'Merry Happy Whatever' Season 1 Episode 6: Don gets a taste of his own medicine when Grandpa Jack arrives uninvited for Christmas
Often, you do what gets done to you. Simply put, if you were bullied in school, you tend to do the same with other people when you grow up.
'Merry Happy Whatever' episode 6 opens with Don Quinn (Dennis Quaid) nervously anticipating his father-in-law - cutely addressed as Grandpa Jack by the grandkids - arrival. Cashing in on Don's anxiousness is Todd (Adam Rose), who openly confesses to Matt (Brent Morin) about enjoying the tense moments that Don and Jack often share.
Todd: "Grandpa Jack thinks his daughter could have done way better than Don. Legend has it, he said that during his toast at their wedding.''
Matt: ''Oh, man. If I had a time machine, that would stop one."
Todd: ''He loves to just needle Don. He calls this his house because he gave Don the down payment for it 30 years ago. Drives Don crazy. I love grandpa Jack."
It's evident how desperately these two want Jack to take Don's case, just the way he takes theirs. They were slyly letting out chuckles thinking how it would all go down when Jack finally arrived.
A little later, the Quinn family and viewers get to witness how Jack is still disapproving of Don and is more invested in putting Don down than soaking up the festive spirit.
A perfect example of it was when Jack sat down with his bottle of alcohol and was immediately called out by Don for doing so. He reminded him that no one drank in the Quinn household to which he replied: ''Yes, but I'm only doing it in the 20% of the house I paid for."
The rift is clear and from the looks of it, it won't settle anytime soon. While they look for more opportunities to insult each other, the family settles down to unwrap Christmas gifts. Emmy (Bridget Mendler) was particularly excited because she thought Matt would propose to her. What happened instead was a botched-up rendition by Matt of a perfectly-romantic proposal number.
It was heartbreaking for Emmy and Don too when he found out he was being a little boyfriend-y with Nancy knowing that they hadn't talked about being an item. After Nancy left the scene, Jack advised Don that he took the backseat and allowed the lady to make the decisions.
Meanwhile, Matt and Emmy decided to mutually part ways because they want different things from life. Emmy didn't appreciate Matt not being able to follow through on any of his commitments, while the latter didn't think to hide the news of an offer letter that would require her to move to Philly was a good move.
Christmas wasn't perfect for the Quinn people but they are trying hard to break out of the cycle that was holding them from enjoying the holiday season. Will they all ever be sorted?
Catch the premiere of 'Merry Happy Whatever' on November 28 only on Netflix.