Mad Love

I saw Suicide Squad last week, and honestly I kind of liked it. It was a mess, but a fun mess. (And it needed 200% more Katana.) However...there's something I wanted to discuss.

SPOILERS FOR SUICIDE SQUAD BELOW

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A key element of the film concerns Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) trying to reunite with the Joker (Jared Leto). There are a number of things wrong with this-Leto's performance, for one-but the way the movie portrays Harley and Joker's relationship. They're equally in love with each other, and Joker even shoots a man for rejecting her.

This...is a problem.

Those who know their DC lore know that this relationship is A: one sided on Harley's part, and B-and this is the important one-IT'S ABUSIVE AS ALL HELL.

The Joker does not love Harley. He doesn't love anything (perks of being a psychopathic mass murdering clown). Harley is in the grips of Stockholm Syndrome-she fell in love with the Joker while she was his therapist, and is utterly devoted to him. No matter how badly he treats her, she comes back. It's horrifying. It's MEANT to be horrifying. And what's worse, this relatuionship has been romanticized over the years. Which is disgusting.

Now the blame can fall on the editing. Rumor has it that several scenes focusing on the Joker were cut, and most of them established this abuse. If this is true then WB should be ashamed for trying to push this gross as hell relationship. In the foreword for Mad Love, Paul Dini-Harley's co creator-writes:

I don't think of MAD LOVE as a victim's tale, but a cautionary one about what happens when one loves recklessly, obsessively, and for far too long.

Harley's relationship with the Joker is nothing to desire. DC and David Ayer tried to sell you this:

When the reality is this:

And that ain't right.

P.S. Poison Ivy is right there you know. Whole movie you're sitting on DC.