And this is why seeing a Harley cameo as an old woman in Batman Beyond is so heartwarming. Finally finding the redemption she deserved, even having grandchildren with her.
Well that’s the thing isn’t it, we infer that she had reformed, but there’s no actual evidence of that. We don’t ever see anything about her life post Joker. It’s nice to believe she did reform though.
@@SerumLake It's never explicitly shown, but Harley's Holiday does lead me to believe that Harley could successfully reform herself. Especially so after the Joker's demise.
@@SerumLake Did no one besides me pick up on the fact that Harley managed to do something that not a single other person in Gotham can claim? SHE KISSED BATMAN!!! And not just once, either! And that final parting kiss lasts for a good ten seconds, too! They even flirt with each other afterwards! I’m genuinely surprised Joker didn’t freak out and challenge Batman to a duel over her like, “How dare you! You know perfectly well she’s MY girl!” And for once, Joker would’ve been fully within his rights; kissing another man’s girlfriend, especially when you know full and well she’s another man’s girlfriend, is a big no-no! And if anyone is getting ready to point out the episode “Pretty Poison” where Ivy kisses Batman, that doesn’t count! That smooch from Ivy was solely a means to administer the poison, there was no affection or gratitude WHATSOEVER in it.
@@ggbetzRegardless of the fact that hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs, they still posses the same sense of smell. Scents can’t be disguised without help, and Batman wasn’t expecting to run into Harley and her pets in the shopping mall as Bruce, so he was fairly caught and outed; Harley just couldn’t put two and two together, lucky for him
Still *slightly* condescending as he refers to her as 'child' instead of as a peer, but there is definitely more respect for her than he holds for anyone else.
"There's one thing I gotta know. Why'd you stick your neck out for me, looking out for someone that's given you nothing but trouble?" "I know what it's like to try to rebuild a life. I had a bad day myself...once." "...Nice guys like you shouldn't *have* bad days." Is there little wonder why no matter if she's a full hero, or merely an anti-heroic figure, she holds trust from Bats?
@@raymondfisheriii791He actually let her kiss him, TWICE! That’s something no other person in Gotham can claim. And that final parting kiss lasts for a good ten seconds, too. I’m genuinely surprised Joker didn’t go ballistic over it, and for once he would’ve been fully within his rights. Could it be he never found out? But there were multiple witnesses present at that moment, including Poison Ivy. Why didn’t she tell him? Ivy is a confirmed man user, so why didn’t she just use Joker as a weapon against Batman?
@@raymondfisheriii791 It's part of why Injustice 2 is my favorite interpretation of Harley Quinn. She proudly wears the Bat Symbol on her jacket, and had to remind Regime Wonder Woman to not kill people.
It’s very sad to see how many times Harley was close to getting a normal life back but always fell back to the Joker and his manipulations. At the end of the day it’s hard to forgive her after the events of Return of the Joker, as she was a willing accomplice to the Jokers most evil action and then tried to downplay it with her confrontation with Batgirl. I hope she did find some happiness in her life after the Jokers death, even though she still couldn’t fully escape the Joker with her own granddaughters falling down the same path.
It's an important factor that distinguishes Harley from a lot of other supervillains. Her descent towards the point of no return is never seen as an inevitability.
@@SerumLakeas someone who intimately knows what it's like to try and fail over and over again to truly make something of himself, that episode will always get to me on an emotional level, so thanks for the video and the reminder that I need to watch this episode again.
I was hit by this thought as well. In recent years it's become almost universal that Harley eventually separates herself from the Joker and makes a life of her own but in the continuity that introduced her she isn't able too as far as we know. (I'm not sure how seriously to take the old lady Harley appearance as the DiDi's grandma.) I will say for Return of the Joker as much as she does bear responsibility for her actions there that plan was also a terrible act of cruelty towards her on the part of the Joker. He used the twisted family angle to play into her deepest desires when his only real intention was causing the most possible suffering to Batman.
Harley's Holiday is one of my top favourite episodes in the original run of BTAS. I love how Bruce doesn't give up on Harley in this episode, he understands she's just panicking and scared and he genuinely wants to help her. The 'I had a bad day too once' scene is my favourite part of the episode. If only our girl Harley had finally been able to finally make a change and reform fully. Rest in peace Arleen Sorkin, you will always be missed ❤️
It’s a shame we never got to see the DCAU version of Harley’s redemption on screen. But if it’s any consolation, we do see a glimpse of Harley’s life after the joker in Batman beyond: return of the joker, where it’s revealed she’s the grandmother of the twins Dee and Dee, members of the Jokerz Gang. Who’s seen scolding the twins for their delinquent behaviour after they’re arrested and she pays their bail. It’s a pretty short scene, but I love that it implies DCAU Harley was finally able to break free of the joker, live a relatively normal life and start a family. Even if her granddaughters ironically fell into a similar clown-themed criminal lifestyle.
my interpretation is that hee grandkids heard stories about what their grandma was like in her prime, and took the wrong lesson away from it, hearing about all of the escapades and drama and adventure and not realizing that it was in actuality, the most fraught and miserable time of her life
@@Xehanort10be it that she was smarter than she led on, she probably realized that The Joker’s last act was coming back to haunt everyone after all those years. Since she had been presumed dead, she didn’t want to reveal herself. Since that Joker wouldn’t recognize her as an old woman, she stayed away.
Definitely one of my favorite BTAS episodes. One of my favourite bits: "Hey, remember me? That big charity bash few years back? The one the Joker robbed? I was the clown girl holding the gun on ya!" 😀
Some times the best friendships end up starting out due to misunderstandings. Later once those are resolved. Things are pretty good. This is not 100% true. Yet, let us be real. There are times we've hated someone. To end up later being friends with them.
There’s actually a fanfic comic that refers specifically to that. It’s part of a trilogy, “April Fool” (the first one), “Lovelorn”, (part two), and “Wedding Blues For Batman” (the finale). When Harley gets dumped cold by Joker, it’s Veronica who comforts her and even takes her in, letting her crash at her place
Harley's Holiday and Birds of a Feather were the only ones where the villain's attempted reform was completely genuine, and thus makes the tragedy of their backslide all the more poignant. Glad to see you're doing both. Definitely agreed that the end of this one feels more like a madcap Animaniacs-style chase.
I know this is about Harley, and I agree completely with all you said, but something that always sticks out to me in this episode is the end when Batman says: "I too had a bad day once". I don't know if it's Kevin's immortal voice work or what, but it always almost makes me tear up.
I agree. "Harley's Holiday" is one of my favorite BTAS episodes...period. It's hilarious and warm at the same time, using the absurdity of "one bad day" to illustrate good as opposed to turning someone into a super-villain.
I think I preferred how they did it with the Penguin because whereas with Harley it was a simple misunderstanding, with Penguin, they were intentionally jerking him around for their entertainment so him falling back to his old ways feels a bit more understandable in getting back at this group of people.
"Harley's Holiday" is absolutely my favorite episode of BTAS. The fact that Harley throughout the episode shows that she has changed and does truly want a better life. The way she still tries her hardest to keep Veronica safe because she promised it's incredibly sweet. "Mad Love" is good, but it shows a completely different side of Harley, it shows a great tale and that despite her being *emotionally* manipulated by the Joker she has incredible intelligence and cunning. Harley has maybe the best plan to kill Batman, almost succeeding if she hadn't gotten the Joker involved to try to prove she was valuable to him.
2:56 - 3:00/ For those curious, the writers were definitely film fans, not immune to avoiding a running gag from certain comedic movies. What running gag, you ask? Why, Bullock's car, of course! If you recall the comedy classic SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT, then you'll remember Sheriff Bufford T. Justice, played by the immortal Jackie Gleason. In pursuit of the titular Bandit, played by Burt Reynolds, the Sheriff's squad car went through a series of incidents that reduced the automobile to a severed metal heap. The final product was pretty similar to Bullock's ill-fated sedan in HARLEY'S HOLIDAY.❤
I really love that recently in the comics and some more recent shows Harley has been shown as a sort of anti hero and honorary member of the bat family at times its such a nice fit for the character that she was finally able to somewhat rid herself of the joker and set down a more positive path for herself
I always get the impression that Scarecrow has developed a familial affection for Harley and sees her as a daughter or niece every time I hear that returned greeting to her, so full of warmth and tenderness
6:38 well, if you consider Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker to be canon, then Harley did seem to eventually reform and and return to society as a normal civilian, seeing as she would go on to have two granddaughters (who she gave a good tongue lashing to at the end of the movie).
We assume that she reformed, but we don’t see anything between the moment she fell in that ravine and the time she bailed the Dee Dee twins out of jail…
Its truly tragic how Harley has been so close to actually getting the freedom to persue a normal life back, but sadly her mental state and loving devotion to the Joker just brought her back to him. This episode especially stuck with me with how fragile she was to actually feeling like her old self. I also appreciate that Batman in this episode actually tried to help Harley and didn't persue her not just because she unintentionally kidnapped someone but he also saw how broken she was and genuinely wants to help her to rebuild her own life which is the type of compassionate Batman I love to see as it shows a real level of emotional understanding from Batman and how he bought Harley her dress empathising with her experience. RIP to both Arleen Sorkin and Kevin Conroy, two exceptional voice actors that truly defined these characters for entire generations. You will both be missed♥️🦇🕊️🃏♦️
I like to think that Batman knows that Harley is not an evil person, but another one of Joker victims, he never goes rough with her and saves her a lot as well. I always wish that Harley recover away from the Joker.
I watched this one last night, and while I had as much fun with it as ever, I remember feeling distinctly sad by the end of it. The idea that someone who doesn't want to be bad could come so close, but ultimately ruin it for herself. Harley's total lack of self-respect, inability to take responsibility for her own actions, and probable PTSD tragically informed every increasingly self-destructive move she made in this episode; and as funny as it was, it was also kinda hard to watch (especially as someone who has made bad mistakes in life and worked to better myself, only to fall back into old habits when I least expected it). There's hope in that lesson though. The sad part for me is the knowledge that Harley is one of those people who just can't put the pieces back together, no matter how badly she may want to. Rest in peace Arleen. As far as I'm concerned, you were the first and last Harley Quinn.
