'Harley Quinn' Season 2 Premiere Spoiler Free Review: More comic book, less sitcom and all fun
Sooner than anyone expected, Season 2 of 'Harley Quinn' will be premiering on April 3, and we return to find a very new Gotham. The new season appears to be pulling directly from the 'No Man's Land' Gotham-centric comics crossover, and with that, it appears to be leaning in a lot more into comics territory than it did in Season 1 — not just in terms of events, but in its tone. Either way, however, the show retains is humor, its hyper-violence, and starts its new season off with a very different playground for Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) to be wreaking havoc in.
Where Season 1 could feel very much like a sitcom about a bright young woman making a career for herself in a male-dominated field, the Season 2 premiere sets itself up to feel a lot more like a traditional superhero TV show. It takes some very key elements from 'No Man's Land' — a cataclysmic event has destroyed Gotham's infrastructure, the American government has declared Gotham City to no longer be a part of the United States, with no one allowed in or out. The city has been divided up by Gotham's villains and their gangs, and in all the confusion, everyone is left wondering — where is Batman (Diedrich Bader)?
The introduction of Mister Freeze (Alfred Molina) really drives home that the show is taking itself a little more seriously. Previous villains on the show have all had a gag of some sort, even Lex Luthor (Giancarlo Esposito), but Mister Freeze is all business and all menace. He plays it as cold as his name implies, and so far, he's more of a threat than a joke. There appear to be a lot more threats coming up for Harley this season, as well as more serious storylines.
For fans of the show, the fun is still there. The jokes are just as hilarious, and all come just as quickly. Harley still has her crew by her side, and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) continues to be the voice of reason in a world gone mad. However, she continues to be ignored, no matter how excellent her advice is. Her and Harley appear to have patched things up, keeping the latter's dynamic with her supporting cast more or less intact. Everything that made Season 1 work, however, has been streamlined into a more traditional superhero television show, with clear lines (literally) drawn between the real bad guys, and anti-heroes like Harley Quinn.
Jim Gordon (Christopher Meloni) is going to be one to watch out for this season, as it appears the show will be giving him a little more focus this season. Given how different Gordon is from his comic-book counterpart, however, that's an arc that could go anywhere.
'Harley Quinn' Season 2 looks to be every bit as enjoyable as Season 1 was. Even if the focus has shifted somewhat, Harley Quinn herself hasn't changed one bit — and the Gotham that's seen through her eyes is a mad, zany, endlessly hilarious place that she is no doubt going to be smashing to pieces, on gangland territory at a time.
Season 2 of 'Harley Quinn' Premieres on DC Universe on April 3.
