Happy’s Place season 1 episode 10 “The MacAllister Girls” did the one thing that I’ve been waiting for since the Pilot. They brought in Bobbie’s daughter. And I think that the show in itself brought the daughter onto the show at the precise moment needed. They didn’t rush into it as soon as Isabella and Bobbie were getting to know each other. They gave the two leads an opportunity to get to know each other separate from any other family. And I think that was a smart decision that grounded the show in a way that made Gracie’s introduction feel more nuanced and like a test that Bobbie and Isabella passed.
While Bobbie has gotten used to the idea of having Isabella in her life, Gracie doesn’t know Isabella. If anything they look like they’re around the same age and even I would side-eye my mom if she was trying to get me to accept someone who’s living in my room and is proof of my beloved grandfather’s infidelity. And just as I think that Happy’s Place was smart in holding off on the Gracie introduction until Bobbie and Isabella were in a more stable place, I also think that they did the show and Gracie justice by making her her own character.
Let me elaborate.
Any other show would have made Gracie the villain or the outsider. And she simply isn’t. The outsider is Isabella. Or she was. We got to spend time with her and get to know her. Gracie hasn’t. And Happy’s Place could have done what every other show has done, which is introduce a small element that shakes up the core group and then gets rid of that element to never be seen again. Usually when they do that they don’t give that specific element that is shaking things up enough duality or story for you to care. But I care about Gracie. I care about the pain that cost her to escape her home. And I care about her relationship with her mom.
Me caring about Gracie happened after one episode in Happy’s Place season 1 episode 10 “The MacAllister Girls.” If the show can do this in one episode, they certainly need to bring her back and maybe introduce other members of Bobbie’s family. Better yet, they need to introduce members of Isabella’s family. Because when this show started, Isabella was clearly desperate for family. That doesn’t speak of someone who has a good relationship with her mom or siblings, cousins etc. And now that she’s more grounded in her relationship with Bobbie and that of the gang of Happy’s Place, I think the next test would be to see how Isabella and Bobbie face Isabella’s side of the family.
Now, I’ve talked about Gracie and how she was this new element introduced. But I haven’t talked about how it tested Isabella and Bobbie. I saw flickers of Happy’s Place season 1 episode 1 Isabella when she was trying to get Gracie to like her. It wasn’t out of desperation that Isabella was trying to do this. It was of creating the same magic she did with Bobbie. But she learned quickly that Gracie is her own person. And the only way that they’re going to get along is if Isabella is her own person as well. It’s why Bobbie loves her. And why we love her.
When it comes to Bobbie, the test was her wanting Gracie to love Isabella as much as she does. But you can’t rush that. And I think Bobbie was rushing it a little bit. That doesn’t make her a bad person or a bad mom. That makes her someone who wants her daughter to be 10 steps ahead of where she was when she met Isabella and had to face the reality of what her dad did. But Gracie isn’t her mom. And I’m glad that Bobbie and Gracie had their own moment where it was clear that they were two different people and that they have distinct problems that plague them because of Bobbie’s husband’s death.
Altogether, Happy’s Place season 1 episode 10 “The MacAllister Girls” is proof comedy can teach you valuable life lessons. Families aren’t just one thing. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. And it’s what we do when we’re faced with tough decisions or big changes that defines us. Bobbie and Isabella are taking on the world together. And with the introduction of Gracie, there is one more person in Isabella’s corner. But there’s also an emphasis on the evolution of families. There’s no one way to define a family. There are multiple.
Happy’s Place airs Fridays at 8/7c on NBC.