Another thing I like about this episode is Veronica. One of her previous appearances was Birds of a Feather, where she and… Pierre I think his name was, essentially used the Penguin to big up their status which almost led to her dying as Penguin took revenge. Whereas in Harley’s Holiday, she’s much more kind around Harley, especially when Harley is backing her up and tells Bennet not to ransom Veronica. And at the end, she even gets the kidnapping charges against Harley dropped, meaning that she’s not spending extra time back at Arkham. I think it’s sort of interesting to see this change in her character between these two episodes, as if she learnt that to mess with the feelings of others (especially supervillains) for personal gain was wrong after her and Pierre’s scheme with the Penguin and decided not to repeat her mistake with Harley, which ended up letting her start to relate with Harley and her situation. I know it’s only a minor thing, but I think it’s a neat detail to see with such a minor character as Veronica.
@@michaelandreipalon359 There’s actually a fanfic comic that refers specifically to that. It’s part of a trilogy, “April Fool” (the first one), “Lovelorn”, (part two), and “Wedding Blues For Batman” (the finale). When Harley gets dumped cold by Joker, it’s Veronica who comforts her and even takes her in, letting her crash at her place. And it’s Harley who comes up with the name for the baby when she finds out her “Ronnie” is expecting Veronica: YELP! Harley: You ok? Veronica: I’m fine. She’s just kicking again. Harley: Hmm, active little thing, isn’t she? Veronica: I’ll say! Bouncing around all the time, I can barely get any sleep anymore. Harley: You thought up any names yet? Veronica: Not any good ones that stick. Harley: Hmm. Oh, I know! Why don’t you call her “Bunny”? If nothing else, it’ll be fitting. Veronica: Hmm. “Bunny.” My little Bunny.
Really good video essay. This is also my favorite Harley Quinn episode. I enjoyed (as you mentioned) that it's independent of Joker and Poison Ivy and puts the focus on her, and there was a nice mix of seriousness and levity. And I've always enjoyed that ending scene witu her and Batman. It's hard ro believe rhat we're coming up on the one year anniversary of Arleen Sorkin's passing. 😢
You know, I've always appreciated the "Mad Love" graphic novel for the story it presented. It's the animated adaptation I've always taken issue with, specifically because of where it got displaced in the DCAU timeline. This actually does tie into "Harley's Holiday", as I largely agree with what is said about it here (to this day, it remains in my personal Top 3, but the problems that came after make it also the most bittersweet). While Harley was DEFINITELY at her most interesting when she was on the verge of being rehabilitated, when TNBA came along, she just fell ass-backwards into being the "dopey sidekick" again, bouncing back and forth between the Joker and Poison Ivy (whichever one of them had managed to slither out of Arkham at any given time). And while I believe that adapting the "Mad Love" story into animated form was an attempt the showrunners to pacify fans by demonstrating that they could still make Harley deep and complex, to me, it actually had the exact OPPOSITE effect. See, the original "Mad Love" graphic novel was written while Batman: TAS was still relatively in its youth, so understanding where Harley was coming from AT-THAT-POINT-IN-TIME (December 1993, to be precise) is what made the story work as well as it did (at least, to me), leaning into the one-two punch of “Harlequinade” and “Harley’s Holiday” (which aired May 1994 and October 1994, respectively) and making us even root for Harley’s eventual recovery. Airing an animated version of "Mad Love" on the tail end of the TNBA (in January 1999), after we got to see Harley start to break away from all that, only to backslide so horrendously, served only to dash those hopes, as it was made even clearer that recovery (as much as we wanted to see it) was simply not in her future*. (*Actually, it kind of makes me wonder why it never occurred to anybody to simply transfer Harley to another facility, instead of keeping her in Arkham, WHERE-ALL-HER-TRIGGERS-WERE.) In fact (and I don’t think it fully crystalized for me until fairly recently), placing the adaptation at that point in the animated timeline basically ensured that Harley (in the DCAU, at least) was absolutely NEVER going to emerge from the shadow of the Joker. Not only was this because that toxic relationship had become such a core element of her character, but because this version of Harley was simply not competent enough to ever come out into her own. As we know, in the original “Mad Love” graphic novel, Harleen Quinzel was revealed to be, AT BEST, a sub-par therapist, who had absolutely NO business even being in Arkham to begin with, and who you knew right off, was NEVER going to be a match for the manipulations of the Joker. Despite her getting the one-up on Batman and coming as close to killing him as she did, Batman still turns the tables on her almost immediately after regaining consciousness. And even in the “Batman & Harley Quinn” movie (another attempt at seeing Harley reform, even though it is largely a retread of "Harlequinade" in the broad strokes), most of Batman and Nightwing’s initial interaction with Harley is just trying to keep her reined in and focused on the task at hand, because she simply can’t fit her head around the gravity of the situation. Then there's the post-credits scene, which, while clearly played up for humor (as well as being a shout out to Harley’s ultimate career aspirations in the “Mad Love” graphic novel), really doesn’t say much for her, as a character. Harley WOULD eventually come to evolve, however. It would not, however, be to the DCAU's credit. Ironically, the event we have to thank for it…was THE NEW 52. Now I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve got ZERO love for The New 52. Almost NO character in the DC Universe came out of that reboot looking good. But a precious few did, and one of them was actually Harley. Feeding off the character’s massive popularity, DC opted to switch things up by tweaking her origin story, revealing that Harley had come from a troubled childhood, and in actuality, had ALWAYS been a little screwed up. The Joker simply tapped into what was already there and turned it into something 10 times worse. The purpose of this was to give Harley agency over her decisions and take responsibility for them, because that WOULD allow Harley to come out of the Joker’s shadow and emerge as her own character, separate from him (or at least as separate as could be hoped for, being another Batman character with a clown gimmick). It’s pretty much why almost every other incarnation of the character, since then, has used “New 52” Harley as their jumping-off point. The Harley Quinn animated series even went so far as to alter her backstory further, revealing that Harleen Quinzel actually WAS a competent psychiatrist, and a big part of how she was so easily misled by the Joker was because the toxic nature of her parents’ relationship, during her formative years, distorted her thinking about what love looks like. To that end, I guess you could say that the DCAU Harley had to crawl so other versions of the character could walk. Still, it was kind of rough to see her become tied down the way she was. "Harley's Holiday" hinted at the promise of something more. A promise that was ultimately unfulfilled. At least, that’s just MY thinking on it.
It's funny you did this before Birds of a Feather, because you're running Veronica's arc in reverse. I finde her fascinating as a character because, despite her being such a very minor character, they took the time to actually have her evolve. She starts as a very selfish person who will disregard all common sense to get a bit of status for herself because she does not see people as people. The experience with Penguin shocks her and in every further appearance, you see her trying more and more to be a better person, though being a dumb rich girl, her efforts aren't always well thought out and sometimes cause more harm than they help. I don't think that it's an accident that Veronica shows up in a second episode about a villain trying to go straight. I think at least on some level, her presence here is meant to show a contrast between who she was before and who she is now. In essence, it isn't just Harley who's trying to reform in this episode.
Arleen Sorkin is Harley because she has the accent, character and more. Tara is a good Harley but she lacks the accent that Arleen gave her and is always high pitched. She is a good secondary but she can't replace her. Man Harley really is an amazing character.
I agree and Arleen will always be the best Harley but I have to say that I absolutely loved Hynden Walch as Harley Quinn and I think she is my favourite voice for the character after Arleen.
Hynden Walch sure is something. One moment she's a naive yet learning, sweet, and surprisingly brave and awesome Starfire or young Nia Teppelin, the next she's a smart and sweet seeming pink-wearing yet surprisingly callous and also tired Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum, on another she's a pressured and care-weary uberpowered woobie named Ace or Maureen Connor/Permafrost, and finally be some petty yet quite approachable goddess in the form of Viridi. Not bad for a strange voiced girl who got noticed by Bill Murray's Phil Connors and, hehe, married to General Zod in Groundhog Day. Yes, that was Hynden in a live action role.
I personally prefer Harlequinade, but Harley's Holiday is a solid second for me. The very beginning and very end are my favorite bits. And yes, Bud and Lou ARE the goodest bois, and the second-best Abbot & Costello reference in a 90s WB cartoon.
"Harley is anything but normal" This is probably why I the comics she doesn't find her redemption by being normal but by being a crazy dangerous odd ball and shifting more in an anti hero direction.
I honestly don't understand at all why some think that simply because Harley appears in TNBA that somehow undoes Harley's Holiday. If anything it makes Harley a more tragic character and a lot of the most iconic Harley Quinn moments were post BTAS. Even I, when I first watched Harley's Holiday I distinctly remember thinking at the end that there was no way Harley would just reform and that episode would be it for the character. Even if they had just done another season of BTAS it would have been a guarantee that Harley would be back.
I appreciate you distinguishing BTAS from TNBA. For me the second series throws away so much of what made the first so important (a compassionate Batman and each villain's arc like Harley's) that I consider them separate continuaties.
The best part of the episode for me is the ending, where Harley kisses Batman and tells her to call him. Honestly, I really wish that was actually followed up on, besides Ivy, I see this as one of the best relationships for Harley and I'm glad they actually did something like that in White Knight. It would also be a good way for Harley to stick it to the Joker
Don't forget Mad Love began as a comic book, a rather well-worn comic I have in some dusty closet in the back somewhere. But yes, this episode was a gem. But no one ever gets what they truly want. Hey, you should cover Bruce Timm's short comic, Red Romance, written by the wonderful Joe Lonsdale of Bubba Ho-Tep fame. That is a comic where everyone truly gets what they want.
Paul Dini is my favorite writer when it comes to doing tv shows. Dude can make a full on comedy episode for kids, a episode with full on action or a comedy with showing hints of tragedy and sadness at the end
yeah, that was a shame wasn't it. I'm currently writing the video about Caped Crusader's Harley Quinn and when you consider how things turned out for BTAS Harley, you can see why Bruce Timm wanted her kept far away from The Joker
When Arleen passed away, Harley was obviously the main thing that came to mind, but the thing that really struck me was her small cameos in Paul Dini’s Dark Night: a true Batman story, where she comes across a just a really thoughtful and wonderful friend, every time she appears in the book, you know something nice is going to happen. Definitely recommend that book to those who haven’t read it, Paul Dini writes about the time he was mugged, and beaten near death, and how falling into fantasy both helps and hinders recovery.
