At first glance, the relationship between the Joker and Harley Quinn seems to be an abusive one. However, this may be because the majority of the time the audience is shown the situation with the Joker as the focus point. As with every relationship, there are multiple viewpoints points to evaluate when it comes to perception. In the new movie Suicide Squad, released just over a week ago, Harley Quinn is in the group of characters the movie follows. The portrayal of the Joker in this movie allows us to rationalize why they are together and how compatible they really are.
As I was leaving the midnight release, my friends and I immediately started discussing how the Joker didn’t seem like such a bad guy, and that got me thinking. The viewer was able to see how he treated Harley Quinn and rationalize why she does what she does for him. Respectfully, she is on the crazier side but her feelings for him began even before the escape from the mental institution. While many will argue that their relationship dynamic is not one for people to strive for, there is some rationality to its existence. The audience is able to see through her eyes what the Joker’s actions tell her. Without Harley, the Joker is shown to be lost and distraught as his only goal is to get her back to him. She shows the same type of reliance on him as he does on her.
Suicide Squad also shows how the Joker is unable to accomplish anything and Harley is doing what she is instructed to, with enthusiasm. Once she believes he’s dead, it appears her dedication to him is so strong that she would sell out her companions just for the chance of getting him back. While this doesn’t actually occur, it still stands as strong representation of her dedication to him. When he surprises her with the rescue at the end of the movie, it shows nothing less than how unstoppable they are when it comes to one another.
This movie took an uncommon route, as it was focused on those who are traditionally labeled as villains. While there were many characters with backstories to learn, none of them were as abruptly horrible as they have previously been portrayed. Super “hero” movies always focus on who the main character is while the viewer is just made to assume that their actions are the most justifiable. Taking a different point of view, where the main character’s actions are perhaps not the most justified, has created room for people to explore who they actually think fills the traditional role of good and evil. However, this did leave some audience members thinking that the characters were ‘lame’ when they didn’t meet their expected level of evil or radical.
Suicide Squad is a milestone within this movie genre, as there will be more and more movies that take this alternative point of view in the future. The new view of this relationship also makes room for more development further down the line in future movies. While these two are obviously reliant on each other, it seems to be beneficial to their productivity. The directors of these movies have the ability to choose who the audience wants to take sides with. It’s nice that we are being given more and more information as the years go on about our favorite characters.
