Welcome to the Couch Club, our recurring column devoted to all things #DCTV! This week, Joshua Lapin-Bertone unpacks the Metropolis-set new season of Harley Quinn.
Harley Quinn Season 5 is going to brave new places, and I don’t just mean Metropolis.
As I watched episode 4, “Breaking Brainiac,” it occurred to me that this version of Harley has never faced someone like Brainiac before. Throughout the series, she’s been challenged by numerous enemies, but none of them represent order and perfection the way that Brainiac does. Yes, some of her foes might have been more powerful, but none of them contrasted as much with Harley’s chaotic energy.
Season 1 saw Harley face down the Joker, someone nobody would ever accuse of being big on order. In Season 2, her adversaries were Doctor Psycho and Jim Gordon, two deranged men who almost make Harley look sane. Season 3 saw Harley helping an unraveling Batman as she stopped a plant apocalypse. Season 4 found Harley joining the Bat-Family, but let’s face it, this version of the family is pretty dysfunctional. Within one episode, Harley had convinced Nightwing to do butt modeling. (Though, in fairness, it doesn’t seem like it takes all that big a nudge for that.)
Brainiac is different than all of Harley’s foils, and it’s put the show in uncharted territory all season long. How does a villain like Brainiac react to Harley’s chaotic energy? Does it throw him off his game, or does Harley’s brand of disorder simply make her an easier target for the alien collector?
Interestingly, both of them seem to be unsure what to make of each other. Brainiac has certainly gotten Harley to think outside her usual box. As we see in episode 6, “Bottle My Heart,” when Harley learns of Brainiac’s plan to bottle Metropolis, she proceeds to…put on a musical. Yes, this type of thing is on brand for Harley Quinn, particularly when Clayface is involved, but Harley herself is usually more inclined solve her problems with her signature baseball bat.
Consider that this is the same Harley who took down the Legion of Doom and led an army of Parademon soldiers to Gotham. Even more recently, look at the way Harley outsmarted a Venomized Alfred in episode 5, “Big Pasta Dinner.” Our girl may not be a genius, but she’s proactive and knows how to combat her enemies. Repelling Brainiac’s invasion with a musical seems out of character, even for her.
But perhaps that’s the idea. And importantly, I think Harley has had the same effect on Brainiac.
“Breaking Brainiac” expands on the villain’s backstory and shows us what life was like on his planet Colu before his species was wiped out. It’s one of the funniest episodes of the series, and it reminds me of the Strange Planet webcomic. As we see how literal and efficient the Coluans are, I found myself imagining how someone like Harley would’ve fared on their world. Would she have driven them mad, or would they have destroyed her?
Either way, Brainiac seems to be unraveling. Harley’s antics are making Metropolis more chaotic, and he can’t bottle the city until it’s deemed perfect. For a villain as powerful as Brainiac, it should be an easy problem to solve. Why not just send one of his drones to atomize her? Brainiac can atomize Harley and her friends, then bottle Metropolis, and call it a day.
Yet, the calculating Coluan is no longer ruled by his own logic. He decides that the best way to strike at Harley is to take away someone she loves, so he kills Frank. Only, this isn’t done for the sake of his master plan. It’s just revenge, pure and simple. He even says as much when the episode concludes, stating that now Harley knows how it feels to lose someone she loves. Does this sound like a being ruled by logic and reason? Brainiac is giving into his emotions.
If we dig deeper, I think there’s another reason Harley has such an overlarge impact on Brainiac. If you recall, life on Colu was seemingly wiped out because of “imperfection.” That’s what killed Brainiac’s wife, son and everyone he ever knew. Harley Quinn, the embodiment of chaos, is a symbol of that imperfection. Colu was destroyed centuries before Harley was born, but in Brainiac’s twisted logic, Harley and her chaos bear responsibility for it.
To be fair, Brainiac was already unraveling long before he met Harley. The fact that he talks and interacts with a long-dead space monkey should make that pretty clear. However, Harley’s presence has accelerated his mental decline. She’s making an already volatile situation even more dangerous.
However you feel about it, the Harley vs. Brainiac conflict is unlike anything we’ve ever seen on the show before, and it’s having an impact. Just look at the consequences we’ve already had! Frank, a character that has been around since the first episode of the series, is no more.
What happens when two opposite forces collide? We’re about to find out, and it’s going to be messy. Personally, I can’t wait to see it.
Harley Quinn’s fifth season is currently streaming on Max. Look for new episodes every Thursday.
Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Bluesky at @joshualapinbertone and on X at @TBUJosh.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
