Upamanyu Biswas
After focusing on Melissa’s past over the last few episodes, the fifth episode of ‘Happy Face,‘ titled ‘Don’t Dream,’ ventures deeper into the lives of Elijah and his sister, Joyce, as we learn more about their struggles and their fight for justice in a system that was always stacked against them. The last episode ended with Keith giving up the murder weapon to Melissa, which was a wrench in his toolbox. At the same time, we also saw Hazel being contacted by Keith at her school. With both mother and daughter on their own paths, the distance between them is only widening as they keep more and more secrets from one another. Meanwhile, the truth behind Elijah’s innocence remains elusively hidden behind a wall as an old foe continues to thwart them. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Elijah’s Strange Dream and Melissa’s Family Worries
Episode 5 starts by taking us into Elijah’s mind as he goes through a flashback/dream of his younger self breaking into a church to play the piano. He is abruptly woken up by a guard outside his cell who hands him a phone. The inmate receives the news about the murder weapon being discovered. Meanwhile, Melissa returns home while the wrench is tested for Heather’s DNA. After receiving her grandfather’s message in the earlier episode, Hazel visits a convenience store to buy herself a burner phone, evidently preparing herself to contact Keith. When she enters her room, Melissa bursts in and greets her daughter after a long time. They have a heart-to-heart after a long time as mother and daughter try to bridge the gap that has opened up in recent times. However, Keith’s shadow looms large over their interaction.
Elijah’s sister, Joyce, stops by the prison to talk to her brother. The inmate is overjoyed at the fact that Keith has given up the murder weapon, meaning that Elijah could be freed any day. One of his fellow inmates, Nico, also hears the news and congratulates Elijah. Back at the Reed residence, the family sits down for dinner as they welcome back Melissa after her long trip away. During the meal, Hazel receives a notification on her phone from Josh. She starts texting him, which slightly frustrates Ben and Melissa. After dinner, the parents are shocked when they discover the kitchen pizza slicer in Max’s bag. When they ask the boy about it, they learn that he took it with him, hoping to fend off Ashton in case he returns. Melissa consoles him, and she and Ben seriously discuss their next steps as a family.
Heather’s Missing Evidence Throws a Major Roadblock in Proceedings
The next day, Melissa shows up at work, and Dr. Greg asks her to step up her zeal to write a book on her experiences. Their conversation is cut short as Ivy receives the news that Heather’s evidence cannot be found in the county police station, making it impossible to trace the DNA on Keith’s wrench to the murder victim. Melissa and Ivy take yet another trip to Jefferson, Texas, where they visit the station with Gabriela and Joyce. One of the supervisors, Alice, decides to help the four visitors expedite the process regarding Heather’s evidence. However, through a brief search, it becomes clear that Heather’s evidence is no longer available because it was destroyed. As per Alice, the district attorney often orders the destruction of evidence once a case is closed.
Infuriated, the four women track down DA Calloway at the county hall. There, the man admits that he ordered the destruction of Heather’s evidence. He is also iron-clad in his belief that Elijah is the murderer and does not want anyone reopening the case. As such, he offers them a deal – have Elijah admit he is guilty of murdering Heather; in exchange, the death penalty will be revoked. With no way to make a connection between Heather’s DNA and the wrench, they have to consider taking Calloway’s deal. However, they leave the final decision to Elijah because it is his life on the line and not theirs. Outside the county hall, Gabriela brings up the possibility of making a partial connection between the murder weapon and Heather by taking a sample from one of Heather’s relatives, which happens to be Denise.
Hazel Talks to Keith, While Melissa Fails to Persuade Denise
Joyce and Gabriela break the news to Elijah, who is devastated by the fact that his freedom is still unattainable. Meanwhile, Melissa decides to walk the hard path by trying to convince Denise to provide her DNA sample for Heather’s case. The meeting goes horribly wrong as Denise is still angry at Melissa and Ivy for their earlier encounter at the salon. Ivy proposes a solution – stealing Denise’s trash, which may contain some DNA evidence that could be tested in a lab. In the meantime, Hazel finds a secluded room in the basement of her school, where she uses her burner phone to call Keith. He picks up the call, and grandfather and granddaughter have their first conversation. Keith asks Hazel to send him a picture of her because he has no idea what she looks like, while the girl asks him for more drawings.
While sorting through Denise’s garbage, Melissa receives a text from Keith, which shows Brendan bruised and bloodied. She is disturbed by the fact that Keith is enacting revenge in her name through his frantic followers. Meanwhile, she and Ivy are unable to find anything useful in the trash. Subsequently, they visit Joyce, reluctant to break the bad news that Elijah’s freedom is an even remoter possibility now. However, Melissa has a change of heart while snooping around the house, especially when she sees how much Joyce has devoted to investigating her brother’s case and establishing his innocence. Elsewhere, we see Renee, the Reeds’ next-door neighbor, stop by the house for a welcome gift from Ben – a bottle of wine – to help out with Max’s situation from the previous episode.
Joyce Reveals Her Pain as a New Path Opens Up
Although the gift is meant for both Ben and Melissa, the onus falls on the former to treat Renee as a guest of the house. He even ends up drinking with the woman for the night. Eventually, he opens up about his troubles and the peculiarities of having Keith as a father-in-law. They socialize into the night, which could indicate that something else might be looming on the horizon between Ben and Renee, although it is pure speculation at this point. Upstairs, Renee finds a photograph of herself, which she couriers to her grandfather. In Joyce’s apartment, Melissa and Ivy get drunk with their host as they talk about their exes. Eventually, the conversation turns to Elijah’s case, where Joyce finally shows her frustrations and determination to free her brother. It sparks a new idea in Melissa’s head.
The following morning, she takes Joyce to see Denise once more, hoping that some type of understanding might be forged between the family members of the victim and the alleged perpetrator. Although Denise still shows a hesitance to accept Elijah’s innocence, Joyce reveals to her that Calloway is preparing to take away the death penalty as part of a new deal. Denise is stunned by the news and accepts the proposal to do a DNA test. Later, Joyce breaks the news to Elijah, who is surprised and happy to learn something positive happened in the case. He is also taken aback when his sister suggests that he accept Calloway’s deal, particularly when she was so against it earlier. He later calls Calloway himself and tells him he has no intention of taking the deal because he is no killer.
We see protests underway as people flock to the streets supporting the Free Elijah movement. During the procession, news arrives that Heather’s DNA matches the wrench. The crew is overjoyed at the fact that they have finally secured a concrete piece of evidence that Elijah is innocent. Meanwhile, Hazel receives artwork from her grandfather, which she discusses with him on her next phone call. Although there is some tension between them, especially in relation to Keith’s past as a killer, Hazel does not mind and appreciates her grandfather’s honesty. Back on the streets, Melissa, Ivy, and Joyce listen to DA Calloway’s press conference, where he announces the reopening of Elijah’s case. However, he states that the police will now investigate the case under the presumption that Elijah and Keith acted in cahoots, which throws another spanner in the works.
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