this show has a similar feel to the later seasons (and the movie) of the venture bros. the idea of the villains just being “normal” people who are just required by their jobs to fight the heroes is probably one of my favorite things about these shows.
Your idea of just allowing the character's arcs to develop naturally and that leading to an adaptation that wouldn't fit in other canons but works surprisingly well here sums up how I feel about the character of Nora Fries in this show. It's an adaptation I don't necessarily want in other versions but I'm so grateful we got the version of her that we did here. In nearly every other incarnation she's not even really a character at all. She's just a footnote in her husband's tragic story. (An important footnote when it comes to understanding the character of Mr. Freeze , but definitely more of a footnote than a character). In this show, it's reversed. Mr. Freeze is there for one episode and then gone, to be nothing more than be HER backstory for the type of person SHE becomes. She looses him, and through a combination of her grief, her desire to make up for lost time from being sick for so long, and the environment she's in, causes her to go nuts and become this crazy, hedonistic, wild card that goes in and out of the main characters' story to help out or hinder their plans. Was anything resembling this before she got sick? Would Mr. Freeze be happy for her, or shocked? We don't know, but I like watching her become the crazy party girl she's become
Guys watch the Kite Man series too! It dives into side stories with Bane and Clayface and I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did with the Kiteman plot but it’s pretty good! It really picks up in the middle/end
I really wish they kept Joker as not an outright super villain. it was such an interesting direction to have him go from a enemy of Batman to removing that layer of abstraction and have him move towards rivaling Bruce Wayne directly.
To me season 4 is a hard destruction of essentially everything that the show was working towards. Joker is just evil again and Harley is just a neutral character that stands for nothing except for a vague notion of "helping people". However, if you yourself don't really believe in anything how can you actually help anyone?
Yeah I agree, the first two seasons were the best but since they moved to Max it’s felt like the writers are making things up as they go and it’s not great
Ya know I didn’t expect to dig this show given it’s kinda juvenile, over the top humor but god if I didn’t fall in love with it. Sure it takes a _lot_ of creative liberties with the characters and should not be at all taken seriously but it’s just so much fun.
I remember so many people being angry over the nightwing situation, and sure, it wasn't great and could have been a bit more respectful. but when you remember all the other random and crazy things that happened in the series, it's not that different to what they've been doing
This video was so good, it made me realize a few things about myself, thank you. I honestly don’t know if it went over my head or it didn’t matter to me at the time but I’m glad I have a new appreciation for this show
I have a love and hate relationship with this series. I absolutely loved the first two seasons, but from season 3 onwards I found myself enjoying it less and less. I feel like the characters became way too flanderized, which I know it’s supposed to be a comedy but I began to get annoyed with the character writing. I don’t like the relationship between Harley and Ivy because I feel like they both began acting out of character when they started dating. The show went from a story about Harley overcoming the shadow of the Joker which she lived in and learning to make a name for herself into a confused mess. Harley is so obsessed with Ivy to the point that it’s become her entire personality. And she can’t decide whether she wants to be a villain or hero. I like the idea of the relationship and redemption arc, but it constantly flips back and forth. Harley and Ivy have a happy relationship, and then it’s toxic. Then they’re back to being in love and so forth. Harley wants to be a hero, but then she does something bad. And this keeps repeating. The side characters in Harley’s team fade away too. Clayface, King Shark, and Doctor Psychosis become cameos at most. The Bat Family becomes one note. Batman is so out of character in season 3, there’s no way he would bring his parents back as zombies, and even if it was in character, there’s absolutely no way he would be okay with it afterwards. He should’ve been horrified to see what his parents became, but he’s so crazy and pathetic that he’s okay with it. He’s constantly begging for Catwoman’s attention and it feels so demeaning. I’m not asking for the show to take itself super serious, but at least build off what you set up in the first two seasons. None of them feel like the same character besides the Joker, who is the one consistently great character. Don’t even get me started with how they butchered Nightwing. The humor also seemed to tank, with most of the gags in season 3-4 being sex jokes or loud equals funny. The first two seasons were really clever but now it’s basically modern Family Guy. Still, I have a soft spot for those first two seasons so I have tried to keep up with the series and give it a chance. There are a few good episodes in the most recent seasons, but nothing that has sold me on it. Hoping season 5 picks things back up
I agree about the relationship. They shit on anyone that complains about relationships with bad people, or them being selfish, or narcissistic in one, while they have the most basic of issues, end just keep ignoring the problem, like a bad sitcom, as a couple. I’d be fine with the relationship having issues, if they’d just came up with better stuff like that, because I really don’t care about the relationship anymore. They already figured it out and saved everyone, then went back to not being honest by the next season.
@ creature commandos (a suicide squad spin off) is coming out before Superman The new DCU is also has some things from the old DCEU be cannon in the new DCU. Peacemaker (a suicide squad spinoff) and The suicide squad movie. So the new universe has 2 suicide squads projects from the old universe is in the new one. The first official project of this universe is a suicide squad spinoff. So in other words Nuh uh
@@A.IDIOT3I see it as an absolute win man. I mean, phosphorus, king shark, polka dot man, peacemaker, vigilante etc. But I see your point, I do think superman really should be the first in this new universe.
Wtf are you even on about rtrd? Season 2 of My Adventures with Superman was earlier this year. And the first live action movie in the new cinematic universe is Superman. And season 4 of Superman and Lois is great. Consume arsenic.
One thing I've always disliked about Harleys treatment as a character is how she is either in love with joker or in love with ivy, never really any inbetween. And this show blatantly points this out and how toxic it is and how it's antithetical to her growth as a human being to just go from obsessed with joker to obsessed with ivy
Same. I wish there was a period of time between her breakup with the Joker and her hooking up with Ivy, where Harley was not in a relationship. I also wish the writers really leaned into Harley’s codependency and having her realize this as one of the reasons she clings to (often toxic) people so quickly. I’ve sometimes wondered who Harley Quinn really is, when you remove Joker, Ivy, Suicide Squad, the Batfam from the equation.
to be fair, near the end of S3, ivy says she doesn't want harley to stick to being a villain for the sake of maintaining their relationship, and even acknowledges that harley wants to help people, in a supportive tone
I feel like she's gonna have a character arc in the next seasons. This show is very good at character developments so I'm really expecting a new era for her.
