The appearance of Isabella’s mom is something that I’ve been waiting for since the pilot episode of Happy’s Place. And I thought I knew what to expect. I had this vision of her where she gave Isabella reasons to leave and never come back. Not tiny reasons either. I thought they would be big reasons that was grounds for irreparable damage. After watching Happy’s Place season 1 episode 13 “Mama Drama” I’ve come to realize that I was wrong. And I’m happy that I was.
TV makes us all have certain expectations. And I put those on Maritza (Justina Machado) before she even arrived because I thought that only a monster would drive away such a sweet person as Isabella. But I never took into consideration that while Isabella is Bobbie’s sister, the context I mainly see her in, she’s a daughter as well. And those relationships are never as easily defined as TV makes them out to be. They’re complex and full of so many emotions that range from worry to frustration to anger and love.
Happy’s Place season 1 episode 13 “Mama Drama” also doesn’t let us see the resolution or what dark truths are shared between Isabella and Maritza. And a part of me is a little frustrated. I wanted to know what happened behind that closed door. But the show chose not to show it because Maritza isn’t as important to the story as Isabella is. So they don’t want to delve deep into the mom’s backstory and what led her to have Isabella with Happy. And this allows the show to find ways to hit at Isabella’s past solely through her eyes and that of those that are main cast. That will take time.
From Isabella’s POV, there was a shift in her in Happy’s Place season 1 episode 13 “Mama Drama” that highlighted Belissa Escobedo’s acting. Most of the time her Isabella is so bright and sure of herself. But her mom twisted her up in knots. And it wasn’t because Maritza was mean, abusive, or cruel. It was just because Maritza is her mother. And that simplicity worked, giving Escobedo the space to explore excitement at Isabella reuniting with her mom. It also allowed her to explore the anger and frustration of said mom keeping secrets.
Caught up in this divide between Isabella and Maritza was Bobbie. Like Maritza herself, I thought Bobbie was going to act angry or defensive AF when meeting her the first time. But Bobbie… gave her a chance. For herself but also mainly for her relationship with Isabella. This is another significant shift from the pilot of Happy’s Place. The Bobbie of then was grieving and wanted Isabella gone. And I think we need to take a moment to recognize Bobbie’s growth but also how she remains the same. After all, she did chase down Maritza at her hotel to defend her sister. Very Mrs. Hart.
The previous episode remembered what happened in Happy’s Place season 1 episode 5 “Ladies Night” and they continued that storyline for Gabby. So has Happy’s Place season 1 episode 13 “Mama Drama” by bring Maritza in and giving us background on why Isabella chose to come to the restaurant and stay to get to know Bobbie. This is how you build a comedy show with possible throwbacks that go back for seasons. And this is how you get people like me to go back and rewatch previous episodes. Because we all love a good rewatch so we can catch things we missed the first time around. Studios also love it too because that shows a dedicated viewer that will come back for more seasons.
Happy’s Place airs Fridays at 8/7c on NBC.
