Taking a cue from Arthur Fleck’s unfunny jokes, I must say that if I have to describe Joker: Folie à Deux in a single sentence, I’d say the movie is such an anti-Joker movie that even Batman himself couldn’t have come up with something quite like this. If you are among the audience who were fascinated by Arthur’s gradual descent into madness, ‘cheered’ the liberating violence he partook in, and at some point even went on to sympathize with the character’s plight in the first Joker movie, director Todd Phillips has a surprise for you as, in a strange attempt to subvert expectations, he has turned every single aspect of the original entry on its head. In simple terms, Joker 2 is a critique of its predecessor and the maddening fan following of the movie.
While a subversion like this sounds intriguing on paper, it actually turns out miserable on the silver screen, as the lack of a strong plot to act as a foundation means the intention remains limited as a highfalutin, vapid concept. The movie tries to juggle a lot of things but ends up being a toothless courtroom drama, a musical that couldn’t sync narrative with melody, and a sequel that didn’t need to be made. Joker 2 looks dazzling and dreamy, but even with Joaquin Phoenix’s one-man show as Gotham’s clown prince of crime, that simply isn’t enough to make up for the really questionable decisions made by the makers.
Spoilers Ahead
An Animated Opening: Focus on Joker as Arthur’s Alter Ego
The opening sequence of Joker 2 is arguably the best part of the movie. Animated in the style of the classic WB cartoon Looney Tunes, the sequence, titled Me and My Shadow, follows Arthur Fleck, who has found stardom as the Joker but is having a hard time coping with the existence of his shadow self, who is doing all the mischiefs, hogging all the limelight, and pinning the blame on poor Arthur. This animated sequence highlights the movie’s core, as the perennial struggle between Arthur and his nefarious alter ego, Joker, for dominance over Arthur’s mind characterizes the central conflict of the movie. That’s right, Batman might not be present in his archenemy’s latest adventure, but the theme of the alter ego has found a way to use Joker as a medium as well. Dreamworks’ animated movie, Me and My Shadow, where a feeble-minded Stanley Grubb faces his internal desire to break free in the form of his flamboyant shadow, seems to be the inspiration of the opening sequence.
Joker Meets Harley: Arkham Musicals
As the lively animated sequence ends, the grim reality kicks in. As a captive in Arkham State Hospital, practically a prison for the criminally insane, Arthur Fleck spends his days in misery and despair. Viewers will surely remember, as showcased in vivid details in Joker, that while going down a spiral of deteriorating mental health, Arthur had murdered three socialite brats, his colleague Randall, and lastly the famous talk show host Murray Franklin, whom he had gunned down on live television in his clown get-up, and his violent streak had resulted in him ending up at Arkham. The Joker persona of Arthur, which has become the face of a violent class conflict in Gotham, has been uplifted to celebrity status by the masses, with even a TV movie being produced based on Arthur’s exploits. While the outside world celebrates Joker as some sort of revolutionary figure, inside Arkham, much like the other inmates, he is treated as trash by the Arkham guards—Jackie Sullivan and co. Arthur’s lawyer, Maryanne Stewart, is hopeful she can help Arthur stand trial and plead innocence on the grounds of split personality disorder, as she believes his repressed trauma of severe childhood abuse led to the creation of the Joker persona.
On the other end, District Attorney Harvey Dent is hell-bent on seeing Arthur Fleck receive capital punishment, as he sternly believes that Fleck is a completely sane person and that all his killings were premeditated. Harvey represents the state, but really the affluent aristocracy, the bloodsuckers who are desperate to see Arthur buried, given his influence and how he created an uprising that brought the privileged under fire. A presence of Murray Franklin is seen in the famous reporter, Paddy Meyers, who, like Harvey and the upper class of Gotham backing him, is really eager to put Arthur on a stake by labeling him as a cold-blooded killer and thrives on sensationalism. Amidst all this, the most noticeable aspect remains Arthur reverting to his depressed, morose state—he doesn’t have the confidence and flamboyance with which he danced amidst the violent rioters, who considered him a messianic figure ever since. Like a snail, he has returned to the coil of a timid, weary person—who has lost the gleam in his eyes as his soul has been submerged in sadness all over again. However, Arthur feels a very personal sense of joy and satisfaction at the fact that he apparently matters to people outside; he feels he no longer is just a nobody. Arthur has some reputation among his fellow inmates as well, as a youngster named Ricky starts following him around like a shadow and greatly idolizes him.
While being taken to his lawyer, Arthur exchanges glances with Harleen ‘Lee’ Quinzel, who is admitted in a separate wing—where patients are treated much better than they are at Arthur’s, and music therapy is their way to heal themselves. Lee turns out to be a Joker fangirl; she reveals that she comes from the same neighborhood as Arthur and shares a common agony with Arthur, as she used to be abused by her parental figure as well. Arthur finds a kindred soul in Lee, and she opens up a new way for Arthur to channel his grief. Dance was a staple part of the procedure of liberating Arthur’s soul—more importantly, it acted as an invocation to the Joker. And now, music becomes an integral part of that too, as Lee begs to see the side of Arthur he has hidden away. Lee and Joker let their demented minds connect in vivid, vibrant imaginary musical sequences, and slowly Arthur starts to rediscover his spirit. Lee tries to escape from Arkham and takes Arthur with her, and even though they fail in their efforts, their bond grows stronger after the incident. Arthur is thrown into solitary confinement as punishment afterwards, where one day Lee somehow manages to sneak in as well, and the duo make love. Arthur, who has craved for a connection all his life, falls in love with Lee in no time and considers her admiration and reverence towards Joker as genuine feelings for him. Later on, Lee is released from Arkham, and as she continues rallying support for Arthur, the love story of these two deranged souls makes headlines in the newspapers.