I finished the intro and I was like "wow, that was a solid break down, I hope he makes more videos on the show..." then the GOAT DC RUclipsr said he's not finished! Great video as always, you are only getting better at this!! Cheers brother 😎
Thank you so much for this beautiful essay on one of my most favourite shows! The overarching theme of memory is a perspective I haven't thought about. Thank you for making me appreciate my favourite show even more!
unpopular opinion, but season 3 (especially the latter half), plot-wise, was actually as good as the first two seasons, since it shed light on harley's growth as a character, not wanting to hurt people, and i think the build-up in season 3 was better than some of us remember it while i do agree with S4 being the weakest, it's not a trainwreck as some make it out to be, although it did lack the coherency of the first three seasons
I knew there were deeper themes in Harley Quinn, but, the humour would get in the way for me. I never thought of how I could apply any broader themes to my own life. I’m glad I’m getting more out of this show. I really enjoyed the show and as always I very much enjoyed the video.
You know I feel the same way about Teen Titans Go!.. There was one episode about Taxes and another on Public domain but the humor and the caharacters got in the way of the plot Especially April fools episode where they pranked Robin with his dead parents and tape Probably the worst episode so far!…
Yeah a lot of viewers don't really like season 4. Several showrunners weren't present for its production so the writing is pretty different. I feel really lukewarm about it
No honestly. I remember when the DC streaming service was shutting down and this show’s fate was left up in the air I was hoping it’d get picked back up. Now I almost wish it had ended with season2
I can’t say I’m a fan of this series. The moment that really killed the series for me is when Ivy and Harley committed mass terrorism by blowing up several massive skyscrapers, putting hundreds of innocent people at risk, and then seemingly faced, no consequences and even had Superman claim that she is a hero moments after. I get that Harley is an antihero and Ivy is a villain, but pile that on top of all the other things they do throughout the series and at a certain point it just comes across as unlikable. At least to me anyway. If they’re going to do something like that, they need to push the idea that our protagonists are completely unredeemable. You can’t have them commit such a heinous crime and then have someone righteous as Superman claimed that she is a hero. Also comedy subjective, but I just don’t think the series’ humor works for me. Though, I admit that’s more of a personal thing and not an objective problem. And I don’t like how the series handles a lot of the iconic DC characters: Sinestro gets killed casually in the spin off despite being one of the most dangerous men in the galaxy, Nightwing is humiliated and objectified constantly, The Justice League comes across as borderline uncaring at times, and Although Batman probably has it the best out of everyone I still don’t think this is a great portrayal of his character as he comes across as kind of from time to time. I wouldn’t have an issue with this if the whole story was being narrated by Harley, then you could argue that she’s an unreliable narrator who fudges some of the details, but the series treats these objective facts about the characters. Although Harley and Ivy are a pretty decent couple in the comics, I don’t think I like how they’re handled in this series. Especially once you get to the season, it becomes abundantly clear that they are a toxic pair. Ivy may be better than the Joker, but I still wouldn’t call what they have healthy. With all this being said, even though I’ve come to realize the series isn’t for me, I am glad that it has found an audience that resonates with it. I can tell that the series speaks to a lot of people, and even though I’m not a big fan of this particular version of Harley, I’m glad that she has thrived in the public consciousness and can be seen as more than just the Joker’s sidekick, but stand as her own character.
Appreciate ya for not attacking fans. Hope you do have some shows you really do enjoy. I loved the show mostly cause it didn't take itself too seriously but I can see how the mass death for now reason other than chaos could not sit well some people
I've discussed this with friends and we agree the problem with the show is despite its claims of being a parody, Harley and Ivy are completely exempt from this. My friend described this, the cartoon is essentially twisting the DC Universe to make Harley and Ivy look better and thats pretty much the problem here. Compared to the rest of the cast, they are less flawed, less comedic, and it takes their personal problems way more seriously than anyone else. The result is they wind up unlikable characters because the show is too enabling of their personal bullshit. T he whole situation with the future daughter is a perfect example of this, as it reveals Harley and Ivy become terrible mothers but the two are so self-interested they feel no shame in fucking up their daughter. And then there's Harley lying to Barbara about who killed Dick yet we are still supposed to feel sympathy for her.
bro dont sugarcoat this show is straight trash why cant we get a show for wonder woman. dc hates money cause the majority of the health non redittor population would this is bad. btw good analysis tho
Honestly I loved the first season, thought season 2 was ok liked the first half but I didn't like how Harley just started killing innocents, I genuinely loved season 3 (I never understood why people didn't like it) and I didn't like season 4(though the quality drop off was odd asf) and I loved the Kiteman show (I guess that's where the quality for season 4 went)
I enjoyed the 1st season but the fact that during Ivy's bachelorette party, she cheated with Harley on Kite-man made me dislike both Ivy and Harley and I never went back to go watch the rest of the show after season 2's ending because personally, nothing makes me dislike a character more than them being a cheater. I would have loved to see their relationship blossom on its own and for them to start dating but if memory serves neither of them even had the balls to admit they cheated, it had to be revealed to Kite-man by the little misogynistic mind reader and then the wedding still happened like fuck right off with that. It just ruined the characters for me like if you are going to cheat at least be fucking open and honest about it so that your ass can get dumped, like that isn't such a big ask.
Honestly I really liked the comedy and writing of the series in Season 1 & 2 as it was such a clever R rated comedy series that really utilises the DC Universe in a cool refreshing way that makes Harley more relatable and they built up her journey for independence and her relationship with Ivy felt natural. I will admit I did start to lose interest in the show after Season 4 but I will say I really enjoyed the latest Kite Man spin off as it was just as good as the first season of Harley Quinn show.