Mental health recovery is possible, to the point where symptoms disappear entirely. Not just the visible symptoms, but the thoughts, and feelings entirely can disappear. It's true that it isn't like a cold, but it's also not like a missing limb someone is just going to deal with for life either. One can reach the point where they no longer fit the diagnostic criteria for the condition. Though this does depend on the mental health diagnosis, there are some for which this doesn't apply.
I know it sounds a bit harsh but I always thought that Harley Quinn never fully rehabilitating and reintegrating back into society was a good thing because I always viewed her as a cautionary character: her tragic life is meant to frighten and depress viewers. Every time I think of an abusive relationship the first thing that comes to my mind is Harley's relationship with the Joker because as a child that was the first example of an abusive relationship that I ever came across and I still think it's one of the most well written examples of one.
True, but looking at Harley and Joker relationship there was more to it then him abusing her. Joker and Harley did genuine enjoy being with each other. Unfortunely the Joker is such disturb character he could only show her abuse. Even though I want to her be happy with be with someone else and settle down. The character wasnt the same with out the Joker being part of her life. He was the one who made her Harley Quinn the character we all love!
I really would of liked to see Harley’s rehabilitation. It would be nice if there was an episode that shows that sometimes, with some people, if you try hard enough, there is a chance
Harley's Holiday has been my favorite episode of BTAS since i saw it first aired as a kid and i count it as one of the best pieces of animation ever produced.
Excellent video Luke! I feel this episode definitely shows our little Harley is not only a capable character on her own, but someone worth rooting for! I know I mentioned this in the past but this episode feels the most obvious like a Tiny toons episode done by the same crew! The wacky hijinks, hilarity, and awesome music score all come together!❤️ We all love Arleen Sorkin and this episode definitely showcased her many facets of why we enjoy her acting so much! She can be tragic and saddening, then playful and gleeful all of the drop of a hat! This woman commands an entertaining performance but she keeps you captivated while watching her! It's always a joy seeing this wonderful character and actress go hand in hand! ❤️ It's just my way of saying how much we absolutely love Harley and in turn Arleen Sorkin! May you rest well for we miss you so much!😢❤️❤️😘
I'm looking forward to your take on the Harley Quinn of Caped Crusader. A figure who some might consider heroic, and would be willing to disregard her horrific methods. Her character development, if any, is going to be really fascinating.
Pity, Scarecrow's one of those villains I'd rather not adapt. He's just so one-trick pony-ish, and his Fear Toxin thing can easily be given to the Riddler, Hugo Strange, and even the Joker.
@@michaelandreipalon359 what's worse is in comics, Joker was exposed to the fear toxin and it had really no effect on him! I feel the character needs to be revisited where he can identify any trace of fear from somebody as well as have none of his own. Almost empathizing with them.
@@michaelandreipalon359 pity? it was pretty that stayed Professor Crane's hand! There are many who deserve fear and many who do not. Can you give it to them big Mikey p?😂
@@LowellLucasJr. Precisely. Such unique takes on Scarecrow's modus operandi that can't be easily conquered are quite welcome. Ooh, neat Gandalf quote there.
Bird's of a Feather and Harley's Holiday are great sibling pieces to me. It's honestly kinda of funny that the seeds of her possible redemption where there this early and it wasn't until the 2010s that she starts to slide to the role of an anti-hero. (also Ivy but that's another topic) Some complain about this slide but I don't see it as any different than Venom form Spider-man personally
Your mentioning of Dr Crane's comedic scene reminded me of his appearance in "Happy Halloween Scooby-Doo!" in which he had a significant role. I not trying to be pusy, but it might be worth taking a look at. It was a fun portrayal of the character, even if he's serving as a supporting character. Actually, it's a very enjoyable movie overall
THANK YOU. "Mad Love" can't touch "Harley's Holiday". Indeed, "Harley's Holiday" is as good as "Almost Got 'Em" in my book. It's frickin' genius. ("I had a bad day too once.")
@@patrickdodds7162 He never said Harley's Holiday was a better episode than Mad Love. What he said was that Harley's Holiday is a better showcase of Harley as a character completely on her own whereas most other episodes with her feature either Joker or Poison Ivy.
@@patrickdodds7162 Then you are entitled to your opinion. What do you have against people having a different opinion than you? Actually never mind I don't wanna know.
A lot of Harley Quinn media makes her look like an evil psycho like the Joker, but with some morals. They try to make her more of an antihero but honestly it’s never sat right with me. BTAS is way different and I like it way better. Harley has done some horrible things but she isn’t an evil psycho and could be redeemed. I’d like to see a story where she genuinely gets reformed and tries doing good. Heck, make her an honest to god heroine. Image her as a part of the bat family.
Wow! I'd forgotten about that episode, and it's really something special. Even at 6-12 fps, the animation feels springy and vibrant. Kudos to the fine folks at Dong Yang! The jokes and timing are spot on, and most hold up 30 years later. Even Robin's fish-bludgeons are handled deftly enough to produce guffaws, rather than eye-rolls. Some things my 12-year-old self definitely missed: General Vreeland's design is clearly a tribute to _Patton._ And the final chase sequence seems to be an homage to the climax of The Marx Brothers' final film (and by no means their best), _Love Happy._
They loved their movie references! I think a lot of the reason why this episode seems so lively is because of Kevin Altieri’s direction. He’s an unsung figure in the creation of Harley Quinn that defined a lot of her mannerisms.
It is nice to remember that canonically. We know Harley does eventually reform following the death of the Joker in Batman Beyond’s flashback. Sadly, she had to be presumed dead and go into hiding, but at least we know she eventually settled down and clearly doesn’t want her descendants going down the same path she did
6:15 mkay, but there's something you aren't mentioning; after embracing the dress, she kisses Batman's cheek, turns away, stops, throws the away behind her, and jumps on Batman to kiss him. I see this as the writers acknowledging that Harley will always throw away her chance for a normal, better life for a man that doesn't want her.
Such a great example of the compassion of this version of Batman. It is a shame Haeley wasn't able to continue to reform, but she was, to the writer's too good of a character to lose. And I think a reformwd Harley, trying ro help Bats would a)not ring true because b) she would inevitably be over exuberant and run afoul of Batman. A refomed, older, Harley in Batman Beyond maybe getting falsely accussed of returning to crime might have been interesting, but I know they wantes to tell new stories with new folks, most of rhe time.
RIP Arleen Sorkin. she is The Definitive Harley Quinn voice (Margot Robbie would do Harley Quinn Proud in live action, i don't think she'll stay as Harley but Robbie did a phenomenal job at Portraying Harley Quinn in Live action) , much like Kevin Conroy is The Definitive Beloved Batman Voice, Mark Hamill is the Definitive Joker, Harley Quinn is a national treasure of a character (slightly overrated lol) I think Harley Quinn suffers from Stockholm Syndrome (it's incredible that a Swedish Bank Robbery in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973 created a psychological Disorder, absolutely Fascinating isn't it 😲🤔) This Episode is a great one, The ending where Batman gives Harley The Dress was heartwarming i think Bruce should have approached the Security Guard and Harley and calmed the situation down, i also like to imagine off screen after Harleys Holidays Veronica Vreeland went to Arkham Asylum to visit Harley Quinn to check up on her, to say thanks for saving her from those Gangsters (i think they would have used Veronica as a sexual object 😳😱, thankfully Harley saved her i don't think Harley would have lived with herself if she left Veronica to her fate with those Depraved and Creeps, she wouldn't want a fellow sister to get abhorrently abused, (one of my absolute hatreds is seeing children women and animals getting abused, I ain't much of an animal lover and I don't like Humanity that much but if an animal, woman or child were harmed Id go apeshit, like most people would) and i think Harley would see Veronica as a friend in a way, i think Veronica herself had a bit of character development, she and that pompous jerk used Penguin in Birds of a Feather and when it came to Harley Quinn she was calm, i guess by that point she learnt that don't mess with Gotham's Costumed Villains and use them for personal gain, i think Veronica is that type of rich person who Deep down is a good person but probably grew up spoiled
I think its argued Harley's full rehabilitation might've finally happened at some point After The Joker's death in Batman Beyond: Return of the joker since at the end we see An Elderly Harleen reprimanding her Granddaughters Delia and Deidre Dennis (Dee Dee) and lets be honest after all she went through and the Experience of a Life of Crime I don't blame her for being upset with the twins working for someone so cruel and Abusive like the Joker.
Talk about Harlequinade! The ending was freaky! Also bringing up the topic of the Threatening Three, comic only villains Mastermind, Perfessor and Mr Nice. Based on DC editors i think. Carlin, o neil, archie goodwin
Don't know if it counts, but in Batman Beyond we see an aged Harley who scolds her two twin Grand Children for doing Crime and helping the Joker in Return of the Joker. It is both wholesome and sad, to know that she was able to get a Husband and have Kids and Grand Kids, but only with the Joker gone. It shows how the Joker really ruins her life by just existing. Harley is a good Person deep down and I am rooting for her since I was small. The BTAS Version of Harleen Quinzel will always be my favorite.
