Tear Jerker / Harley Quinn (2019)

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Harley Quinn (2019) may be focused on Black Comedy and over the top violence, but that doesn't stop it from having its sad moments.

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Season 1

Til Death Do Us Part

• Harley's realization that the Joker never loved her in the first episode, Til Death Do Us Part. It's a good thing that she realized this but you can't help but feel sorry for her because how devastated she sounded.

LODRSVP

• Harley and Ivy's break-up. Ivy was only trying to keep Harley from getting hurt by Lex's machinations, but because of various circumstances, Harley ends up coming to the conclusion that Ivy only wanted Harley for herself just like the Joker did. Ivy's voice actually cracks at several points as she argues with her.

A Seat at the Table

• Harley Quinn is brought down to her lowest point by the end of the episode. Not only does the Joker throw her under the bus again, but due to misinformation, Harley's crew believes that Harley chose him over them and leave her.
  • To elaborate on the Joker's betrayal, he sets up a nice dinner date with Harley and appears to patch things up quite nicely at first. When Batman interrupts their night, he even brings her along during his escape, instead of leaving her behind as a distraction like last time. Just when it appears that they're gonna make a clean getaway together... he shoves her out of the helicopter, laughing sadistically while she plunges to the ocean. In an instant, Harley flashes through every moment she spent with the clown, finally realizing that in the end, he'll never truly love her. She sheds some heartbroken tears and curls up in a fetal position mid-fall (as if she doesn't even care if the impact kills her) before the Batman swoops in and catches her just in time.
    Batman (with a genuine look of sympathy): Some things never change, Quinn.
  • Harley then goes back to her crew, who are comforting King Shark while he's in the hospital. Even the brief relapse (as it appeared) is enough to make the crew furious with Harley, who reject Harley's apology to them. It's for an understandable reason, too: Harley's Aesop Amnesia is not only not healthy, but they can't be there to keep dragging her out.
    Ivy: No. Not this time, Harley. I have done everything in my power to keep you away from that assclown because I truly believe that you deserve better. But you know what? I am done believing in someone who just doesn't believe in herself.

Bensonhurst

• Harley's own parents trying to kill her to collect her bounty. And this was after the entire episode made it look like they actually cared about Harley despite their flaws. At the conclusion of their fight, a bloodied Harley just looks at them with nothing but disgust as she declares that they're Not Worth Killing before stumbling out of the house.

Devil's Snare

• Poison Ivy's death. The very moment when Ivy tells Harley she forgives her and wants to renew their friendship, the Joker impales her through the back with a harpoon, leaving Harley unable to do anything but cradle her body as she quickly dies. Kite Man stumbles in not long after she's dead and can only quietly sob while Harley gives a blood-curdling Skyward Scream. It really stands out in a show where death had been just a primary source of Black Comedy.

The Final Joke

• The Joker pulls the single most depressing choice in the entire show on Harley: She either continues to disobey him and he kills her friends... Or she puts on the original Harley Quinn costume and become his plaything again. Depressingly, Harley puts it back on.
• In a nostalgic way, the Joker's Death of Personality could be this. Here we have one of the most iconic characters in the franchise being basically killed off in only the first season, and since the chemical's effects erased his memories, this might mean that Joker Immunity might not be enough to bring him back (as of this show, anyway).

Season 2

New Gotham

• With Gotham now pretty much in an apocalypse, Gordon is even more of a sad sack than usual, but still is determined to uphold the law as best he can. Until he sees some of the other cops have joined up with Bane, which gets him to cross the Despair Event Horizon and throw his badge into the ocean.
  • However, near the end where Jim is in bed with his wife Barbara he starts to regain his composure and admits he let his emotions get the best of him and starts to make a plan: go to his brother-in-law's house, get his scuba-gear, fish his badge out, make his home into the new GCPD headquarters, deputize Barbara, and work together with her as a duo with an unbreakable bond. Barbara's response?: "I want a divorce." Barbara then shuts off the lights leaving a once again depressed Jim to say "It's all hopeless." and looks at the moon asking where Batman is.