The Verdict of Arthur’s Trial
Arthur’s trial, which has been labeled as the ‘Trial of the Century,’ is the first of its kind to be televised and has resulted in unprecedented public attention as a huge number of Joker supporters have gathered outside the court. As the trial begins, Maryanne and Harvey alternatively question witnesses—people who, at some point in time, were associated with Arthur and knew him in a certain capacity. The entire courtroom scene, which could have elevated the movie to something truly great, is the biggest letdown in the movie, as it begins with showing flickers of a tense drama only to meander aimlessly and drown in disappointment. One by one, Arthur’s social worker, his neighbor Sophie, and a psychiatrist who had observed his medical and psychiatric evaluations appear at the stand, and all of them maintain a common stance of Arthur being a murderer. However, Maryanne actually manages to change the direction of the trial in Arthur’s favor to a certain extent, as her methodical questioning reveals that the witnesses had mere surface-level knowledge about Arthur as a person. All the while, Arthur remains distracted with Lee, with occasional details of his troubling past surfacing during the hearing, which catch him off guard. Lee isn’t satisfied with the way Maryanne is dealing with Arthur’s case, as her demented mind is obsessed with Joker and wants Arthur to embrace his true self. As she continues to implore Arthur to fire Maryanne, Arthur ends up doing so—and before leaving Arthur to his devices, Maryanne reveals Lee’s truth to Arthur. Lee comes from a fairly affluent background; she is a psychiatrist and has loving parents as well. Lee has been concocting a false story to win Arthur’s trust, as she is morbidly obsessed with the Joker and is willing to go to any extent to see him take over Arthur’s mind.
As Arthur confronts Lee about this, she manages to evade the questions by revealing the fact that she is pregnant with Arthur’s child. Arthur is shaken by this revelation—given his dysfunctional parental relationships continue to torment him till date—and succumbing under immense mental pressure, decides to adopt the Joker persona by dressing up in his iconic attire and taking it upon himself to plead his case. Arthur’s fellow inmates find a voice in Arthur’s stance, which the guards try to forcibly silence. Despite having the stage set for a memorable drama with Joker influencing the perceptions of others, the movie falters very badly in this section, as the questioning session with Gary, Arthur’s former colleague whom he decided to spare, goes extremely bad. Arthur rests his case by practically caging himself into an inescapable position. In over his head, Arthur foulmouths Arkham guards while making a charade, and as he returns to Arkham, he is severely brutalized by Jackie and co., who end up killing Ricky, Arthur’s ardent follower as well. The horror of the situation dawns upon Arthur; he has been going with the flow, hyping himself up to the uproar of the masses, and the only way forward for him is being a scapegoat for their fanaticism. The Joker persona did more harm than good to Arthur, as with its liberating presence, it also brought violence to his life, which will inevitably end up consuming him and everyone close—like Ricky. The next day, a traumatized, taciturn Arthur delivers his closing statement by acknowledging his guilt, denying the existence of any alter ego, confessing to killing his mother as well, and sharing his hopes of starting his life over. But it is far too late for him, as the jury unanimously considers him to be guilty, and deeply disgusted with Arthur, Lee leaves the courtroom.
Did Arthur Find His Freedom At The End?
However, moments later, a severe car-bomb explosion takes place, presumably orchestrated by one of the Joker supporters outside the courthouse, and Arthur gets a chance to escape. A newfound appreciation of life has found its way to an ever-depressed, suicidal Arthur, and as he returns to the same staircase where he celebrated his freedom through, now he finds Lee waiting there for him. Overjoyed, Arthur shares with her that at long last they have the chance to escape together and start a new life, a family with their child—but Arthur’s delusion continues to mock him still. Lee fell in love with the violent, unpredictable, confident Joker. A psychiatrist by profession, Joker is the best case study Lee could have ever found, whereas a pitiful, hapless Arthur is undesirable to her. Lee had lied about the pregnancy as well, and now she decides to leave Arthur at the end and even calls the cops, who bring Arthur back to Arkham.
Poor Arthur still continues to hope like a fool that Lee might return to his life and calls her to patch things up—not knowing that the ship has sailed long ago. Once, as Arthur is called by one of the guards to meet a visitor, he believes it might be Lee and walks through the corridors of Arkham to meet her, when one of his fellow inmates stops him to share a joke. The joke is about a clown who inspired a psychopath and ends with Arthur’s own quote about getting the fate one deserves, which I think conveys the shocking, anticlimactic end pretty well. Arthur is stabbed to death by the inmate, a raging lunatic who looked up to Arthur as an inspiration and, like Lee and all the rioters of Gotham, was severely disappointed after seeing his idol cower and beg for mercy in court. Unable to face this, the inmate ended up butchering his idol, and as Arthur succumbs to his injuries, the inmate proceeds to mutilate himself by putting a Glasgow smile on his face with the knife in his hand—a nod to Heath Ledger’s iconic portrayal of The Joker. As the movie comes to a close, it is Joker who ends up killing Arthur, as the violent monster Arthur had created became the very force that ended him.
Arthur’s end in a sense ties in with the enigmatic characterization of Joker, who, as a character, never had a definitive origin or identity. The legacy of insanity, chaos, and mayhem, which Joker represents, merely got transferred to another lost soul—and the vicious cycle will continue as more misguided ones get inspired by Joker’s legend. Geoff Johns’ iconic “Three Jokers” and Fox’s “Gotham” had revealed Joker’s influence more as an abstract idea than a singular person, and Joker 2 captures that essence in a surprising way. Arthur’s tragic, pathetic end is a refusal to put a troublesome agent of chaos like Joker on a high pedestal and serves as a cautionary tale in its own way.