Did you ever think that Harley Quinn would be a pop culture icon with the likes of Batman? I mean it’s still ironic to think that a character who was once created by the great Paul Dini all the way back in 1993 is still relevant today. For example, did you know the female jester first appeared as a side character or a write-off; but fate had and turned her into one of the most popular and influential icons of comic book media.
However, in the late days of 2020, Harley is more popular than ever due to her hit animated series, Harley Quinn having already aired two prolific seasons d on the DC Universe app, and beginning in season 3, HBO Max. On the show Harley Quinn is bloody, definitely NSFW, and only intended for viewership of mature audience status. But, the great thing about Harley Quinn is the morals, and themes that the characters convey to the audience.
On the animated show, Harley is trying to find Independence as the world she inhabits is one that doesn’t take her seriously because she was a henchman or let alone female. Quinn eventually does and finds a crew of people like her: people who are forgotten by the world due to their appearance or moral actions. Of course, there are zany side adventures, but they all loop around to the commentary of realizing how depressing the world of DC Comics really is.
For example, in season one was about breaking free, and seeing the triumphs of life, and how to not be sheltered by the misconception of love. In better terms, the main theme of season one was something that the film, Birds Of Prey tried to follow which was how would Harley Quinn react and live with the safety blanket of the Joker. It’s quite ironic to think but Birds Of Prey did the same thread on par with the animated series.
Whereas season two has a theme of coming to terms with oneself. Season 2 feels fresh because of the ingenuity of villains, and the fresh take of such icons as Mr. Freeze, and Two-Face, or even the likes of Cat-woman who will appear later on down the line in the season.
One of the episodes that sticks out of the series is in season 2, episode 4 Thawing Hearts. It does a spectacular job with that overarching fresh theme. Harley feels cold, and just content on taking out Mr. Freeze for sidelining her in the first few episodes.
An interesting fact to know is the discretion of empathy; an emotion that was once cold in Harley because of the toxic relationship with the Joker, and she actually mentions the dynamic in the episode is key to Harley going through her rehabilitation of her personality.
There is so much that this property reveals, and of course, there are tons of Easter eggs for eagle-eyed DC fans. However maybe we shouldn’t notice the colorful costumes, but the emotional state that these fictional characters inhabit through the actors bringing them to life. The thing I started to realize is that every episode of this series has a purpose or goal of sorts. Or in theory the answer is to understand a moral or fact about life, but Harley Quinn is very raunchy, dark, adult only pure blooded entertainment, but it carries a sense and feeling of heart.
The Harley Quinn train is not slowing down anytime soon because Robbie has been confirmed to return to the silver screen during James Gunn The Suicide Squad which is slated for release Aug. 6 2021.