In my opinion the show nosedived in quality. The definition of the meme of the horse getting drawn worse and worse in each frame. Season 1 was genuinely a pleasant surprise
From a DC Fanboy, I always thought this show was just making fun of DC Comics and Harley and Ivy but with this video, I see more to it so I'll take a crack at watching it
I think of it more like Teen Titans Go, it’s people who seem to really like the original source material and are stretching the characters and city in different ways for a different take that happens to be funny sometimes
Harley Quinn is ridiculously underrated, it is very difficult to write this cleverly and hilariously within the realms and reality of DC. DC is known for being meta and this show is beyond that, aware and enjoying it.
The first season was amazing. The second season was good. I think I tapped out around the middle of the third season because Harley just became insufferable. I know she's supposed to be loud and abrasive but dial it back a bit! I found myself more interested in Ivy as a character and wanted her away from Harley
I now know why I am indecisive in choosing a career option. It is because I want to help all; and through getting education that has no particular point defined by others and myself; I have wanted to acquire all the tools for all the jobs. The problem is I did not realize I was beating myself up for not accomplishing the goal of not having a complete education. This video brought to memory of me helping others on the way in my education and even stopping my education to help others. Then to put aside of the goal (and pain of not progressing) of accomplishing my education and see the joy of my true self. Thank you for reminding me of who I am. A helper. P.S. thanks for the Mufasa moment!
I initially held off on watching this show cause I thought it was going to be really shallow, but after watching this video I may just have to give it a shot. And more importantly, even if it is super shallow I at least get to enjoy Bane.
The show sometimes has this Teen Titans Go type of spiteful meta humor of the writers thinking are smarter than the audience and there can be a lot of James Gunn dick riding and some attempts at pop culture humor, and in paper this should be a show that I should hate, but when you see how it understands its own version of these characters and despite at times being corny baboons, you can see that in the derangement of this universe and also with the background of each of them, their behavior and choices really feel earned and not tracked on just for cheap laughs or gross out humor, that is why I always feel like coming back each week for a new episode.
As much as I liked the characters, they sort of lost me with all the mindless killing. I kind of lost empathy for these characters as they started killing masses of people indiscriminately with zero consequences (particularly the Ivy Tree episode and Harley Quinn with the Parademons). It just stopped feeling like a real superhero world when heroes kept insisting Harley was a good guy after all the countless murder she committed.
I've seen the first two seasons I think? And then I didn't have Max until like 2 days ago. Might have to drag my best friend back into it to watch seasons three and four. Wild that the show has had such a long life.
Genuinely ticks me off this show not only got 4 seasons and a spin off but how Warner bros has no respect for there actual animated properties people want more of and actually like. This show just feels like adult teen titans go and venture bros with a sprinkle of Rick and Morty. It’s hard to perfectly describe but yeah I just can’t get into this show at all
Honestly, I implore you to watch the kite man series. I thought I wouldn’t like it because Kite Man was a blah character to me, but it delves even deeper into this Gotham and it has great side stories. I assume when Harley comes back they’ll pick up where Kite Man added, plus Bane and Clayface gets so many storylines in it it’s kind of incredible.
I agree. I feel like it goes against the entire point of the Harley Quinn show, which does such a good job of decentering mediocre men and calling them out for their cringey behavior
Harley Quinn is such a breath of fresh air! Finally, a show with a lesbian storyline that's actually made for queer women, without catering to the male gaze or feeling like fetish content. The characters are real, funny, and complex, and I love how it centers Harley and Ivy's relationship with so much respect and authenticity. It's empowering to see a show that gets what lesbians want to see in LGBTQ+ stories. Props to everyone behind it-this is the representation we deserve!
Yeah Harley x Ivy in the Timm and Dini era never felt intentional even when it plays cheeky acknowledge g*y doesn't feel like the its meant to be feels like y'know how anime plays with characters for fanservice. Of course being a westerner when praise came Timm clearly would lie [Queue the catcher freeman in the moment scene] Anyways like the modern comics pairing Ivy and Harley Quinn is a huge downgrade as the characters become so bland all they become is about the other while season 1 Harley and Ivy worked better and far more entertaining as they would razz each other.
@mahdimarvi-hi9xt that was a joke. I know the definition of woke. The real definition. But at this point, the word has become a buzzword for people who hate to accept anyone other than the straight white man
I disagree with the show's central premise: Harley Quinn cannot be reformed; she doesn't deserve it. The DCAU was very good at creating sympathetic villains but also at creating unsympathetic ones, John Corbin and Rudy Jones didn't become monsters, they always were monsters. People forget that in her original backstory, Harley's initial interest in the Joker was not driven out of curiosity or sympathy but purely to further her own medical career, she planned to use him to make a name for herself, showcasing her skills as a psychologist to mold him into something to suit her design, and in a cosmic twist of Irony, she became the Joker's plaything instead. It's poetic in a twisted way, in a way the Joker is her personal hell, the price of her hubris and ambition, and sinners sent to hell receive no redemption, only eternal damnation. I understand why people see her as a sympathetic character, but there is so much projection involved there and a true shame that it eventually became canonized, I think she is less interesting a character for it.
Kinda, yeah, actually. She gets to be obnoxious. Her and Clayface were my least favorite characters in season 1 and that didn’t really change. Hell, I pretty much watched the show for Ivy.
The thing I love about recent LGBTQIA animation like this is that it's clear the current golden age of animation we have now is treating their gay characters with an incredible amount of respect via having their characters have same-sex relationships be essential to the story both in the ways you can't edit it out for foreign releases, and also it serves as a great metaphor for coming out and accepting who you are while mixing that in with amazing character development and themes that anybody can relate to. It was nice to see glimpses of Korrasami in 2014 (especially how that's when this ridiculous culture war in nerd media began to form), but man. To now have Catradora, Lumity, and Harlivy, and all in shows that work fantastic in terms of stories and characters has really been a great thing to see.
