Weekend Watch: Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special
Love is in the air. And so are some very dodgy pheromones
Image Credit: HBO Max
Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, in which I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, Harley Quinn’s Valentine’s Day plans go awry. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite
I’m on record as a fan of Harley Quinn, one of the best uses of the DC universe, and certainly amongst the funniest. A subversive, knowing and often hilariously rude take on Gotham City and its varied inhabitants, it’s primarily focused on the title character, voiced by Kaley Cuoco and her girlfriend Poison Ivy (Lake Bell).
Since this is a Valentine’s Day special, love is naturally in the air, with Harley wanting to give Ivy the best VD (yeah, she hears it) possible. Yet despite her best efforts (which include offering up an oil executive for her beloved to take down in a most creative manner), she doesn’t quite crack it and resorts to a magic spell to help things along. You can guess how awry that plan goes…
Intertwined with the main story, and skilfully blended by the end are the romantic tribulations of others, including lonely Bane (a superb James Adomian as always) and Clayface (Alan Tudyk, who gets to play not one but two versions of his character and does a typically brilliant job).
And interspersed in the style of When Harry Met Sally is various DC couples –– Superman and Lois Lane, for example, and Aquaman and Mera –– talking about how they met. It’s a throwaway idea that nevertheless has the same level of comedy and comics lore.
Rarely finding a taboo it didn’t want to break, this 45-minute special vibrates with the same energy level as the series, boasting plenty of background gags and call-backs to show favourites such as the Mama Macaroni restaurant our heroines adore almost as much as they love each other.
And in a surprising, chucklesome cameo, there’s even Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein, here playing himself on a poetry reading tour which somehow also involves him polishing his Emmy trophy (not a euphemism).
It might be slight and silly, but there’s no denying the sheer goofy energy of the show, or its evident love for the DC Universe. I’m thankful it has been renewed for a fourth season and would be happy to see it continue beyond that.
Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special is on HBO Max in the States today. The show airs in the UK, but there’s no word yet on whether this will be shown on the same day.