Harlequinade - Bat-May
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- "Harlequinade" is a well-written, directed, and acted installment of Batman: The Animated Series. It covers a lot of bases; being funny and exciting while advancing Harley's character further on her path to becoming one of the most beloved DC characters of the last 30 years. Join Walter as he continues his deep dive into Batman: TAS.
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Harlequinade is an episode of the second season of Batman: The Animated Series. It features Harley Quinn as one of the main characters of the episode. "Harlequinade" was the 72nd produced episode overall and the seventh episode produced in the second season.
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What did you think of Harlequinade?
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“Drawn to her” was a good one Walter! 🤣
Seriously though, it’s like you said: Even if Harlequinade was a terrible episode- and I sure as hell didn’t think it was- Arleen Sorkin owned every scene Harley was in!
For those who want to like other iterations, I’m not going to stop you. But seeing as Batman: TAS literally gave birth to her and Arleen voiced her flawlessly, in my opinion there’s only one Harley Quinn!
It was funny and weird.
WOW! I can't believe that song is a real song! It's just SO PERFECT for Harley. I just knew that they had to have written the song just for her. 💖🖤🤍
I like when the Joker said, I'll buy you a goldfish. He could care less about her hyenas.
He cares only about himself ultimately
Which is even more poignant when you consider what he had to GO THROUGH to get Bud and Lou. (a MUCH later episode).
@@Sojoboscribe Not to mention they're his hyenas too and he has depended on them as watchdogs, especially in later episodes of the New Batman Adventures. He has a twisted way of showing appreciation for his minions, allies, and pets alike, which is something Harley is better at showing when it comes to having a more sentimental mentality than Joker.
@@codyhoskins1319 One wonders who takes care of them when BOTH the Joker and Harley are in Arkham.
@@Sojoboscribe Probably their goons.
The fact that they have the more cartoony sound effects in this episode makes me think that Harley would 100% rig some of her equipment and weapons, like her hammer and baseball bat, with speakers to make those sounds when she hit something with it
Much like Kevin for Batman and Mark for Joker, Arleen Sorkin is the definitive Harley Quinn.
She has that pizazz, jazz, razzle and dazzle, attitude, joy, pain, fun, but also energy that she put into her performance. Harley is an amazing character because of her
I 100% agree. Although I will say that Tara Strong does do an exceptional job as well taking over the role in the Arkham games.
I still wonder why she only returned for one arkahm game
Well said. 🖤
Harley was based on her to begin with.
"I'm not even a real blonde!"
This part never ceases to make me laugh. I had to pause the episode the first time because I couldn't stop howling. 🤣🤣🤣
It's odd when you consider that she has ALWAYS been blonde in ALL of her incarnations. Even when she re-defines herself with the colored pigtails, the blonde's still there (thought in the movies at least, you can see the POSSIBILITY she might have black hair naturally.)
@@Sojoboscribe kinda like black canary is a fake blond too. Something almost forgotten nowadays
Or Emma frost is a fake too I think. And her boobs are too.
I always thought she was a brunette. Regardless, I think blonde suits her better, it's a very nice contrasting colour with the red and black apparel she normally wears.
@@wadeyhyena1657 I think part of the problem is that we saw her blonde even BEFORE she turned (i.e. when she was still a doctor). Normally, I'd use her parents as a guess (since we see them in the new series), but by now both of them have grey hair (I think).
And, of course, the hair DOES go with the façade of the "blond bimbo" or the "blondes have more fun" trope.
This, along with Harley's Holiday, would lay the foundation of her evolution into a fully realized character outside of Joker's shadow, no longer a doormat.
This episode was incredibly entertaining as team-up of opposites, like 48 Hours.
Harley may think of herself as Joker's one true love, but she's wrong. No one will ever mean more to the Joker than Captain Clown did. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
YOU KILLED CAPTAIN CLOWN!
😂
Gone too soon... RIP
That may very well be the honest truth.
Womp womp!!
Walter puts in so much effort for Bat-May each year, listening to commentary tracks and reading old scripts for each episode. Love that.
