Stream It or Skip It: ‘Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special’ on HBO Max Is a Sexy Romp Bursting With Heart

Harley Quinn has quickly made a name for itself as one of DC’s best animated series yet. The adult-oriented take on Harleen Quinzel’s new life as the madcap Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) following her split from ex Joker (Alan Tudyk) is equal parts hilarious and genuine. It’s gone just about everywhere, from Harley getting her own crew together to falling in love with her best friend Poison Ivy (Lake Bell). This was a move cemented in a recent season finding the pair ditching their status as BFFs and becoming best girlfriends forever. 

But their relationship can’t blossom while the show is in between seasons. Enter Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special, a super-sized episode that explores the duo as they experience their first Valentine’s Day together. It’s a sweet yet super salty episode that feels just like the show, but with the added bonus of more relationship development, and that makes it all the better, a fun-sized treat for anyone looking for a little animated romance.  

HARLEY QUINN: A VERY PROBLEMATIC VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: The special opens with Superman (James Wolk) and Lois Lane (Natalie Morales) arm in arm discussing how they met and fell in love while they both worked at the Daily Planet in Metropolis.

The Gist: It’s Valentine’s Day, and Harley and Ivy are sitting at home together. Harley implores Ivy to go out, while Ivy wants to stay home and spend time with her girlfriend. They reach a compromise and go out for dinner. It turns into a horrific heist that ends up beig something Harley staged in a bid to give Ivy the “perfect” Valentine’s Day. But when that doesn’t work, Harley needs something bigger and better. 

She goes to find a spell that will give Ivy the most “amazing” orgasm ever, and ends up getting something that’ll do just that. But the problem is, she ends up getting everyone in Gotham City into the mood — including Bane (James Adomian), who’s smitten with a woman he meets in the city. When he realizes he wants to look more well-endowed for her, he asks for a “growth” spell. Unfortunately, instead of giving him growth where he wants it most, the spell makes Bane huge, like, kaiju-sized.

Combined with Harley’s love incantation that has everyone fornicating in the streets and Bane’s new super-sized form, Gotham is in for one wild Valentine’s Day. Harley and Ivy must find a way to set things right before the city is destroyed — ah, well, it’s going to get destroyed, you already know that. 

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? If you love the quickfire delivery and back-and-forth between Harley and Ivy, you’ll undoubtedly love the actual series: the self-titled Harley Quinn. You might also want to check out shows like Rick and Morty, Futurama, and The Boys for similar attitude and tone, albeit with much less raunchiness for the first two. 

Our Take: This Valentine’s Day special may be rife with constant sex jokes and raunchy humor, but it’s ultimately a sweet look at Harley and Ivy’s relationship. Though the pair have been together for a short while in terms of the series, it’s nice to see them have some time to shine together as a real couple. The jokes come hard and fast (just like Ivy does in a later scene, pun intended, thank you) and you never know which direction the story is going to go in. 

And though this is labeled as a “special,” it never strays from what makes Harley Quinn work so well in the first place. That is to say, it retains the same characters, established conventions, and jokes that you’d expect from the normal episodes. But since there’s no need to remain within an established narrative, the special is free to dilly-dally and explore more of what makes HarlIvy tick. 

Perhaps the best part, however, is just how tender and sweet Harley and Ivy are to each other. It’s very clear how much they care, and the moment you realize what Ivy’s “best” Valentine’s Day actually is, you might just start crying actual tears instead of the ones on your cheeks from laughing too much. 

Sex and Skin: Oh, only a metric ton of it. Though the nudity is mostly covered by well-placed vines, banners, and buildings, the entire episode is one big reference to sex, from frank discussions of penis size to orgasms and everything in between. This certainly isn’t for the whole family to watch, but if you’ve watched the other seasons of Harley Quinn, you already know this. 

Parting Shot: This time, it’s Harley and Ivy’s turn to discuss their relationship. They don’t waste time starting to kiss since Ivy reasons there’s no need to talk about how they met since they had just gone through all of that. 

Sleeper Star: Hardly a sleeper star in her own right, Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson appears in the episode as Hawkgirl. She shines in her brief moment discussing how she and Hawkman (Tyler James Williams) met, and brings a sassiness and sultriness to the character. 

Most Pilot-y Line: “C’mon, Ives, this is our very first Valentine’s Day together,” Harley pleads with Ivy when discussing the holiday. “Turn off the jazz documentary and let’s go out!” Ivy wants to stay home, Harley wants to go out. That’s kinda what kicks off this mess. 

Our Call: STREAM IT. This Valentine’s Day special is unexpectedly sweet in all the right places. It doesn’t shy away from how much Harley and Ivy care about each other, It’s fast, funny, and frantically horny. And if you’re a fan of Harley Quinn as a series, there’s plenty to love here, too.

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s collecting retro consoles and tech. Follow her on Twitter: @MolotovCupcake.