I’d say it counts, but the issue is we don’t see anything of her life between the time she fell in the ravine to the time she pod the Dee Dee twins’ bail. I think it’s safe to assume that she didn’t return to crime, but that’s not necessarily the same thing as reforming
@@SerumLakebut the fact that she was so disappointed with her granddaughters and said that she struggled to make a good home for them indicates that she at least tried to get her shit together😂
As far as voice acting performances go, Harley's Holiday for my money is Arleen Sorkin's greatest performance ever as Harley Quinn. I think it's the perfect Harley Quinn episode mainy because you don't actually see her doing any evil deeds even though her infamous reputation and over the top attitude still attracts a lot of attention from members of the crime world but this was actually the first real time, you could she wanted to have a normal life. I love at the end you see Harley ask Batman why would he stay with someone who's caused him nothing but trouble and Batman responds by saying "i know what it's like to try and rebuild a life. I had a bad day too once" before handing her the dress that she actually paid for even though she was accused of stealing it. It really spoke volumes to the kind of person Batman really is, he's willing to help someone who wants to help themselves. The part where Harley lays a big smooth on the lips to Batman was very cute. It showed that underneath her wackiness that the good willed doctor is still in there. I like to think by the time we see as an old lady in Batman Beyond that she's given up her life of crime. All due respect to Tara Strong, Kaley Cuoco and many other voices actresses who all did an amazing job providing the voice of Harley Quinn but Arleen Sorkin will always be my definitive Harley Quinn
Harley’s Holiday is one of my most favorite episodes. I really liked how it started and how it ended. The part where she kissed Batman just made me smile. 😃
I think she did recover in the end cause in batman beyond she is with grand daughters and away from the joker. Living a long life. I feel like after the events of return of the joker she set herself straight without him
Alas we can only infer that she went straight because we don’t see anything about her life between the time she fell into the ravine during the Return of the Joker flashback and the scene where she bails out her granddaughters. It’s nice to think so though.
I'm no doctor, but describing Harley Quinn believing that people are out to get her in some way and her panicing makes me think that she might have some sort of schizophrenic disorder
She definitely has mental disorders but I don’t think that schizophrenia is one of them. She probably has Ptsd and panicked because she’s been a criminal for atleast 2 years at this point and has getting used to the lifestyle
Speaking of Poison Ivy, one of her creations attempted to murder Veronica Vreeland by posing as her perfect marriage partner for his mistress' industrial takeover scheme in the episode: Chemistry.
Harley Quinn wasnt the same without Arleen Sorkin voicing her. What liked about her Harley, she could be child like, very innocent and loveable as well as just being violent and wacky.
You mentioned in the Metallo video that you felt Intergang was wasted. Might I suggest My Adventures with Superman? They also did Brainiac REALLY well.
Still I wish the show actually had Harley actually rehabilitate after this episode instead of acting like it never happened. It's really sad knowing that after this she still went on to help the Joker brainwash and mutilate Tim Drake (a literal child)
Alas, the next episode in production order is "Lock-Up". Think of that what you will, the idea of a one-shot villain doing lots of damage to another villain in the long run.
I don’t find the joker very compelling, he’s evil and this episode is a perfect example of how awful he is in subtle ways. I love this episode because you can see very clearly that she doesn’t want to a criminal, but her time with joker has warped her sense of normal so much that she can’t function in normal society. I can see every over-reaction of misreading of a common situation as a behavior joker gaslit or abused her into, as she was a functioning member of society before they met.
Definitely a fav episode, like others have said. I always rooted for her in this ep, and would've loved to see things work out for this Harley specifically. I wonder what her (harley, and specifically this version of harleys) version of success is. She was already a doctor (I dont think of her as a sleeping her way to the top kind of person or she wouldn't be so easily manipulated) , so whats next? With many batman villains, I feel the answer is really easy, give them unlimited funding and a stable job at wayne enterprises and a lot of work and I think they'd forget about villainy quickly, but harley doesnt really fit that bill. Not that a wayne enterprises staff psychiatrist isnt a bad job title! I wonder if veronica did check up on her after that episode like someone else said. O think itd be nice if she had a non supervillain friend.
All Harley Quinn ever wanted was to have a normal life and be civilized for once especially since she was released from Arkham for a while. She even bought the dress she wanted and actually paid for it even though she didn't realize the security tag was still on it. However Batman did something nice for her and gave her that dress, awwww such a sweet moment.🥺😊❤️🖤
One of my favorite episodes of BTAS & TNBA, but I prefer Mad Love & Harlequinnade - they make a brilliant trio of episodes. I’m glad that, in its DCAU inspired continuity, the White Knight-verse adopts Harley’s Holiday as a part of its history & finally followed up on that ending scene to explore a Bruce/Harley romance
Interesting characters, the likes of Harley Quinn, Uncle Iroh (he was supposed to be a conniving adviser type who may or may not be killed off early in Avatar: The Last Airbender; thankfully, Mako being his kind and passionate voice actor changed things), Onpu Segawa (I think Ojamajo Doremi was supposed to be just a 51 ep show; Sharp onwards changed that for good, while said character may have become prominent so to showcase her voice actress Rumi Shishido's chops and starpower), and Princess Luna (ensemble darkhorse personified/ponified). They seem to be supposed to be one and done folks, but due to circumstances and maybe even fan appeal, they ended up getting quite a lotta screentime and a buncha fan favorite spotlight episodes. 1:15: I could actually be one of those people. The roller skates are neat, though, so I'll let those slide. 2:07: Hmm, am curious. Any full records of the tale? 2:27: Can't blame him. Being pushy and wary is a common thing for Gotham security. 3:00: Fascinating how a WW2/Korean War tank (looks like a Sherman, but I'm not exactly sure) is still used in the DCAU's early 1990s. 3:25: A fact that got a neat nod in S1E4 of Caped Crusader. 3:48: Neat continuity there, considering that was nine eps ago in production order, which is more likely script order. (With that, it's six eps ago in airdate order.) I wonder if Gen. Vreeland got sacked if not demoted at the time of Superman: TAS. Don't see him nor hear him be mentioned there and on to Justice League Unlimited. No Vreeland descendants in the military come Batman Beyond too. I must say, there's just something about the comedic hijinks here that feels *so right* with the realism of the DCAU setting compared to how Static Shock, Gotham Girls, and The Zeta Project did things in a kiddified fashion. 5:59: Yay, bookends, my beloved trope. 6:37: Here's a sad theory. Notice how the next ep in production is "Lock-Up"; apparently, the titular villain, in his Arkham Asylum warden days, did so many wrong things against Harley that it rendered her insensitive to kindness and redemption for several years onward, as if karma was just toying her around with Batman's compassion in mind. *"Never again,"* she might have cried out in pain and numbness. In my opinion, though this ep is still a great gem, "Harlequinade" seems more stronger in my eyes, due to it being more relevant with post-B: TAS tales in mind. Also, Harley's singing a classic song is priceless. 7:14: Schway, a Brave and the Bold clip of a Bat-Mite ep. 8:15: Please don't. It's apocryphal Elseworlds, and Fatal Five's a more faithful film for the DCAU. Seriously, we really need less dishonorable follow-up works akin to Teen Titans Go, The PowerPuff Girls 2016, and Wonder Woman '84. Hmm, not that hyped on "Birds of a Feather" but do go on, am curious to see how you'll have a say on it.
What happened to harley did happen to me once only that I was more rational than harley was don't get me wrong I was nervous as fuck what happened was I bought a set of marvel figures and the alarms that detect thieves went off I stopped straight away and the security guard pointed out that the item was double tagged so I was fine and allowed to leave the shop
And this is why seeing a Harley cameo as an old woman in Batman Beyond is so heartwarming. Finally finding the redemption she deserved, even having grandchildren with her.
Yes
Grandchildren that joined a gang dedicated to the joker…
Well that’s the thing isn’t it, we infer that she had reformed, but there’s no actual evidence of that. We don’t ever see anything about her life post Joker. It’s nice to believe she did reform though.
@@SerumLake It's never explicitly shown, but Harley's Holiday does lead me to believe that Harley could successfully reform herself. Especially so after the Joker's demise.
@@draykohunter6805 I wish we can get a movie about Harley Quinn and find out where she was for the last 30 to 40 years
Best line
"But that's daddy?"
"No, that's Daddy in a tank!"
In an episode full of zingers, that one really stands out
@@SerumLake Did no one besides me pick up on the fact that Harley managed to do something that not a single other person in Gotham can claim? SHE KISSED BATMAN!!! And not just once, either! And that final parting kiss lasts for a good ten seconds, too! They even flirt with each other afterwards! I’m genuinely surprised Joker didn’t freak out and challenge Batman to a duel over her like, “How dare you! You know perfectly well she’s MY girl!” And for once, Joker would’ve been fully within his rights; kissing another man’s girlfriend, especially when you know full and well she’s another man’s girlfriend, is a big no-no! And if anyone is getting ready to point out the episode “Pretty Poison” where Ivy kisses Batman, that doesn’t count! That smooch from Ivy was solely a means to administer the poison, there was no affection or gratitude WHATSOEVER in it.
The way Harleys babies snarl at Bruce indicate that they know he and Batman smell exactly th same. Hilarious 😅
I never noticed this!
@@ggbetzRegardless of the fact that hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs, they still posses the same sense of smell. Scents can’t be disguised without help, and Batman wasn’t expecting to run into Harley and her pets in the shopping mall as Bruce, so he was fairly caught and outed; Harley just couldn’t put two and two together, lucky for him
@@shewolfsiren that's fascinating, I've never heard this, it makes me wonder how police dogs never attack Bruce Wayne?
I like that Crane is cordial with Harley, he respects a fellow psychiatrist and Dr.
Still *slightly* condescending as he refers to her as 'child' instead of as a peer, but there is definitely more respect for her than he holds for anyone else.
I think its also shown that she is the only one kind to him. As everyone else thinks he's creepy
@@ShenoraiMaybe Harley was one of Crane’s students? His tone of voice implies some level of affection and familiarity, not condescension
@@ShenoraiI Believe she is younger though
He was a college professor while she was a recent graduate if my memory Serves.
@@Shenoraibecause he looks old af and Harley was probably one of his students I guess
"There's one thing I gotta know. Why'd you stick your neck out for me, looking out for someone that's given you nothing but trouble?"
"I know what it's like to try to rebuild a life. I had a bad day myself...once."
"...Nice guys like you shouldn't *have* bad days."
Is there little wonder why no matter if she's a full hero, or merely an anti-heroic figure, she holds trust from Bats?
Exactly. It’s why I really do tend to like Harley being in that position and being on good terms with Batman when it’s presented that way.
@@raymondfisheriii791He actually let her kiss him, TWICE! That’s something no other person in Gotham can claim. And that final parting kiss lasts for a good ten seconds, too. I’m genuinely surprised Joker didn’t go ballistic over it, and for once he would’ve been fully within his rights. Could it be he never found out? But there were multiple witnesses present at that moment, including Poison Ivy. Why didn’t she tell him? Ivy is a confirmed man user, so why didn’t she just use Joker as a weapon against Batman?
