Harley Quinn: Double the Seasons, Double the Strengths
If you were a fan of the first season of “Harley Quinn,” it is probably one of the safest bets that you’ll be a fan of the second season. Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, and the rest of the powerhouse cast return for another round of fantastic performances. Their vocal skills are equally matched with a visual delight for each episode. As before, I waited to binge the entire second season, and I was so glad I did. This show is so smooth to watch, and so addicting that it’s hard to stop.
The season picks up only a few weeks after the destruction of Gotham and Joker’s defeat at the end of season one. Mirroring the events of the iconic Batman comic arc “No Man’s Land,” the United States President declares Gotham City a lost cause and kicks it out of the USA. Now the residents, police, and villains are left to fend for themselves. As in the comics, the villains begin to divide up the city, and unsurprisingly offer Harley the smallest, least desirable territory. Harley, being the one who defeated the Joker, believes she deserves more recognition.
Where the bulk of the first season involved Harley and her crew doing everything they can to earn a membership within the Legion of Doom, the second season deals mostly with Harley trying to control what’s left of Gotham. Commissioner Gordon is worse off than we last saw him. With Batman missing, and his own cops joining other gangs, Gordon is left with little support to carry on and try to take back the city. Despite his best efforts, it has been made clear by the President that the USA will not take Gotham City back into the fold until every villain has been captured.
The second season does more than double down on the violence, as pretty much everybody on screen has the potential to be torn apart by rabid animals, brutally tortured by territorial gangs, or decapitated by King Shark. We are graced with a couple surprise side missions and mini story arcs, but the second largest theme of the series is Poison Ivy preparing to get married, and Harley dealing with that. Harley, per usual, has her own obsessions that often pit her against her team and her most supportive friend (Ivy), and that forces the characters to constantly reexamine their friendships and allegiances. Just as with the first season, the second season of “Harley Quinn” takes its time to truly develop its characters, and I appreciate that the most.
There’s plenty of hilarious visual gags in this season, lots of references to popular source materials like The Dark Knight Rises and Harley’s comic adventures on Apokolips. There’s some stupendous stand out episodes and character moments that I would hate to spoil for anyone reading this prior to watching. While I would agree that there was a slight lull in the middle of the season, these thirteen episodes fly by as quickly as the last season. I, among many, hope for a third season of this masterpiece.
RORSCHACH RATING:
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Victims and Villains is written Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey (and produced by), Caless Davis, Dan Rockwood, & Brandon Miller. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Harley Quinn is property of DC Entertainment and Warner Brothers Television. We don’t own nor claim any rights. You can now stream Season 2 of Harley Quinn exclusively on DC Universe. You can now support us on Patreon. Help us get mental health resources into schools and get exclusive content at the same time. Click here to join today!