Spoilers Ahead tread lightly

After opening with a literal bang (complete with bloody dabbing) Syfy’s newest show Happy! based off the Grant Morrison graphic novel of the same name boldly sets a tone of manic and irreverent energy overlain on dark and depressing imagery. Christopher Meloni is Nick Sax a washed up detective and current hired gun with both heart and substance abuse problems. His latest job is take out the three Scaramouche brothers for an unnamed boss. After saving a sex worker from a hammer wielding perv in an inflatable Satan costume Nick hires her to help lure his three targets right to him. Unfortunately the plan hits a snag when a fourth Scaramouche brother shows up and shoots him. After dealing with this fourth brother (with a cool shot of the youngest Scaramouche falling out of a window) Nick collapses from a one two punch of a gunshot wound and a heart attack. While this is going down a little girl named Hailey goes to a Whishees concert with her Mom where after sneaking off to try find a better view of the concert gets kidnapped by a very gross looking man in a dirty and very smelly looking Santa Claus outfit. This scene is very tense and gives us our first hint that Happy The Horse might be more real then being imaginary would imply. After getting snatched by the villain Happy The Horse voiced wonderfully by Patton Oswalt flies off vowing to find the one man (Nick Sax) who can help. Luckily he finds Nick in an ambulance en route to the hospital. Once the duo reach the hospital is where the real fun of the episode begins. As it turns out Nick may have overheard a certain password that local mob boss Blue wants really badly and after he rebukes Bad Cop Meredith Mccarthy’s (Lili Mirojnick)  offer of easy treatment if he tells her right the password right then and there it is Mob Enforcer Smoothies turn to try and crack the nut that is Nick Sax. Smoothie played by a hammy Patrick Fischler tries to torture the answers out of Nick only for a very bloody and very funny fight scene to break out between Nick and his would be torturers. The episode ends with Nick and Happy making a quick getaway in Meredith’s car where Happy reveals to Nick that Hailey is in fact his daughter.

Overall this is a pretty decent Opening episode even if it moves kind of slowly during the first half of the episode. The animation on Happy The Horse is done really well with a cool Who Framed Roger Rabbit look to it. The acting ranges from passable to great with series leads Miloni and Oswalt firmly on the great side. The show has toned down the gore from the original graphic novel while it toned up the humor which in my opinion is the right way to go. I look forward to seeing where this show goes in later episodes and my final grade for this episode is a B.

Passing Thoughts: 

• It makes a demented amount of sense to release this during Christmas time as the story of this season takes place during the holidays and the show liberally uses Christmas Carols throughout the episode.
• I really like that Hailey’s mother appears to be a main character on the show. She really didn’t appear all that much outside of flashbacks in the original.
• Blue should not be allowed near any more dogs.
• This is the first review I have ever written for this site I look forward to writing more of these.