@@raymondfisheriii791 It's part of why Injustice 2 is my favorite interpretation of Harley Quinn. She proudly wears the Bat Symbol on her jacket, and had to remind Regime Wonder Woman to not kill people.
It’s very sad to see how many times Harley was close to getting a normal life back but always fell back to the Joker and his manipulations. At the end of the day it’s hard to forgive her after the events of Return of the Joker, as she was a willing accomplice to the Jokers most evil action and then tried to downplay it with her confrontation with Batgirl. I hope she did find some happiness in her life after the Jokers death, even though she still couldn’t fully escape the Joker with her own granddaughters falling down the same path.
I need to put the Dee Dee twins in the next Batman Beyond villain poll...
It's an important factor that distinguishes Harley from a lot of other supervillains. Her descent towards the point of no return is never seen as an inevitability.
@@SerumLakeas someone who intimately knows what it's like to try and fail over and over again to truly make something of himself, that episode will always get to me on an emotional level, so thanks for the video and the reminder that I need to watch this episode again.
I was hit by this thought as well. In recent years it's become almost universal that Harley eventually separates herself from the Joker and makes a life of her own but in the continuity that introduced her she isn't able too as far as we know. (I'm not sure how seriously to take the old lady Harley appearance as the DiDi's grandma.) I will say for Return of the Joker as much as she does bear responsibility for her actions there that plan was also a terrible act of cruelty towards her on the part of the Joker. He used the twisted family angle to play into her deepest desires when his only real intention was causing the most possible suffering to Batman.
@@joshdavid9256 the old bags name was Harley and she was voiced by Arleen, that’s all the confirmation I need
Harley's Holiday is one of my top favourite episodes in the original run of BTAS. I love how Bruce doesn't give up on Harley in this episode, he understands she's just panicking and scared and he genuinely wants to help her. The 'I had a bad day too once' scene is my favourite part of the episode. If only our girl Harley had finally been able to finally make a change and reform fully.
Rest in peace Arleen Sorkin, you will always be missed ❤️
It’s a shame we never got to see the DCAU version of Harley’s redemption on screen. But if it’s any consolation, we do see a glimpse of Harley’s life after the joker in Batman beyond: return of the joker, where it’s revealed she’s the grandmother of the twins Dee and Dee, members of the Jokerz Gang. Who’s seen scolding the twins for their delinquent behaviour after they’re arrested and she pays their bail.
It’s a pretty short scene, but I love that it implies DCAU Harley was finally able to break free of the joker, live a relatively normal life and start a family. Even if her granddaughters ironically fell into a similar clown-themed criminal lifestyle.
I always wondered how she reacted to Joker's return.
my interpretation is that hee grandkids heard stories about what their grandma was like in her prime, and took the wrong lesson away from it, hearing about all of the escapades and drama and adventure and not realizing that it was in actuality, the most fraught and miserable time of her life
@@Xehanort10be it that she was smarter than she led on, she probably realized that The Joker’s last act was coming back to haunt everyone after all those years. Since she had been presumed dead, she didn’t want to reveal herself. Since that Joker wouldn’t recognize her as an old woman, she stayed away.
RIP Arleen.
At least she's not suffering any more
Yeau@@SerumLake
Rip
@@SerumLakeYeah.😞💕
Definitely one of my favorite BTAS episodes. One of my favourite bits:
"Hey, remember me? That big charity bash few years back? The one the Joker robbed? I was the clown girl holding the gun on ya!" 😀
I thought it was a fun bit of in universe continuity.
I'd like to think Veronica stayed friends with Harley, despite the rough start.
Glad I'm not the only one!
Some times the best friendships end up starting out due to misunderstandings. Later once those are resolved. Things are pretty good. This is not 100% true. Yet, let us be real. There are times we've hated someone. To end up later being friends with them.
Yeah! Even though Harley held Veronica hostage, at least things went better for the both of them.😊💕
There’s actually a fanfic comic that refers specifically to that. It’s part of a trilogy, “April Fool” (the first one), “Lovelorn”, (part two), and “Wedding Blues For Batman” (the finale). When Harley gets dumped cold by Joker, it’s Veronica who comforts her and even takes her in, letting her crash at her place
Harley's Holiday and Birds of a Feather were the only ones where the villain's attempted reform was completely genuine, and thus makes the tragedy of their backslide all the more poignant. Glad to see you're doing both. Definitely agreed that the end of this one feels more like a madcap Animaniacs-style chase.
I know this is about Harley, and I agree completely with all you said, but something that always sticks out to me in this episode is the end when Batman says: "I too had a bad day once".
I don't know if it's Kevin's immortal voice work or what, but it always almost makes me tear up.
Yes, a wonderful moment that cements this Batman as the best Batman in my eyes.
I agree. "Harley's Holiday" is one of my favorite BTAS episodes...period. It's hilarious and warm at the same time, using the absurdity of "one bad day" to illustrate good as opposed to turning someone into a super-villain.
I think I preferred how they did it with the Penguin because whereas with Harley it was a simple misunderstanding, with Penguin, they were intentionally jerking him around for their entertainment so him falling back to his old ways feels a bit more understandable in getting back at this group of people.
"Harley's Holiday" is absolutely my favorite episode of BTAS. The fact that Harley throughout the episode shows that she has changed and does truly want a better life. The way she still tries her hardest to keep Veronica safe because she promised it's incredibly sweet. "Mad Love" is good, but it shows a completely different side of Harley, it shows a great tale and that despite her being *emotionally* manipulated by the Joker she has incredible intelligence and cunning. Harley has maybe the best plan to kill Batman, almost succeeding if she hadn't gotten the Joker involved to try to prove she was valuable to him.
2:56 - 3:00/ For those curious, the writers were definitely film fans, not immune to avoiding a running gag from certain comedic movies.
What running gag, you ask? Why, Bullock's car, of course! If you recall the comedy classic SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT, then you'll remember Sheriff Bufford T. Justice, played by the immortal Jackie Gleason. In pursuit of the titular Bandit, played by Burt Reynolds, the Sheriff's squad car went through a series of incidents that reduced the automobile to a severed metal heap. The final product was pretty similar to Bullock's ill-fated sedan in HARLEY'S HOLIDAY.❤
In short, the showrunners have very good taste.
I really love that recently in the comics and some more recent shows Harley has been shown as a sort of anti hero and honorary member of the bat family at times its such a nice fit for the character that she was finally able to somewhat rid herself of the joker and set down a more positive path for herself
The facial expressions alone in this episode, absolute masterclass in comedy.
@@camerondodge2070 especially Harley’s reaction on the highway after Veronica told her that she will drop all the charges
It’s so Looney Tunes like
Agreed about that Scarecrow line; it's perfectly done.
I always get the impression that Scarecrow has developed a familial affection for Harley and sees her as a daughter or niece every time I hear that returned greeting to her, so full of warmth and tenderness
6:38 well, if you consider Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker to be canon, then Harley did seem to eventually reform and and return to society as a normal civilian, seeing as she would go on to have two granddaughters (who she gave a good tongue lashing to at the end of the movie).
We assume that she reformed, but we don’t see anything between the moment she fell in that ravine and the time she bailed the Dee Dee twins out of jail…
With her pudding bad influence is gone, what motivation did she have anymore
Movie's prime DCAU canon already. It's The Adventures Continue and especially Batman and Harley Quinn we have qualms about.
@@michaelandreipalon359That film is non canon
Its truly tragic how Harley has been so close to actually getting the freedom to persue a normal life back, but sadly her mental state and loving devotion to the Joker just brought her back to him. This episode especially stuck with me with how fragile she was to actually feeling like her old self. I also appreciate that Batman in this episode actually tried to help Harley and didn't persue her not just because she unintentionally kidnapped someone but he also saw how broken she was and genuinely wants to help her to rebuild her own life which is the type of compassionate Batman I love to see as it shows a real level of emotional understanding from Batman and how he bought Harley her dress empathising with her experience.
RIP to both Arleen Sorkin and Kevin Conroy, two exceptional voice actors that truly defined these characters for entire generations. You will both be missed♥️🦇🕊️🃏♦️
I like to think that Batman knows that Harley is not an evil person, but another one of Joker victims, he never goes rough with her and saves her a lot as well. I always wish that Harley recover away from the Joker.
I watched this one last night, and while I had as much fun with it as ever, I remember feeling distinctly sad by the end of it. The idea that someone who doesn't want to be bad could come so close, but ultimately ruin it for herself. Harley's total lack of self-respect, inability to take responsibility for her own actions, and probable PTSD tragically informed every increasingly self-destructive move she made in this episode; and as funny as it was, it was also kinda hard to watch (especially as someone who has made bad mistakes in life and worked to better myself, only to fall back into old habits when I least expected it). There's hope in that lesson though.
The sad part for me is the knowledge that Harley is one of those people who just can't put the pieces back together, no matter how badly she may want to.
Rest in peace Arleen. As far as I'm concerned, you were the first and last Harley Quinn.
Another thing I like about this episode is Veronica.
One of her previous appearances was Birds of a Feather, where she and… Pierre I think his name was, essentially used the Penguin to big up their status which almost led to her dying as Penguin took revenge. Whereas in Harley’s Holiday, she’s much more kind around Harley, especially when Harley is backing her up and tells Bennet not to ransom Veronica. And at the end, she even gets the kidnapping charges against Harley dropped, meaning that she’s not spending extra time back at Arkham.
I think it’s sort of interesting to see this change in her character between these two episodes, as if she learnt that to mess with the feelings of others (especially supervillains) for personal gain was wrong after her and Pierre’s scheme with the Penguin and decided not to repeat her mistake with Harley, which ended up letting her start to relate with Harley and her situation. I know it’s only a minor thing, but I think it’s a neat detail to see with such a minor character as Veronica.
Its Pretty Privilege.
Interesting analysis study
Wish we got more of her, the Elseworlds-ish The Adventures Continue comics notwithstanding, and/or her later daughter Bunny.