I look forward to it every time. Walter is the reason I bought this series' DVD set. I'd only vaguely remembered it from my childhood but he really sold me (and was absolutely right).
I really like how this episode marks a step up for the Joker. This version tends to lean more towards goofier crimes, but this time round he's just going to nuke Gotham and fly off.
It's also interesting to watch the evolution of Harley, from quirky sidekick, to fully fleshed out character.
This is probably my favorite Harley Quinn episode because it has everything you'd want in it. Harley working with Batman, a musical number and Harley actually standing to Joker, ( until they realized the gun was fake and she goes back to him ).
The scene where Batman yells at Harley is carved into my memory. I don’t think I’ll ever see Kevin Conroy’s Batman that angry again.
It was the perfect pairing really. Harley is obnoxious as fuck whereas Batman, calm and stoic, can't just punch her out or get rid of her because he needs her, so he has to bear her antics.
And the seconds right before he yells... he's probably thinking something along the lines of: "Murder is illegal, murder is illegal..." 😂
He was more angry about Harley touching his car than the Joker torturing Tim😂
I like how they had the Joker say "That bomb's going off even if I go with it" followed by his signature laugh.
This just proves how unstable he is.
I like to think Harley was what happens when you make a character want to make them likeable. It always feels like some characters nowadays aren’t really too noticeable due to how one tone they can be. Just be “this character” and have them be little else beyond that (hell, the terrible trio episode we just went over is a prime example of how not to write antagonists).
But Harley was given so much love during the animated series while also expanding in her character to such a point, that she really has become her own person as of late in the DC universe. Yeah, she is getting overused a bit (hell, call her DC’s Deadpool), but looking back, it is great to see how she went from someone who could have been a throwaway character and became something much greater.
Overused a bit? She's like a leech at this point.
Sometimes it's good to make characters unlikeable. That's the good point of the trio. The catharsis of rich A-holes getting what's coming.
Plus it's very classic Batman. He doesn't just deal with named, recurring enemies. It reminded me of a great comic issue called night of the stalker at the end.
_”Baby! You’re the GREATEST!”_
Plus, the scene where Batman chews out Harley after she presses a Batmobile button she ought *not* to be pressing is my favorite out of this whole episode (😁).
"Listen, and listen good. You don't say anything, touch anything, or DO anything unless I tell you to, GOT IT!?"
"Yes sir..."
@@berniethekiwidragon4382 That’s the one! 😄
And a legend is born! Arleen Sorkin should really get some kind of award for this - her voicing of Harley is what made Harley Quinn so successful.
Harley Quinn must be one of the things the creators are the most proud of. They invented a character, late in the Batman timeline, and made it mainstream and canon to the point that Harley is one of the most recognized brands of DC. It wouldn´t surprise me if she is more popular than Superman nowadays. A large part of this is that she is relatable - crazy, but still very empathic (despite being connected to possibly the worst comic book character ever) and carefree. Its easy for many women to see bits of themselves in her, especially if they have been in a toxic relationship. We will see more of Harleys backstory in Mad Love, but this was a great start (and I think this episode has a stronger plot). It reminds me of A Bullet for Bullock, where we have this buddy cop feel - with the straight guy (Batman) and his crazy partner who doesn´t follow the rules (Harley). It is also a bit of a parody over romantic comedies as well - Harley and the Joker act like a rom-com couple, constantly breaking apart and reuniting. Except here, no one sane want our two villainous leads to actually reunite.
The general idea, that Batman seeks Harley up for help, is also strong and will be repeated plenty of times - most recently in Batman and Harley Quinn movie, like Walter said (the movie is pretty meeh if you ask me). And Harley really blooms out when she for once gets the chance to be the main...ish star. There is a reason why the Harley Quinn tv series was appreciated. And we see a lot of the strong points of Harley here - my favorite is when she tries to convince her "boyfriend" that he should think of “hat guy, lizard man, and puppet head” as well. That kind of thinking is something that few other Batman villains (is she even a villain at this point?) would do. It is very easy to see why she once worked with the treatment of inmates.
