Right off the bat, the Season 2 finale of Happy’s Place was a more solid episode than what we got in with the Season 1 finale. A lot of what hurt the Season 1 finale was due to the fact that the episodes were switched about and they gave us more episodes in general. If that happened in Season 2 I’m not aware. Because everything was seamless and we concluded with an episode that clarified some things for Bobby and Isabella as sisters but also as individuals in “Couples Therapy.”
They tell you not to mix family with business all the time. It feels like it’s the number one rule when you’re opening up any sort of establishment. And throughout Season 1 Bobbie and Isabella worked out a lot of the kinks that they had going on when it came to taking care of Happy’s. But in Season 2 we saw them shift into something a little bit more nuanced. Because Isabella isn’t the new one anymore. She’s part of the family. And part of the family now has a business upstairs.
MORE: Need a refresher of last week’s episode of Happy’s Place? Read our review for “Everyone’s a Critic” here.
What Happy’s Place Season 2 Episode 17 did exceptionally well when it came to working out the problems between these two sisters, is that both of them were right and both of them were wrong. But the way that they approached it, it wasn’t done with malicious intent. And when there was a true inkling of a problem, they both took the step forward to go to therapy, even though they didn’t like it. Because that’s what you do when you love someone. Even if you’re having some tough feelings, you make a concerted effort to see if you can grow with each other instead of away from each other.
These sisters decided to grow together this episode. But they also grew individually.
Isabella had to learn to stand up for herself a little bit more and understand that that’s okay. And I think that her character has grown by leaps and bounds where I think she knows how to talk to Bobbie in a way that works for her sister but also doesn’t make it so Isabella is left behind or making herself smaller. When it comes to the Bobbie of it all, she realized that sometimes she oversteps. And it’s what you do with that realization afterwards that matters.
But Bobbie also had a big realization about Emmett.
By this point in the season Emmett has started dating again. And it’s a sign of growth that he felt capable of doing that. Same thing for Bobbie in her being able to watch him walk away and be ok with it. Or as okay as she can be. And in this season two finale, you have a Bobbie who is starting to understand that while her feelings were valid and she had a right to be angry, Emmett was put in a hard spot. And while she said that she was okay, she wasn’t.
When Bobbie went into that kitchen, she was going to apologize. But she was also going to see if there was still a chance for them to be something more than friends. And because this is a show about respecting people’s boundaries, even if you stumble sometimes, Bobbie took a step back. If he said he’s not going to date, then she’s going to give him that grace just like he has given her grace as she dealt with her anger over her father.
MORE: Read our interview with Jane Lynch on the Power of Comedy & Joining NBC’s Happy’s Place!
When Happy’s Place returns for Season 3, I have no doubt that Bobbie and Emmett will get back together. This is a workplace comedy after all and happy endings are guaranteed here. But I do think it’s the right decision to give both of them space to find another new normal. But I also think Bobbie needs that space to continue dealing with the ghost that is her dad. Because Bobbie will never be able to confront him and call him out for everything he did.
So she has to move on and find a way to be okay with it.
Overall, Happy’s Place Season 2 Episode 17 “Couples Therapy” is the conclusion to a more well-rounded season when it comes to these characters and their story arcs. I’m not going to say that everything is perfect. No show is. I do think that Happy’s Place needs to invest more time in giving Gabby something more than just comedic relief. Also Takoda needs to be something more than just being the happy one. But if there’s any show that I trust in picking back up the leads they set down, it’s this show.
