Trust a comedy like Happy’s Place to make me cry.
Last we left off in the Season 2 premiere of Happy’s Place, Emmett revealed that he knew about Isabella way before she came to the restaurant. And even though this is a comedy, I saw that secret as the ticking time bomb it is. A ticking time bomb for Emmett’s relationship with Bobbie. But also a ticking time bomb for the restaurant as a whole.
In Happy’s Place Season 2 Episode 2 “I’ve Got a Secret,” Emmett makes a choice. Well two choices. He decides to lie to Bobbie, even if it is a lie by omission. And he decides to start a new relationship. It’s unfair and will explode everywhere. But that isn’t even the part that made me cry in this episode. That’s all Isabella and Gabby.
MORE: Need a refresher on the previous episode? Read our review of Happy’s Place Season 2 Episode 1!
Emmett’s Lie to Bobbie
As a viewer, I understand why Emmett lied. Bobbie means a lot to him and he reciprocates her feelings. But also he doesn’t want to hurt her or shake the very foundation of their restaurant. And Happy’s Place’s ability to make me sympathize with Emmett while also being angry at him, is another check mark as to why I think this show knows what it’s doing down to its very bones. It’s also exactly why I’m still going to sit here and hope that everything between Bobbie and Emmett works out.
Nevertheless, I’m mad at Emmett. Bobbie cannot make an informed choice about who she enters into a relationship with if she does not have all the information. In a way, Emmett robbed her of starting their relationship in a place grounded in trust and honesty. Bobbie thinks she has that right now. She doesn’t. And the show makes it even worse by having Bobbie being so happy and looking forward to a possible future with Emmett in “I’ve Got a Secret.”
Think back to Bobbie in Season 1 Episode 1 of Happy’s Place?
That woman was distrustful, hurt, and angry. Of course this is a comedy so they make things light and throw a couple laughs in there. But Bobbie had her life completely turned around when Isabella appeared right after losing her father. She’s worked through that by Season 2. And my fear now is what’s going to happen when she discovers Emmett’s lie. Because this is a ticking time bomb. And since Happy’s Place always picks up the leads they drop, this will come back and hurt everyone.
The difference between Bobbie in Season 1 and Bobbie in Season 2 is that she has Isabella. And I hope that keeps her grounded. Because yes, this is a comedy. But there are some really strong emotional beats in Happy’s Place that cannot be brushed aside or ignored cuz “comedy.”
MORE: How did Season 1 of Happy’s Place end? We break it all down.
Isabella and Gabby Made Me Cry
The moment that broke me was the final confrontation of this episode between Isabella and Gabby. Because these two have always been fun and light. And I think comedies always delight in characters like these two. Why? Because they get along and bring a lot of laughs on screen. But there is an underlying tension that no one talks about. But when it pops, it’s perfect fodder for character development.
When Isabella told Gabby that the first person that made her feel loved was her, that shifted the perspective on everything. Because we’ve seen how uncertain Gabby was about Isabella when she first arrived at the restaurant. And Gabby joked around about how Isabella was the family that Gabby herself wanted to be with Bobby and the rest of the gang. Meanwhile, Isabella was taking it as the light joke it kind of was while also struggling with Bobbie rebuffing her attempts to get closer to her newly discovered sister.
Having Isabella and Gabby finally confront that simmering tension about family in this episode cemented that these two are in fact family. No matter what happens with Bobbie or Emmett or the actual restaurant, Isabella and Gabby have each other. And it goes to show you that you don’t need big sweeping moments to tell an emotionally charged moment or story. You just need to drop little hints here and there and then remember to pick up that lead sometime later on.
Happy’s Place understands the importance of build up and eventual pay off. That’s why I think that everything that’s happening with Bobbie and Emmett, that’s going to be okay. It’s going to explode first and it’s going to pop just like Gabby and Isabella popped. But it’ll be okay. Because the show will pick up the leads and remember that they are family.
The Men of Happy’s Place
While Bobbie and Emmett are going through their thing and Gabby and Isabella are going through their thing, the men of Happy’s Place are going through their own thing. And it’s Happy’s Place’s commitment to strengthening individual bonds to make the whole stronger, something that other shows should practice a little bit more of.
In particular, with the men, you have Emmett and Steve. Emmett told Steve his secret about knowing about Isabella. And as a viewer, we’ve learned how Emmett keeps emotions close to his chest. So maybe Emmett sharing this with Steve feels a little bit out of left field for some. But they’ve known each other for a very long time and the men have been shown to have a special bond of their own.
What I think Happy’s Place did right in Season 2 Episode 2 is bringing Takoda into the mix. Takoda is the one character on the show that has gotten the least development. I still love him but I want more from him. And I think Steve worrying about Takoda and him being left out of this secret within their circle, was the right move from a writing perspective. It makes it so they’re always thinking about Takoda, even when he’s not directly involved. Because he’s family.
But yeah, if Happy’s Place would maybe introduce us to one of Takoda’s family members or show Takoda struggling with something, that would be great. Because he is very Zen-like and put together. But this show has shown us that all of these people are going through things. And I have to believe that he is also.
Happy’s Place airs new episodes every Friday at 8pm ET on NBC.