In comparison with Poison Ivy, I also do think Harley works a lot better as a sex object than Pamela ever did. Indeed I would argue that her sexuality and her clear interest in romance (who can forget "Don’t you wanna rev up your Harley? Vroom, vroom!" from Mad Love) is a great counterpoint to her almost childlike innocence and her screwed up mind (I have a hard time understanding why Harley sitting naked in a bathtub with toasters, blow dryers was such an issue. The idea that Harley should be less eye candy because she is more famous now and therefore a rolemodel is insane - if you are opposed to the eroticization of violence against women then you should not be a comic book artist for Harley, period and Harley has always been a representative of mental health issues). I did not mind the sexual overtones and raunchy humor in Batman and Harley Quinn and I do not mind them here. As for the other characters - the Joker is really twisted and evil in this one, willing to nuke Gotham (a bit strange, but you surely get some nihilistic vibes a la Dark Knight here). I also like that Harley is not ready to break free from her "puddin". It will come later of course, but the impact the joker has on her must be shown over a longer course to be effective. What more - the animation is good (I have no idea what Walter is talking about - the movements, faces and gestures are supposed to be a little overly cartoonic in order to match the episode) and the music is at least decent (personally not a fan of the cartoonish score, but i know many who is). I see no reason why this doesn´t deserve top marks.
Also - "The Gayest musical" =D. Ahh, the days when that word had another meaning!
Verdict: 5 out of 5 bats (You could argue for a 4, but I am generous).
"So. . . Your Plan 'B' IS Harley Quinn? God Help Us." She's one of my favorite character from the DC Universe all thanks tot her creation in Batman Animated Series.
There's a reason Arlene Sorkin fits so well into this char... its cuz Harley is basically her character from Days of our Lives. There's even a clip of Calliope dressed in a jester outfit on youtube. She's Harley.
Well, I mean, that clip was what directly inspired the character of Harley Quinn, and the reason they offered Arlene the part, so...
@@LazerWulf Isn't that the OP's point in the first place?
So Arlene Sorkin is Harley Quin.
@@senonimoustv2497 Literally
One thing I appreciate about this episode is the subtle foreshadowing. Harley's origins of course but also the Joker's location. The first time you see the mayor in the episode he is on the phone and you might realize that the arm holding the phone is a purple sleeve and white-gloved hand. Yes, that's right, Joker was with the mayor the whole time preventing him from evacuating the city. It's those details that I love.
Hearing the "batgirl eat ya heart our" and "I'm not even a real blonde" lines instantly filled my heart up with the purest of adoration, and I'm reminded of why I to this day LOVE Harley Quinn over any other DC character.
This very episode was so instrumental in making her the love of my comic reading life.
The bit in the harley quinn music number where harley falls off the piano and batman head butts the table cracked me up the first time watching
Arleen Sorkin can always make me crack a laugh. It is sad she quit Acting in 2012. Also Walter your an awesome member of the Channel Awesome crew, I always look forward to your segments.
Thanks on the head up that Arleen Sorkin quit around 2012 after her last roll in a Batman video game or a spin off show. After being replaced by Tara Strong as the new Harley Quinn along other voice actors of Harley Quinn.
Love this episode! Absolutely love the gags, the hilarious one liners and ofcoarse Batman's " Don't touch anything..SAY anything..OR DO ANYTHING UNLESS I TELL YOU! GOT IT?!" No wonder this episode won an Emmy! Love this gal ❤
My favorite part of this episode is the end when she screams "The Babies! We can't leave the Babies!". That part always slayed me.
The beginning of Harley's habit of drifting into the anti-hero side. I feel like part of what made her so popular is she has all the humorous outlook of Joker with less of the malice, a character who similar to Deadpool stalwartly refuses to treat situations and other characters with the gravitas that they insist on. Combined with Batman's seriousness it's a winning combo. Makes you wonder why The Creeper or Jester from the Crime Syndicate universe wasn't as liked.
