The central premise and problem of the fifth season of Harley Quinn is that the primary couple is stuck in a rut. After Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy have endured seasons that tested their relationship, marriage, and work-life balance, what more can they do? While the logical next step is to address concerns about the mundanity of the relationship instead of finding a unique comic book way to play off that longing, this season feels more like busywork than a meaningful development for a couple struggling to find something to do.

The wasted potential becomes clear when Harley and Ivy favor a change of scenery with Metropolis, and Superman is immediately removed from the equation with him deciding to go on a sabbatical. Although the opening episode frames his departure as having a similar sense of losing purpose, the quick ditching makes it seem like the writers weren’t even sure what to do with Superman. There’s an almost passive nature in how the ambitions of the various characters peter out as the show progresses. Harley gives the stay-at-home mom life a shot while Ivy returns to college to focus on her work. While this does lead to a reveal of Ivy’s tragic history and trying to craft a new life with her plant powers, it’s treated as more a mini-arc rather than something that would define her more prominent desires of motherhood in the second half of the season.

At the center of the conflict for this season is the pathos of Brainiac, riddled with grief from the destruction of his homeworld and trying to rebuild perfection on Earth. His obsession with transforming Metropolis into the world’s perfect city brews an alliance with Lena Luthor, the sister of Lex Luthor, who wants to be better than her brother. There’s a lot to work with there, but there’s an off-tone to how Brainiac’s mater-of-fact dry absurdity clashes with his more tragic longing for his late family that manifests in hallucinations. It doesn’t help that Harley’s few interactions with Brainiac feel like two different conversations, where Brainiac is more lost in his head and has to spell out the season’s thesis.

Random busywork is more common for the side characters, and while their antics do have their moments, it doesn’t feel like there’s enough. Bane and King Shark both have kids now, but the kids spend most of the time split up for punchlines, delivering a sliver of the villain parent gags that could be mustered. Similar potential can be felt in how Bruce Wayne and Joker have identical situations with kids, but, again, the kids are so far in the background that they hardly come up in conversation. Children used to be an excuse for parents to escape social situations, but this series seems to go the opposite route. The one constant of these side hi-jinks is Clayface assuming the title of Daily Planet editor for little more than controlling the media to further his musical ambitions. A little of Clayface’s bravado goes a long way before it becomes crusty.

The comedy for this season ends up being more random than clever, considering how the show never finds a firm enough groove before the remaining episodes. So many new developments are tossed in with few episodes remaining, leaving little room to appreciate Ivy dealing with a plant baby and Harley trying to connect with her frustrating mom on menopause. I liked those developments, but they arrive far too late ever to be as enduring as the writing hopes they’ll be. Without much time to explore and play with this growth, Harley’s mother gets reduced to passing comments that are either nitpicky or horny.

Unfortunately, the fifth season of Harley Quinn shows its age and lacks luster, signaling that this wild party is winding down. Too much of the postmodernism has grounded itself that watching Bruce Wayne and Joker bitch about fatherhood at a dinner party feels more par for the course than an absurd situation. With the characters growing too familiar and complacent, the writing doesn’t bite as hard now that the superhero convention has been thoroughly mocked and turned upside down. While Harley and Ivy may readily embrace the simplicity of their routine, I’m not feeling that same sensation since part of what made Harley Quinn so much fun was the brutalizing and contorting of the dusty superhero tropes. The honeymoon might really be over for this show, where Harley and Ivy might have to finally live happily ever after rather than kick around for a few more seasons.