@@michaelandreipalon359 There’s actually a fanfic comic that refers specifically to that. It’s part of a trilogy, “April Fool” (the first one), “Lovelorn”, (part two), and “Wedding Blues For Batman” (the finale). When Harley gets dumped cold by Joker, it’s Veronica who comforts her and even takes her in, letting her crash at her place. And it’s Harley who comes up with the name for the baby when she finds out her “Ronnie” is expecting
Veronica: YELP!
Harley: You ok?
Veronica: I’m fine. She’s just kicking again.
Harley: Hmm, active little thing, isn’t she?
Veronica: I’ll say! Bouncing around all the time, I can barely get any sleep anymore.
Harley: You thought up any names yet?
Veronica: Not any good ones that stick.
Harley: Hmm. Oh, I know! Why don’t you call her “Bunny”? If nothing else, it’ll be fitting.
Veronica: Hmm. “Bunny.” My little Bunny.
Really good video essay. This is also my favorite Harley Quinn episode. I enjoyed (as you mentioned) that it's independent of Joker and Poison Ivy and puts the focus on her, and there was a nice mix of seriousness and levity. And I've always enjoyed that ending scene witu her and Batman. It's hard ro believe rhat we're coming up on the one year anniversary of Arleen Sorkin's passing. 😢
yeah, it came about quick, didn't it...
Especially with the Caped Crusader version as the Joker appears at the last episode
You know, I've always appreciated the "Mad Love" graphic novel for the story it presented. It's the animated adaptation I've always taken issue with, specifically because of where it got displaced in the DCAU timeline. This actually does tie into "Harley's Holiday", as I largely agree with what is said about it here (to this day, it remains in my personal Top 3, but the problems that came after make it also the most bittersweet). While Harley was DEFINITELY at her most interesting when she was on the verge of being rehabilitated, when TNBA came along, she just fell ass-backwards into being the "dopey sidekick" again, bouncing back and forth between the Joker and Poison Ivy (whichever one of them had managed to slither out of Arkham at any given time). And while I believe that adapting the "Mad Love" story into animated form was an attempt the showrunners to pacify fans by demonstrating that they could still make Harley deep and complex, to me, it actually had the exact OPPOSITE effect.
See, the original "Mad Love" graphic novel was written while Batman: TAS was still relatively in its youth, so understanding where Harley was coming from AT-THAT-POINT-IN-TIME (December 1993, to be precise) is what made the story work as well as it did (at least, to me), leaning into the one-two punch of “Harlequinade” and “Harley’s Holiday” (which aired May 1994 and October 1994, respectively) and making us even root for Harley’s eventual recovery. Airing an animated version of "Mad Love" on the tail end of the TNBA (in January 1999), after we got to see Harley start to break away from all that, only to backslide so horrendously, served only to dash those hopes, as it was made even clearer that recovery (as much as we wanted to see it) was simply not in her future*.
(*Actually, it kind of makes me wonder why it never occurred to anybody to simply transfer Harley to another facility, instead of keeping her in Arkham, WHERE-ALL-HER-TRIGGERS-WERE.)
In fact (and I don’t think it fully crystalized for me until fairly recently), placing the adaptation at that point in the animated timeline basically ensured that Harley (in the DCAU, at least) was absolutely NEVER going to emerge from the shadow of the Joker. Not only was this because that toxic relationship had become such a core element of her character, but because this version of Harley was simply not competent enough to ever come out into her own. As we know, in the original “Mad Love” graphic novel, Harleen Quinzel was revealed to be, AT BEST, a sub-par therapist, who had absolutely NO business even being in Arkham to begin with, and who you knew right off, was NEVER going to be a match for the manipulations of the Joker. Despite her getting the one-up on Batman and coming as close to killing him as she did, Batman still turns the tables on her almost immediately after regaining consciousness. And even in the “Batman & Harley Quinn” movie (another attempt at seeing Harley reform, even though it is largely a retread of "Harlequinade" in the broad strokes), most of Batman and Nightwing’s initial interaction with Harley is just trying to keep her reined in and focused on the task at hand, because she simply can’t fit her head around the gravity of the situation. Then there's the post-credits scene, which, while clearly played up for humor (as well as being a shout out to Harley’s ultimate career aspirations in the “Mad Love” graphic novel), really doesn’t say much for her, as a character.
Harley WOULD eventually come to evolve, however. It would not, however, be to the DCAU's credit. Ironically, the event we have to thank for it…was THE NEW 52.
Now I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve got ZERO love for The New 52. Almost NO character in the DC Universe came out of that reboot looking good. But a precious few did, and one of them was actually Harley. Feeding off the character’s massive popularity, DC opted to switch things up by tweaking her origin story, revealing that Harley had come from a troubled childhood, and in actuality, had ALWAYS been a little screwed up. The Joker simply tapped into what was already there and turned it into something 10 times worse. The purpose of this was to give Harley agency over her decisions and take responsibility for them, because that WOULD allow Harley to come out of the Joker’s shadow and emerge as her own character, separate from him (or at least as separate as could be hoped for, being another Batman character with a clown gimmick).
It’s pretty much why almost every other incarnation of the character, since then, has used “New 52” Harley as their jumping-off point. The Harley Quinn animated series even went so far as to alter her backstory further, revealing that Harleen Quinzel actually WAS a competent psychiatrist, and a big part of how she was so easily misled by the Joker was because the toxic nature of her parents’ relationship, during her formative years, distorted her thinking about what love looks like.
To that end, I guess you could say that the DCAU Harley had to crawl so other versions of the character could walk. Still, it was kind of rough to see her become tied down the way she was. "Harley's Holiday" hinted at the promise of something more. A promise that was ultimately unfulfilled.
At least, that’s just MY thinking on it.
"Thanks for everything Arleen"
😢
It's funny you did this before Birds of a Feather, because you're running Veronica's arc in reverse. I finde her fascinating as a character because, despite her being such a very minor character, they took the time to actually have her evolve. She starts as a very selfish person who will disregard all common sense to get a bit of status for herself because she does not see people as people. The experience with Penguin shocks her and in every further appearance, you see her trying more and more to be a better person, though being a dumb rich girl, her efforts aren't always well thought out and sometimes cause more harm than they help.
I don't think that it's an accident that Veronica shows up in a second episode about a villain trying to go straight. I think at least on some level, her presence here is meant to show a contrast between who she was before and who she is now. In essence, it isn't just Harley who's trying to reform in this episode.
Arleen Sorkin is Harley because she has the accent, character and more.
Tara is a good Harley but she lacks the accent that Arleen gave her and is always high pitched. She is a good secondary but she can't replace her.
Man Harley really is an amazing character.
Tara Strong is way too shrill as Harley.
I agree and Arleen will always be the best Harley but I have to say that I absolutely loved Hynden Walch as Harley Quinn and I think she is my favourite voice for the character after Arleen.
@@The_Phantasm oh yeah from assault on Arkham, she did great
@@mandalorianhunter1 Yeah and her first time voicing the character was in The Batman 2004 series.
Hynden Walch sure is something. One moment she's a naive yet learning, sweet, and surprisingly brave and awesome Starfire or young Nia Teppelin, the next she's a smart and sweet seeming pink-wearing yet surprisingly callous and also tired Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum, on another she's a pressured and care-weary uberpowered woobie named Ace or Maureen Connor/Permafrost, and finally be some petty yet quite approachable goddess in the form of Viridi.
Not bad for a strange voiced girl who got noticed by Bill Murray's Phil Connors and, hehe, married to General Zod in Groundhog Day. Yes, that was Hynden in a live action role.
The last scene of this episode is probably in my top five moments in the entire DCAU. Heartwarming, tragic, and hilarious.
"Ehhhhh, what're you lookin' at?!"
I personally prefer Harlequinade, but Harley's Holiday is a solid second for me. The very beginning and very end are my favorite bits.
And yes, Bud and Lou ARE the goodest bois, and the second-best Abbot & Costello reference in a 90s WB cartoon.
"Harley is anything but normal"
This is probably why I the comics she doesn't find her redemption by being normal but by being a crazy dangerous odd ball and shifting more in an anti hero direction.
I honestly don't understand at all why some think that simply because Harley appears in TNBA that somehow undoes Harley's Holiday. If anything it makes Harley a more tragic character and a lot of the most iconic Harley Quinn moments were post BTAS. Even I, when I first watched Harley's Holiday I distinctly remember thinking at the end that there was no way Harley would just reform and that episode would be it for the character. Even if they had just done another season of BTAS it would have been a guarantee that Harley would be back.
I appreciate you distinguishing BTAS from TNBA. For me the second series throws away so much of what made the first so important (a compassionate Batman and each villain's arc like Harley's) that I consider them separate continuaties.
Saying that it is a different show is accurate but saying that it is a different continuity is just plain ignorant.
@@The_PhantasmHear, hear. I've seen worser sequels out there that deserve the fanon discontinuity if not Elseworlds treatment.
B:TAS Harley is the one true real Harley Quinn. This episode is one of her best. We love you Harley ❤
Rest In Peace Arleen ❤
The best part of the episode for me is the ending, where Harley kisses Batman and tells her to call him. Honestly, I really wish that was actually followed up on, besides Ivy, I see this as one of the best relationships for Harley and I'm glad they actually did something like that in White Knight. It would also be a good way for Harley to stick it to the Joker
He's already got a complicated relationship with one villainess, and Selena has less baggage.
Don't forget Mad Love began as a comic book, a rather well-worn comic I have in some dusty closet in the back somewhere. But yes, this episode was a gem. But no one ever gets what they truly want. Hey, you should cover Bruce Timm's short comic, Red Romance, written by the wonderful Joe Lonsdale of Bubba Ho-Tep fame. That is a comic where everyone truly gets what they want.
Bubba Ho-Tep, you say?