I think a big part of it for the Creeper is that they really AREN'T the same sort of character. With Harley, you quickly realize that it really IS all a sort of act, the accent, the bimbo nature etc. Underneath you know that (barring staying in an abusive relationship) she still IS sane, and still IS smart. The Creeper on the other hand, actually IS crazy, even crazier than the Joker. Harley may not be 100% sure what the Joker is or isn't going to do at any moment, but she literally has NO idea how the Creeper will react. It would literally be (not unintentionally) like trying to build a relationship with Freakazoid.
@@Sojoboscribe Officer Cosgrove was able to build a relationship with Freakazoid... but I get what you mean.
@@WhiteFangofWar Well, Officer Cosgrove is a pretty weird individual himself.
The again Freakazoid DOES have Steff.....
@@Sojoboscribe Also Freakazoid has a moral compass of somesort..
@@MrKodachii Well, so does The Creeper, more or less.
7:06 part of Joker knocked out but still shooting always made me laugh when watching
Reminds me of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, "Son, I'm sorry, but one way or another...they got us."
I'm reminded of a gag in the commentary of possibly including a joke of a flock of birds dropping dead lol
Harley: The babies! (referencing her hyenas) We can't leave them behind!
Joker: I'll buy you a goldfish.
The "I'm not even a real blonde" line is an instant draw to like Harley as a character. But that dialogue between her and Joker earned her my unconditional adoration and him my uttermost ire. That Joker could so callously abandon the cute little kitty-cats, let alone his girlfriend's kitties, is unforgivable.
This was a great episode! It really was the start of Harley's development into the independent character she is now.
Her design is hands down the best in this series. Like, you know, an actual harlequin. With a goofy and beautiful look and sad and tragic inside. Compared to the modern versions, where everything is more serious on the outside, but more goofy and empty on the inside.
This was when "Batman: The Animated Series" was REALLY hitting its stride! The Joker and Harley had never been better up to this point, and Robin was beginning to appear a lot more frequently, which I greatly appreciated. I also admire all the ways in which this episode fleshed out the vast Joker mythology: Harley Quinn chewing bubble gum, an appearance by Bud and Lou (the two pet hyenas), the introduction of the Joker's hulking mime-thugs (who we eventually learned were named Mo, Lar, and Cur), and those amusing yet also horrifying airplane missiles with "shark smiles" painted on them. Not to mention Boxy Bennett - a character so memorable that he almost deserved his own episode!
By the way: I never really noticed it before, but the animated Harley's teeth, like those of the Joker, are pale yellow! Probably to accentuate the whiteness of their faces, but it's one of only a few things about the Joker that truly disgusts me. As for Harley, it's very ironic that a character who would become a HUGE sex symbol had such gross, taratar-y teeth in the beginning.
I love the fact her hyenas are named Bud and Lou after Abbott and Costello.
Yup. Joker's three main henchmen are also named after comedians. Mo, Lar and Cur, named for Moe, Larry and Curly, the Three Stooges.
Arlene Sorkin is still my favorite Harley. Everyone else comes up short.
“What was she before she went bonkers?”
“A clinical psychiatrist.”
I remember that line from this episode.
God, I gotta rewatch Batman and Harley Quinn. Such a great movie.
I love The Joker’s justification for killing all the innocent Gothamites, “some joke on them”. He doesn’t have any deeper motivation besides being a deeply sadistic bastard that finds this funny.
Not to armchair-direct, but if Batman REALLY didn't want Harley to switch sides constantly, he should have said: "If that bomb goes off, your boyfriend is going STRAIGHT TO THE ELECTRIC CHAIR! And no insanity plea will save him this time!" Sure, Gotham City doesn't have the death penalty, but no reason they couldn't reinstate it just to get rid of the Joker.
@@SeasideDetective2 Harley already knows that Arkham patients are safe from execution. Plus, Joker's a master at escaping such facilities.
That’s why this is my favorite version of joker. As good as the acting was in dark knight and joker, I hated his motivation. It didn’t feel like joker. “I do this to say something about our society” is fine, but it doesn’t feel like joker to me. If joker does something, I want his reasoning to be “I thought it was funny”, not some profound crap. Leave the societal judgement to anarky.