Young Justice perished because the new writers don't know how to make interesting characters without making them suffer with some sort of psychological crisis that becomes an entire B plot each episode (I'm looking at you, Garfield).
I have one word for this show. BOOOOO Every time I try to give it a chance, it makes me mad. It bends all the other characters out of shape to justify giving Harley the starring role. Which to me is indicative of why DC needs to stop pushing Harley as a big focus. She can't justify that attention on her own. And she is (almost) ALWAYS leaning on other characters. Joker, Ivy, Task Force X, Bat Family members. You want to tell a story of her carving out her own identity, fine, but it needs to actually make sense and not turn other characters into her glorified entourage. Or just turn her into a supporting character and stop using her in everything.
They have diff strengths and weaknesses. Venture Bros had extremely weak female characters other than Dr. Mrs. The Monarch and often got stuck in the weeds. Many of the jokes and references are outdated or simply distasteful. Like it literally had blackface. It very clearly was written by two straight white Gen Xer dudes who got stuck in a bubble. This show is much better paced but it could have used more of the Venture Bros geekiness. Also someone who remotely knew anything about music or riddles. I'll also add that releasing on any sort of reasonable schedule gives the HQ show so many bonus points lmfao.
@golden_raisins quite the contrary it combined retro and clever. Dr Mrs the Monarch rocked with her he's evil and I'm down attitude. The female characters were done well until the later seasons where it unfortunately it took a dip in quality getting too in line with modern writing and getting up its own a** about the lore like instead of using it constantly stroked itself over the what it used to be.
Didn’t dig some of season 3 or most of season 4 though. And I’ll admit, Im kinda over the Harley Ivy ship. Not just in this show but like in everything these days.
The Harley Quinn show is the best example of a capital driven style of storytelling that is creating a cognitive dissonance in Marvel and DC storytelling. Its a well told, fully fleshed out, narrative world, but... I don't want to see a story where characters that reveled in there villainy who show their goodness. I don't need an Agatha Harkness miniseries. We don't have anymore villains in these morality plays except the studios.
this show has a similar feel to the later seasons (and the movie) of the venture bros. the idea of the villains just being “normal” people who are just required by their jobs to fight the heroes is probably one of my favorite things about these shows.
I miss Venture Bros so goddamn much. What a work of art. Thank you for the mention so that I can do another rewatch.
I've always seen this show as Venture Brothers, but they can use the real names of characters now.
I just wish we had a non comedic premise for a dc animated show
@@pickedceasar1216 Then watch the DCAU shows or Young Justice
It’s clearly attempting to be Venture Bros, but it’s never as good
Your idea of just allowing the character's arcs to develop naturally and that leading to an adaptation that wouldn't fit in other canons but works surprisingly well here sums up how I feel about the character of Nora Fries in this show. It's an adaptation I don't necessarily want in other versions but I'm so grateful we got the version of her that we did here.
In nearly every other incarnation she's not even really a character at all. She's just a footnote in her husband's tragic story. (An important footnote when it comes to understanding the character of Mr. Freeze , but definitely more of a footnote than a character). In this show, it's reversed. Mr. Freeze is there for one episode and then gone, to be nothing more than be HER backstory for the type of person SHE becomes.
She looses him, and through a combination of her grief, her desire to make up for lost time from being sick for so long, and the environment she's in, causes her to go nuts and become this crazy, hedonistic, wild card that goes in and out of the main characters' story to help out or hinder their plans.
Was anything resembling this before she got sick? Would Mr. Freeze be happy for her, or shocked? We don't know, but I like watching her become the crazy party girl she's become
When the intro is 13 minutes in the video
Damn, you weren’t lying 😂
I'm just bloody flabbergasted that it took that long.
Came here to say this. What was that
…however that isn’t what this is about. Great way to shrug off the the intro
Was about to comment the same but honestly.... I kinda like it in a weird way. Made me smile and laugh.
Guys watch the Kite Man series too! It dives into side stories with Bane and Clayface and I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did with the Kiteman plot but it’s pretty good! It really picks up in the middle/end
The beginning is quite rough but as a big fan of kiteman I pushed through and reasonably enjoyed it
I liked Bane there too
Bane is the best character in that show
I really wish they kept Joker as not an outright super villain. it was such an interesting direction to have him go from a enemy of Batman to removing that layer of abstraction and have him move towards rivaling Bruce Wayne directly.
To me season 4 is a hard destruction of essentially everything that the show was working towards. Joker is just evil again and Harley is just a neutral character that stands for nothing except for a vague notion of "helping people". However, if you yourself don't really believe in anything how can you actually help anyone?
I feel ya man
It’s literally feels like watching season 3 of Danny Phantom or season 2 of centaur world
Yeah I agree, the first two seasons were the best but since they moved to Max it’s felt like the writers are making things up as they go and it’s not great
Agree everything after season 2 or 3 is where i'm like ok where are we going with this
Ya know I didn’t expect to dig this show given it’s kinda juvenile, over the top humor but god if I didn’t fall in love with it.
Sure it takes a _lot_ of creative liberties with the characters and should not be at all taken seriously but it’s just so much fun.
