Summary
Happy Face provides some much-needed justice and catharsis in Episode 6, but it’s clear the story is far from over.
The previous episode of Happy Face was very good because it pulled the rug at the very end and allowed corruption another victory. Episode 6 is even better because it makes that victory short-lived. “Lorelai” represents the first big win for Melissa and Ivy since the show started, and while the story is far from over, I think it’s okay to bask in the success for a little while at least (and how good was Damon Gupton in this?)
A hard-won victory in the case doesn’t exactly make Melissa’s personal life any easier, especially with Ben having found out about Hazel’s burgeoning relationship with Keith. But that feels like a story for later. The focus of “Lorelai” really does seem to be satisfaction, in everything from Keith bullying Calloway – we’re not supposed to be siding with the serial killer, are we? – to Elijah finally becoming a free man. It’s all good stuff.
Truth be told, I could have stood with Calloway getting more egg on his face. At the end of the day Melissa and Ivy stumble across some evidence – a recording of Heather performing after Elijah checked in for work, proving he couldn’t possibly have killed her – that simply cannot be refuted, and Calloway has no choice but to agree with the judge’s decision to free Elijah immediately and send him on his way. This comes after a development that seems like it might derail everything, which is the reveal that Keith and his crazy girlfriend had already been in touch with Joyce months prior. Despite the wrench containing Heather’s DNA, it seems like Keith might not have killed her after all, and is simply claiming credit to stay in the limelight. But that doesn’t mean Elijah is guilty either.
In a way, I kind of appreciate how the development with Keith shifts the focus solely onto getting justice for Elijah. It frees Melissa from the burden of proving her own father was one victim worse than she ever imagined and instead allows her crusade to become purely about exonerating an innocent man. It gives the final stretch a lot of focus and clarity, and the space it needs for the emotional payoff to work. Gupton sells that moment so well.
Now that this is resolved, the narrative can shift more smoothly back to Melissa’s family life. In her absence, things have gone from bad to worse. Hazel’s naivete led her to rely on Keith for a favour, and that favour got her rumbled by Ben (who was earlier overlooked for a promotion on account of his father-in-law, so wasn’t in the right headspace to discover Hazel had been calling grandpa.) It seems highly unlikely that Melissa is going to be able to waltz back into the house and sort everything out, especially given the connection it has to her father and the publicity of Elijah’s case. Her win is Ben and Hazel’s loss.
And it’s pretty absurd how much reach Keith has, and I don’t think that was supposed to go unnoticed. The implication is that if Keith could get to Joyce and send a ride for Hazel quicker than an Uber would get there, nobody is entirely safe from his influence. And that’s a scary thought, especially given how much he covets the limelight. Hazel has given her grandfather far too much access to the familiar overall; just as it seemed like Melissa was willing to step away, Hazel took her place.
Happy Face Episode 6 suggests that the biggest conflict is yet to come. Keith’s endgame, whatever it might be, imperils not just Melissa but her entire family, and the damage he has already done is going to be difficult to repair. Ben’s resentment towards his wife is likely to reach fever pitch just as she returns home in glory, and that juxtaposition should hopefully yield some engaging drama in the final two episodes.
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