There is so much yet to be explored with Harley Quinn in live-action. I would love to see Harley develop a relationship with Poison Ivy in the DCU, just like in the comics and the Harley Quinn animated series. That is something that Robbie herself has talked about in the past. The same goes for Harley possibly joining the Gotham City Sirens. While I was waiting for Harley’s DCU role to be confirmed, I was positively surprised to see that the story I’ve wanted to see for her in live-action was given to a key member of The Penguin‘s cast.
Harley Quinn’s Popularity Ignored Her Tragedy Too Much
Margot Robbie’s Portrayal Is Universally Beloved
Harley Quinn has a tragic origin story. On the outside, Harley is depicted as an insane character who thinks little of the consequences of her actions. While that is mostly true for the character, there is a whole other side of her, guided by the dormant part of Harleen Quinzel that lives on, that could be more developed in the movies. Sure, Suicide Squad did touch on some of that with flashbacks to Harley’s time with Jared Leto’s Joker. However, I don’t think the trauma he put her through was shown nearly enough in the film.
Birds of Prey did a better job of showing how the Joker’s abuse influenced Harley’s life. She put herself through awful situations just to please the character, but in the end, Harley was dumped and thrown on the streets. Even then, I hoped the situation would have been addressed in a more serious manner that showed how much abuse the Joker put her through during their relationship. Birds of Prey was, in large part, about Harley taking her life back into her hands, but delegating the suffering she went through to a brief animated sequence was a bad choice.
The Penguin’s Sofia Falcone Story Is Everything I Ever Wanted For Harley Quinn
Cristin Milioti Is Stealing the Show Every Week
I”m a big fan of Colin Farrell’s portrayal of the Penguin. While the character is a worthy protagonist to follow, Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone has slowly become the most interesting character on HBO’s The Penguin. When she first appeared, I knew there were multiple layers to her and was waiting to see what the show had in store for her mysterious ten-year stay at Arkham State Hospital. However, I was not expecting that The Batman spinoff would bring a perfect version of the story of abuse that I wanted to see addressed regarding Harley Quinn.
The Penguin episode 4, “Cent’Anni,” has already become one of my favorite hours of TV ever. The episode showed how Sofia Falcone was corrupted, with her father setting her up to take the fall for his actions. With only her brother helping her and the rest of the family against her, Sofia was locked up in Arkham for a decade. There, she slowly lost herself amid the torture she was put through regularly. Sofia’s love for her father and the abuse suffered at Arkham relate to what I wanted to have seen with Harley Quinn and the Joker.
The innocent-turned-ruthless Sofia first gets her power back by killing Magpie in Arkham, and by the end of the episode, when she kills nearly all the Falcones.
After having suffered so much abuse, it came the time to finally get her deserved revenge. While I had been cheering Oz Cobb on in his silent battle against Sofia before the episode, it is hard to choose anyone other than Milioti’s character after discovering what she went through. The innocent-turned-ruthless Sofia first gets her power back by killing Magpie in Arkham, and by the end of the episode, when she kills nearly all the Falcones. That shocking ending felt warranted, as Sofia assumed control of her life and got revenge on those who wronged her.
The Penguin Flips Harley Quinn’s Story
It Works Out Perfectly For The DC Series
Besides the life of abuse and their connection through Arkham, Sofia Falcone and Harley Quinn’s stories also share another common element, but with a twist. The psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel fell in love with the Joker, becoming corrupted and turning into Harley Quinn. The Penguin features a similar story, but with the roles reversed, as Sofia Falcone was the criminal and Theo Rossi’s Julian Rush was the Arkham psychiatrist who fell for her. Rush would eventually leave Arkham and help Sofia’s brother Alberto free her in court, later aiding Milioti’s character after she gets out.
The Penguin Cast & Characters
Actor
Character
Colin Farrell
Oz Cobb / The Penguin
Cristin Milioti
Sofia Falcone
Rhenzy Feliz
Victor Aguilar
Michael Zegen
Alberto Falcone
Clancy Brown
Salvatore Maroni
Michael Kelly
Johnny Vito
Deirdre O’Connel
Francis Cobb
Theo Rossi
Dr. Julien Rush
After episode four of The Penguin, I can’t wait to see how the final half of the season unfolds. Sofia Falcone is now firmly back in power, knowing that Farrell’s Oz betrayed her and killed her brother, the one person who was trying to get her out of the cycle of abuse she had been unjustly put through at Arkham. This makes Sofia completely unpredictable, and The Penguin is better for it. I believe that with a similar dark story that focuses on how Harley Quinn became who she is, the DCU could make Margot Robbie’s Harley more complex.
