Harley Quinn Showrunners Address If Poison Ivy Breakup and Joker Romance Will Ever Happen Again
"Harlivy" fans can rejoice: the creative team behind Harley Quinn has no plans to break up the fan-favorite pairing of Harley and Poison Ivy for a return to a Joker romance. Season 3 of Harley Quinn debuted Thursday, July 28th on HBO Max, and picks right back up with the Harley and Poison Ivy love affair that ended the second season. Comic book fans have championed the pairing for years and were finally vindicated when the DC animated series made their love canon. However, there is also a segment of fandom that prefers Harley Quinn with The Joker. Unfortunately for the latter group, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are remaining together as a couple.
Harley Quinn showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker talked to the AV Club about Season 3, where they confirmed the long-term status of #Harlivy as the fans have declared them on social media. "We still have the occasional fan reaction of 'I don't like Harley and Ivy together. She should get back with the Joker,' which we're never going to do," Schumacker said. "Harley and Ivy will never break up in the series as long as we have a say. That's something that we never want to touch again."
ComicBook.com's Liam Crowley called Season 3 "another grand slam for DC Animation in his review, which you can find a snippet of below.
Harley Quinn's execution is particularly impressive. Smart writing can be present in any project, but it all comes down to how it is delivered. With ten 22-minute episodes that admittedly have a ton of filler, maintaining audiences' attention without slipping into the trap of becoming background noise is a tall order. Harley Quinn makes it look easy. The jokes are not punchlines for the sake of punchlines – they are naturally woven into the dialogue. The gags go beyond dialogue too, as there are numerous laugh-out-loud visual cues that borrow from the elite of animation (you'll know it when you see it). Much of that is thanks to the tone showrunners Patrick Schumacker (Abbot Elementary) and Justin Halpern (Powerless) established in the first two seasons. By Season 3 of any series, fans know what to expect, and it allows the creators to expand beyond exposition.
The Harley Quinn Season 3 logline reads: "The mayhem and madness continue in season three of this biting and uproarious adult animated comedy series. Wrapping up their 'Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour,' Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) return to Gotham as the new power couple of DC villainy. Along with their ragtag crew – King Shark (Ron Funches), Clayface (Alan Tudyk), Frank the Plant (JB Smoove) – 'Harlivy' strives to become the best version of themselves while also working towards Ivy's long desired plan of transforming Gotham into an Eden paradise."
Have you checked out the newest season of Harley Quinn? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!