Joker: Folie à Deux brings together Arthur Fleck and Harleen Quinzel in one captivating musical that spans the gap between fantasy and reality.
Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker 2 continues Fleck’s story as he deals with the aftermath of the murders of several people from the first film, including celebrity host Murray Franklin and his co-worker and bully Randall.
Joker: Folie à Deux premieres in theaters on October 4.
Joker 2 spoilers for the plot and ending explained
Joker: Folie à Deux starts with a Looney Tunes-inspired comic called “Me and My Shadow”, starring Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) as the Joker.
The short film focuses on Fleck’s dual personalities, with the shadow acting as his second persona as it captures his performance on stage.
The comic serves as a reminder to viewers that Arthur is still struggling to figure out whether or not his Joker persona can be contained.
The film then moves to Arkham Asylum, where viewers get to see Arthur’s daily routine in prison, where the prison guards led by Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson) make fun of him in exchange for his daily cigarette.
The other inmates are clearly not fans of Arthur, but there is one notable inmate named Ricky Meline who seems obsessed with his Joker persona.
Bullying happens constantly, even though he is a model prisoner.
Unusual meeting – cute between Arthur and Harleen
After a special request from his lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener), the guards escort Arthur to Ward B to meet with an evaluator for a competency exam before his trial.
Stewart tells Arthur that he needs to prove that he has a mental health problem so that he can be transferred to a psychiatric ward and not jail. The lawyer also believes that Fleck’s personality is split as a result of childhood trauma.
Before the whole ordeal, Arthur meets Lady Gaga’s Harlee “Lee” Quinzel (read more about Lady Gaga’s film Joker 2 character here), and there is an instant spark between the two would-be lovers.
After a while, the pair get to know each other and Arthur learns that Lee is in Arkham State Hospital after setting fire to his parents’ apartment building.
Like Fleck, Lee is abused by his parents, and this similarity paves the way for his immediate interest, leading them to form a strong bond.
Lee admits he was inspired by the Joker killing Murray Frankin on live TV and told him he didn’t feel alone anymore after what he did:
“When I first saw Joker, I kept thinking, ‘I hope this guy blows (Murray Franklin’s) brains out,’ and then you did. For once in my life, I didn’t feel alone anymore.”
During a random movie night, things take a turn after Lee burns down the entire B Ward because he wants to escape with Arthur.
The pair kiss in the middle of a burning fire before they try to escape, but are eventually stopped by prison guards.
His time in prison eventually becomes a living hell, especially after his failed escape attempt with Harleen.
Arthur is transported to an underground cell where he is visited by Harleen who tells him that they are sending him home because they believe Fleck is a bad influence on him.
However, before they break up, they have sex and Lee tells her to go off her medication to bring out the real her (aka the Joker).
Harleen dominates in manipulating Arthur, which is unusual because DC has often portrayed the Joker as the manipulator of Harley Quinn rather than the victim.
The musical elements of Joker 2 explained
all the time Joker 2Arthur experiences moments of catharsis where he simply immerses his mind in musically inspired numbers and sings what he feels, mostly focusing on his bond with Lee.
Some of the songs in the film include covers of classics such as “Get Happy”, “For Once In My Life” and “That’s Life”.
In April 2024 Joker: Folie à Deux Director Todd Phillips addressed fan concerns about the choice to make the sequel a musical, stating simply, “Yeah, Arthur’s weird and aloof…but he’s got music in him.”
Arthur uses the songs to escape his bleak reality, and not taking his medication takes his fantasy even further. At one point, he even imagines marrying Lee.
However, when her lawyer warns her about Lee’s possible betrayal, the revelation catches her off guard, as one of her distorted fantasies involves a scene where Harleen shoots her in the chest in the middle of their show.
Trial and Circus: Arthur’s past haunts him
The main event Joker: Folie à Deux is the infamous trial of Arthur Fleck.
Arthur’s situation is made worse by the other side that opposes him in the trial: rising district attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey), a new addition to the court. Joker 2 cast, hell-bent on trying to get the jury to agree that a criminal like the Joker deserves the death penalty.
Ever since Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) was murdered and chaos began on the streets of Gotham, many twisted followers believe that Arthur is their hero.
During the trial, Arthur’s past comes back to haunt him several times JokerThe cast returns to testify against him, including his neighbor Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz), with whom he dreamed of having a relationship, Gary Puddles (Leigh Gill), his co-worker who witnessed how he brutally murdered Randall, and his social worker (Sharon Washington).
All the returning characters managed to paint a picture of the monster that Arthur really is.
Lee’s Dangerous Fantasy with Arthur Fleck
Lady Gaga’s Harleen (who is vastly different from previous versions of the on-screen character) has been a constant presence during the trial to support her, but things get complicated when Arthur learns that she has been lying to him.
Her lawyer tells her that Harleen voluntarily entered Arkham and that her parents are rich. When Arthur confronts him, Lee uses his charm to continue manipulating him, saying: “I just wanted you to like me.”
It even gets to the point where she tells Arthur she’s pregnant so he won’t be mad at her.
Lee’s manipulations succeed in promoting Arthur’s confidence the wrong way, causing him to fire his lawyer on the spot and ask the judge to impersonate the Joker during the trial.
This move is even confirmed to Harleen by telling her, “You can do whatever you want. You’re the Joker.”
Bringing out the Joker seems to be Lee’s end game and he succeeds. However, this proves to be the undoing of his relationship.
Arthur as the Joker makes an earth-shattering final statement where he reveals that being the Joker was just his fantasy and the persona didn’t murder all the people. Instead, it was just him.
Lee is crushed by this revelation and eventually walks out of the courtroom with Arthur’s other supporters.
Did Arthur die? Jacob Lofland’s role in Joker 2’s Ending Explained
As the jury pronounces Arthur’s verdict, a bomb is set off that destroys the courthouse, injuring everyone in attendance, including Harvey Dent.
Arthur escapes with the help of his two fanatics, but also escapes them as they drive away from the courthouse.
He then finds Harleen and asks her to come with him to start over since they can finally escape. However, she rejects him, remarking, “We just had a fantasy.”
The truth bomb that Lee drops on Arthur is more than enough to crush him and turn him in to the police.
Losing everything is a bitter pill to swallow, even for a madman like the Joker, and it’s really unfortunate that it happened to him in an honest moment where he admits how vulnerable he really is.
In the final moments of the film, a young inmate named Ricky (Jacob Lofland) who admired her stabs her repeatedly while laughing, leading to her untimely death.
Ricky obviously represents the toxic fan who will do anything to kill his idol for not living up to his ideal performance.
His ghostly laugh, which closely resembles the Joker’s laugh, puts the point down, meaning that the likes of Arthur can carry on the Joker’s persona in one way or another.
Although he eventually dies, his legacy lives on, making Gotham even a dangerous place.
Joker: Folie à Deux is now playing in theaters worldwide.