Thawing Hearts

• Harley thaws Nora and breaks Freeze's freeze gun, thinking Freeze is lying about her condition and he's just like the Joker. But when she's proven wrong, Freeze forces them to come up with a cure for her disease before she dies. Ivy brews one that will convert someone's blood to Nora's rare blood type for a transfusion, but the process will kill them. Freeze takes it without a second thought, passing away while giving a Dying Declaration of Love to Nora as she's cured. Everyone, even Doctor Psycho, is moved to tears by this.
  • In Heart Of Ice, Freeze lamented his failure and prayed that Nora could hear him "somehow, someplace... someplace... where a warm hand waits for mine". Here, Freeze actually succeeded in saving his wife and reaches out to hold her hand in his last moments... but passes away moments before they could touch.
• Harley's Domestic Abuse at the hands of the Joker seems to have left other mental scars besides the obvious, namely that she's become utterly incapable of viewing any romantic relationship as healthy.
  Clayface: Making you give up on love was perhaps his greatest crime of all.

Batman's Back, Man

• When Bruce wakes up from his coma his first act is to desperately look out his window to see if Gotham is in one piece after his absence. He is visibly relieved when he thinks things are fine and then horrified when he takes away Alfred’s matte painting and learns Gotham is very much not okay. As much of a Manchild as this episode proves him to be, he really does care for Gotham and is devastated to see it suffer.
• Alfred warned Bruce that he is in no condition to fight crime, and that he would only be giving the people of Gotham false hope if he tried. This prediction comes true when Bruce heads out in his Power Armor, only to be beaten by Bane and get his legs broken. Defeated, Batman turns to see the kid from earlier, who drops his action figure and picks up a tommy gun after seeing him lose. Inside the suit, Batman bitterly wishes that Alfred had woken up in time to stop him.

All The Best Inmates Have Daddy Issues

• Harley's complete lack of respect when she starts working at Arkham. She thought she got the job because of her highly researched thesis that she did on the Joker. Not only had neither Dent or Gordon read her thesis, but they also didn't even know one existed. Gordon bluntly told Harley she got the job "Because you're cheap and you have a pulse".
• Ivy dropping the bombshell that the story Joker told her about his pet ferret and was a major reason why she fell for him, was actually a story Ivy told in group therapy about her first plant, Mr Ferris The Ficus, which he weirdly changed into a ferret, adding to already gigantic pile of lies Joker told Harley.
• Ivy telling Harley that she gave up on humans when she was hit by her Father. Harley's expression and sympathy for Ivy upon hearing this also count. Ivy does add "Before I met you" to Harley, which softens the blow a little though.

Inner Para Demons

• The Reveal of Kite Man's Abusive Parents, who combine every cliche of the overly-demanding, never-satisfied uppercrust jerks and then combine it with being blatant Super Supremacists who can thusly abuse their son for being born without powers. They treat their son in such an appalling manner that even Poison Ivy finds it uncomfortable, until finally it reaches a point where she snaps and chews them out for it.
• Harley is clearly in love with Poison Ivy, but is in denial about her feelings. By the end, it looks like she is about to confess the truth, until Kite Man walks into the scene, and Harley can't bring herself to spit it out because she wants Ivy to be happy with him.

Bachelorette

• By the end of the episode, Ivy admits that Harley is just too fast for her. Bouncing from place to place and obsession to obsession, Ivy just can't keep up. So she chooses Kite Man, and walks away. For the second episode in a row, the credits play a quiet piano tune.
  • The immense sadness of the scene cannot be understated. For the first time in her life, Harley puts her heart out there for someone who she knows genuinely cares about her in return but she is turned down by that person because Ivy believes Harley is too unreliable to be a good romantic partner. Harley stays strong as Ivy leaves with Kite-Man until they’re gone and then she quietly breaks down in tears. The entire scene is just so damn relatable.

Dye Hard

• Harley picks up a random gun in Wayne Tech's lab and shoots a goon, then discovers it gives people cancer. He immediately runs out to spend what time he has left with his family, and Harley herself is horrified by it.
• Sy Borgman's Heroic Sacrifice.
• Harley, as a last resort, pushing an amnesiac Joker into acid so he'd remember who he was. She even asked his "good" personality one last time if he could remember the needed information, making it clear she really didn't want to do it, As not only is the Joker basically her worst enemy now, but she seems to have befriended the "new" Joker-person by this point, even if she won't admit it.

