Harley Quinnhas thankfully survived the recent HBO Max purge, with not only a fourth season on the way but an entire themed special on top of it.Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Specialis set to premiere on the eponymous holiday, bringing with it the same raunchy humor, stellar action, and relationship exploration that the series has become closely associated with. The special will likely take place between seasons three and four and will focus on not just Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, but a slew of additional characters in what will likely be the most villainous Valentine’s Day on streaming.
To promote the special, HBO Max has recently released a trailer that showcases some of the setup and characters that appear throughout. Along with Harley and Ivy, we’re promised appearances by Bane, King Shark, Kite Man, and even an incarcerated Bruce Wayne following the conclusion of season three. What can we glean from therecently released trailer, and will it promise the best Valentine’s Day ever for ourfavorite Gotham pairing?
Gotham Gets Ready for Valentine’s Day
The trailer opens with a spotlight illuminating an already star-lit sky, as our anti-heroine Harley Quinn clues us in to what’s going on: “Holy s***, do I love Valentine’s Day!” She espouses the perks of the holiday as we get a brief montage of the different DC couples the show has featured. Zatana flies over the skyline of Gotham with The Flash in tow, King Shark recreates the famous pottery scene fromGhostwith his own fishy love interest, and Bruce Wayne opens a box of bat-shaped chocolates in an isolated prison cell courtesy of Catwoman. We even see Kite Man zooming around the sky with Golden Glider, reminding us that their relationship is still going strong.
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Harley and Poison Ivy are seen preparing for the holiday, both dolled up in stunning evening wear. Harley’s hair is even tied back in a tri-color bun as the two lace their fingers together. Despite Harley’s love for the holiday, Ivy insists that they celebrate in a “low-key” way. All Harley can do is mumble a quick “uh huh” to a quickly-skeptical Ivy.
Etrigan Makes His Debut
We cut away from the popular pairing to show off some of the other stories that’ll be taking place during the special. Bane, the vulgar fan-favorite of the series, approaches a new character to the series in what appears to be a library or study.
If you’re a fan of DC Comics, you’ll likely recognize the colorful demon as Etrigan, a monstrous hero ripped straight from Hell who, in addition to possessing magical demonic powers and a weakness to holy relics, also speaks in rhymes. The Valentine’s Day special will mark Etrigan’s debut inHarley Quinn, as he and Bane have a humorous exchange regarding Bane’s “size.” While Etrigan isn’t necessarily as interwoven into Gotham compared tootherBatmancharacters, he can still be seen occasionally teaming up with The Dark Knight in a handful of comics. Seeing as howHarley Quinntransformed other minor heroes andvillains into compelling characters, let’s hope that Etrigan will be more than just a vehicle for dirty jokes.
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Jumping ahead, we see Darkseid finding love with a dead-eyed woman, Wonder Woman donning her classic attire next to an Amazonian Harley, and Bane partaking in a bit of BDSM with his date for the night. The Riddler even gets a moment in the spotlight, creating adramatic romantic gestureby proposing to Clock King in a public space.
The Main Conflict
The trailer concludes with what will likely be the main conflict of the special. As part of the holiday, Harley and Ivy spend an intimate evening with each other. But, during their relations, Ivy releases a typhoon of pink energy into the night sky, drizzling the city with thousands of heart-shaped petals. As the petals start to fall, the citizens of Gotham become hypnotized, leading them to engage in sex acts just about everywhere. When Harley and Ivy investigate, they conclude that their evening together must’ve caused this, with the duo having to presumably put everything back to normal as soon as they can. It’s unclear how the other stories will tie into this, or if they’ll be completely separate.
If you’re still eagerly awaiting the release of season four,A Very Problematic Valentine’s DaySpecialshould hopefully tide you over. Just be warned that the special will likely push even more boundaries compared to the rest ofHarley Quinn. In a piece byUproxx, series producer Justin Halpern noted a specific sequence that is “incredibly stupid,” yet beloved by the show’s staff. With the series getting in hot water previously due to a certain explicit scene involving Batman and Catwoman, we’ll just have to wait and see what sort of raunchiness the special will bring.