@@comradebusman3 I’m fine with some societal reason being an underlying reason, but joker shouldn’t be going off about it every second. He sees life as a joke and he’s here to deliver the punchline.
@@comradebusman3 The reason that Joker is challenging society in TDK is simply b/c of Batman. Before then, he was merely doing random crimes. Due to Alfred's "just wanna watch the world burn" speech, which goes in-line w/ the whole "I thought it was funny" motivation, many are actually dismissing him across all mediums as a one-dimensional villain despite his complex relationship w/ the hero as shown by their psychological warfare in TDK. Like toying w/ Harley's feelings, the Joker tricks people into thinking that he's saying something profound before pulling the rug underneath them (Batman must be unmasked, but oh that's just boring). A lot of Batman's villains judge society in their own ways: Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Riddler, Penguin, etc...
Still remember watching these episodes in the early 90s or mid 90s
This was a great Harley Quinn episode. My personal favorite is "Girls' Night Out." Batgirl and Supergirl taking on Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Livewire. And "Mad Love."
Definitely 1 of my favorite episodes of batman animated. Also glad that you highlighted that particular moment when the guy gets the joker venom and he is absolutely horrifying.
Welcome to the DC universe, Harley! 🦇
It's cool that Harley Quinn got some focus episodes in season 2. She's one of the best characters in the series.
Harley and Joker have the most unique relationship I have ever seen, and I love it!
Personally, I think Dini was correct in his assessment of a solo Harley show- they did everything he predicted, and it does make the character feel alot different.
This version is Harley Quinn is still and will always be my favorite. Harlequinaade is better than I remember, even. I bow down to Arleen Sorkin's voice work in this episode.
I think that a a lot of it is because they are basically two different takes on the character, BTAS Harley is mostly doomed to constantly falling in and out of love with the Joker even if she does grow and strive to be better but Harley from the new show is one that has already achieved independence from the Joker
Agreed to me its a completely different person. I say that because the new one gives a very different tone in terms of theme and persona.
My favorite part of the new Harley show is the comical Bane with Tom Hardy-like voice. I so wish we could get a spin off show of his own.
I think a lot of that is how Quinn is a genuine agent of chaos in BtAS, more so than even the Joker, at least on a scene-for-scene basis. She brings energy and spice to a scene, but you'd need to ground that energy if you want to make her the center piece of a narrative.
What is the most shocking thing to realise is, this episode could literally have been Harley's switch to the side of good (before the events in Return of the Joker's flashback) if the gun hadn't been a joke gun.
Harley was 100% committed to ending Joker in that exact moment.
Think what that actually means. Sure, she turned around again when the gag gun impressed Joker, but what if it hadn't been a gag gun?
Joker would've been ended there and then.
What would that have done to Harley's mental state?
She was in a mindset of not caring about Joker's life, so if she'd pumped him full of lead, what would've happened next?
Without Joker to pull her back into the cycle, she would be free, both from his influence and in general.
Would she have gone the Injustice Harley route and become Hero Harley or simply tried returning to a normal sort of life?
Or would she have chosen to go back to Arkum to get counselling to deal with her ending Joker and to help figure out where she can go from there?
They showed an earlier episode where she tried to go straight.
She ended kidnapping someone.
I like what the show did with her retiring.
This has always been one of my favorite episodes. The line I’ve never forgotten in all these years which is also (obviously) my favorite line in the episode is “and here I bet you thought I was just another bubble-headed blonde bimbo, well the joke’s on you I’m not even a real blonde”, LOL CLASSIC. I love the episode from top to bottom. Even the finale of the episode, especially the last line of the episode “BABY YOU’RE THE GREATEST”. Even that moment in the speakeasy with Batman tied up on the pool table, and Quinn is causing a distraction so Robin can sneak in. You know the moment, it’s when Batman gets so annoyed he hits his head on the pool table. Perfect straight man comedy. This episode and Harley’s Holiday make for the best Batman the animated series double feature, also throw in Harley & Ivy and Girls Knight Out to make it the perfect Harley centric night.
