Netflix’s ‘Merry Happy Whatever' could have been a classic commentary on patriarchy but is dragged down by its sitcom-ish appeal
Story by Shireen Honmode and Prarthna Sarkar
With Christmas closing in, Netflix Originals has brought an array of shows and films for its subscribers this year. One of the latest releases is a sitcom ‘Merry Happy Whatever’ that deals with the life of the Quinn family. It is basically a bittersweet Christmas family drama.
Being a sitcom, ‘Merry Happy Whatever’('MHW') consists of eight episodes which are only 25-minutes long, making it an easy binge for the coming weekend. From its first look, it feels like a major throwback to the popular sitcoms of the ’90s. The vibe from the show is a lot like ‘Friends’, ‘Fuller House’, and ‘Seinfeld’ during their Christmas episodes. But, the conflict here is that it is 2019 and we don’t really need background sounds of the audience laughing anymore.
The storyline is rather interesting since it deals with a family patriarch Sherrif Don Quinn (Dennis Quaid). When we say patriarch, think of all the typical traits of patriarchy. He is the kind of person who has the innate desire to control the lives of his family members. He is an annoying character in this show and his acts are bound to leave you enraged. 'MHW' basically revolves around his life and the so-called struggles he has to endure to be a good father.
Apart from the main plot, there are several other plotlines that are captured by this sitcom, and it is all centered around Christmas. Tragedy befalls the Quinn family just a few days before Christmas. ‘Merry Happy Whatever' is anything but a happy-go-lucky Christmas show. It uses the festive season as a backdrop to explore complex everyday relationships. The characters are flawed, and therefore relatable.
Kayla (Ashley Tisdale) is dealing with her divorce whilst still being in the closet, Patsy (Siobhan Murphy) has been struggling to conceive, Sean(Hayes MacArthur) is dealing with unemployment, Emmy (Bridgit Mendler) is just trying to get her father to like her boyfriend Matt and Don, the patriarch, is living in denial of his feelings.
So, what we get is a bunch of people tackling a bunch of issues and making things worse. Let’s get something straight though, Don isn’t harmful, but a tad dated and his way of looking at things doesn’t fit well with the changing times. But, as the show progresses we do see him trying, making genuine efforts here and there to be the father his kids want him to be.
The one highlight of 'MHW' that tops everything else is the moment when his daughter Kayla reveals her true identity; she announces that she’s gay. The old Don would’ve flipped hard and probably made an incompassionate statement, but the new one is accepting, accommodating and ready to embrace the truth. He surprises everyone with this reaction, most likely himself too.
Don wants to be the perfect dad but isn't able to because he wants to control everyone and everything. Emmy is confused and thinking if she should value her job more or the relationship she shares with Matt. Sean isn't happy at work, Joy wants to sleep-in because motherhood has her stressed. Patsy is thrilled to be pregnant but is going through horrible mood swings. Todd is equally excited to welcome the baby but is unsure about how things would pan out in the future given that he's Jewish. Matt wants to restart his solo music career but he's always so scared of how it would turn out. Kayla wants to scream at the top of her voice, tell the world that her marriage isn't working and she loves women.
We are and we live among these people, which is exactly what makes ‘MHW’ stand out. The show celebrates the dysfunction and beauty of fractured relationships and how it takes only a tiny bit of effort to sort it all out.
Catch the premiere of 'Merry Happy Whatever' on November 28 only on Netflix.