What Is ‘Happy Face’ About?
Now an adult,Melissa still carries the burden of guilt and shame.
These series unmask the criminal mind.
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For Melissa specifically, Jesperson’s confession and her subsequent investigation causes friction within her otherwise loving family.
Generational trauma proves impossible to avoid and nearly impossible to navigate.
As for Jesperson, he occasionally demonstrates what appears like tenderness on the surface.
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But if Melissa utters a single word he dislikes, he turns visceral and venomous on a dime.
A walking example of narcissism,everything he does is to satiate his starving ego.
No hunt for the slimmest of redemptive qualities is worth the scrutiny these men receive.
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Overall, the show isn’t as sinister as one might expect.
Key emotional moments fizzle out rather than burn the building down.
When Melissa weeps, her face streaked with wet mascara, the scene rings out as shattering and cathartic.
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If that renewal occurs, the series shouldn’t backslide Melissas development.
Happy Facepremieres March 20 on Paramount+, with new episodes airing Thursdays.
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