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YMMV / The Adventures of Batman & Robin E7 "Harlequinade"

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  • Aluminum Christmas Trees: Fans of the series are usually surprised to hear the song Harley Quinn sings, "Say That We're Sweethearts Again," is an actual song from a 1944 movie called Meet the People, and Harley is singing the actual lyrics. It's really a comedic tune about a man trying to murder his girlfriend, who is ignorant of his disdain and just wants a happy romance.
  • Covered Up: Harley Quinn's performance of "Say That We're Sweethearts Again" was so hilariously (and chillingly) apt for her that many assume it was written for the show. In fact it was from an obscure 1944 musical called ''Meet the People''. Paul Dini, Harley's creator, and Arleen Sorkin, Harley's inspiration and voice, were driving together through Los Angeles right after the riots and were feeling a bit nervous, so Sorkin sang the song to him to cheer him up. Dini was determined that Harley should sing it and eventually bought the rights.
  • Harsher in Hindsight:
    • Harley Quinn tries to kill the Joker with a machine gun, but it turns out to be a toy gun, with a flag saying "RAT-TAT-TAT" popping out when she pulls the trigger. They reconcile afterwards. In Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, the Joker dies by getting shot with a not-so-fake flag gun by the brainwashed Tim Drake.
    • This wouldn't be the last time Joker had access to a nuke... and unfortunately, the next time didn't end anywhere near as well.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight:
    • The bomb dealer who gets confronted by the Joker and subjected to his laughing gas was voiced by Neil Ross, who would later do a lot more maniacal laughing as the Green Goblin in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
    • The plot of this episode involves one of Batman's most notorious enemies planning to use a nuclear weapon against Gotham City, only to be stopped when a different rogue of Batman double-crosses the main antagonist and teams up with the "Dark Knight" to thwart their destructive plan. Sound familiar?
  • Tear Jerker: Harley's whole performance of "Say That We're Sweethearts Again", while somewhat Played for Laughs, is actually really sad, as it basically indicates she's been abused so long she's developed a sort of learned helplessness and just puts up with every cruelty the Joker inflicts on her.

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