By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell
Gabby (Melissa Peterman) is grossing out customers by showing them her mole. Bobbie (Reba McEntire) and Steve (Pablo Castelblanco) are watching and intervene when Gabby tries to get the customers to touch it. The topic changes when Bobbie asks Steve about getting new menus because their current menus look pretty beat up. Long story short, he called the local printing place only to find out that it closed due to COVID. So, he ordered them from a different place, and they should arrive tomorrow. Takoda (Tokala Black Elk) tells Bobbie that Emmett (Rex Linn) is refusing to cook a stake medium rare. Bobbie reprimands him, and Emmett responds that the cow is already dead; he doesn’t want to humiliate it. After the exchange, Bobbie announces that everyone is getting Happy Checks in her office that afternoon. Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) says, “that sounds fun,” but Bobbie says it isn’t. Happy Checks are performance reviews, but if she called them Unhappy Checks, no one would show up.
Isabella says she doesn’t think she’s ready for that, but Bobbie says she doesn’t have to be because there’s no need for everyone to be mad at both of them. But Isabella says no, they’re co-owners, so they should share the good and the bad. Bobbie says fine, but she should remember they can get really mad.
In Bobbie’s office, Isabella asks how often they do Happy Checks, and Bobbie says not often and compares it to flossing: You only do it when you need it. Isabella says that’s not how flossing works, but she admits she feels weird about criticizing people who are like family. Bobbie just says that sometimes Mom and Dad have to yell at kids. Isabella wonders if there will be actual yelling, and Bobbie says of course not. Except for Emmett, because iron sharpens iron. Isabella seems nervous, and Bobbie tries again to give her an out. But she insists on staying, so Bobbie calls Steve in. He comes in with flowers, which he brought as a bribe. Bobbie wants to jump straight in and tells Steve that when they ask him questions, he overexplains. Steve asks if he can defend himself, and Bobbie says no and just asks him to knock it off and tells him to tell Emmett it’s his turn next. When Steve is gone, Isabella tells Bobbie that, that was a little harsh. She says that because Bobbie only told Steve what he was doing wrong. Bobbie says Steve is a big boy, and he will be fine. Emmett comes in, also bearing flowers, and Bobbie tells him he needs to stop yelling at the customers when they order something he doesn’t like.
But Emmett wonders how the customers will know they have lousy taste if he doesn’t tell them. Bobbie responds that they won’t, they’ll eat the food they ordered without Emmett’s opinion. Before Emmett heads out, Isabella adds that they know whatever they order will be delicious because he is a great chef. Bobbie wonders what that was about, and Isabella says she doesn’t think it’s right to only tell people how they’re messing up because it’s upsetting. According to Bobbie, no one likes being criticized, but they’ll get over it. As an example, Bobbie points out that she doesn’t love being criticized by Isabella, but she plans to get over it. But Isabella isn’t quite ready to move on. Her suggestion is to compliment the staff before criticizing them and end with the compliment so they’ll receive the criticism better. It’s called a compliment sandwich, Isabella says, and studies have shown its effectiveness. Bobbie wonders who conducts these studies and who they’re done on because they sound like whiny babies. Still, Isabella wants to try, and Bobbie reluctantly agrees.
Steve and Emmett talk about their reviews, and Steve is still a little miffed about his criticism. He thinks it’s unfair because without details and context you don’t have understanding. Emmett is mad that he can’t complain about customers who are “idiots.” Steve supports Emmett’s right to call customers idiots, but he also relates it back to being annoyed about his own review. Grateful, Emmett tells Steve that he should be able to talk as much as he wants. Gabby was listening in and made fun of them for being babies. Emmett says they’re not babies, and Gabby offers advice: Always expect the worst. She explains that you can’t get too low if you’re already living in the basement. With that, it’s Gabby’s turn to get a Happy Check.
She walks into Bobbie’s office and tells Bobbie to lay it on her. Gabby explains that she prepared by face-timing her mother without makeup earlier. Actually, Bobbie says, Isabella will be leading her review. So she tells Isabella to hit her where it hurts, and Isabella says she is the best bartender she has ever known. This shocks Gabby, and Isabella starts to tell her how much the customers love her. To wrap up, Isabella tells her that Happy’s Place is lucky to have her. This makes Gabby tear up, and she explains that this is the best day of her life, and she thanks Isabella. She goes to leave, but Bobbie tells her she hasn’t finished her sandwich yet. Onto the criticism: Isabella says sometimes Gabby overshares with the customers. Gabby says she doesn’t know when she overshares. But, Isabella’s example is the time that a customer ordered a Reuben sandwich, and she told them about the rodeo clown named Reuben who dumped her at a Greyhound bus station. The sandwich finishes with Isabella telling her she is a valued piece of the Happy’s Place family. Gabby is confused because Isabella complimented her, criticized her, and then complimented her again. It feels like a head game to Gabby because she feels like Isabella disarmed her and then told her something upsetting.
