Harley Quinn Review: The Most Fun I’ve Had This Season

The new Animated Harley Quinn doubles down on the gags, the gore, and the comedy. And it totally freaking works! Spoilers!

Don’t get sucked in, don’t get sucked in, don’t get sucked in.

Ahhhh! See what you did? You got sucked it!

That’s me after watching DC’s animated ‘Harley Quinn,’ voiced by Big Bang’s Kaley Cuoco. I hate it when I fall for a show I’m not sure is going to stick around. But Harley comes out swinging, and when the gloves are off, and the studio can do whatever they want, Harley hits hard. And I just couldn’t resist her charm.

Heads up! Spoilers below.

It was shaky, though, at least for the first few seconds. I thought we were going to get lost in a sea of F-bombs. Maybe five in the first minute alone. That’s like an F-bomb every twelve seconds. Not that there’s anything wrong with a Pulp Fiction inspired mouth, but there’s gotta be a reason, and it has to be more than appealing to twelve-year-olds. Remember the episode of South Park “It Hits The Fan,” where they say shit on TV for the first time, then spend the entire episode saying it over and over again? The point is, you can only use profanity so much before it loses whatever edge it has.

Then, about ninety seconds in, Joker shows up and starts using someone’s skinned face like a Halloween mask, akin to Devil’s Rejects, but totally funny and totally not terrifying, and I stopped paying attention to the vocabulary and starting enjoying myself. Like really enjoying myself.

Trailers don’t do animated ‘Harley Quinn’ justice. They’re decent, I suppose, but the comedy shared between the cast and the way they explore the characters is missed entirely. This makes for a great surprise when you sit down to the first episode and drink in Joker for the first time. And is it just me, or is there something always so sweet about first-time Joker experiences?

This version is a bit like Hamill’s, but more spoiled teenager. He reminds me of how my friends and I acted when were 18, if we cranked up the crazy by about a million and killed people. He’s not as much clownish murderer as someone who truly feels like he’s just living in a world that keeps getting in the way of his fun.

The plot is what you would expect; Harley wants to be known as Harley, supercriminal, not Joker’s girlfriend. Getting over the clown first, however, isn’t so easy.

Batman shows up early, and he’s precisely the straight man needed for this kind of outing. With a sort of oblivious nature, he punches first and asks questions later. He’s reminiscent of West’s run on the caped crusader, while simultaneously looking like Miller’s take.

Yet, in this iteration, when you compare the Bat to Gordon, it’s no contest. Gordon is gold.

Barley sane, and looking like an unmade bed, Gordon steals every scene he’s in. With dialogue that comes off more like a monologue spoken to no one in particular as if he believes Gotham, with its bats and clowns and crocs, can’t possibly be real. That his job can’t really consist of standing on the roof of GCPD, switching the bat signal on and off.

“I wasn’t playing with it.” Instant classic.

Ivy’s got chops too. But more than that, she’s got delivery. Voiced by Lake Bell, I assumed we were going to get something ultra-green or overly political. Instead, we get what’s likely the most grounded character in the entire show. Not that it’s needed, but the wit Bell brings to the role rounds out the cast in a way you don’t know you’ll love until you see it.

The Riddler’s there too and gets a few good ones. Not to mention the trap he sets up to make Joker choose between Harley and Batman — perfect. There’s lots of cartoon gore, and oddly, it fits. Actually, everything fits. Harley might even be a little outclassed simply because of the crew she’s running with, but I’m sure that’s by design, and we’re witnessing the beginnings of a character arc. A wild one, but an arc all the same.

I’d say DC animation nailed Harley Quinn, but that sounds wrong. I’ll say this instead; animated Harley Quinn is what you get when you combine excellent voice talent and visionary writing with a work your butt off attitude to do the source material proud. If you’re like me and you grew up with the original Harley from BTAS, you’ll likely be sucked in just like I was, hoping Harley is here to stay. If this Harley is your first time, lucky you.