God awful
Yeah it's a really fun show
I remember so many people being angry over the nightwing situation, and sure, it wasn't great and could have been a bit more respectful. but when you remember all the other random and crazy things that happened in the series, it's not that different to what they've been doing
Sai borgman is the funniest character name and i will die on that hill.
he actually first appeared in harley's solo new 52 run
I can’t begin to express how much I love a 13 minute intro
This video was so good, it made me realize a few things about myself, thank you. I honestly don’t know if it went over my head or it didn’t matter to me at the time but I’m glad I have a new appreciation for this show
I have a love and hate relationship with this series. I absolutely loved the first two seasons, but from season 3 onwards I found myself enjoying it less and less. I feel like the characters became way too flanderized, which I know it’s supposed to be a comedy but I began to get annoyed with the character writing. I don’t like the relationship between Harley and Ivy because I feel like they both began acting out of character when they started dating. The show went from a story about Harley overcoming the shadow of the Joker which she lived in and learning to make a name for herself into a confused mess. Harley is so obsessed with Ivy to the point that it’s become her entire personality. And she can’t decide whether she wants to be a villain or hero. I like the idea of the relationship and redemption arc, but it constantly flips back and forth. Harley and Ivy have a happy relationship, and then it’s toxic. Then they’re back to being in love and so forth. Harley wants to be a hero, but then she does something bad. And this keeps repeating. The side characters in Harley’s team fade away too. Clayface, King Shark, and Doctor Psychosis become cameos at most. The Bat Family becomes one note. Batman is so out of character in season 3, there’s no way he would bring his parents back as zombies, and even if it was in character, there’s absolutely no way he would be okay with it afterwards. He should’ve been horrified to see what his parents became, but he’s so crazy and pathetic that he’s okay with it. He’s constantly begging for Catwoman’s attention and it feels so demeaning. I’m not asking for the show to take itself super serious, but at least build off what you set up in the first two seasons. None of them feel like the same character besides the Joker, who is the one consistently great character. Don’t even get me started with how they butchered Nightwing. The humor also seemed to tank, with most of the gags in season 3-4 being sex jokes or loud equals funny. The first two seasons were really clever but now it’s basically modern Family Guy. Still, I have a soft spot for those first two seasons so I have tried to keep up with the series and give it a chance. There are a few good episodes in the most recent seasons, but nothing that has sold me on it. Hoping season 5 picks things back up
Completely agree
agree still hate the relationship btw ivy and harley makes no sense when joker literally brainwasher hers into falling for him
I agree about the relationship. They shit on anyone that complains about relationships with bad people, or them being selfish, or narcissistic in one, while they have the most basic of issues, end just keep ignoring the problem, like a bad sitcom, as a couple.
I’d be fine with the relationship having issues, if they’d just came up with better stuff like that, because I really don’t care about the relationship anymore.
They already figured it out and saved everyone, then went back to not being honest by the next season.
You summed it up perfectly!
I had to stop after Poison Ivy cheated on Kite Man, twice. They passed it off as a good thing which was reprehensible to me
Dc choosing another suicide squad movie and 3 spinoffs over a Superman movie
What? Dude they’re literally making the entirety of the new Cinematic universe based on Superman?!
@ creature commandos (a suicide squad spin off) is coming out before Superman
The new DCU is also has some things from the old DCEU be cannon in the new DCU. Peacemaker (a suicide squad spinoff) and The suicide squad movie.
So the new universe has 2 suicide squads projects from the old universe is in the new one. The first official project of this universe is a suicide squad spinoff. So in other words
Nuh uh
@@A.IDIOT3I see it as an absolute win man. I mean, phosphorus, king shark, polka dot man, peacemaker, vigilante etc. But I see your point, I do think superman really should be the first in this new universe.
@@A.IDIOT3Not really since you did say "over" not "as well as" or "before"
Wtf are you even on about rtrd? Season 2 of My Adventures with Superman was earlier this year. And the first live action movie in the new cinematic universe is Superman. And season 4 of Superman and Lois is great.
Consume arsenic.
One thing I've always disliked about Harleys treatment as a character is how she is either in love with joker or in love with ivy, never really any inbetween. And this show blatantly points this out and how toxic it is and how it's antithetical to her growth as a human being to just go from obsessed with joker to obsessed with ivy
Same. I wish there was a period of time between her breakup with the Joker and her hooking up with Ivy, where Harley was not in a relationship. I also wish the writers really leaned into Harley’s codependency and having her realize this as one of the reasons she clings to (often toxic) people so quickly.
I’ve sometimes wondered who Harley Quinn really is, when you remove Joker, Ivy, Suicide Squad, the Batfam from the equation.
It's because her character struggles to justify herself as a stand alone, and really doesn't bring anything distinctly her own.
to be fair, near the end of S3, ivy says she doesn't want harley to stick to being a villain for the sake of maintaining their relationship, and even acknowledges that harley wants to help people, in a supportive tone
@@StarViewer68her solo rebirth comics focus on her life on coney island
I feel like she's gonna have a character arc in the next seasons. This show is very good at character developments so I'm really expecting a new era for her.
Seasons 1, 2 and part of 3 are fantastic. But the fall off in season 4 needs to be studied.
It's because of the different writers. Several of the original showrunners weren't present during it's production
I finished the intro and I was like "wow, that was a solid break down, I hope he makes more videos on the show..." then the GOAT DC RUclipsr said he's not finished! Great video as always, you are only getting better at this!! Cheers brother 😎
A thirteen minute intro is insane
Thank you so much for this beautiful essay on one of my most favourite shows!
The overarching theme of memory is a perspective I haven't thought about. Thank you for making me appreciate my favourite show even more!
unpopular opinion, but season 3 (especially the latter half), plot-wise, was actually as good as the first two seasons, since it shed light on harley's growth as a character, not wanting to hurt people, and i think the build-up in season 3 was better than some of us remember it
while i do agree with S4 being the weakest, it's not a trainwreck as some make it out to be, although it did lack the coherency of the first three seasons
It's a shame season 3 undid it all at the end
Harley and Ivy is just Harley and the Joker. An infatuation with a Patient.
I knew there were deeper themes in Harley Quinn, but, the humour would get in the way for me. I never thought of how I could apply any broader themes to my own life. I’m glad I’m getting more out of this show. I really enjoyed the show and as always I very much enjoyed the video.
You know I feel the same way about Teen Titans Go!..
There was one episode about Taxes and another on Public domain but the humor and the caharacters got in the way of the plot
Especially April fools episode where they pranked Robin with his dead parents and tape
Probably the worst episode so far!…
It’s crazy how my enthusiasm for this show completely dried up in the span of time between Seasons 3 and 4.
