Happy Face S01E06 1080p WEB-DL DD5.1 x265

At first, I thought this show would explore the psychological damage a serial killer inflicts on their family and community. Instead, it devolves into a disjointed mess that forces awful plotlines onto irrelevant characters. One commenter summed it up perfectly: this is a bait-and-switch show. The writing is atrocious, the characters are painfully cliché and unrealistic, and the tone often borders on soap opera melodrama. Let me break down the characters: The daughter of the serial killer floats through life without ever seeking counseling after discovering the truth about her father. Yet somehow, she suddenly develops an uncanny ability to solve crimes. Her husband is the embodiment of nothing. He's portrayed as a career-obsessed man who supposedly cares about his family, particularly his wife, who has suffered for years under the shadow of her father's crimes. But in a pivotal moment-when his wife is breaking down during an interrogation-he just sits there, grinning like a clueless golden retriever. The granddaughter is completely unaware of self-care, gets bullied, and then becomes fascinated with her serial killer grandfather. The last I saw, she wanted to sell paintings of him. Sorry, but 15-year-old girls aren't typically fanatical about serial killers-and if they are, responsible parents should intervene and get their child help. Finally, the true crime podcasters and hosts are somehow worse than the killer himself-exploitative, emotionally manipulative, and circling the tragedy like vultures.
- Annaleigh Ashford
- Tamera Tomakili
- James Wolk