@@michaelandreipalon359 All is well
Paul Dini is my favorite writer when it comes to doing tv shows. Dude can make a full on comedy episode for kids, a episode with full on action or a comedy with showing hints of tragedy and sadness at the end
I loved this episode. So much closure and hope for one of Joker's most tragic victims. Then...it all got tossed out in the followup series.
yeah, that was a shame wasn't it. I'm currently writing the video about Caped Crusader's Harley Quinn and when you consider how things turned out for BTAS Harley, you can see why Bruce Timm wanted her kept far away from The Joker
When Arleen passed away, Harley was obviously the main thing that came to mind, but the thing that really struck me was her small cameos in Paul Dini’s Dark Night: a true Batman story, where she comes across a just a really thoughtful and wonderful friend, every time she appears in the book, you know something nice is going to happen. Definitely recommend that book to those who haven’t read it, Paul Dini writes about the time he was mugged, and beaten near death, and how falling into fantasy both helps and hinders recovery.
Mental health recovery is possible, to the point where symptoms disappear entirely. Not just the visible symptoms, but the thoughts, and feelings entirely can disappear.
It's true that it isn't like a cold, but it's also not like a missing limb someone is just going to deal with for life either. One can reach the point where they no longer fit the diagnostic criteria for the condition.
Though this does depend on the mental health diagnosis, there are some for which this doesn't apply.
Bud and Lou are the best. I always considered Harlequinade to be the definitive Harley episode.
I know it sounds a bit harsh but I always thought that Harley Quinn never fully rehabilitating and reintegrating back into society was a good thing because I always viewed her as a cautionary character: her tragic life is meant to frighten and depress viewers. Every time I think of an abusive relationship the first thing that comes to my mind is Harley's relationship with the Joker because as a child that was the first example of an abusive relationship that I ever came across and I still think it's one of the most well written examples of one.
True, but looking at Harley and Joker relationship there was more to it then him abusing her. Joker and Harley did genuine enjoy being with each other. Unfortunely the Joker is such disturb character he could only show her abuse. Even though I want to her be happy with be with someone else and settle down. The character wasnt the same with out the Joker being part of her life. He was the one who made her Harley Quinn the character we all love!
I really would of liked to see Harley’s rehabilitation. It would be nice if there was an episode that shows that sometimes, with some people, if you try hard enough, there is a chance
Harley's Holiday has been my favorite episode of BTAS since i saw it first aired as a kid and i count it as one of the best pieces of animation ever produced.
One thing I adore about Batman Beyond, is that she eventually recovers and becomes a fully fletched member of society again
Excellent video Luke! I feel this episode definitely shows our little Harley is not only a capable character on her own, but someone worth rooting for! I know I mentioned this in the past but this episode feels the most obvious like a Tiny toons episode done by the same crew! The wacky hijinks, hilarity, and awesome music score all come together!❤️ We all love Arleen Sorkin and this episode definitely showcased her many facets of why we enjoy her acting so much! She can be tragic and saddening, then playful and gleeful all of the drop of a hat! This woman commands an entertaining performance but she keeps you captivated while watching her! It's always a joy seeing this wonderful character and actress go hand in hand! ❤️ It's just my way of saying how much we absolutely love Harley and in turn Arleen Sorkin! May you rest well for we miss you so much!😢❤️❤️😘
I'm looking forward to your take on the Harley Quinn of Caped Crusader. A figure who some might consider heroic, and would be willing to disregard her horrific methods. Her character development, if any, is going to be really fascinating.
Editing that video right now 🫡
Definitely one of my favorite BTAS episodes. Definitely a must-watch for a Harley Quinn crash course.
3:31 Worship me fools!!!
I'm still dying after 20 years of this beloved gag!
Pity, Scarecrow's one of those villains I'd rather not adapt. He's just so one-trick pony-ish, and his Fear Toxin thing can easily be given to the Riddler, Hugo Strange, and even the Joker.
@@michaelandreipalon359 what's worse is in comics, Joker was exposed to the fear toxin and it had really no effect on him! I feel the character needs to be revisited where he can identify any trace of fear from somebody as well as have none of his own. Almost empathizing with them.
@@michaelandreipalon359 pity? it was pretty that stayed Professor Crane's hand! There are many who deserve fear and many who do not. Can you give it to them big Mikey p?😂
@@LowellLucasJr. Precisely. Such unique takes on Scarecrow's modus operandi that can't be easily conquered are quite welcome.
Ooh, neat Gandalf quote there.
Bird's of a Feather and Harley's Holiday are great sibling pieces to me. It's honestly kinda of funny that the seeds of her possible redemption where there this early and it wasn't until the 2010s that she starts to slide to the role of an anti-hero. (also Ivy but that's another topic)
Some complain about this slide but I don't see it as any different than Venom form Spider-man personally
Thanks for reviewing this. I also enjoyed this episode.
5:17 "BACK OFF RICH BOY! I'M ARMED!"Harley made it funny 🤣
Your mentioning of Dr Crane's comedic scene reminded me of his appearance in "Happy Halloween Scooby-Doo!" in which he had a significant role. I not trying to be pusy, but it might be worth taking a look at. It was a fun portrayal of the character, even if he's serving as a supporting character. Actually, it's a very enjoyable movie overall
I think i made a mess on your cape
post kiss - Harley, "Call me." Batman, "Don't press your luck." - Harley to Ivy - Ehhhhh, whadda lookin aaaaht? -
harley says "i'm armed" while hittingn bruce with mannequinns hand
that was the best joke that ever landed
THANK YOU. "Mad Love" can't touch "Harley's Holiday". Indeed, "Harley's Holiday" is as good as "Almost Got 'Em" in my book. It's frickin' genius. ("I had a bad day too once.")
@@patrickdodds7162 He never said Harley's Holiday was a better episode than Mad Love. What he said was that Harley's Holiday is a better showcase of Harley as a character completely on her own whereas most other episodes with her feature either Joker or Poison Ivy.
@@The_Phantasm Well, *I* personally saying it's INFINITELY better than "Mad Love". That's the hill I'll die on.
@@patrickdodds7162 Then you are entitled to your opinion. What do you have against people having a different opinion than you? Actually never mind I don't wanna know.
Oh to rollerskate through the city while being pulled along by the bestest bois (I love hyenas and always loved that Harley kept them)
Which is weird because the aggressive big ones are the female yenas
A lot of Harley Quinn media makes her look like an evil psycho like the Joker, but with some morals. They try to make her more of an antihero but honestly it’s never sat right with me.
BTAS is way different and I like it way better. Harley has done some horrible things but she isn’t an evil psycho and could be redeemed.
I’d like to see a story where she genuinely gets reformed and tries doing good. Heck, make her an honest to god heroine. Image her as a part of the bat family.
Wow! I'd forgotten about that episode, and it's really something special. Even at 6-12 fps, the animation feels springy and vibrant. Kudos to the fine folks at Dong Yang! The jokes and timing are spot on, and most hold up 30 years later. Even Robin's fish-bludgeons are handled deftly enough to produce guffaws, rather than eye-rolls.
Some things my 12-year-old self definitely missed: General Vreeland's design is clearly a tribute to _Patton._ And the final chase sequence seems to be an homage to the climax of The Marx Brothers' final film (and by no means their best), _Love Happy._
They loved their movie references!
I think a lot of the reason why this episode seems so lively is because of Kevin Altieri’s direction. He’s an unsung figure in the creation of Harley Quinn that defined a lot of her mannerisms.
There's another villain reform episode you should cover in its own video: House & Garden.
One day 🫡
Also a sad one. Much less hilarity
That episode is...creepy.
It is nice to remember that canonically. We know Harley does eventually reform following the death of the Joker in Batman Beyond’s flashback.
Sadly, she had to be presumed dead and go into hiding, but at least we know she eventually settled down and clearly doesn’t want her descendants going down the same path she did
6:15 mkay, but there's something you aren't mentioning; after embracing the dress, she kisses Batman's cheek, turns away, stops, throws the away behind her, and jumps on Batman to kiss him. I see this as the writers acknowledging that Harley will always throw away her chance for a normal, better life for a man that doesn't want her.
Arlene is my favorite voice for Harley Quinn. No one else holds a candle
Such a great example of the compassion of this version of Batman. It is a shame Haeley wasn't able to continue to reform, but she was, to the writer's too good of a character to lose. And I think a reformwd Harley, trying ro help Bats would a)not ring true because b) she would inevitably be over exuberant and run afoul of Batman.
A refomed, older, Harley in Batman Beyond maybe getting falsely accussed of returning to crime might have been interesting, but I know they wantes to tell new stories with new folks, most of rhe time.
RIP Arleen Sorkin. she is The Definitive Harley Quinn voice (Margot Robbie would do Harley Quinn Proud in live action, i don't think she'll stay as Harley but Robbie did a phenomenal job at Portraying Harley Quinn in Live action) , much like Kevin Conroy is The Definitive Beloved Batman Voice, Mark Hamill is the Definitive Joker, Harley Quinn is a national treasure of a character (slightly overrated lol) I think Harley Quinn suffers from Stockholm Syndrome (it's incredible that a Swedish Bank Robbery in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973 created a psychological Disorder, absolutely Fascinating isn't it 😲🤔)
This Episode is a great one, The ending where Batman gives Harley The Dress was heartwarming i think Bruce should have approached the Security Guard and Harley and calmed the situation down, i also like to imagine off screen after Harleys Holidays Veronica Vreeland went to Arkham Asylum to visit Harley Quinn to check up on her, to say thanks for saving her from those Gangsters (i think they would have used Veronica as a sexual object 😳😱, thankfully Harley saved her i don't think Harley would have lived with herself if she left Veronica to her fate with those Depraved and Creeps, she wouldn't want a fellow sister to get abhorrently abused, (one of my absolute hatreds is seeing children women and animals getting abused, I ain't much of an animal lover and I don't like Humanity that much but if an animal, woman or child were harmed Id go apeshit, like most people would) and i think Harley would see Veronica as a friend in a way, i think Veronica herself had a bit of character development, she and that pompous jerk used Penguin in Birds of a Feather and when it came to Harley Quinn she was calm, i guess by that point she learnt that don't mess with Gotham's Costumed Villains and use them for personal gain, i think Veronica is that type of rich person who Deep down is a good person but probably grew up spoiled
How much do I appreciate the late Ms. Sorkin’s portrayal?
