1.]
As the distant third in the triangle, the poisonous presence of the Joker hung over the season like a toxic cloud. Alan Tudyk has the handicap of Not Being Mark Hamill, but he was perfect for this version of the Joker: not so much the Clown Prince of Crime, but a surly narcissist whose devilish grin turned into a scowl whenever his massive ego was threatened. Tudyk sold the Joker's arrogance and confidence, playing him like a rock star in the supervillain community. It was very easy to believe Harley could fall under his influence (and be tempted to back slide even when she knew better).
Those central relationships carried the season even when other aspects were hit and miss. I got tired of the Clayface-as-hambone-actor bit really fast, and the depiction of Bane--one of Batman's most imposing villains-- as a marble mouthed doofus annoyed me. I was also put off by the unusually high civilian casualties throughout the season. It's hard to root for your (anti-)heroine when her actions inadvertently lead to bloody carnage.
[The Venture Brothers had a similar problem balancing a lightly satirical take on superhero vs. supervillain tomfoolery with an elevated body count. Anybody who watched the end of VB s6 knows what I'm talking about.]
OTOH, a lot of the season was just plain funny. Ron Funches scored twice as both King Shark and Frank, Ivy's Audrey II-ish plant buddy; I liked Giancarlo Esposito as Lex Luthor, playing the leader of the Legion of Doom as the world's most evil middle manager; and Jacob Tremblay was perfect as Damian Wayne/Robin, an obnoxious widdle stinker who drove Harley up the wall.
And as for Harley herself? Twelve years on Big Bang Theory showed Kaley Cuoco has impressive comic timing, and she hasn't lost a step here. I might not buy into Harley, but Cuoco gives the voice the right amount of crazy and manic determination. Here's hoping SyFy optioned s2.
HQ s1: B+
I never understood the appeal of Harley Quinn.
Oh, I was there from the beginning, when Harley (dubbed in thick Brooklynese by Arleen Sorkin) bounced onto the screen in Batman: The Animated Series. I thought she was a sad character, an intelligent professional woman who threw her life away to be the Joker's personal plaything, investing all her energy into loving a monster who could never love her back. I was also uncomfortable with how comfortable part of the male B:TAS fan base was with Harley's subservience to her "Puddin'": for some male fans, it's as if Harley was wish fulfillment, not cautionary tale.
Even when Harley broke free of the Joker in the comics, I still didn't get it. Her new look was designed to make male nerds drool, and her love of chaos seemed to be a lingering effect of Joker's influence. (She ditched her jailer, but the prison was still standing.) I've read essays about Harley from women writers who love Harley as a feminist icon, rebelling against the male gaze and the expectations of society while forging her own path. Well written, some of those. But I'm not feeling it.
Which brings us to the animated series (hereby abbreviated to "HQ").
Despite my misgivings about the character, when SyFy bought the rights to s1 of HQ from DC Universe, I was curious. The series promised an irreverent, Venture Brothers-style view of the DCU and the cast sounded top notch: Kaley Cuoco as Harley, Lake Bell as Poison Ivy, Alan Tudyk as Joker, Tony Hale as Dr. Psycho, Diedrich Bader as Batman, and Christopher Meloni as a version of Commissioner Gordon who desperately needed a good night's sleep (or a little less coffee).
I haven't completely changed my mind about Harley, but the end result was better than I expected. The smart move by the creative team was centering the season around the friendship between Harley and Poison Ivy. The series posits both as severely damaged women finding a way to trust each other despite their histories. Ivy here is a far cry from Uma Thurman's camp seductress in Batman and Robin: she's emotionally withdrawn and misanthropic, preferring the company of plants to people. (And she's an "ecoterrorist," not a supervillain, thank you very much.) Bell gives Ivy a sadness and vulnerability that's genuinely affecting.
They complemented each other well in s1: Ivy pulled Harley away from Joker's influence and tried to rein in her less-than-reasonable schemes to climb the Gotham supervillain social ladder; Harley offered Ivy friendship and emotional support without judgment.
[Harley/Ivy 'shippers who wanted the lesbian subtext to become text didn't get the payoff in s1.]
As the distant third in the triangle, the poisonous presence of the Joker hung over the season like a toxic cloud. Alan Tudyk has the handicap of Not Being Mark Hamill, but he was perfect for this version of the Joker: not so much the Clown Prince of Crime, but a surly narcissist whose devilish grin turned into a scowl whenever his massive ego was threatened. Tudyk sold the Joker's arrogance and confidence, playing him like a rock star in the supervillain community. It was very easy to believe Harley could fall under his influence (and be tempted to back slide even when she knew better).
Those central relationships carried the season even when other aspects were hit and miss. I got tired of the Clayface-as-hambone-actor bit really fast, and the depiction of Bane--one of Batman's most imposing villains-- as a marble mouthed doofus annoyed me. I was also put off by the unusually high civilian casualties throughout the season. It's hard to root for your (anti-)heroine when her actions inadvertently lead to bloody carnage.
[The Venture Brothers had a similar problem balancing a lightly satirical take on superhero vs. supervillain tomfoolery with an elevated body count. Anybody who watched the end of VB s6 knows what I'm talking about.]
OTOH, a lot of the season was just plain funny. Ron Funches scored twice as both King Shark and Frank, Ivy's Audrey II-ish plant buddy; I liked Giancarlo Esposito as Lex Luthor, playing the leader of the Legion of Doom as the world's most evil middle manager; and Jacob Tremblay was perfect as Damian Wayne/Robin, an obnoxious widdle stinker who drove Harley up the wall.
And as for Harley herself? Twelve years on Big Bang Theory showed Kaley Cuoco has impressive comic timing, and she hasn't lost a step here. I might not buy into Harley, but Cuoco gives the voice the right amount of crazy and manic determination. Here's hoping SyFy optioned s2.
HQ s1: B+
