Summary
Happy Face delivers its best character work yet in Episode 4, which sidelines the mystery in large part to focus on the personal angle.
I think we’re all in agreement that Happy Face works best as a personal story instead of a mystery, especially one with some sledgehammer-subtle social commentary for good measure. The hook here isn’t whether or not a serial killer had one more victim than advertised; it’s whether his children can grow up outside of the long shadow he casts, and how much they’re willing to risk their personal and professional lives to do the right thing by his victims. Episode 4, “Controlled Burn”, seems to understand that better than any other.
This is largely thanks to the introduction of a new character teased at the end of the previous episode – Melissa’s brother, Shane. Through him, we see a very different side to Melissa. Where she has dealt with her father’s crimes by hiding from them, Shane has almost come to terms with them. However, neither has managed to absolve themselves of what they perceive to be their personal responsibility, and their team-up here reopens old wounds for both.
Because of the more personal focus, the investigation is shifted out of the way a little. However, there is still progress made in this regard, with the ending in particular delivering what seems like the next major turning point in the case. However, the circumstances in which this comes about are much more important, and I still think that Keith is playing a long game for his benefit and is keeping each piece of the puzzle close to his chest to deploy whenever he feels like he’s losing control.
And he is losing control to some extent – however, he’s not the only one. Melissa spends this episode facing down the traumas of her past, including the abortion that was mentioned in the previous episode which it’s later revealed was necessitated by the fact her ex-boyfriend, Brendan, raped her, giving her more in common with her father’s victims than with him. But in the process of doing this, she also continues to neglect her present, leaving Ben and Hazel to deal with the fallout of her actions – namely, going public and continuing to investigate Keith’s claims – in her absence.
Annaleigh Ashford and Tamera Tomakili in Happy Face | Image via Paramount+
It’s a tricky balance to maintain, this, because it’s easy for Ben to come across as being a bit whiny (which he is), and easy for everything involving Hazel to slip into cliché high-school drama (which it does). I do find myself subconsciously papering over some narrative cracks by doing the rationalization the script isn’t including, trying to reimagine Ben as protective instead of moany, and Hazel as another unwitting victim in a long line of them. But some of that’s me, not the show.
But if nothing else, Happy Face Episode 4 presents a clear throughline where Melissa’s self-actualization becomes more apparent but also comes at a cost, and she has to weigh up what she’s willing to sacrifice for it. She makes great strides in some areas, such as with Brendan, with Shane, and to a certain extent with Keith, but she has to concede ground to Ben and Hazel.
Melissa isn’t there yet, though. You still see the power Keith has when he throws out new tantalizing clues to swing the balance of power back in his favour. Just when it seems like Melissa has him on the ropes in the sense of talking about the abortion – which she suspects he leaked himself – Keith is all like, “Don’t you want to know where the murder weapon is?”, and once again, he’s the centre of attention. It’s aggravating, but it’s supposed to be. This is, after all, about a woman trying to slip the binds of her past without abandoning her responsibility to the present. Just when she feels like she’s getting out, something pulls her back in.
RELATED:
