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The more time passes, the more I come around on the HQ finale. I had high expectations because I loved ep 12 so I was annoyed that we had a time skip and didn’t SEE any of the fall out. And of course that Kiteface was the one who broke it off – I do wish we’d seen more from Ivy. BUT the ending is just so romantic and lovely! And I’d seen the original car from the BTAS episode in the 90s so it hit me hard! And the colors!! Plus, Ivy’s face in the confession got me too :)

Anon! Honestly, same?? I mean, I’m never going to not wish it’d been more, but I also have been thinking on it and realizing I’ve been judging it a lot for what it didn’t have, like you said, the fallout, more discussion, which, there should/could have been, but them skipping it, them making different decisions and prioritizing different things from what I want doesn’t make a thing automatically bad, right. 

But having said all that as a little disclaimer, lol, with distance, I’ve warmed to it. Which I’m grateful for, since often it can go the other way. As you said, the ending did a WHOLE lot of heavy lifting and will definitely be what I remember from the ep. And maybe that’s because, as I keep saying, everything that came before could have come at any point in the last few episodes, Harley offering something, Ivy turning her down. Once Harley had her big moment in the pit, the narrative became more about Ivy’s decision, and since we didn’t even really see her come around to make it in the finale until that ending (and ignoring that KM jump-started it), it’s really the significant moment from the whole thing. 

BUT. That doesn’t make everything before it unimportant, it was all a part of getting to there. I understand why it wasn’t an immediate decision for Ivy as well, maybe each time Harley helped her or chose her, it lowered her guard a little more, and then her actually saving her wedding and willing to marry them was the biggest sign, how much she was willing to put Ivy first. Like, I can appreciate that even as I have my own different wishes.

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Hi! This is the anon from months (weeks? Who can tell anymore) ago, who was worried about them going the comic route and having a poly thing with Kiteman. So glad you were right! I can’t say I loved the finale, but it was better than I feared! I do think it was poorly paced and structured (whole season tbh) and that Ivy’s motivations should have been communicated better. It was… very fast there at the end, would have liked a bit more time before they got together. I overall like the show tho!

Lol, it was a while back, true! It just didn’t seem like they wanted to go there for any of the three of them, you know? Still grateful, though!

Heh, what did you fear from the finale if this was better? For me, it was perhaps the ep that fell shortest of my expectations? Although maybe that’s on my expectations for being too high, wanting it to take care of everything that needed addressing this season. But yes, I do agree overall it was a bit rushed and oddly paced, the season as a whole like you said, it just…it felt like they took arcs that could have been resolved in a couple of episodes but padded out a whole season for them. 

But still! I liked a lot of things and am in a great place with them regardless, I do understand what they were trying with Ivy and if the fear behind never writing Harley as actually being bad enough to need growth was because they were protective of her character, I absolutely sympathize. In these tags and asks today I’ve worked through my frustrations (and then some) and am now a lot more chill and relaxed about it all. Onward to hopefully s3, and if not, at least the continuing rise of Harlivy as an iconic ship!

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ALSO how did *poison ivy* get gassed??? (Side note when will harley get her immunity??)

Oh, yeah, she’s supposed to be immune to that, right, except for the Special Formula from s1. Maybe everyone has it now? 

Ok, so, Harley’s immunity, I’ve read that that’s kind of a big deal, right? That in some comic continuity, Harley’s the only one Ivy’s specifically given immunity? Which…nice. But I wondered, on the rooftop in ep 2×12, when the Justice League got dosed, Harley, the closest, wasn’t affected at all. Does that not mean she’s immune?

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Damn i really needed more from Ivy in that episode

Honestly, this was my biggest disappointment. I didn’t love every choice made this season but I could at least see why they were made, what they were going for, and honestly, individually, I would finish each of the previous eps and be like, I really enjoyed that. Heck, I loved the banter with the Justice League in the last ep and had been hoping they would show up, I don’t get how that seemed so much more natural and fun than most of this ep, which was just kind of forced along by plot.

