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Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Harley Quinn season 5, episode 2Max has proven that Harley Quinn is a show worth keeping around. Season 5 started with a great premiere that made me remember just how much I loved these characters. In Harley Quinn season 5's first episode, a new status quo emerged. Harley and Ivy realized they were in a rut and decided to make a major change. After four seasons, the DC series no longer takes place in Gotham City. Now, the classic Batman villains, who are more like anti-heroes in the show's world, reside in Metropolis, and many exciting events have already happened.
Harley Quinn is a 2019 animated series focusing on the titular character's evolution after severing ties with the Joker. As she seeks to establish herself as an independent force in Gotham City's criminal underworld, the film explores her journey toward becoming Gotham's criminal Queenpin.
Release Date November 29, 2019
Creator(s) Dean Lorey , Patrick Schumacker , Justin Halpern
Seasons 5
Episode 1 ended by not only cementing Metropolis as Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn's new home, but also sending away the city's protector. Much like Harley and Ivy, Superman was also feeling stuck. I liked that parallel, as seeing Superman's situation allowed Kaley Cuoco's Harley to free herself from the life she no longer wanted and look for her own happiness alongside Ivy. Superman took a sabbatical after talking to Harley, and Brainiac, one of the Man of Steel's biggest villains, was revealed to have secret plans in store for Metropolis. It was a solid starting point for the season.
Harley Quinn Season 5 Puts A Fresh Spin On Poison Ivy's Origin
The Character's Tragic Past Is Revealed
Poison Ivy takes center stage in episode 2. Ivy and Harley have different storylines in the episode, and Ivy's was undoubtedly the stronger one, even though both were engaging in their own ways. After talking to Lena Luthor in the first episode, Poison Ivy starts her job at the Metropolis Green Initiative. However, things go off the rails as a flame from her past comes back. Harley Quinn always does a great job of putting its unique spin on classic DC characters, so it's no surprise the same happened with Ivy's origin story.
In the comics, the professor injects Isley with toxins as part of an experiment, leading to her becoming Poison Ivy.
The animated series borrows from her Post-Crisis origin. In flashbacks as Pamela Isley, Lake Bell's character is in a relationship with scientist Jason Woodrue. In the comics, the professor injects Isley with toxins as part of an experiment, leading to her becoming Poison Ivy. The series' different approach was very effective. One of the most interesting characters in the show, Ivy's feats of strength have been recurring over the seasons. However, in the flashbacks with Jason, we see a much more innocent and hopeful version of the character. That is, until he breaks her.
Woodrue does not care for Pamela as much as she does for him. Needing funding, he decides to steal the experiment she had been developing and had just shown him: Frank! How Poison Ivy's sentient plant came to exist has always been a source of interest for me, as he is unique. The show explained that Ivy mixed human and plant DNA to create Frank, who Jason wanted to steal. He leaves Pamela to die from the toxins he releases before running away. However, Pamela injects herself with the concoction that created Frank and becomes Poison Ivy.
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Harley Quinn Season 5 Review: DC's Most Interesting Series Cleverly Reinvents Itself & Makes A Case For Its Continued Existence
Harley Quinn season 5 makes the most of its new setting with major DC characters and a thrilling story leading to one of the show's best seasons.
At first, I could not pinpoint where the episode was headed with Ivy's flashbacks and present story with Jason Woodrue. I thought she might forgive him, but the show had a darker and more satisfying revenge in mind. At the end of the episode, Ivy leaves Jason to die, but he does not do so, transforming into Floronic Man, as happens in the comics. Exploring Poison Ivy's origin was a great choice for the show, and the tweaks to her classic origin were all fitting. I cheered for Jason's "death," but his return is scary for Ivy.
Harley Quinn's Attempt At Babysitting Is Hilarious To Watch
The DC Series' Main Character Has Her Hands Full
While Poison Ivy was exploring her past, Harley Quinn was very much coming to grasp her present. As Harley and Ivy are the godmothers of King Shark's children, Harley is left to babysit them when asked. The infant sharks are a delight. In typical Harley Quinn fashion, that storyline develops into a hilarious mess, with mayhem at a children's birthday party and a lot of blood flying around. Lena Luthor invited Harley and the kids to a party, and I was happy to see it featured a Kite Man connection.
I liked how Harley slowly developed a bond with one of them, Sean, who happened to be the noisiest of the bunch.
Coming from the Kite Man spinoff series are Bane, Betty, and Goldilocks, with the latter being the birthday girl. As Harley tries to be accepted into an exclusive club, King Shark's children are left to roam free, leading to all kinds of trouble. I liked how Harley slowly developed a bond with one of them, Sean, who happened to be the noisiest of the bunch. He is similar to Harley in many ways, and the DC anti-hero being annoyed by his behavior before loving the kid is a nice parallel to her own growth, which makes the episode multi-faceted.
New episodes of Harley Quinn season 5 stream on Max each Thursday.
Pros
- Poison Ivy's origin story gets an exciting fresh spin
- Harley Quinn and King Shark's kids make for a hilarious group
- Both storylines balance the episode with the right dose of humor and drama
English (US) ·