Batman fans will know that the character of Harley Quinn doesn’t exactly have a sound mind. She didn’t even start out in the comics. Instead she premiered in Batman: The Animated Series is where show runners Paul Dini and Bruce Timm created the clown price of crime’s co-dependent “love” interest . A few years later and her origin story would premiere in the New Batman Adventures episode titled “Mad Love.” An adaptation of a comic book story written by Paul Dini. Since the episode premiered, Batman lore regarding the Joker changed forever.

From the video games to animated and live action movies, Harley Quinn’s depiction has been the serotonin to Joker’s psychosis. While some stories like Tell Tale’s Batman: The Enemy Within video game, have a different take on Harley Quinn, that story is more an outlier than a representation of the average Quinn storyline. That is, until today.

Harley Quinn’s Sound Mind and Audio Origin Debut

The gall and misogyny of the head psychologist toward Harleen Quinzell is so aggravating that you desperately want to punch him in the face. His and the other male doctor’s arrogance masquerading as a sense of ignorance and the belittlement towards Harleen is hair-pulling bad in a good way.

Horror angle of Bob’s mental breakdown is manipulative by the Joker. The words he says make it sound like the Joker is a Hannibal Lecter character. Someone who gets under your skin and in your mind. You almost feel bad for Bob even though earlier in the episode he’s a total prick.

Bruce Wayne: Public Face, Billionaire Playboy

This is the most accurate portrayal of Bruce Wayne’s public face as mask. Even if you know Bruce Wayne is Batman performing Wayne as a billionaire playboy, this version comes across as a little more arrogant than other interpretations. Not nearly as much as the doctors in Arkham, but from Harleen’s point of view, they might as well be the same.

Bruce Wayne is played by Smallville’s Oliver Queen/Green Arrow Justin Hartley. Wayne’s personality is summed up perfectly by Harley’s remark at Bruce being Batman’s PR agent. It’s a dramatic meta irony that feels unique to a character that has over 75 years of lore.

Harley Quinn and the Sound Minds of her Patients

The patients Quinzell treats act as a mirror of Harleen’s own struggle with misogyny and belittlement from everyone around her. The sections involving Quinn and her patients brings up images of the “we live in a society” memes from Zac Synder’s “Justice League” or the entire premise of Todd Phillips’ “Joker.” This audio drama handles mental health differently, better in my opinion, than that film.

The basic plan orchestrated by Joker and Harleen for her father is easily pieced together. However, it is a bit jarring at first. The way episode two ends and the third begins gives an implied conversation between Joker and Harley that is off-screen. Though through context, most of what occurred in the previous episode can be deduced from the later one. The alternative would’ve been to hear the information twice, so they made the right choice in how they handled it.

A Harley Quinn that uses Everything Everywhere All at Once

Harley Quinn and the Joker: Sound Mind was produced by Realm and released today on Spotify. The story combines practically every interpretation of the character and her relationship with the Joker, even the ones that contradict each other like Telltale’s reversal of the duo’s dynamic in their video game. Somehow, it just works.

8.5/10+ Stars

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