But the understanding was always that, as much as they were separated and we were seeing Harley’s POV, at some point we would get to see Ivy’s. The finale would have benefited so much, following ep 12, when everything’s revealed, as being the Ivy Ep, going deeper into her background and feelings and really show why she was so determined to marry a guy she didn’t love, and then end with her making the decision to go with Harley. We’ve seen similar eps for Harley in both seasons, where she had her epiphanies and made her speeches. 

Like, the big moment in the car in the end, when Ivy’s like, Harley just trying is enough…what did she mean, was the driving around in the parking lot maze (the maize maze, lol) getting lost the part that convinced her? I said it earlier, but Harley’s clearly been trying to fix things for a while, so narratively, is simply KM removing himself the reason why? That comes across so….I mean, maybe that was to save them from being the bad guys, let KM be the one to end it, but she could have made her choice and he could have been like, I understand, and bowed out gracefully, and that would not have changed much! Because surprise, people are still freaking angry at Harlivy. Misogyny and homophobia didn’t go anywhere, if they really wanted to not make them the bad guys, then don’t write in the cheating to begin with. 

I just hope now that a lot of what we’d wanted for these eps happens in season 3. If I’m honest, just returning to season 1 level interactions but now with the explicitly romantic layer would be enough for me, heh.

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Same anon! But if they get a season 3, I hope they keep them together for the remainder and just give us relationship/sweetness along with the main plot. We got the happy ending! Let’s take it further and have them develop further along with the wacky hijinks of the multiverse. Seems like the show’s on the bubble for renewal, but there’s a DC virtual con in August that they have a panel on so fingers crossed!

Sorry, same anon as which one?

And for sure, I hope they’ll get another season but if it happens, I really want them to stay together and face new issues as a unit, even if it’s a conflict between them, deal with it as the center of the episode and not long separations. We did our time! 

I was skimming through the first season earlier for some clips and man, I really loved how they were. When I first heard that they were definitely going to happen and watched the first season, I totally thought they’d get together at least by the midpoint and then we’d see all the great dynamics and banter from the first season but now with this massive change and was so looking forward to see how they’d handle it. But we didn’t get that! Even when the crew found out, they like…just ignored it this ep??? Come on! 

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Hi, if Harley Show is supposed to be Harley’s, why did Kiteman come out with a better character development? Most people like Kiteman, and they despise Harley. :/

Oh, I would very much disagree with that! I think poor Ivy was badly done by, but like, Harley has only tried her best for this whole season?? Which is honestly part of my objection to the writing? It feels like they tried two arcs, Ivy’s difficulty in accepting a romantic relationship with Harley because she didn’t think she’d be able to withstand losing it, and then Harley’s…growing…from…what? She’s always been a bit messy but usually she just does whatever she can in the moment. She’s been exhibiting selfless-ass behavior for a while now, the pit, the bachelorette party, trying to save brainwashed Ivy at all costs and even volunteering to go the Phantom Zone with her, how was saving the wedding a bigger step? Like, what actually changed in her to convince Ivy she’s now trying? She’s been trying! 

Even the Parademons can’t only be blamed on her, it feels like everyone forgot, but she didn’t only get them as a distraction, Gordon was also coming after her because the president was pressuring him to for the sake of Gotham. No, if anything, I think the show’s actually a bit afraid to write Harley as making bigger mistakes, but as a consequence, to me, she’s come across as extremely likable and sympathetic. 

Maybe it helps that I don’t really see much of the comic nerdbro side of fandom, mostly just other people’s comments about them. I imagine it’d be much worse seeing it firsthand, but like, I don’t really think the show can be blamed for people’s own bias in focusing on men or like, you know, misogyny in general (ETA: even though, as I said in the previous ask, they should at least kind of factor it in). To me, KM was gross at the start, and then a nonentity when it became clear Ivy didn’t really care about him. My feelings about him in the finale were mostly resentment at how much time he was taking from other things but other than that, like I said, whether the choice came from him or Ivy, it was because of the same reason, she didn’t love him. I guess I don’t see it as that awesome when someone doesn’t marry a person who doesn’t love them.