Thursday, February 09, 2023

My Review of Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special

 


Written by Justin Halpern And Patrick Schumacker And Dean Lorey
Directed by Cecelia Aranovich And Jennifer Coyle 

Harley (to Ivy): "Oh you can't possibly be mad at me for getting you off too good. That is not a thing."

With so many DC shows on the way out and others soon to arrive in a more connected universe, it's nice to see that we're not quite done with this particular show just yet. Season 4 might be a few months away but until, how about a very horny Valentine's Day episode for funsies?

That's exactly what this episode provided in spades as Harley was determined to give Ivy the best Valentine's Day of her life, in spite of the latter being more keen to stay home, watch a streaming show and have sex instead. This being Harley though, Ivy was going to get a little more than a quiet night in and then some.

Harley arranged a dinner at Ivy's favourite restaurant and a chase in order to save the secret of a recipe she liked. When Ivy admitted the night was in her top three, Harley took it that one step further and got Etrigan to give he a sex spell that worked too well. Let's just say that Ivy gets off, so did the rest of Gotham and then some in the biggest way ever.

As usual this episode not only helped us root for Harley and Ivy as a couple but it also highlighted that they still have work to do as a pairing too. Harley definitely needs to listen more to her green connected paramour and Ivy could do with having more fun. However, out of everyone, it was Bane who really felt the true effects of Harley's antics.

Bane spent a good portion of the episode lamenting being single on Valentine's Day before accidentally getting involved in a BDSM session with a dominatrix named Betty, who seemed genuinely smitten with Bane. Even though a gigantic Bane humped way too many Gotham buildings and very nearly Brett Goldstein (as himself), the special did end with him getting lucky with Betty nonetheless.

As for Clayface, he too wasn't having the best time on Valentine's Day either. He got robbed and split in half by Captain Boomerang, had a doomed romance with his bottom half (I'm not kidding) and then thanks to Bane, he was forced to reabsorb himself. In an episode full of insanely horny moments, Clayface's story about self love really took the most literal of turns. 

- Other romances we saw were Batman/Catwoman, Superman/Lois, Riddler/Clock King, Kite Man/Golden Glider, Joker/Bethany, King Shark/Orca, Hawkman/Hawkgirl, Darkseid/Talia, Aquaman/Mera, Killer Croc/Enchantress, The Flash/Zatanna and Wonder Woman mourning Steve Trevor.
- The episode was longer than usual and it definitely had fun referring to shows such as The Office, Ted Lasso and The Vampire Diaries. Ivy's even a fan of HBO Max funnily enough.
- Aside from one scene with Bruce Wayne at the start, there wasn't much continuity from the previous season finale.
- Chronology: Valentine's Day 2023 of course.

A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special was a delightful return to form for this utterly madcap series. Romantic in the right places, very funny and very horny as well, there was a lot to enjoy with this one. It'll serve as a nice starter for the next season.

Rating: 8 out of 10

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