The year is 2017 and I am sitting here typing a recap/review of a Grant Morrison adaptation. We’ve got dark Archie, foul mouthed Deadpool, and the Avengers avenging things on the big screen so it only makes sense that the big eye of buying up comic book options has found its way to Grant Morrison. “Happy!” is probably the easiest of all his work to adapt so it makes a lot of sense that this what is finally seeing the light of day first. Let’s jump into this but be warned, there are spoilers for this episode throughout.
1. “You Are The Father!”
I feel like Happy! really missed an opportunity here by using Jerry Springer instead of Maury to address Nick’s subconscious dealing with the revelation that he’s Hailey’s father. This episode, like the last one, starts with a really surreal moment that only exists in Nick’s mind. This episode, he finds himself bloody and bruised on The Jerry Springer Show having to confront the fact that he’s the father of the missing Hailey. I have seen this show in recent years so it plays out pretty true to life. I do still think that this should have been The Maury Show cause I would have absolutely laughed at that but in all fairness, Nick fits more into the Springer demographic.
2. The Plot Thickens
For most of the comic, Nick and Happy are on their own. This show introduces his former partner and probably former girlfriend Detective Meredith McCarthy in a bigger role. Meredith is at the beck and call of the mafia and this lands her at the center of everything as she can be used to get the password from Nick. That’s exactly what she’s asked to do and what’s going to make her do it? The mafia will be watching her sick mother in case she decides to not cooperate. I’ve said this a lot about these adaptations but to make good television, you’ve got to provide something more. You’ve got to give us something more than just the core plot and this is an addition that really works for me. I don’t like Meredith but I am interested in her arc.
3. A Mother’s Suffering
Speaking of expanding a story for television, we get to spend some time with Hailey’s mother Amanda. In a city as big as New York, you could see how it would be incredibly hard to find a single missing child. That’s even harder to do when no one wants to help you because of who your ex husband is. We don’t entirely know Nick’s backstory but we know that he’s clearly not all right but we don’t know what happened. We do see Hailey look through some old photos and Amanda is quick to stop her from looking at them. What really works about all these scenes are the emotional component. More than the comic, I feel attached to Hailey and Amanda. I want them to be reunited and I feel Amanda’s pain and hopelessness at the situation. It’s a great addition to this story.
4. High Stakes Poker
The bulk of this episode takes place at this poker game that Nick goes to to try and earn some money to get out of town. These guys he plays with hate him but they let him sit at the table because Blue wants them to keep him there as long as they can. Happy starts flying around and comments on how pretty the Queen of Hearts is and Nick gets the bright idea to manipulate poor Happy into helping him scheme. Happy is a sweet little unicorn friendo and Nick uses that against him and tells him that they’re partners and they have to cheat so they can save Hailey. Obviously that’s not what Nick’s actual plan is. He just wants to get out but this whole game plays out so well thanks to Happy. It’s so funny for so much of it and gets even funnier when Happy accidentally snorts cocaine. Yes folks, that’s the kind of show this is.
5. There’s a Heart In There Somewhere, I Think
Last week I ended this recap/review with mention about how this show will only really be worth calling good if it finds its heart. At the end of this episode, Happy and Nick are at a diner and Happy basically hits his limit and leaves Nick after calling him out on his bullshit. It’s a great scene that adds depth to an imaginary unicorn, which is a feat all of its own. Happy decides to leave and just wait until Hailey is eventually killed by this kidnapper and he ceases to exist. Nick, once again revisiting the weird episode of The Jerry Springer Show in his head, has an epiphany. He accepts that Hailey is his daughter (because it completely makes sense) and decides to go find her. He decides to do the right thing and rescue this girl from a monster. It took two episodes to get him here but I think it really works because it’s a VERY small sign of Nick’s heroic past. It’s really important to distinguish that giving the show heart doesn’t mean we have to like Nick. We don’t. He’s a really bad person but he’s going to do a good thing because deep down he knows that he has to. It’s the right thing to do, so he’s going to do it in his very Nick Sax way. It gives the show a heart even if it isn’t the purest. It gives us something to be attached to despite how ugly everything else is.