Lovers' Quarrel

• After his defeat, Dr. Psycho spitefully broadcasts Harley and Ivy's affair for all of Gotham. Kite Man is left just silently staring at them in betrayal, at which they can't say anything back.
• Doctor Psycho bullying King Shark by showing his most traumatic memory, which was King Shark killing and eating his own brother after being driven into a frenzy when he cut his brother's leg during a fight. While it is true that sharks eat their siblings while they are in the womb for space, King Shark is clearly guilt-ridden and deeply upset by his actions. The way it was presented is a cruel bait and switch, (judging by King's character) you'd assume he's the one being bullied by his sibling.

Runaway Bridesmaid

• Harley, understandably wanting to give Ivy and Kite Man some space (And to, in her own words 'be alone with her thoughts'), not only is not going to her best friend's wedding but she checked herself into Arkham.
• As usual, it's hard not to feel bad for Gordon. Despite all he's done throughout the season, dropping his alcohol addiction, single-handedly taking down Two-Face and his whole gang, bringing back the GPD, giving the citizens a newfound sense of hope and all his efforts and contributions to stopping both the Paraedemons and Psycho, he's snuffed out of a well-deserved reward and praise in favor of the mayor (who didn't even do anything and was the one giving out the keys to the city in the first place) and not a single person thanks him or praises him for what he's done. With this in mind, it's hard to blame him when he, after some choice words from Two-Face, decides to run for Mayor himself and attempts to crash Ivy and Kite Man’s wedding, which is basically a candy store of dangerous criminals the GPD can arrest, just to get some recognition for all the work he does.
• Kite Man goes through the wringer throughout this whole episode. First, he's understandably upset with Ivy for cheating on him, to the point that he didn't want Harley at the wedding. During his wedding vows, where he makes a long, very specific speech about how he wants to spend the rest of his life with Ivy, having kids and just hanging out like a normal couple, he notices that Ivy doesn't feel the same way, then after Gordon invades his wedding and Harley rescues him and Ivy, he's had enough. Not even Harley being a certified minister ready to marry them on the spot is enough to convince him to carry on.
  Kite Man: I should have known, the third time I proposed, every step in our relationship I've had to do over and over and over, and I'm not, after ALL OF THIS (Signaling to the chaos and destruction happening around them), I'm not redoing my wedding!
  Poison Ivy: Don't you want to marry me?
  Kite Man: Of course I do! But YOU don't! I saw your face during the vows, and I knew your heart wasn't in it. I may be simple, but I'm not a fool. It is hard to finally admit it, but since you refused to, I will. I'm not the person for you.

Season 3

It's a Swamp Thing

• Poison Ivy's breakdown after Swamp Thing's "The Reason You Suck" Speech is one of many rare moments of emotional honesty from her, and it is PAINFUL. Even Swamp Thing himself is moved to tears.
  Swamp Thing: You have no idea what it means to lose someone important to you! You're! So! Selfish!
  Poison Ivy: Oh, I don't know what it feels like to lose someone?! The only reason why I came down here is because I lost my best friend! He's the only person who understood me as me before Harley! [voice breaking] I'm so worried about Frank, and I- and I don't know where he is, and I can't find him in the Green because I'm not strong enough! And every second that I spend here, he's slipping away from me, maybe forever! [falls to her knees, covering her face] And it's my fault! And I need to get him back, and I have to... [openly crying] I have to get him, and I can't...

Another Sharkley Adventure

• King Shark returns to his kingdom for his father's funeral and to abdicate the throne to give it up to his younger brother, Prince Shark. The plan works, but Prince Shark is planning on selling the kingdom to Ocean Master who will use it for condos. Prince resents KS because he was forced to stay behind and care for his aging, senile terrible father and sacrifice his own dreams. He doesn't see the value in his traditions and King tries to bond with him, but it quickly devolves into a ferocious brawl, with Prince Shark reminding King of how he killed his other brothers. Prince tries to impale King with Ocean Master's crown, only for KS to turn it on him, accidentally killing his only remaining brother and family member. King is left holding his brother's dead body and will probably be forced to take up the responsibility of the throne, now that there's no one else left.
  King Shark: I didn't want this…

