So I guess Suicide Squad did okay? Which I only sort of care about in the sense that I want Margot Robbie to get to make the lady-fronted movie(s) she wants to make.  I’m sure a solo Harley movie will be the first of those. Given the speed at which all other lady-fronted superhero movies happen, I expect it’ll come out in 2018 or 2019. So in the meantime, if you want a nice fix of Harley and Harleyesque stuff to fill that Clown Princess of Crime-shaped hole in your heart, I’ve got some suggestions!

Film

The House of Yes

I think Parker Posey would have been a great candidate to play Harley if they’d done a movie a decade ago. Or an older Harley now (which I’d be fine with). The House of Yes, based on a play of the same name, is about… a very dysfunctional family, as highlighted by Posey’s Jackie-O. She thinks she’s Jackie Kennedy. And things sort of go wild on a stormy Thanksgiving night when her brother brings home his new fiancée. I don’t want to give too much away, but Posey’s performance is manic, tragic, and spellbinding.

Buy: The House of Yes

Thelma and Louise

Honestly, this is what I want the Harley/Ivy movie that will never happen to be like. Just this. This perfect little snapshot of a culture on the verge of girl power, where two women decide they’ve had enough and take their lives into their own hands.  This is the precursor of all the lady road trip movies that have happened in the last (almost) thirty years, not that there are enough of them.

Buy: Thelma and Louise

TV

Orphan Black

Among the many characters that the amazing Tatiana Maslany plays in this clone drama is Helena, who sometimes has conversations with scorpions. She’s also super bad ass, fiercely loyal to her family, and has no sense of personal boundries. The show’s good enough to recommend completely, even though it’s mostly in Helena that I feel Harleyness. Though Allison sort of makes me think of what Dr. Quinzel may have been if she’d never met the Joker…

Buy: Orphan Black

Very specific episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess

It wouldn’t be something I write if I didn’t bring up Xena. And I’m all for watching the entire show. But! It’s the arc of the character Callisto that really gets my Harley engines… revving? I don’t know, I lost the metaphor. Callisto’s family was murdered by Xena when she was a child, and she comes back seeking revenge years later. But it gets complex and Hudson Leick was really amazing in a role that was equal parts psychotic and sad. Luckily someone put together a list of her episodes, so I don’t have to do it. The series is streaming on Netflix, but if you enjoy it at all I highly recommend buying the DVDs for the commentary tracks/behind-the-scenes features. So worth it.

Buy: Xena: Warrior Princess, s1  (you can go from there if you want)