Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special — Where Does the Harlivyverse Go from Here?
Photo Courtesy of HBO Max
Harley Quinn’s V-Day extravaganza, A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special, winds up for a cozy fireside chat (albeit without the fire) about the spirit of the holiday. It has peppered its hour-long runtime with enough feel-good fuzzies that it looks at first like we’ll get the ol’ hug ‘n learn Seinfeld hated so much.
But then it winks. “Sorry, wait, why are we doing this? ‘Cause everyone knows all this shit already, so….” At that point, it aborts the PSA and instead gives us a few more moments with the quirky couple of Harley and Ivy (and nearly a recap of Shrek the Third), driving home how strong their chemistry is, how genuine their romance feels, and how winsome Lake Bell and Kaley Cuoco’s voice performances are. I’m sold.
What I’m less sold on is a continuing “Harlivyverse.”
On an episodic level (and here I must be vague for spoilers), the plot hinges on that most evergreen of Valentine themes: the scarcity of affection. The have-nots (Bane and Clayface) try too hard to find it. The haves (Harley) try too hard to keep it. Afraid, they pray to the monkey’s paw (or genie or Old Scratch or whatever metaphorical temptress you prefer) and it all goes awry. Gotham nearly meets a demise so undignified that even Emperor Joker would blush.
It adds up to a good truth. Romance demands ease. Though it may run the course of marriage or a single night, it enters through the smallest door. Hunting for it or straining to cover our vulnerabilities may, in fact, make it invisible.
The comedic delivery of that message, however, could be better. The hits and misses cluster together. A string of jokes will stick the landing (anything with Clayface in it), then slide into limp cameos and bits that go long, not deep. Its lowest point is a gag about animals and tantric sex which last debuted in, of all things, Brickleberry. This works about as well here as it did there, which is to say not at all. Later, during the throes of the special’s… um… climax, Bane disobeys the rule of three and makes a funny concept far weaker than it should have been.
Still, the ratio trends positive, and A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special brings enough of the funny to justify a watch. Again, anything with Clayface in it, for example. Finally, they grant him the role he was born to play: Narcissus.
Actually, can we talk about Harley’s Clayface for a minute? Many minutes? Who would have guessed that such a simple schtick could be so good?
In most media, Clayface serves as a prop. He poses as supervillains when they (and the plot) need to be elsewhere. His justifications rarely matter (“Because it’s the role of a lifetime!” he roars after being Joker’s understudy in the game Arkham City). And a shapeshifter is ever so handy for those third-act reversals.
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