Harley Quinn And The Joker
The scenes that feature both Harley Quinn and The Joker (Jared Leto) are so strong that they actually take us out of the movie for their duration, and make us frustrated that we don’t get to see more when we return to the main narrative. In this way, these scenes are both a strength and a flaw in Suicide Squad. But, taken as they are, our first introduction to the relationship between Dr. Harleen Quinzel and the Clown Prince Of Crime is by far one of the best moments of the film.
We catch sight of her treating him in Arkham Asylum, but can’t hear their conversations – until he asks her for a machine gun. We see The Joker and his minions taking over the asylum and we see The Joker torturing Dr. Quinzel. We see flashes of the two of them in poses lifted directly from the comic books – with Harley in different costumes – and then we see them in The Joker’s criminal underworld, with her as his moll.
It is this part of the sequence that really kicks the characterization of Harley Quinn into high gear. The Joker is meeting with another criminal – Monster T (Common) – in a club, and Monster T is distracted by Harley, who is busy gyrating in the other room. The Joker beckons her over and offers her to Monster T – an instruction with which Harley seems happy to comply. Monster T finds this disturbing, however, and declines – which causes The Joker to kill him.
At first glance, this is a heinous act on the part of The Joker, because he is treating Harley like a possession – a toy he is able to lend to his friends. While this is true, it also has nothing at all to do with Monster T. It speaks to the abusive dynamic between the lovers. It is a twisted test – The Joker challenging Harley’s commitment to truly do anything for him, while for Harley, it is an opportunity to prove the depths of her devotion. This becomes even clearer in a later flashback, as we see The Joker give Dr. Quinzel the choice of whether or not to pledge herself entirely to him. She chooses to take that step, and is literally baptized into a life of crime by her beloved Clown Prince himself.