I forgot the more classic-cartoony sound effects in this episode, but for a Harley Quinn-focused episode, they fit right in. And now I know the origin of that song-and-dance bit.
I hope that he covers the episode "mad love" eventually
Man oh man. I love this episode so much. Harley had some really funny lines . "will you please put down that acid"🎶 lyrics from her song had me rolling.
Batman becoming enraged when Harley messed with the Batmobile is a regular watch for me.
"Mom, is this a happy ending or a sad ending?"
"It's an ending, that's enough."
The Simpsooooooooons
I love how elastically Harley moves compared to Batman and Robin's. It's such a great little detail.
You have to wait until the absolute final shot of the episode to discover that the Joker's henchmen survive the crash 🤣
One of the best character in comic book TV and movies history
one of my favorite episodes I love arleen's singing and delivery on her jokes and lines
There is a big difference between sexy and sexual. This show got it right every time with all the female characters. More modern versions of Harlequin go too far and lower the character in my opinion.
Classy Harley > Trashy Harley. And i hate the tattoos and booty shorts. The Arkham and Injustice Games were really pushing the boundaries on her design but came up way better in my opinion than Suicide Squad or Current Harley.
Best Harley episode ever
I think I like Harley's Holiday more
@@keineahnung6184 the babies have a big role in that episode which is lovely
I like this one too as the interaction between her and Batman is kind of like how Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny interact with each other
@@ThatMissQuin
"The babies! We can't leave the babies!"
XD
@@alexiaNBC yesssss
I always found Harley as an interesting character. She’s really funny and doesn’t feel annoying.
Definitely a classic episode always funny
Fun Fact: The gun Harley points at Joker was supposed to make an actual gunshot sound,but they put the flag as censors thought it was too much
The flag makes it even better somehow
Nowadays they wouldn't dream of animating a "real" gun at all.
How about next year we also have a "June-stice league" reviewing the original JLA episodes? I recently binge-watched the whole thing and it really hit me how mature, well-animated and well-written the show is! Some episodes really hit you with out of left-field moments.
7:00 If you listen closey, arleen sorkin loses the Harley voice for a second. It sounds little less high pitched, and more grounded. I don't know if it was intenional, but it was pretty neat to hear.
I wasn't really a Harley fan as I just saw her as a side kick to Joker and some times Poison Ivy though this episode, even though she was still teamed up with other characters I didn't feel like she was playing side kick to anyone here. This episode is the first time that I think she really felt like her own character. It also kind of plays into the anti-hero persona she would be portrayed as more in other media rather than just a straight villain. I don't remember thinking much of this episode when it first aired but in hind sight it really is one of the best episodes to develop her character.
I just found out that the video games Arkham Asylum and Arkham City were both written by Paul Dini.
No wonder those games are so great
Arkham Asylum was even loosely intended to be based off Batman: TAS, which is why Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin all returned to reprise their roles as Batman, Joker, and Harley respectively. Batman's Asylum Batsuit is even a more realistic take on his TAS suit. Eventually the Arkham universe became it's own thing, but Asylum was originally intended to be in the TAS timeline if not heavily influenced by it.
This is my favorite Harley Quinn episode before the redesign!
A lot of fun moments here. I especially enjoyed the Joker dazed while he's in the gunner's seat, limply spinning in circles.
Yeah, I kind of hate giving Harley awful /wacky relatives. I always thought part of the point was that prior to meeting the Joker, Harley WAS a nice normal, smart, good person. This kind of person you'd never suspect would fall for the Joker. But the Joker was able to turn her anyway. Makes what he does, even more horrible. IMO The more modern version -and the version of the animated series, just makes her fall seem more inevitable. Like if it wasn't the Joker, she would have fallen for Two-Face, the Penguin, or Killer Croc, etc.
Harley Quinn, next to Poison Ivy, is a literal personification of Yin Yang. One day, she could be helping the Joker torture Robin into becoming a mini Joker, another day she could be saving the world with the Suicide Squad. She even teamed up with Poison Ivy and Batman from time to time. She can be sadistic, and she can be adorable.