Batman Begins Forever

• Really, the whole episode that explores Bruce's past trauma about why he became Batman is one huge TearJerker, no matter how many times or in what way it's told.
  • Harley and the gang realize that they can't "see" Bruce's other memories since the man suffers from what psychologists call "Reverse Repressed Memory." His Mental World just repeats the event his parents were killed, forever. While the gang are annoyed or angry at this turn of events, Harley instead starts to feel sorry for Bruce the more she keeps witnessing Joe Chill gun down the Waynes.
  • Despite her best efforts to keep Thomas and Martha alive, Harley is knocked away by Chill. Knowing that the moment is coming, but still dreading it, her face adopts a somber demeanor as she picks up Bruce and tells the child to close his eyes and not look. Like a protective mother/older sister, Harley then risks her life to protecting Bruce from the incoming gunman.
  • Harley looking back at her past self with complete disgust, noting how pathetic and clinging she used to be for the Joker of all people.
  • Harley learning the real reason for Bruce's current mental state. Bruce feels so much guilt for "leading" his parents down Crime Alley instead of simply taking the limo home or pushing to go watch a movie instead of attending his father's business meeting. If he had chosen the "safer" options, then perhaps his parents would still be alive. So he chooses to torture himself with this memory because he hates himself that much and believes he deserves it. Harley rightly calls out Bruce for this, stating that this is messed up.
  • The end of the episode shows that Bruce is so desperate to bring his parents back, he's willing to start a possible Zombie Apocalypse if it means that an end to his pain and a possibility of, in his words, "leaving the dark".

Season 4

Getting Ice Dick, Don't Wait Up

• We witness just how much further Commissioner Gordon has sunken as a person. He's unable to cope with having no job, to the point of abandoning his ex-wife at a snowtop mountain cabin rather than have makeup sex with her in retirement. He eventually does get another job, as a security guard for the Legion of Doom building which also reveals he's homeless and had his car repossessed; forcing him to sleep under his desk.
• Continuing from The Stinger at the end of the last episode, Harley's apparent sleepwalking is discussed by Barbara's roommate Alysia after it almost causes them to crash into a tree. Alysia theorizes that deep down, Harley misses being evil. And given the way she has tried so desperately to fit in with the Bat Family, only for them to shun her at every turn (admittedly a lot of it being justified given her past and status as a Hero with an F in Good), not to mention her hero status meaning she has to be separate from Ivy, it isn’t hard to feel bad for her being unable to really belong anywhere.

Metamorphosis

• The opening effectively confirms Nightwing was killed, and Batgirl is so broken up that she can't even give a proper speech and just says that heroes die like everybody else.
• Throughout the episode, Harley finds herself in the seat of being the sensible one while Batgirl is on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge. When Harley is able to talk to Ivy and confirm she didn't kill Nightwing, instead of apologizing for accusing her, Babs punches Harley.
• The end with Joker revealing himself to be the one who killed Nightwing. Babs reaction is a mix of both anger and sadness.

Il Buffone

• To anyone who has ever tried to do anything in their power to please their bosses may be saddened by Volcana's reactions when Nora stops her from helping Lex to activate all of the Earth's volcanos to raise the ozone layer about 10 feet. She starts by thinking Ivy is going to be proud of her for helping Lex (who lies about Ivy recommending her), but when Nora stops them, she starts to panic, thinking Ivy will be mad at her.

Potato-Based Cloning Accident

• The Harley clone reveals to the real Harley that she killed Nightwing while she was sleepwalking. Dr. Psycho's trip into her subconscious reveals it really was caused by a manifestation of her repressed evil nature. Even though Nightwing was never very nice to her, Harley is still horrified by this revelation and this leads her to quit the Bat-Family.
  • After Harley leaves her subconscious after discovering what she did, she sadly looks at her reflection which quickly turns into her wearing her villainous jester outfit. She really feels by killing Nightwing, she proved him right: She'll always be a villain.
• By the end of their battle, Harley confronts Barbara, all but confessing to killing Nightwing and admitting she can't fight being a villain anymore. Babs assures Harley that she is better then she thinks she is… before being shot in the stomach by The Joker; his only words being his Evil Laugh as Harley screams in absolutely soul-crushing despair.