Yeah a lot of viewers don't really like season 4. Several showrunners weren't present for its production so the writing is pretty different. I feel really lukewarm about it
No honestly. I remember when the DC streaming service was shutting down and this show’s fate was left up in the air I was hoping it’d get picked back up. Now I almost wish it had ended with season2
yooooooooo i have been so hyped about this show dude
genuinely so good
like FUCKING GOOD
the episode of her visiting her parents again is the best
Yeah I love the first 2 seasons. Season 3 is decent too
I can’t say I’m a fan of this series.
The moment that really killed the series for me is when Ivy and Harley committed mass terrorism by blowing up several massive skyscrapers, putting hundreds of innocent people at risk, and then seemingly faced, no consequences and even had Superman claim that she is a hero moments after. I get that Harley is an antihero and Ivy is a villain, but pile that on top of all the other things they do throughout the series and at a certain point it just comes across as unlikable. At least to me anyway. If they’re going to do something like that, they need to push the idea that our protagonists are completely unredeemable. You can’t have them commit such a heinous crime and then have someone righteous as Superman claimed that she is a hero.
Also comedy subjective, but I just don’t think the series’ humor works for me. Though, I admit that’s more of a personal thing and not an objective problem.
And I don’t like how the series handles a lot of the iconic DC characters:
Sinestro gets killed casually in the spin off despite being one of the most dangerous men in the galaxy, Nightwing is humiliated and objectified constantly, The Justice League comes across as borderline uncaring at times, and Although Batman probably has it the best out of everyone I still don’t think this is a great portrayal of his character as he comes across as kind of from time to time. I wouldn’t have an issue with this if the whole story was being narrated by Harley, then you could argue that she’s an unreliable narrator who fudges some of the details, but the series treats these objective facts about the characters.
Although Harley and Ivy are a pretty decent couple in the comics, I don’t think I like how they’re handled in this series. Especially once you get to the season, it becomes abundantly clear that they are a toxic pair. Ivy may be better than the Joker, but I still wouldn’t call what they have healthy.
With all this being said, even though I’ve come to realize the series isn’t for me, I am glad that it has found an audience that resonates with it.
I can tell that the series speaks to a lot of people, and even though I’m not a big fan of this particular version of Harley, I’m glad that she has thrived in the public consciousness and can be seen as more than just the Joker’s sidekick, but stand as her own character.
Appreciate ya for not attacking fans. Hope you do have some shows you really do enjoy. I loved the show mostly cause it didn't take itself too seriously but I can see how the mass death for now reason other than chaos could not sit well some people
That… was pretty good
If I was your teacher
You would get an A+
I've discussed this with friends and we agree the problem with the show is despite its claims of being a parody, Harley and Ivy are completely exempt from this. My friend described this, the cartoon is essentially twisting the DC Universe to make Harley and Ivy look better and thats pretty much the problem here.
Compared to the rest of the cast, they are less flawed, less comedic, and it takes their personal problems way more seriously than anyone else. The result is they wind up unlikable characters because the show is too enabling of their personal bullshit. T
he whole situation with the future daughter is a perfect example of this, as it reveals Harley and Ivy become terrible mothers but the two are so self-interested they feel no shame in fucking up their daughter. And then there's Harley lying to Barbara about who killed Dick yet we are still supposed to feel sympathy for her.
@@comicfan1324 this reminds me of Teen Titans go.. don’t know why
bro dont sugarcoat this show is straight trash why cant we get a show for wonder woman. dc hates money cause the majority of the health non redittor population would this is bad. btw good analysis tho
IT'S LADY GAH-GAH!
OMG ITS BEYONCÉ!
Honestly I loved the first season, thought season 2 was ok liked the first half but I didn't like how Harley just started killing innocents, I genuinely loved season 3 (I never understood why people didn't like it) and I didn't like season 4(though the quality drop off was odd asf) and I loved the Kiteman show (I guess that's where the quality for season 4 went)
I enjoyed the 1st season but the fact that during Ivy's bachelorette party, she cheated with Harley on Kite-man made me dislike both Ivy and Harley and I never went back to go watch the rest of the show after season 2's ending because personally, nothing makes me dislike a character more than them being a cheater. I would have loved to see their relationship blossom on its own and for them to start dating but if memory serves neither of them even had the balls to admit they cheated, it had to be revealed to Kite-man by the little misogynistic mind reader and then the wedding still happened like fuck right off with that. It just ruined the characters for me like if you are going to cheat at least be fucking open and honest about it so that your ass can get dumped, like that isn't such a big ask.
I’m enjoying the deep dives you’ve been doing into the DC shows. Hope you get to do some of the more underrated ones in the future.
Honestly I really liked the comedy and writing of the series in Season 1 & 2 as it was such a clever R rated comedy series that really utilises the DC Universe in a cool refreshing way that makes Harley more relatable and they built up her journey for independence and her relationship with Ivy felt natural.
I will admit I did start to lose interest in the show after Season 4 but I will say I really enjoyed the latest Kite Man spin off as it was just as good as the first season of Harley Quinn show.
In my opinion the show nosedived in quality. The definition of the meme of the horse getting drawn worse and worse in each frame. Season 1 was genuinely a pleasant surprise
Who knew Harley Quinn was the bay harbor butcher
You know, i think it was something, not much more it seems, but, interesting
Bro is putting the opening 13 minutes in like a madlad
Bro cooked so hard he didn’t even need a stove 🔥🔥🔥
From a DC Fanboy, I always thought this show was just making fun of DC Comics and Harley and Ivy but with this video, I see more to it so I'll take a crack at watching it
I think of it more like Teen Titans Go, it’s people who seem to really like the original source material and are stretching the characters and city in different ways for a different take that happens to be funny sometimes
No, you're actually right. the author of the video speaks as if he was watching another series, there are a lot of problems there
Harley Quinn is ridiculously underrated, it is very difficult to write this cleverly and hilariously within the realms and reality of DC. DC is known for being meta and this show is beyond that, aware and enjoying it.
