Despite what some DC snobs have claimed about Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), the movie is an incredible watch. It’s fierce, stays true to the ethos of the characters, and has a definitive edge that is missing from so many of DCEU’s outings.
That being said, the fact that this movie has tried to distance itself from Suicide Squad in terms of timeline and narration hasn’t exactly helped Harley Quinn’s character arc. There are quite a few things about Harley that simply do not make sense in the movie. Let’s find out what they are:
10 Harley Roaming Free After Escaping The Penitentiary
Towards the end of Suicide Squad, The Joker breaks into the penitentiary and rescues Harley. But how and why is Harley roaming free in Gotham in broad daylight and not hiding from the police?
Montoya only starts looking for her after she destroys the chemical plant, but what about the fact that she escaped prison? The problem lies in the timeline since Birds of Prey wasn’t exactly designed as a sequel and as a standalone movie. The fact remains that Harley escaped prison and it’s as if the authorities simply forgot about it.
9 She Hasn’t Been Brought To Justice For Robin’s Death
Harley Quinn is introduced in Suicide Squad as someone who has been an accomplice in Robin aka Dick Grayson’s murder, so why isn't she being charged for that?
In Birds of Prey, Joker is seemingly out of town, and yes, by the end of Suicide Squad, the members of Task Force X were sent back to Belle Reve with ten years off their sentences. But Harley escapes prison and even with the years knocked off, surely the police would still be looking for her for killing one of Gotham’s heroes. Batman would probably be looking too.
8 Harley’s Decision To Stay In Gotham
One of the problems with Birds of Prey is that Harley is depicted as some small-time thug who has a lot of enemies, whereas she is actually one of the most dangerous criminal masterminds, and responsible for some of the most gruesome crimes Gotham has seen.
Harley’s decision to stay in Gotham after her breakup also mirrors this issue. It was made clear that without the Joker’s protection, Harley is really vulnerable as all her and Joker’s enemies now want to take revenge from her. Why then, would Harley stay in Gotham and live out loud and not skip town for a few days at least?
7 Her Decision To Hide Her Breakup
Though the timeline issue is never acknowledged, it’s implied when the film begins that Harley and Joker had broken things off quite recently. This is why Harley was still reeling from the split and trying to cope and the criminal circuit also wasn’t aware that the two weren't a thing anymore.
But why would Harley hide her breakup from Roman Sionis and others? Yes, she would have a lot of targets on her back if she announced that she is no longer with the Joker, but wouldn’t Harley want to be emancipated from him, considering his criminal history? Harley is shown going to the same places she and Joker would go to, which also doesn’t make sense either as it’s so dangerous.
6 Sionis’ Decision To Hire Harley
There’s no reason why Sionis would decide to employ Harley to look for the Bertinelli diamond and not kill her on the spot after he finds out about their breakup and also because of the long list of grievances which he has against her.
It is made very clear that Sionis loathes Harley and obviously wants her dead. Harley is in fact, the last person who he would hire considering their bitter history, and also the fact that she’s a wild card who has every reason to betray him.
5 Haley’s Decision To Trust Doc
Doc is Harley’s landlord and he also owns the Chinese takeaway joint right below her small apartment. Doc is an elderly man who clearly cares about Harley and has refused to sell her out before. But Harley can’t possibly be this naive to think that Doc won't eventually be forced to give in to her enemies, all of whom are dangerous and own some serious assault weapons.
Doc eventually does sell out Harley in exchange for some money to open up a new business. But Harley should have seen it coming. Moreover, the fact that she goes back to her old apartment as she’s hiding from Sionis and others is unreasonable because Doc alone couldn’t possibly have helped her out if she was found.
4 Harley’s Character
For the convenience of the script and also to make more room for an edgy arc, Harley Quinn has been depicted with the breeziness of a small-time scammer, especially in the first part of the movie. This is very hard for the viewers because of the shift in tonality from Suicide Squad. Despite her eccentricities and adorable quirks, Harley is a mercenary with a dangerous criminal record.
She is at least an accomplice to more than one high profile murder and she’s at least a person of interest in so many major crimes that have taken place in the recent past in Gotham. It’s weird that Harley’s emancipation from Joker also comes with a substantial demotion in her personal branding as a criminal mastermind to some street artist who has messed with the wrong crowd, and it's just not consistent to her character growth.
3 Harley’s Priorities
In Birds of Prey, Harley is just taking each day as it comes and does not have an overarching mission. It's okay because she’s just trying to get by, and also trying to mend a broken heart. Still, Harley’s sense of priorities is in total disarray in the movie. It’s not exactly clear how she plans to live in Gotham after making so many powerful enemies, and Harley is not someone with a death wish.
But in Birds of Prey, she makes things worse for herself by messing with Joker’s enemies after her breakup, blowing up a chemical plant, and doing everything that would draw attention to herself, which is the last thing she should be doing.
2 Her Role As The Leader Of The Birds of Prey
It’s weird that the movie pays so little attention to the dynamic between the 'birds.' Harley and Canary do form an interesting bond, but the gang only comes together for an explosive climax as they try to save Cassandra from Sionis.
And Harley’s role as the leader or the mastermind behind the squad is never fully explored. It's just not right considering the movie has been marketed as an origin story for the Birds of Prey but the relationship between Harley and the Birds is a friendship of convenience.
1 Her Decision To Abandon The Birds
To be fair, being a part of a do-gooder clique isn’t really very consistent with the profile of DCEU's Harley, but what Harley desperately needs at this point is allies and sisterhood. And a group of tough, fierce women who accept her as who she is, is something quite invaluable. So, when Harley Quinn and Cassandra Cain leave Birds of Prey to form their own bounty hunting group, it’s not exactly ideal.
Harley still probably has a lot of enemies since she can’t really stop being Joker’s ex, so she’s also putting Cassandra at risk. Plus, Harley is too much of a loose cannon, and Cassandra is still a kid. Being responsible for a minor isn’t really her cup of tea, so why not leave Cassandra with the Birds who are obviously better equipped to take care of her?
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