Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Harley Quinn season 5, episode 10The season finale of Harley Quinn season 5 has arrived, featuring an exciting conclusion to Harley and Ivy’s Metropolis adventure with a few fun Easter eggs along the way. Needing to find a way to get through to none other than Brainiac himself after Lena and Lex Luthor join forces, the finale of Harley Quinn season 5 is surprisingly tragic but also heartwarming at the same time. That said, it’s also just as manic and chaotic as one would expect from the animated DC series.
After Lena and Lex’s surprise alliance at the end of Harley Quinn season 5, episode 9, the brother-sister duo plans to take over the entire universe using Brainiac’s technology. However, their sibling rivalry remains, providing an opportunity for Harley and Ivy to try and take control of the ship and save the shrunken city of Metropolis holding all their friends. This also involves a key revelation for Brainiac that turns him from an enemy to a friend, so here’s our recap, ending explainer, and the best Easter eggs and references we found in Harley Quinn season 5, episode 10.
Harley Quinn Season 5, Episode 10 Recap
“The Mess Is The Point”
- At the beginning of Harley Quinn season 5, episode 10, the shrunken city of Metropolis is tearing itself apart.
- Despite Harley, Ivy, Sharon, and Brainiac still being shrunk, Harley easily pits the Luthors against each other by asking them who gets to rename Metropolis.
- Sharon starts flirting with Brainiac, though she also gets through to the Coluan, helping him realize that life isn’t perfect and the mess of it is the point. Brainiac then helps Harley, Ivy, and Sharon escape the bottle.
- Lena sets the skull ship on a self-destruct course to collide with Colu due to her anger with Lex, though Brainiac shrinks the Luthors, who are then knocked out by Harley and Ivy before going back to their normal size. The Luthors then get eaten by Harley and Ivy’s plant baby Frankette.
- Brainiac refuses to prevent the collision due to his new “mess” perspective. Harley lies about the ending of Clayface’s play to get him to help. Brainiac demands to speak with Bane who wrote the play, though Bane doesn’t catch on, confirming that the play ends in tragedy with Brainiac’s demise.
- Brainiac sees his family again, and they convince them to help Harley and Ivy before he powers down.
- Brainiac reveals the existence of an escape pod. Harley, Ivy, Sharon, and Frankette make it onboard with Metropolis with a handful of other bottled cities.
- Brainiac lets himself die, powering down to complete the tragedy as his ship impacts with Colu, sending multiple asteroids on a collision course with the pod.
- Frankette buys time by providing some oxygen, but the pod continues to get hit until it’s fully destroyed. However, Superman arrives to save the day, having heard Lois Morse code message from the previous episode.
- A week later, Harley and Ivy have a party at their old place in Gotham, though the Luthors are still trapped inside Frankette’s digestive system.
- Ivy and Harley are now content with everything they have and their new lease on life.
Why Brainiac Chose To End His Story And Harley Quinn Season 5 Finale Ending Explained
Harley and Ivy Have A New Lease on Life
Thanks to Harley’s mother of all people, Stephen Fry’s Brainiac realizes that he was far too focused on achieving perfection in his grief over what happened to his family and homeworld. Life is messy, but it’s also wonderful: “The mess is the point“. It’s a very heartwarming message, though it also motivates Brainiac to bring his story to an end, mirroring the ending of the musical Clayface and Bane wrote about him.
Powering down, Brainiac pictures himself with his family one last time before the skull ship hits Colu. He imagines himself getting the ending he wished he would have had with his family, including the chance to tell his son Vril that he was proud of both his successes and failures. For a show as comedy-focused and irreverent as Harley Quinn, it’s a truly touching conclusion for the classic DC villain.
Related
Harley Quinn season 5 comes to an end with an ambitious episode that puts a twist on Brainiac, brings back Superman, and could be the show’s final.
Likewise, the ending scene of Harley Quinn season 5, episode 10 sees Harley and Ivy back at their old place in Gotham. Having received a new lease on life, the classic DC power couple looks to be very happy and no longer in a rut, content with their friends, loved ones, and each other. However, they also have a much better view thanks to Ivy convincing Superman to move Metropolis closer after it was reverted back to its normal size.
Additionally, it looks as though Harley will have a new job offering her psychiatric services to all the other bottle city citizens they saved once they’re similarly freed. While there isn’t any direct setup for the confirmed Harley Quinn season 6, it does look as though a return to the status quo with Gotham is in the cards. That said, perhaps there will be some more hopping back and forth between the classic DC cities, especially now Metropolis is literally right next door (even more than it already was).
Harley Quinn Season 5, Episode 10 Easter Eggs and References
Succession, The Batman Voice, Sy Borgman, and More
- The Eldest Boy – During the Luthor siblings’ argument about what Metropolis’ new name should be, Lex describes himself as “the eldest boy”, which is most likely a reference to Succession’s Kendall Roy who tried using the same argument with his own siblings in the show’s series finale.
- What Do You Want For Dinner? – Despite it looking like death was imminent in the escape pod, Ivy asks Harley what she wants for dinner, calling back to Harley Quinn season 5’s premiere when the duo’s date night of choice was ordering dinner and eating in bed.
- A Super Serious Gravelly Voice – During the party at the very end of the episode, Clayface tries a Batman impression in front of Joker and Bruce Wayne, believing that he’s nailed The Dark Knight’s “super serious, gravelly voice” a la Christian Bale from the Nolan trilogy.
- Sy Borgman – Clayface references Sy Borgman, the elderly cyborg turned AI who rented out his apartment to Poison Ivy. Apparently, Harley and Ivy stole the apartment back when they chose to return to Gotham.
- Photo of Frank – A photo of Frank the Plant can be seen with a drink next to it, a small memorial for the fallen human-plant hybrid.
- Superman Logo – After Harley and Ivy jump out the window to hit the town, the giant holographic “S” above the Superman Museum can be seen in the background, connecting to the show’s premiere and bringing the season full circle.
All episodes of Harley Quinn season 5 are now streaming on Max.
Harley Quinn
9/10
- Release Date
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November 29, 2019
- Network
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DC Universe, HBO Max, Max
- Showrunner
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Dean Lorey, Chrissy Pietrosh, Jessica Goldstein
- Directors
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Juan Jose Meza-Leon, Vinton Heuck, Joonki Park, Cecilia Aranovich, Ben Jones, Colin Heck, Tom De Rosier, Brandon McKinney, Frank Marino, Mike Milo, Matt Garofalo, Christina Sotta, Michael Moloney
- Writers
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Tom Hyndman, Sarah Nevada Smith, Jamiesen Borak, Ava Tramer, Connie Shin, Jess Dweck, Jane Becker, Laura Moran, Sabrina Jalees, Jordan Weiss, Jimmy Mosqueda, Rachel Pegram
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Lake Bell
Poison Ivy (voice)
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