It's crap
This show is what Velma thought it was
When I can openly and positively compare the show to the Venture Bros., you know you've struck gold
Wow they really assassinated the Joker's redemption 😐
The first season was amazing. The second season was good. I think I tapped out around the middle of the third season because Harley just became insufferable. I know she's supposed to be loud and abrasive but dial it back a bit! I found myself more interested in Ivy as a character and wanted her away from Harley
I’ve seen enough gardeners stop watering their plants to believe it.
Yes! Was waiting for this one!
Now we need a video on the Kite-Man spin off
Dude can we get a Playlist I just adore each and every single one of the songs you put in the videos
The first season was great I haven’t watched the rest but I remember stopping when bat girl was introduced
such an underrated show, thanks for the breakdown!
also, bane, am i right!?
I love bane so much 😂 I just want him to find love.
kite man, hell yeah
I now know why I am indecisive in choosing a career option. It is because I want to help all; and through getting education that has no particular point defined by others and myself; I have wanted to acquire all the tools for all the jobs. The problem is I did not realize I was beating myself up for not accomplishing the goal of not having a complete education.
This video brought to memory of me helping others on the way in my education and even stopping my education to help others. Then to put aside of the goal (and pain of not progressing) of accomplishing my education and see the joy of my true self.
Thank you for reminding me of who I am. A helper.
P.S. thanks for the Mufasa moment!
Longest intro so far. Worth it.
I initially held off on watching this show cause I thought it was going to be really shallow, but after watching this video I may just have to give it a shot.
And more importantly, even if it is super shallow I at least get to enjoy Bane.
I love this show because it’s so unserious 😂
I really dig this show its surprisingly good i thought it were gonna be shit
The show sometimes has this Teen Titans Go type of spiteful meta humor of the writers thinking are smarter than the audience and there can be a lot of James Gunn dick riding and some attempts at pop culture humor, and in paper this should be a show that I should hate, but when you see how it understands its own version of these characters and despite at times being corny baboons, you can see that in the derangement of this universe and also with the background of each of them, their behavior and choices really feel earned and not tracked on just for cheap laughs or gross out humor, that is why I always feel like coming back each week for a new episode.
So successful even kiteman got a show
As much as I liked the characters, they sort of lost me with all the mindless killing. I kind of lost empathy for these characters as they started killing masses of people indiscriminately with zero consequences (particularly the Ivy Tree episode and Harley Quinn with the Parademons). It just stopped feeling like a real superhero world when heroes kept insisting Harley was a good guy after all the countless murder she committed.
I've seen the first two seasons I think? And then I didn't have Max until like 2 days ago. Might have to drag my best friend back into it to watch seasons three and four. Wild that the show has had such a long life.
I liked this show but I feel it nosed dived after season three.
Season 4 had different writers
Holy shit, 13 minute introduction
I love your videos!!
fucking love this show so goddamn much. so glad u decided to write a thinkpiece on this
Genuinely ticks me off this show not only got 4 seasons and a spin off but how Warner bros has no respect for there actual animated properties people want more of and actually like. This show just feels like adult teen titans go and venture bros with a sprinkle of Rick and Morty. It’s hard to perfectly describe but yeah I just can’t get into this show at all
HQ is amazing but who approved KiteMan? Maybe it’s good, I’ve never watched. But still, why?
KITE MAM HAS A SHOW
HELL YEAH!
Honestly, I implore you to watch the kite man series. I thought I wouldn’t like it because Kite Man was a blah character to me, but it delves even deeper into this Gotham and it has great side stories. I assume when Harley comes back they’ll pick up where Kite Man added, plus Bane and Clayface gets so many storylines in it it’s kind of incredible.
For the same reason Booster Gold is so fun to watch in the DCAU: exploring the lives of D-list supervillains/heroes is fun!
@ Booster got one solo episode
I agree. I feel like it goes against the entire point of the Harley Quinn show, which does such a good job of decentering mediocre men and calling them out for their cringey behavior
For me only season 4 was a disappointment, a real disaster. I liked the first three
S2 made me hate the show
Yeah season 4 was really boring. It had different writers
Yeah S4
I really like this series, is like the best Harley Quinn thing that is not a comic
What the fuck bro
You weren’t supposed to make me cry
A video about patterns... 😏 18:09 cheeky fellow
The 1st season was good after that it god mid and bad
Ooooh cut to the intro 13 minutes in.
Harley is a antihero at best
Harley Quinn is such a breath of fresh air! Finally, a show with a lesbian storyline that's actually made for queer women, without catering to the male gaze or feeling like fetish content. The characters are real, funny, and complex, and I love how it centers Harley and Ivy's relationship with so much respect and authenticity. It's empowering to see a show that gets what lesbians want to see in LGBTQ+ stories. Props to everyone behind it-this is the representation we deserve!
Be careful, the comic book men might come for you loll
...Jingle bells?
Yeah Harley x Ivy in the Timm and Dini era never felt intentional even when it plays cheeky acknowledge g*y doesn't feel like the its meant to be feels like y'know how anime plays with characters for fanservice. Of course being a westerner when praise came Timm clearly would lie
[Queue the catcher freeman in the moment scene]
Anyways like the modern comics pairing Ivy and Harley Quinn is a huge downgrade as the characters become so bland all they become is about the other while season 1 Harley and Ivy worked better and far more entertaining as they would razz each other.
What happened to your video about the dark knight strike again
Unpopular opinion I think the Harley Quinn show is funny than Rick Morty. Don't at me.
Go right ahead.
Oh absolutely
Oh, the show that made Harley woke and gay? I had fun with it. Yeah i loved the show, sue me
Define woke
@mahdimarvi-hi9xt that was a joke. I know the definition of woke. The real definition. But at this point, the word has become a buzzword for people who hate to accept anyone other than the straight white man
Its alright but it definitely got worse
Original showrunners are returning for season 5 thankfully
I disagree with the show's central premise: Harley Quinn cannot be reformed; she doesn't deserve it.