Is Yin and Yang not about vigor vs serenity?
@ Yin Yang is the ancient Chinese philosophy, consisting of two principles. One side being negative and evil, the other side being positive and good.
@@imsomewhatcertain1024 are you sure? I googled it and it pointed to one being "feminine, moon, passivity and the earth" and the other being "masculine, sun, activity and the heavens". Nothing about 'good and evil'.
@ Thwre are many meanings for Yon and Yang, one of them is that they represents opposites but also that there is always a speck of light in the dark and a bit of darkness in the light. Masculinity vs Feminity etc.
@ i still dont think that quite works for them though...
Although I enjoy "Harley's Holiday" more, this is easily one of, if not her BEST, episode in the BTAS run (pre-TNBA). You covered a lot of its best aspects, so I don't have much to add except that you didn't mention anything about the "Honeymooners" reference closing out the episode. Glad you spotlighted the song Harley sings at Boxy Bennett's club and the other details, though. While some probably see this as only the template for the "Batman and Harley Quinn" movie, I say it does the buddy-comedy premise better here than in that feature.
Harley is my favorite Batman sidekick. Her wacky personality makes her the perfect foil for Batman's brooding moody attitude.
I wish they teamed up more often.
Honestly I was surprised they didn't do that in one of Harley's less well-written movies like Birds of Prey and Suicide Squad. Imagine how that could have saved the production. They're a hilarious pair-up and so underutilized.
Bat-May Continues!! All Awesome!!
3:56 - 4:08 Joker: "You always take shots from folks who *just don't get the joke!* "
Arlene Sorkin is the original and iconic Harley Quinn, i was so pleased to hear her voice along with Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill in Arkham Asylum, i felt like a kid again for a moment. to quote Jim Carrey in Batman Forever: "JOY-GASM!!"
I was never a Harley Quinn fan, but I have to agree. That "not a real blonde" line is really funny. 👌
Fun fact: That bomb dealer was voiced by Neil Ross, who would later go on to voice Norman Osborn a.k.a the Green Goblin in Spider-Man the Animated Series. I knew his deranged laughter sounded familiar XD
This always makes me laugh that in 2017 they made that abysmal Batman Harley Quinn animated movie, and it was just a low grade version of this Classic (Harlequinade). All of the major players from this are even in the 2017 garbage fire. Batman Robin (Nightwing) and Harley as well. Thanks for reviewing this great piece of animation!!
Ah yes, the field test to Batman & Harley Quinn. Despite having slight problems like the mob having an atomic bomb (aren't those supposed to be in government facilities?) and Harley siccing her pets on Batman for no reason, not to mention the weird animated tics on faces, I really enjoyed this episode, especially for playing off the two's hilarious interactions with each other. You can tell that the Dark Knight is impatient over Harley's hijinks but understands how much of a hold Joker has on her. I also like how the Clown Prince is so pissed over his henchwoman's betrayal that he forces the plane to prioritize on going on a suicide run rather than focusing on dropping the bomb in the middle of Gotham.
Do some research on how badly protected some Nuclear Bomb storages in the US are. Prepare yourself for a cold chill down your spine.
Sorkin inspired the character. She defined it. Honestly btas did every major Harley Quinn storyline. It's a fun episode.
That weird moment when you realize that Joker's plan in this episode is even more demented than what he tried to do in Dark Knight. Instead of trying to murder two boatloads of people, he tries to nuke all of Gotham! I doubt this kind of plot would have gotten the green light from WB these days.
This is quite possibly the funniest episode of the entire series.
Those sound effects were perfect, and although it's obviously Harley's show, Joker has plenty of funny moments, too.
My favorite probably being the moment @ 6:30- 6:35, with him looking all serious as he gets into position, and really serious music playing in the background, like he really was a WW1 pilot about to undertake a dangerous mission!
I don't know why, but for some reason that part (Especially the way he tosses his scarf into place) never fails to make me laugh!
"Everybody Loves Harley" is a show id pay to watch.
“I’m not really a blonde”
Okay I did not expect that.
