Syfy’s Happy!
Season 2, Episode 9: “Five Chicken Fingers and a Gun”
Directed by
Written by Ashley Michel Hoban

* For a recap & review of the previous episode, “A Friend of Death” – click here
* For a recap & review of the Season 2 finale, “Resurrection” – click here
Nick Sax (Chris Meloni)— just recently “shot out of an interdimensional alien asshole“— is chugging cough syrup, looking for Amanda (Medina Senghore) in the mob-run hospital with Happy (Patton Oswalt) and Merry (Lili Mirojnick). Meanwhile, the Wishies are with Orcus (Ritchie Coster), awaiting the birth of their child.
Then out come a bunch of colourful jelly-like balls. A real “Easter miracle.”

Now that Amanda’s finished birthing those things, she rigs a makeshift flamethrower with an oxygen tank and burns the Wishie children. She gives the Wishies a taste of the flame, too. Through the flames, Amanda also sees Happy. Orcus tries to make an escape, running into Sax and Merry. The former hitman tries to use the shotgun on Orcus, resulting in an innocent doctor having his head blown off. The demon sends a ton of people after Nick and Merry, starting an absolute massacre. Merry’s almost killed when Orcus has her put a gun to her temple. She’s saved by Happy— except now the little blue dude’s known to the demon. It’s a meeting of the God of Death versus a God of Love.
And Happy’s influence turns all the formerly rioting men and women into one huge make out session. Even Merry and Nick get a little nasty. Soon it’s all over.

Soundtrack note: “Lost in Love” by Air Supply plays during this hilarious scene.
Smoothie (Patrick Fischler) has everything arranged for Hailey (Bryce Lorenzo). She’s being treated to a five-star hotel experience, staying in a room by herself decorated for a princess. We know the sinister truth. To a degree, so does the girl. She’s blinded by confusion and anger, and misled by a psychopath.

At home, Amanda feels guilty about what she’s done. Her ex tries to assure her it’s not like his problems, they’re all his own. She had no choice. Amanda’s unsure of how their girl will feel. Also, she recalls seeing Happy at the hospital, recognising the imaginary friend from her daughter’s drawings.

Jump back to 1995, when Sonny Shine (Christopher Fitzgerald) was raging against the world and seeking to become the world’s “greatest children‘s entertainer.” During a binge, he’s attacked. Until the Wishies came in Sonny’s time of need, murdering his attackers. In present day, Sonny says goodbye to the Wishies. He sees no way forward without his friends and without the Eggtacular. Orcus feels differently.

When Merry goes to see old Assunta Bianchi (Antonia Rey—whose name is slightly misspelled in the dedication at the end), she discovers the old woman was visited in prison by Orcus. The demonic god put a spell on her. He left her there knitting away, until she was covered in a scarf. She dug the needles in, knitting her head right off. An interesting decapitation. The woman’s things are left behind for Merry, who finds a receipt from a pawn shop called Bella Sorella’s.
At the shop, Merry tries to pick up whatever the receipt is for, getting a bit of an odd reception from the woman at the front desk. And suddenly, she’s knocked out cold.
Nick and Amanda are drawn to the deserted school. Nick’s lured towards the gym, where Smoothie’s waiting. The red-eyed psycho could have a million different sick things planned knowing his style. Big problem is, Amanda’s ready for the violent route. She kicks the shit out of the man who’s taken Hailey.

Merry wakes tied to a chair. The woman (who Father Gore’s only now realising is Amanda fucking Palmer!) from the desk asks why she came.  She mentions Orcus, where evil “comes from,” and why life’s so full of random chaos. “The world is polluted by Old Gods,” the woman says. After that, Merry has a fiery ball placed in her hand that leaves a scar in her palm. She’s been initiated into a group called “the Blue Feather.”

At the hotel, Hailey receives a visit from Orcus. He doesn’t like the “ghastly facade of childhood” in her room. He thinks the girl deserves something much better. He’s come around, believing she has what’s necessary to help him usher in the next era with the murder of Sonny Shine. She’s left with food and a gun.
Elsewhere, Nick and Amanda are brought someplace by Smoothie. The madman offers the mother a syringe, telling her to shoot daddy up. He says it’ll get her Hailey back, and Sax offers his arm up without a second thought. Although he has to take this one in his ass— again.

Soundtrack note: “There Goes My Gun” by the Pixies closes out the episode.

“Jesus was cancelled,
and that didn’t stop him, did it?”

Yet again, Happy! is fantastic. The series is great, and when it feels like things can’t get weirder, they do. It’s hard to find a show that does that. Father Gore could watch another 5 seasons of this madness.
“Resurrection” is next time, and it’s our Season 2 finale.