'Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special': Five 'LOVELY' episodes to watch before V-day

Here are the 5 episodes of animated shows that will prepare you for your Valentine's Day
PUBLISHED FEB 7, 2023
Lake Bell as Poison Ivy and Kaley Cuoco as Harley Quinn in 'Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special' (HBO Max)
Lake Bell as Poison Ivy and Kaley Cuoco as Harley Quinn in 'Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special' (HBO Max)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: As Valentine's Day is coming near, HBO Max is set to celebrate love and romance with its upcoming holiday special, 'Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special'. This will be the first-ever special of the animated series about the wonderfully weird world of Harley Quinn. The upcoming episode is set to explore the first-ever anniversary of Gotham City's prominent couple. It will have all the elements of the 'Harley Quinn' series with a sprinkle of love. From plain weird to deadly, this special teases fans with a complete Harley Quinn package.

Created by Justin Halpern, Dean Lorey, and Patrick Schumacker, this Valentine's Day special is said to have a runtime of 44 minutes. The special episode sees many of the original voice cast returning, including, Kaley Cuoco as Harley Quinn, Lake Bell as Poison Ivy, Alan Tudyk as the Joker, Matt Oberg as Kite Man, James Wolk as Superman, Natalie Morales as Lois Lane, Chris Diamantopoulos as Aquaman, James Adomian as Bane, Jim Rash as The Riddler, Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman, Rachel Dratch as Nora Fries, Josh Helman as Captain Boomerang and Michael Ironside as Darkseid. Before the special comes out, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, let's take a look at the top 5 wonderfully weird episodes of beloved animated shows, and their many renditions of love.

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5. BBRAE - Teen Titans Go!

This is a two-parter episode of season 4 of 'Teen Titans Go!'. These two roller-coaster of episodes extensively explore in-depth, the feelings of Beast Boy and Raven. The first part of the episode sees Beast Boy trying to impress Raven with a romantic gesture. And each of the Titans separately gives him advice on what should be done to impress Raven, only to backfire. After several misguided attempts, Beast Boy then writes a song exclusively for Raven, which seems to impress her and they both kiss. The second part of this episode focuses on how Beast Boy makes the song public, upsetting Raven. The rest of the episode features how a curse gets unleashed through Beast Boy's instant hit of a song and ends with Beast Boy and Raven reneging on their newfound romance, restoring their previous 'friends-only' dynamic, much to the disappointment of Beast Boy.

Beast Booy and Raven in the episode 'BBRAE - Part 1' from 'Teen Titans Go' (DC Kids)
Beast Booy and Raven in the episode 'BBRAE - Part 1' from 'Teen Titans Go' (DC Kids)

4. Valentine's Day in Quahog - Family Guy

If you are a fan of the humor of 'Family Guy' and also love cheesy romantic or Valentine's Day movie, 'Valentine's Day in Quahog' is the perfect episode to watch. This episode is sort of a parody of the general rom-com, with its opening sequence even mocking the 2010 hit film 'Valentine's Day'. The sequence itself sets up the episode, as it follows characters spending Valentine's day in snippets, where each of them have an unforgettable day, be it weird or cherishable. The episode perfectly balances quirkiness and sardonic, with a splash of love.

Meg and Toby in the episode 'Valentine's Day in Quahog' from 'Family Guy' (IMDb)
Meg and Toby in the episode 'Valentine's Day in Quahog' from 'Family Guy' (IMDb)

3. That Sinking Feeling - Phineas and Ferb

'That Sinking Feeling' is Season 2 Episode 11 of 'Phineas and Ferb' and this episode sees Phineas and Ferb help Baljeet impress the latter's childhood friend from India, named Mishti. This episode heavily references the movie 'Titanic'. The genius brothers use their recently-built ship for a cruise down the Danville Harbour, while carefully executing all the over-the-top romantic gestures on their checklist for Baljeet and Mishti, only to be revealed that Mishti just wanted to spend time with Baljeet like in their childhood days rather than OTT romantic gestures. Phineas asks Isabella to join the cruise. Candace also asks her brothers to use the same technique to impress Jeremy. This ends with Jeremy asking Candace out for a Slushy Burger.

Isabella and Phineas in the episode 'That Sinking Feeling' from 'Phineas and Ferb' (IMDb)
Isabella and Phineas in the episode 'That Sinking Feeling' from 'Phineas and Ferb' (IMDb)

2. The Daughter Also Rises - The Simpsons

This is Episode 13 of the Season 23 of 'The Simpsons,' and sees each member of the Simpsons family spending their Valentine's Day in different ways. In this episode, Lisa seemingly finds the love of her life and the story is told in the most dramatic way possible. While spending a mother-daughter day on Valentine's Day, Lisa chance meets an intellectual romantic named Nick. They both seem to share the same interests and fall for each other. Convinced that their love is the one for the ages, Lisa decides to take Nick to a small island. But this plan goes awry when Lisa has second thoughts about this Hemingway-esque boy. Nick also has his insecurities coming up and they both decide to call quits on the budding relationship.

Nick and Marge in the episode 'The Daughter Also Rises' from 'The Simpsons' (IMDb)
Nick and Marge in the episode 'The Daughter Also Rises' from 'The Simpsons' (IMDb)

1. Vat of Acid - Rick and Morty

Though this episode is not intended to be romantic, this is by far the closest Morty has come to a real relationship in the series. This episode sees Morty using a Save-Point Device, which functions like a video game and resets time. The crux of this episode lies when in one of the resets Morty meets and falls for a girl. The longer montage of this episode shows every stage of a relationship and we see Morty grow and build a stronger relationship with her, only to be reset accidentally by Jerry. This episode brutally exhibits Morty's pain about his lost love.    

Morty and his unnamed love interest in the episode 'Vat of Acid' on 'Rick and Morty' (IMDB)
Morty and his unnamed love interest in the episode 'Vat of Acid' on 'Rick and Morty' (IMDB)

'Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special' is to be premiered exclusively on HBO Max on February 9. 

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