Happy’s Placeneeds to stop ignoring one of its secondary characters before it faces backlash. The Reba McEntire-led sitcom focuses mostly on the relationship between McEntire’s Bobbie McAllister and the half-sister she never knew existed, Isabella (Belissa Escobedo). but also offers subplots about the quirky characters who work at the tavern. As a character-based comedy,Happy’s Placehopes to make up for McEntire’s disappointing 23-year streakof losses at the Emmy Awards.
Happy’s Place’s casttries to recapture the feel-good vibes of McEntire’s earlier sitcom by putting the characters in relatable but strange situations. Much of the comedy comes out of each character’s quirks. While the secondary characters never overshadow the main storyline with Bobbie and Isabella, most of them have had stories of their own. However,Takoda (Tokala Black Elk) has not had much of a function in the series yetbeyond offering advice to other characters.
Happy’s Place Has Barely Fleshed Out Takoda
It Isn’t Even As Clear What His Job Is
Happy’s Placehas four quirky employees. Storylines have often revolved around Emmett’s (Rex Linn) protectiveness of his kitchen or Steve’s attempts to manage his OCD while working as the tavern accountant, making it obvious what these two characters do. Similarly, Gabby (Melissa Peterman) is strongly associated with her job as a bartender, as she is often seen pouring drinks or complaining about customers.Takoda’s (Takola Black Elk) job is less clear-cut,which points to a serious problem with his characterization.
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Takoda is both the waiter and the handyman, but his role inHappy’s Placeis most often to critique other people’s behavior or to offer them advice. He often sets up jokes for other characters by making serious comments that they take out of context or otherwise react to in a way that is intended to be humorous. Thus,little is known about Takoda himself and his main purpose is to make other characters' material work properly. This is unfortunate, as he is a dynamic character who would add a lot to the series.
How Happy’s Place Can Fix Takoda’s Character Before It Gets Accused Of Tokenism
He Needs To Have As Much Of A Story As The Other Secondary Characters
Leaving Takoda out is doubly problematic because he is one of the few Indigenous characters on television. Thus, when he is used mostly as a springboard for other people’s stories or jokes, it runs the risk of tokenization — a negative practice in which a show includes a member of a marginalized group in order to demonstrate inclusivity but gives them little to nothing of substance to do.This practice makes it appear thatHappy’s Placeincluded an Indigenous character for the sake of diversity without making any effort to make him equalto other characters in the series.
The key is for Takoda’s arc to make sense for his character and contribute meaningfully to each episode he appears in.
Fortunately, this problem is easily fixed. All Takoda needs is an ongoing arc to address in each episode. It does not need to be anything big. For example, Steve tries something different in each episode that makes him anxious, such as wearing mismatched socks or sitting in a different chair. A potential Takoda arc could involve choices that small if it fits the storyline. The key is for Takoda’s arc to make sense for his character and contribute meaningfully to each episode he appears in.
Using Takoda More Can Be Beneficial To Happy’s Place
He Is An Interesting Character Who Could Help Balance The Others
Takoda is an interesting character who has a calming presence, whichHappy’s Placedesperately needs. All the other characters are extremely high-strung, with the exception of Emmett, who is quiet but grumpy.They need a character like Takoda to be the voice of reasonand to rein them in somewhat. Giving Takoda more screen time can help improve the dynamics between all the characters. Takoda is already doing that to an extent by offering his advice and encouraging the others to be kinder, more honest, and more moral, so it would not be a big stretch for him to be given a bigger role in future stories.
There is no reason for a character who is as interesting and unique as Takoda to have such a minor role.
Happy’s Placeresolved its main conflict quickly, which leaves a lot of room for other storylines. That has allowed the show to pursue stories such as Bobbie’s romantic interest in Emmett and Steve’s ongoing issues with OCD and attempt to overcome them. Thus, this is the perfect opportunity to give Takoda a story of his own. There is no reason for a character who is as interesting and unique as Takoda to have such a minor role inHappy’s Place. Fixing this problem will make the series more balanced and enjoyable as well as prevent the appearance of tokenization of an Indigenous character.
Happy’s Place
Cast
Happy’s Place: In 2024’s Happy’s Place, Bobbie unexpectedly inherits her father’s restaurant and navigates unforeseen challenges alongside the half-sister she never knew existed. The series explores themes of family and partnership amid the bustling backdrop of restaurant life.
