Harley Quinn’s sexy season 3 puts the important things like love, trust, and Poison Ivy first

Harley Quinn’s sexy season 3 puts the important things like love, trust, and Poison Ivy first

In its first two seasons, HBO Max’s Harley Quinn set its titular antiheroine free of the toxic relationship that’s long since become a relic of Harley Quinn™’s past and imagined a Gotham where villains like Clayface and King Shark aspired to more than terrorizing the city. Though Harley Quinn’s third season takes its time before fully fixing its focus on its namesake, it’s an example of how a show can actually become much, much stronger by letting its main character play the supporting role in stories that aren’t always about them.

Because it’s common for comic books and the stories based on them to almost “reset” after major arcs, it’s refreshing how committed Harley Quinn’s third season is to building on the events of its second season finale that saw Harley (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) declare their love for one another. By ditching Kite Man (Matt Oberg) at the altar for Harley, Poison Ivy gave herself the permission to be honest and open about her feelings. And through her pursuit of Ivy, Harley was able to better understand her desire for growth and change. Though Harley and Ivy’s honeymoon phase is already beginning to wane as Harley Quinn’s third season opens, the mellowing of their relationship’s something the series never really frames as a sign of danger.