Happy’s Place Season 3 Episode 2 “Skeletons in the Closet” is an episode I wasn’t sure if this show could pull off. Because oftentimes when TV shows fully step into Latine culture, it’s an afterthought or the butt of the joke. And I’m specifically talking about shows where the cast isn’t entirely Latine like Happy’s Place. Color me surprised when this show managed to still be a comedy while honoring our cultures and the beliefs we have about death.
There was no butt of the joke or pandering in Happy’s Place “Skeletons in the Closet.” An ofrenda was a teaching moment for Bobbie, of course. She’s still learning so many new things about Isabella. But even that explanation was told from a place of love and understanding. And then that small ofrenda transformed into something grand and beautiful in the middle of Happy’s, making it so this part of Mexican culture wasn’t an afterthought. It was the centerpiece.
MORE: Need a refresher on last week’s episode? Read our review of Happy’s Place Season 3 Episode 1 “Office/Space.”
The return of Justina Machado as Maritza aka Isabella’s mother, was a welcome surprise too. Because after all, this is a family tradition. And even though we haven’t seen as much of Maritza, she’s definitely still involved in Isabella’s life. Her addition of the cologne to the ofrenda gave Isabella some peace about whether her father thought of her or not. But it also provided Maritza with a little bit of development because she also thought that even though they had a daughter together, her connection with Happy wasn’t as strong.
As the episode developed, Bobbie also got an opportunity to be involved in Isabella’s culture in a personal way. And I really like how she had some hesitations at first, any culture shock is like that. But when she understood it, she dived right in, but not in a way that felt like cultural appropriation. This was appreciation of who Isabella is and the way that she celebrates her family, living or dead. And this allowed Bobbie to understand Isabella better but also have a conversation with her father that kind of broke me.
While Isabella is discovering something beautiful about her father, Bobbie continues being angry. And I don’t mean it in a bad way for Bobbie’s development. Just because she’s forgiven her father, doesn’t mean the pain of Isabella being hidden goes away. And when she’s talking to her dad she’s in her own way holding him accountable for how he fell short when it comes to Bobbie’s life but also her sisters. That’s why she promised to show Isabella how loved she is until the day that her picture is on this ofrenda and beyond.
In the midst of this really serious but beautifully balanced story about death, you also have Gabby and Emmett providing some of the comedic relief. But because everything has a purpose on Happy’s Place, Emmett pranking Gabby just brought them closer together. Because Gabby was including Emmett in her special interests. And when he participated, he accepted her interest as his own, making the intricate weave of this cast of characters even stronger, a specialty of this show.
On an afterthought that I don’t know how to sneak into this review for Happy’s Place “Skeletons in the Closet,” I miss the kind of TV where we would have themed episodes around the holidays. They were a special treat that you could always look forward to. And I like that this specific one was centered around Isabella’s culture in a respectful way. Now I want them to do the same thing with Christmas. All Latinos have their own traditions for that too.
Happy’s Place airs new episodes every Friday at 8p.m. ET on NBC.