My favorite part is joker on the plane turret, gets me every time
OG Harley is the best Harley. I know people like the modern version, but there's too much tragedy missing against the comedy.
What I want is an adult rated batman animated show like Harley got where Mark Hamil as the joker gets to not be just creepy and The Joker but be the Comic Book joker... hearing that haunting cackle in episodes able to get as dark as a Death in the Family would be chilling to say the least.
My favorite episode as a kid 🥰
One of the best episodes period
Love Harley
I'd have to mention that Harley's actual progression came from the New52 comics and her solo series, which is even now one of the few series DC publishes consistently. Sy Borgman for example was originally from the Comics and much of what makes Harley who she is now can be traced to those books. Her early books when she was introduced into the comics was more of the same from BTAS except with her "attempting" to go out on her own, but she never really had a good time of it, and generally her character didn't change or progress at all (I've read nearly all of those books).
With that said, Harley wasn't a psychiatrist in BTAS, she did it for the money, it had nothing to do with her actually wanting to work in the field. This started to change in the New52 when her psychiatrist mind played a part in numerous stories. For example, she gets abducted by a guy disguised as a police officer, apparently he's totally obsessed with her, long and short of it is that she's able to get out of this situation purely using her experience as a psychiatrist, it's actually incredibly entertaining, cause' by the end of the story the guy gets hauled off to the looney bin, and Harley gives them notes on how to treat him and even tells him she'll visit him, it's actually really endearing to be frank given that you get the feeling she actually cares that the guy gets better.
Later on Harleen by the wonderful Stjepan Sejic, you get a much more serious take on Harley and who she was before she met the Joker, while also a more modern and realistic take with her relationship with the Joker. This book really delves much more deeper into the Psychiatrist Harley rather than the BTAS Harley. Batman: White Knight did a bit of this before Harleen aswell but it started with the New52 Solo series.
Now finally with the Animated Solo Series, it takes numerous inspirations, the scene with her at Joshua's Bar Mitzvah is pure and utter gold, like, one of the purest forms of Psychiatrist Harley around in a lot of ways, and it's one of those moments that truly feels inspired.
Honestly, there's so much history when it comes to her progression that Timm and Dini could have never done themselves or seen coming. They laid the foundation, but they didn't build the empire on top of it. If anything, Harley felt like a throwaway, a character that had a chance to shine, but would have never without the support of so many other creators. I don't say one version is better than the other though, I also don't say there's "one version" or "one purest version", Harley in a weird way, isn't just one character anymore. Depending on the era is dependent on which version you'll get, some like BTAS, some like the New52, some like the show's, some like the Movies, some like the Psychiatrist, but each version is different, focusing on one part of a massive whole.
Fun fact the voice actor of the gangster boxie bennett is voiced by the late dick miller who was also in the movie batman mask of the phantasm where he played a gangster named Chuckie sol in that one
4:41 i wanna say I LOVE how they animated her hat poking Joker in the eye
Harley is one of the only comic-related things in which I am a "hipster". I loved her from the start and was excited when she got her own focus and comic. Her growth from funny sidekick to fully formed bad@$$ was well earned and well done.
This is awesome 👏
I think the reason why Harley became what she is now going by this backstory is that Harley might have felt guilty because she wasn't a good person not saying she was a bad one but she wanted to make money off of their stories not to mention she was already very intrigued by the whole concept of psychopaths so maybe in some way she felt because of her moral compass not being so balanced might push her in that direction and when she got there she didn't think she should be able to get out that the deeper she went the harder it was for her to climb out
I’d love to see Bat May reviews of the Harley and Batman movie as well as the Harley Quinn series.
Rest In Peace Arleen Sorkin our original Harley Quinn. 🌹
Cool!
One of my favorite episodes about one of my favorite characters
Yes a lot of people like that relationship although it's clearly an abusive relationship.
it's amazing what you can find
in a person's glove compartment
I have been over this character for years now. Its just enough
One of the funniest and wacky episodes of The Batman series
CLASSIC HARLEY IS BEST HARLEY! cant change my mind.
Oh I love this one it's pretty fun.