One Of Two-Face's Best Jokes In Harley Quinn Season 3 Almost Got Cut
One of the benefits of HBO Max's "Harley Quinn" being a comedy is that it can explore familiar characters in unexpected, even biting ways. Bruce Wayne may spend his nights as the heroic Batman, but he's also just as out of touch as any other billionaire ("People pay for housing?"). The Joker is a maniacal super-villain, but after a stint with amnesia, he's also developed a domestic life as a suburban dad ("Lots of dads are serial killers!"). Commissioner Gordon is a nervous wreck and totally dependent on Batman, Nightwing has an inferiority complex thanks to Bruce's distant parenting, and being in the Legion of Doom is like a 9-to-5 job for villains, complete with coffee chats in the break room.
However, these details aren't just random; what makes them funny is how they're authentically rooted in the characters' personalities. In an interview with /Film's Ben Pearson, "Harley Quinn" co-creators Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker revealed the deep thought that went into Two-Face's love of Sum 41's "In Too Deep."
Two-Face: Millennial Edition
In "Harley Quinn" season 3, both Commissioner Gordon and the semi-reformed (emphasis on "semi") Joker run for mayor. The race comes to a head in episode 6, "Joker: The Killing Vote." Gordon recruits Two-Face to be his campaign manager; after all, Harvey Dent does have experience winning public office in Gotham City.
Two-Face's strategy involves kidnapping the Joker's stepson Benicio. When Gordon objects, Two-Face says they're "In Too Deep" and starts unknowingly quoting the lyrics from said Sum 41 song: "And I'm trying to keep up above in my head, instead of going under, instead of going under!" That's when he catches himself, explaining he heard the song earlier on the radio while driving.
According to Halpern, the joke came from the episode's writer Conner Shin. Before he approved it, he asked Shin what the context was:
"When I read that joke, I was like, 'Why would Two-Face be listening to this?' And then Conner was like, 'Well, he's about 40. And that's when he was probably listening to — whatever you're listening to when you're 21, 22 just becomes the soundtrack of your life.' And I was like, 'I'm sold. Put that joke in there.'"
"In Too Deep" was released in 2001. If Two-Face is indeed 40 in the episode, then he would've been born in 1982, just the right age for the song to be a staple of his transition from adolescence to adulthood.
"Harley Quinn" is filled with these sorts of pop culture jokes. They make the characters feel a bit more ridiculous, yet conversely, also more human. In this rendition of Gotham City, supervillains listen to rock music too. At least Two-Face has good taste.