In the kitchen, Emmett is ranting about an order of liver and onions that someone ordered without the onions. Steve agrees that that’s ridiculous, and then Gabby comes in to join the venting session. She calls her review being emotionally waterboarded and shares that they said she overshared with the customers. Emmett agrees with her and says she doesn’t overshare; she over-cares. Steve adds that she isn’t just a bartender, she’s a therapist, and her personal stories have probably saved lives. Emmett wouldn’t go that far, and Takoda pops his head in and tells them to keep it down because the customers can hear them. Gabby bitterly tells him not to tell Bobbie or Isabella, because it’ll end up on her next Happy Check. Takoda is confused, and Gabby points out that Takoda hasn’t had a Happy Check yet. She wonders if it’s because he’s so perfect or because he’s a spy. Takoda says he doesn’t think he’s perfect and has many flaws. But Gabby says to name one, and he comes up empty.
This prompts him to go into Bobbie’s office and ask for a negative Happy Check. When Isabella and Bobbie are confused, Takoda says everyone is ticked off at them, and they think he’s a spy. Bobbie says Takoda isn’t a spy; he’s more like a teacher’s pet. Takoda tells them to keep that tidbit to themselves, and Isabella wants to know why everyone’s mad. Takoda thinks he shouldn’t say, but Bobbie reminds him that everyone already thinks he’s a spy. Instead of elaborating, Takoda says this must be why James Bond doesn’t have friends and leaves. Isabella gets up to leave as well, and Bobbie wonders what she’s going to do. Her plan is to go talk to everyone and Bobbie says it’s a bad idea. She doesn’t like the idea of everyone being upset, and she wants to tell Emmett and Steve their reviews weren’t as bad as Bobbie made them out to be. But Bobbie doesn’t think this is only her fault and points out how upset Gabby got. Isabella just points out that Gabby isn’t exactly a conventional person, therefore her reactions aren’t always an indication of anything. Anyway, Bobbie says that talking to them will only make it worse, and the best thing to do is just give everyone space. But Isabella declares she is still going to go talk to them.
We see a piece of her conversation with Gabby where Isabella says she thinks it’s unfair for Gabby to be upset with her when she tried to criticize her in the nicest way possible. But Gabby finds that patronizing and thinks she could’ve handled the criticism without flattery. Bobbie encourages Isabella to just let it go, but Isabella won’t because she doesn’t want everyone to be upset especially when her critiques weren’t a big deal. At this, Gabby scoffs and when Isabella asks why, Gabby says it’s easy for her not to get upset when she’ll never have to get a Happy Check herself. Isabella asks if it’d make things better if they got to criticize her, and Bobbie and Gabby says yes. Bobbie tries to get out of it, but Isabella and Gabby think it sounds fair. But Bobbie doesn’t think she has to be fair because she’s the boss.
Later, all the staff members are sitting in a circle, and it’s a forum to criticize Bobbie and Isabella. Isabella says the goal is to make sure there are no hard feelings and everyone feels heard. Gabby says that that is admirable, and Isabella is a real leader. Isabella is flattered, and similar to the sandwich method, Gabby criticizes her by telling her she builds people up just to break them down. All things considered, Bobbie is surprised that Isabella didn’t see that coming. Isabella tries reassuring Gabby that she does think she does a great job, but Gabby doesn’t buy it. Steve is up next, and tells Isabella that she always has to have the last word. Isabella doesn’t think she does that, and Steve says she’s proving his point. Then Takoda gets put in the hot seat when the group encourages him to give Bobbie and Gabby some feedback. When he doesn’t, Gabby calls him Benedict Arnold, and Takoda says again that he isn’t a spy. But Gabby and Steve don’t believe him. Now, Takoda does have criticism: Isabella put a target on his back. Bobbie interjects and says that, that isn’t fair because Bobbie was in the office too. Then, she asks if anyone has a criticism for her. Emmett does, he doesn’t think Bobbie should’ve agreed to Isabella’s dumb idea. At that, Isabella calls the criticism session over and heads off upset.
This upsets Bobbie and she asks if they’re happy now that they made Isabella cry. Gabby and Steve say yes, kinda. This angers Bobbie more because she says as if they’re complaining wasn’t enough they had to go and pick on Isabella. Steve says there’s a reason for that: Bobbie scares them. Emmett wants to be excluded from that statement because he isn’t afraid of Bobbie. Bobbie says she knows because Emmett’s a big tough guy, but Isabella isn’t, hence the crying. Emmett says he isn’t proud of that and Bobbie says that they are some of the best people she knows, so they should’ve been better than attacking someone who was trying to help and leaves to talk to Isabella.
When she finds Isabella in the office, she tells her that the group was way out of line. Isabella doesn’t think so and said she did ask for their feedback, even if it came out mean and spiteful. Bobbie says she only did that because Isabella cares a lot. Also, Isabella thought it’d make things better because criticism hurts her feelings and she doesn’t want others’ to feel bad because of her. But Bobbie says she has to learn to weather the storm because being the boss means that someone will be mad at her at some point. Still, Isabella brings out the best in people, which is why Bobbie says they love having her around. Isabella smiles and points out that, that was a compliment sandwich. Today was hard, but Bobbie learned something from her.
Time passes, and Steve sets a 15-second timer to tell her about the stove repairs. Steve is talking faster, but he still overshares. Gabby is still mad, but refrained from telling a customer about her adventures in Tahiti. Bobbie thinks the performance reviews are starting to pay off, but Emmett still won’t cook a stake medium rare. Isabella does a Bobbie impression and tells Emmett to give the customer what they ordered. And Takoda, for his part, hasn’t shaken the spy allegations.