The DCAU was very good at creating sympathetic villains but also at creating unsympathetic ones, John Corbin and Rudy Jones didn't become monsters, they always were monsters. People forget that in her original backstory, Harley's initial interest in the Joker was not driven out of curiosity or sympathy but purely to further her own medical career, she planned to use him to make a name for herself, showcasing her skills as a psychologist to mold him into something to suit her design, and in a cosmic twist of Irony, she became the Joker's plaything instead. It's poetic in a twisted way, in a way the Joker is her personal hell, the price of her hubris and ambition, and sinners sent to hell receive no redemption, only eternal damnation.
I understand why people see her as a sympathetic character, but there is so much projection involved there and a true shame that it eventually became canonized, I think she is less interesting a character for it.
Show sucks after second season
Season 3 isn't as good but it's still funny in my opinion. Season 4 sucks though
I liked the show with one exception… Harley. All of the characters are funny and interesting except for her. Harley is the worst part of her own show.
Yeah I feel the same way
Kinda, yeah, actually. She gets to be obnoxious. Her and Clayface were my least favorite characters in season 1 and that didn’t really change. Hell, I pretty much watched the show for Ivy.
@@TheShockVox really? Damm my favorite is King shark
Mostly because I’m a shark fan in general
"let's create a series about crazy HarleyQuinn, in which everyone is crazy - a brilliant plan" - the author of the series Harley Quinn
The thing I love about recent LGBTQIA animation like this is that it's clear the current golden age of animation we have now is treating their gay characters with an incredible amount of respect via having their characters have same-sex relationships be essential to the story both in the ways you can't edit it out for foreign releases, and also it serves as a great metaphor for coming out and accepting who you are while mixing that in with amazing character development and themes that anybody can relate to.
It was nice to see glimpses of Korrasami in 2014 (especially how that's when this ridiculous culture war in nerd media began to form), but man. To now have Catradora, Lumity, and Harlivy, and all in shows that work fantastic in terms of stories and characters has really been a great thing to see.
I got the Korrasami one, but which ones are Lumity and Catradora, if I may ask😂?
@boxingelfis1499 Catra + Adora from She-Ra.
Luz + Amity from Owl House.
@@TheNerdWithASuit Thanks! It's a bummer that I haven't watched them yet, but I hope Korrasami becomes cannon if Avatar ever gets another sequel.
@@boxingelfis1499korrasami is canon! Check out the comics if you haven’t, i assume you mean animated canon tho
@@大城泉-c7d Wait, not only did Korra continue but their relationship is canon too??? Wow, I thought the comics only covered Kiyoshi and Aang
this is the first video that I don't like, I don't understand what the author is saying.
maybe the author watched some other series?
I am this comment sections RECKONING
W
Young Justice perished because the new writers don't know how to make interesting characters without making them suffer with some sort of psychological crisis that becomes an entire B plot each episode (I'm looking at you, Garfield).
Wasn't a fan of season 4
I have one word for this show.
BOOOOO
Every time I try to give it a chance, it makes me mad. It bends all the other characters out of shape to justify giving Harley the starring role.
Which to me is indicative of why DC needs to stop pushing Harley as a big focus. She can't justify that attention on her own. And she is (almost) ALWAYS leaning on other characters. Joker, Ivy, Task Force X, Bat Family members. You want to tell a story of her carving out her own identity, fine, but it needs to actually make sense and not turn other characters into her glorified entourage.
Or just turn her into a supporting character and stop using her in everything.
It's a Harley Quinn show
@@angeloalvarez5520 And frankly, she doesn't warrant a show.
Either way Venture Bros wore all this much better. Search you heart you know this to be true.
They have diff strengths and weaknesses. Venture Bros had extremely weak female characters other than Dr. Mrs. The Monarch and often got stuck in the weeds. Many of the jokes and references are outdated or simply distasteful. Like it literally had blackface. It very clearly was written by two straight white Gen Xer dudes who got stuck in a bubble.
This show is much better paced but it could have used more of the Venture Bros geekiness. Also someone who remotely knew anything about music or riddles. I'll also add that releasing on any sort of reasonable schedule gives the HQ show so many bonus points lmfao.
@golden_raisins quite the contrary it combined retro and clever. Dr Mrs the Monarch rocked with her he's evil and I'm down attitude. The female characters were done well until the later seasons where it unfortunately it took a dip in quality getting too in line with modern writing and getting up its own a** about the lore like instead of using it constantly stroked itself over the what it used to be.
You can see the early signs of what would happen with Velma.
Didn’t dig some of season 3 or most of season 4 though. And I’ll admit, Im kinda over the Harley Ivy ship. Not just in this show but like in everything these days.
It had potential but it went into the toilet after season 1
I liked stuff in season 2, but I’d agree 1 was more fun
Season 1 was the best 2 was good 3 mid asf 4 shit
fuck yeah kiteman!
the show was going fine in season 1 and half of season 2 until they made harley gay, since then I hated the show and never came back to watch it
She has been gay since the 90s lol
omg gay person, welcome to the new world you medieval puritan
Can you stop?
@@angeloalvarez5520 stop what?
Harley’s been gay since the beginning dude
The Harley Quinn show is the best example of a capital driven style of storytelling that is creating a cognitive dissonance in Marvel and DC storytelling. Its a well told, fully fleshed out, narrative world, but... I don't want to see a story where characters that reveled in there villainy who show their goodness. I don't need an Agatha Harkness miniseries. We don't have anymore villains in these morality plays except the studios.
It became unfunny for me when she got with ivy and dr psycho left the crew
I can't stand the style of humor with this show 🤢 it's filled with unnecessary filth, all the characters are annoying and obnoxious and unlikable
Yea its not for everyone, definitely not for me, but im glad theres at least some interesting character ideas in it
It was funny at first and then it just became south park
You sound like you're fun at parties.
I feel like it's easier watch and other adult animated shows
If you don’t like South Park then that’s an L on you sorry
Nah, I can't find the willpower to watch this.... Family guy version of DC heroes. Too childish than an actual kids show in my eyes.
🤦🏾♂️