Harley Quinn 5: Clown in the Big City

Harley Quinn S5 Review

It’s been almost a month since the latest season of Harley Quinn ended, and I should’ve reviewed it by now. However, having other shows to watch and good old procrastination kept getting in the way. Thankfully, I was able to binge-watch the season in two big sessions, and I am so glad I did. This season serves as the biggest departure from whatever formula the show has had to date as Harley and Ivy leave Gotham behind for whiter pastures! They’ve gone to Metropolis!

Harley is Headed to Metropolis

A year following the end of season four, Gotham City is worse than ever. The Bat-Family’s disbanded, organized crime is no more. Even Harley and Ivy’s attempts to build an all-girls vigilante group has fallen apart, leaving the chaotic couple in a rut. Thus, when Lena Luthor hires Ivy to run a green initiative in Metropolis, they decide to move! Unfortunately for them, it just so happens that Metropolis is being targeted by Brainiac. And thanks to Harley, Superman has left to go on a sabbatical.

Uh-oh.

What an Improvement over Last Season

I’m just going to come out and say it: I think this season was a major improvement over the last one. I like how Harley decides to drop ant intentions of being a full-on hero and does whatever she wants, regardless of the morality spectrum. I like how the show decided to switch to a new location to keep itself fresh. And unlike my chief complaint about the last season, I dont mind all that much that most of the cast from the first season is now out of focus.

Joker and Bruce Wayne do appear, but they don’t even partake in any real heroic or villainous acts. Joker has become largely chill for a man who got thrown out of being mayor. As for Bruce, the longer he isnt being Batman, the more obvious it gets that this incarnation of him is…pretty sad to look at. He lost his parents and blamed himself for it. He’s lost two of his adoptive sons. His biological son has a strained relationship with him. Even his own butler is tired of him. He feels less like Batman and more like a character from The Venture Bros. It’s a very human look at one of the most iconic characters in the superhero genre.

The Most Human Version of Brainiac

Speaking of humanizing iconic characters, Harley Quinn continues that trend with possibly the last villain I could think of: Brainiac. If you’ve read my reviews for My Adventures With Superman, then you’ll know that I consider that incarnation of Brainiac the most vile I’ve ever seen. However, the Harley Quinn version of Brainiac might be the complete opposite, being the most sympathetic.

Whereas most versions of Brainiac are genocidal madmen, this version was a family man who tragically lost his entire planet while he was off doing his job. The trauma of that led him to seek out the best cities of other worlds, perfect them to his standards, and then shrink and bottle them. He’s a man motivated by tragedy and doesn’t want others to experience what he did, though he’s also driven crazy by his loss. He thinks he’s still talking to the family pet, though said pet has been dead for decades! And when Harley and Ivy show up in Metropolis with their usual brand of chaos, they become a major problem for him.

Harley Quinn Season 5

VERY SILLY but i like that it was more on the serious side with Brainiac and was actually pretty compelling. Lena was a goofy BUT cool villain. Frank dying wasn't on my bingo card thwts for sure, but Frankette is cute. The ending was peak ready for S6😩 pic.twitter.com/0VAf6581gA

— Gray = Natsu THE GOATS🗣🗣(Stan Holup & John) 💟🌸 (@WorthlessBaka) March 31, 2025

At its core, the fifth season of Harley Quinn is a conflict between order and chaos. Brainiac represents order, while Harley is an agent of chaos, albeit one that is wholly good or evil. Both are things that play a role in our lives, and many people have a preference for one over the other. Many claim that they would like a stable, controlled life like what Brainiac is offering, but the truth is, life is always going to be chaotic in some way. And that can be a good thing! Life can be messy, chaotic, and you may never fully know where it will take you. It can be scary, but that is also what makes it so much fun. In a way, Harley and Ivy embody this, living life to the fullest and encouraging others to do the same.

Also, in the end, it’s not Brainiac who serves as the big bad of the season; it’s Lena Luthor.

Lena is Just as Bad as Lex

Being Lex Luthor’s sister, Lena is just as evil and narcissistic as her brother, and she starts off working with Brainiac to rule Metropolis. However, it doesn’t take long for her to decide to turn on him, and she tries using Harley and Ivy as her instruments of destruction. To further drive home how evil she is, she murders Frank and pins it on Brainiac! Frank dies and doesn’t come back, being replaced by his daughter, Frankette! That was a pretty shocking moment!

But in the end, whether it’s Lex, Lena, or Brainiac, none of the villains are a match for the chaotic power of Harley and Ivy. Brainiac writes himself out by deciding to end his long existence, and Lena and Lex wind up getting eaten by Frankette. And just when it looks like Harley and Ivy might die in space, Superman saves them! Happy ending all around!

In fact, this feels like a moment where the series could end.

If this is the end, I’m at peace

I saw a video already saying this, but the final episode of this season of Harley Quinn feels like it could be the final episode of the series. It would make sense, too! Harley and Ivy are content with their lives and have a strong relationship. The supporting cast, both hero and villain, all seem happy with their lives. And with Superman looking to save all the other cities Brainiac shrunk, Harley looks set to help them all with therapy! It feels like the series could end here!

And, if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t mind that.

Don’t get me wrong, I would love it if the show kept going for a few more seasons. But sooner or later, you have to let a show rest before it ends up like The Simpsons. With no announcement about a sixth season, maybe now is the time for Harley Quinn to rest. And if it is, I might get sad, but would accept it in time. Plus, I think that the show will need to keep reaching into that barrel if it wants to remain interesting, and I don’t want to see that taking place.

I Give Season 5 of Harley Quinn a 4.5/5

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