Top 10 Things You Missed in Joker Folie a Deux

When the sequel’s title was announced in June 2022, those who aren’t fluent in French naturally asked how you pronounce, “Folie à Deux.” For that matter, what does it even mean? Folie à deux translates to “madness of two.” Coined by French psychiatrist Ernest-Charles Lasègue and Jules Falret, the term refers to a mental illness shared by two people. One might assume that the title concerns Arthur Fleck’s relationship with Harleen “Lee” Quinzel, as both find themselves under the same delusional spell. Yet, the title could also pertain to the internal war between Arthur and the Joker. The film explores whether these two are separate entities or one and the same. Despite being the loneliest man in Gotham, Arthur can never escape his maddening shadow.

When you think about it, virtually every musical is about people coping with reality by escaping into fantasy. In that sense, the decision to make “Joker: Folie à Deux” a jukebox musical isn’t as out-there as some might think. Beyond the soundtrack, the film channels classic musicals through striking visuals. In one shot, prison guards escort Arthur in the rain. Their umbrellas are all the same drab color, but from Arthur’s perspective, everything’s coming up rainbows. This is likely a nod to the 1964 French musical, “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” in which every color popped out at the audience. These particular colors (red, orange, blue, and yellow) also match Arthur’s iconic look from the first film, suggesting that nothing can rain on Joker’s parade.

Most of the film’s numbers pay tribute to Golden Age MGM musicals. Yet, one shares more in common with a variety show in the spirit of Sonny and Cher. Joker and Lee serve as stand-ins for the “I Got You Babe” singers, making banter and music together. Beyond the 60s/70s aesthetic, Joker and Lee mirror Sonny and Cher’s off-screen relationship to an extent. Okay, so Sonny and Cher weren’t homicidal clowns. Behind the scenes, though, their relationship wasn’t as chipper as their onscreen personas implied. Cher recalls Bono being incredibly controlling of their act and her life with their marriage ending in divorce. Likewise, Arthur tries to make the “Joker & Harley Show” all about him with Lee eventually pulling the trigger on their breakup.

Just when you thought Warner Bros. had kicked Pepé Le Pew to the curb for good, the Joker pulled the skunk back in. The Oscar-winning “For Scent-imental Reasons” can be seen playing on TV at Arkham. Aside from being French, Pepé’s presence parallels Arthur’s inevitable downfall. Akin to Arthur’s narcissistic tendencies, Pepé is in love with himself, blissfully unaware of how others feel about him. Pepé and Arthur are hopeless romantics, willing to put a gun to their heads for love. Romance rarely works out as Pepé envisions, however. The same goes for Arthur, whose relationship with Lee crumbles as he realizes life isn’t a musical (or a cartoon for that matter). In the end, Arthur and Pepé are both losers destined to be alone.

Gotham is among the most well-known cities in popular media. Like Springfield, though, it’s often been left unclear which state Gotham is in. The DCEU was one of the few incarnations to give Gotham a precise location, revealing it’s in New Jersey. Several comics have also leaned toward New Jersey being Batman’s home state. With a throwaway line that’s easy to miss, Todd Phillips sets his Gotham just beyond New Jersey’s border. “Joker: Folie à Deux” revolves around a trial named “The State of New York vs. Arthur Fleck.” Speaking with IGN, Phillips said the filmmakers contemplated setting this universe in New Jersey. One reason they went with New York instead is simply because The State of New Jersey vs. Arthur Fleck “sounded weird.”

2019’s “Joker” drew heavily from the works of Martin Scorsese, especially “Taxi Driver” and “The King of Comedy.” Shifting gears to a musical may seem as far away from Scorsese as one can get. While best known for gritty crime dramas, Scorsese did direct one musical feature. 1977’s “New York, New York” aimed to be Scorsese’s love letter to classic Hollywood musicals. Like those musicals, Scorsese wanted his film to have an artificial feel, being shot on soundstages with exaggerated visuals. The story revolves around a complicated romance between an aspiring singer and a saxophone player who’s a bit of a joker. Despite the romanticized tone, reality inevitably sinks in as this souring couple go their separate ways just like Arthur and Lee.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” marks this continuity’s introduction of Harvey Dent, played by Harry Lawtey. Leading the prosecution against Arthur Fleck, Gotham’s DA isn’t surprised by the guilty verdict. Yet, Dent and the rest of the courtroom are caught off guard by an explosion. With the camera focused on Arthur, it’s hard to make out what happened to everyone else in the aftermath. In a fleeting moment, Dent can be briefly spotted on the floor with one half of his face looking better than the other. Compared to some past versions, Dent’s wounds honestly don’t look that bad. It’s implied, though, that this will lead to a personality split. If so, it wouldn’t be the first time the Joker inadvertently created Two-Face.

The previous film is recapped in an animated opening helmed by French director Sylvain Chomet. In addition to “Looney Tunes,” Chomet references his own “The Triplets of Belleville” as Arthur arrives at the Franklin Theater. Inside, the halls are adorned with posters for classic musicals, including “Sweet Charity,” “Shall We Dance,” and “The Band Wagon.” The latter is screened at Arkham later in the film with the song “That’s Entertainment” serving as a bleak allegory for how society turns figures like Arthur into idols. There’s also a poster for Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times,” which isn’t exactly a musical, but it inspired Todd Phillips while developing 2019’s “Joker.” Throughout the animated sequence, Arthur finds himself at war with his shadow, a possible nod to “Peter Pan.”

1993’s “Mad Love” was the first comic to flesh out Harley Quinn’s origins, explaining that she was the Joker’s psychologist in Arkham. Joker manipulates Harley, who later learns he might’ve lied about everything he told her during their sessions. “Folie à Deux” maintains several elements while rearranging a few others. Namely, Lee may be the one manipulating Arthur this time. We know that Lee isn’t being entirely honest with Arthur, but the extent of her lies is never made clear. When they part ways, we’re left to wonder if Lee ever truly cared for Arthur or just the Joker. For that matter, was she ever pregnant with his child? Although a different approach to their relationship, Lee and Arthur still make for a bad romance.

In the final scene, Arthur is told he has a visitor. We never learn who, as another inmate stops to tell him a joke. Disappointed that Arthur denounced his clown persona, the inmate delivers a potentially fatal punchline. As Arthur succumbs to his stab wounds, the inmate carves a smile across his face like Heath Ledger’s Joker. It’s left ambiguous whether or not Arthur survives. Even if Arthur bleeds to death, the Joker can never die. The symbol he created is destined to live on. Maybe it’ll be through this inmate. Maybe it’ll be someone else who later clashes with Batman. In any case, what Arthur started is bound to outlive him. The joke’s on Arthur, but as the saying and song go, “That’s life.”

Is there anything we missed? What are your thoughts on the film and how it wrapped up? Let us know in the comments.