I made a comment, *AND* *I* *ACTUALLY* *PAID* *FOR* *IT!*
Hah, good one.
Bravo! (And thank you!)
I love Harley's Holiday. No Joker. Just Harley Quinn on her own. This shows how far Harley has come from a simple henchgirl in Joker's Favour.
I think its argued Harley's full rehabilitation might've finally happened at some point After The Joker's death in Batman Beyond: Return of the joker since at the end we see An Elderly Harleen reprimanding her Granddaughters Delia and Deidre Dennis (Dee Dee) and lets be honest after all she went through and the Experience of a Life of Crime I don't blame her for being upset with the twins working for someone so cruel and Abusive like the Joker.
Talk about Harlequinade! The ending was freaky!
Also bringing up the topic of the Threatening Three, comic only villains Mastermind, Perfessor and Mr Nice. Based on DC editors i think. Carlin, o neil, archie goodwin
She makes a stealth appearance in Beyond as an old lady with 2 problematic granddaughters, id say she got her life together eventually
We can infer that, but we don’t know for certain
Don't know if it counts, but in Batman Beyond we see an aged Harley who scolds her two twin Grand Children for doing Crime and helping the Joker in Return of the Joker.
It is both wholesome and sad, to know that she was able to get a Husband and have Kids and Grand Kids, but only with the Joker gone.
It shows how the Joker really ruins her life by just existing.
Harley is a good Person deep down and I am rooting for her since I was small.
The BTAS Version of Harleen Quinzel will always be my favorite.
I’d say it counts, but the issue is we don’t see anything of her life between the time she fell in the ravine to the time she pod the Dee Dee twins’ bail. I think it’s safe to assume that she didn’t return to crime, but that’s not necessarily the same thing as reforming
@@SerumLakebut the fact that she was so disappointed with her granddaughters and said that she struggled to make a good home for them indicates that she at least tried to get her shit together😂
As far as voice acting performances go, Harley's Holiday for my money is Arleen Sorkin's greatest performance ever as Harley Quinn. I think it's the perfect Harley Quinn episode mainy because you don't actually see her doing any evil deeds even though her infamous reputation and over the top attitude still attracts a lot of attention from members of the crime world but this was actually the first real time, you could she wanted to have a normal life. I love at the end you see Harley ask Batman why would he stay with someone who's caused him nothing but trouble and Batman responds by saying "i know what it's like to try and rebuild a life. I had a bad day too once" before handing her the dress that she actually paid for even though she was accused of stealing it. It really spoke volumes to the kind of person Batman really is, he's willing to help someone who wants to help themselves. The part where Harley lays a big smooth on the lips to Batman was very cute. It showed that underneath her wackiness that the good willed doctor is still in there. I like to think by the time we see as an old lady in Batman Beyond that she's given up her life of crime. All due respect to Tara Strong, Kaley Cuoco and many other voices actresses who all did an amazing job providing the voice of Harley Quinn but Arleen Sorkin will always be my definitive Harley Quinn
Great review.
Harley’s Holiday is one of my most favorite episodes. I really liked how it started and how it ended.
The part where she kissed Batman just made me smile. 😃
Harly do seen reformed years after the events of BTAS in the end of "returen of the joker"
Thanks for the videos.
No, thank you! I wouldn’t make them if people like you didn’t watch them
I think she did recover in the end cause in batman beyond she is with grand daughters and away from the joker. Living a long life. I feel like after the events of return of the joker she set herself straight without him
Alas we can only infer that she went straight because we don’t see anything about her life between the time she fell into the ravine during the Return of the Joker flashback and the scene where she bails out her granddaughters. It’s nice to think so though.
A bit of topic but i think that anarchy would be a great villain for caped crusader
hed be cool! i liked him in bware the batman even if he was quite similar to the joker
@@FrozenJack2007In my opinion i think arkham origins anarchy is better
Appropriate too, considering the existence of anarchist types before and during the Interbellum years.
I'm no doctor, but describing Harley Quinn believing that people are out to get her in some way and her panicing makes me think that she might have some sort of schizophrenic disorder
She definitely has mental disorders but I don’t think that schizophrenia is one of them.
She probably has Ptsd and panicked because she’s been a criminal for atleast 2 years at this point and has getting used to the lifestyle
Definitely agree there were too many "reform" episodes but this one is the most genuine
To me, the funniest part was when it seemed Harley would figure out Bruce's secret.
R.I.P. Arleen Sorkin
Speaking of Poison Ivy, one of her creations attempted to murder Veronica Vreeland by posing as her perfect marriage partner for his mistress' industrial takeover scheme in the episode: Chemistry.
Harley Quinn wasnt the same without Arleen Sorkin voicing her. What liked about her Harley, she could be child like, very innocent and loveable as well as just being violent and wacky.
It had the perfect balance between innocent and violent
You mentioned in the Metallo video that you felt Intergang was wasted. Might I suggest My Adventures with Superman? They also did Brainiac REALLY well.
RIP ❤🙏🏾🙏🏾❤🙏🏾thx u
I'm more surprised no one arrested Harley for illegally keeping wild animals as pets
Gotham's a nose hair away from being a lawless wasteland, but I'm pretty sure even they require a license to handle/own exotic animals.
Still I wish the show actually had Harley actually rehabilitate after this episode instead of acting like it never happened. It's really sad knowing that after this she still went on to help the Joker brainwash and mutilate Tim Drake (a literal child)
Alas, the next episode in production order is "Lock-Up". Think of that what you will, the idea of a one-shot villain doing lots of damage to another villain in the long run.
"You have fun with your new chew toy!"
I don’t find the joker very compelling, he’s evil and this episode is a perfect example of how awful he is in subtle ways. I love this episode because you can see very clearly that she doesn’t want to a criminal, but her time with joker has warped her sense of normal so much that she can’t function in normal society. I can see every over-reaction of misreading of a common situation as a behavior joker gaslit or abused her into, as she was a functioning member of society before they met.
Definitely a fav episode, like others have said. I always rooted for her in this ep, and would've loved to see things work out for this Harley specifically. I wonder what her (harley, and specifically this version of harleys) version of success is. She was already a doctor (I dont think of her as a sleeping her way to the top kind of person or she wouldn't be so easily manipulated) , so whats next?
With many batman villains, I feel the answer is really easy, give them unlimited funding and a stable job at wayne enterprises and a lot of work and I think they'd forget about villainy quickly, but harley doesnt really fit that bill. Not that a wayne enterprises staff psychiatrist isnt a bad job title!
I wonder if veronica did check up on her after that episode like someone else said. O think itd be nice if she had a non supervillain friend.
All Harley Quinn ever wanted was to have a normal life and be civilized for once especially since she was released from Arkham for a while. She even bought the dress she wanted and actually paid for it even though she didn't realize the security tag was still on it. However Batman did something nice for her and gave her that dress, awwww such a sweet moment.🥺😊❤️🖤
The end of the episode made me ship Batman and Harley hard.
One of my favorite episodes of BTAS & TNBA, but I prefer Mad Love & Harlequinnade - they make a brilliant trio of episodes.
I’m glad that, in its DCAU inspired continuity, the White Knight-verse adopts Harley’s Holiday as a part of its history & finally followed up on that ending scene to explore a Bruce/Harley romance
Interesting characters, the likes of Harley Quinn, Uncle Iroh (he was supposed to be a conniving adviser type who may or may not be killed off early in Avatar: The Last Airbender; thankfully, Mako being his kind and passionate voice actor changed things), Onpu Segawa (I think Ojamajo Doremi was supposed to be just a 51 ep show; Sharp onwards changed that for good, while said character may have become prominent so to showcase her voice actress Rumi Shishido's chops and starpower), and Princess Luna (ensemble darkhorse personified/ponified). They seem to be supposed to be one and done folks, but due to circumstances and maybe even fan appeal, they ended up getting quite a lotta screentime and a buncha fan favorite spotlight episodes.
1:15: I could actually be one of those people. The roller skates are neat, though, so I'll let those slide.
2:07: Hmm, am curious. Any full records of the tale?
2:27: Can't blame him. Being pushy and wary is a common thing for Gotham security.
3:00: Fascinating how a WW2/Korean War tank (looks like a Sherman, but I'm not exactly sure) is still used in the DCAU's early 1990s.
3:25: A fact that got a neat nod in S1E4 of Caped Crusader.
3:48: Neat continuity there, considering that was nine eps ago in production order, which is more likely script order. (With that, it's six eps ago in airdate order.)
I wonder if Gen. Vreeland got sacked if not demoted at the time of Superman: TAS. Don't see him nor hear him be mentioned there and on to Justice League Unlimited. No Vreeland descendants in the military come Batman Beyond too.
I must say, there's just something about the comedic hijinks here that feels *so right* with the realism of the DCAU setting compared to how Static Shock, Gotham Girls, and The Zeta Project did things in a kiddified fashion.
5:59: Yay, bookends, my beloved trope.
6:37: Here's a sad theory. Notice how the next ep in production is "Lock-Up"; apparently, the titular villain, in his Arkham Asylum warden days, did so many wrong things against Harley that it rendered her insensitive to kindness and redemption for several years onward, as if karma was just toying her around with Batman's compassion in mind. *"Never again,"* she might have cried out in pain and numbness.
In my opinion, though this ep is still a great gem, "Harlequinade" seems more stronger in my eyes, due to it being more relevant with post-B: TAS tales in mind. Also, Harley's singing a classic song is priceless.
7:14: Schway, a Brave and the Bold clip of a Bat-Mite ep.
8:15: Please don't. It's apocryphal Elseworlds, and Fatal Five's a more faithful film for the DCAU. Seriously, we really need less dishonorable follow-up works akin to Teen Titans Go, The PowerPuff Girls 2016, and Wonder Woman '84.
Hmm, not that hyped on "Birds of a Feather" but do go on, am curious to see how you'll have a say on it.
What happened to harley did happen to me once only that I was more rational than harley was don't get me wrong I was nervous as fuck what happened was I bought a set of marvel figures and the alarms that detect thieves went off I stopped straight away and the security guard pointed out that the item was double tagged so I was fine and allowed to leave the shop
This episode actually made me a batquinn shipper ngl