New Beginnings & Old Feelings
I loved the first season of Happy. From the impressive characterisation through to the shock-inducing gore and surprisingly tight plotting, Happy’s premise was as unusual as pineapple on pizza – and equally as appetizing. Back for a second season, Happy returns and gets off to a really promising start, teasing big things to come over the following weeks. The episode itself begins with a prologue of sorts, introducing us to a handful of nuns running through the streets, wearing vests strapped with explosives. As they fumble for a nearby detonator inside a bin, one nun presses the button and watches in horror as her fellow sisters explode in a burst of blood and guts. This ultimately sets the scene for what’s to come as we then catch up with our protagonist from the first season, Nick Sax. Determined to stay off the booze for the sake of his daughter Hailey, his imaginary unicorn friend Happy helps him navigate this maze of temptation and stay clean. After stocking up on coffee at the nearby rehab clinic, he heads to the school to pick up his daughter, only to receive an awkward lecture from one of the teachers about her anti-establishment stance. Meanwhile, eccentric children’s entertainer Sonny Shine pitches an idea to ignite Easter into the lives of millions again at the church. After convincing them that chaos and anarchy go hand in hand, he’s given the green light to launch his new scheme, code-named M.E.G.A. (Make Easter Great Again) After witnessing her sisters blowing up, two less-than-empathetic police officers interview the woman about her ordeal. She explains the game and the detonator, revealing that pressing the button was supposed to invoke a suicidal response rather than blowing everyone else up. Still reeling over the events, the police probe harder, determined to find out whose responsible in order to bring them to justice. Unfortunately, she won’t tell them, reluctant to reveal anything for fear of her own livelihood. With a lot going on, we pause momentarily to catch up with Mr Blue in prison and seeing how he’s adjusting to his newfound surroundings. There’s also an interesting development with Happy! too, as he seems to be growing pink hair under his armpits, reflecting the theme of the episode about growing up and new beginnings. This all builds toward the final segment of the episode where Nick and Happy ponder over the new direction their lives are taking. After dropping off a girl at a strange, suspicious-looking party, the duo find themselves caught in the middle of a tight-knit operation. Things inevitably turn bloody and after seeing Nick revert back to his old ways, we leave the episode with a final scene involving a man dressed in a leather-clad bunny suit. After revealing he’s working with Sonny Shine, he removes his mask to unveil the face of someone Nick will remember very well from the first season. There’s a lot going on in this first episode and for the most part, Happy! does well to juggle all of its elements while maintaining a tight leash over the story. While it may not have the same shock and awe the first season had (with the exception of a chainsaw and bicycle fantasy), there’s enough here to make for a highly enjoyable watch nonetheless. It’s still early days though and what’s here certainly poses a tantalizing prospect going forward for what should be a very interesting season ahead.
