Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Happiest Season's ending.
Who knew a movie called Happiest Season would incite such heated debates over the holiday season? I’m talking about a popular discussion that has held since the Hulu movie broke major viewership numbers last month. Kristen Stewart’s Abby makes up with Mackenzie Davis’ Harper after she brings her home to her family still-closeted, leading to a slew of uncomfortable situations for her to endure. But, what about Aubrey Plaza’s Riley?
Many fans of the film thought Abby would pivot away from the family drama Harper puts her through and run into the arms of the Park and Recreation actor's charismatic doctor character. The pair had gorgeous chemistry in the film and kinda went on a cute date at a Pittsburgh drag bar during Happiest Season. Aubrey Plaza has weighed in on the movie debate:
Look, I wanted it too, OK? I’m not gonna lie, I wanted it too. I wanted it very badly. But I didn’t write the thing and I didn’t direct the thing. I just showed up, did my job and got outta there! There are some things you just don’t have control over.
Aubrey Plaza is known for her deadpan honesty, and she brought that to her interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert when sharing her own thoughts on the Happiest Season ending. She admits that she was totally into a romantic drive into the sunset for Riley too, but at the end of the day, she didn’t write and direct it; Clea DuVall did. Plaza followed up with this:
I’m not giving up hope for Riley. I think that she has got a bright future ahead.
Could there really be another movie? Clea DuVall has said that she has “a couple of ideas” for a sequel, and the cast seriously got along during the filming, so it’s not off the table here. It would be fun to see the next Happiest Season focus on Aubrey Plaza’s character. Maybe she’d try and find a way to stop Abby and Harper’s Christmas wedding back at home? That could be fun. Yet, there was a specific reason why DuVall chose the ending she did. In her words:
It’s understanding that sometimes you have to go low so you can figure out your way back up. And I understand the impulse to just cut and run, and be like, 'To hell with this.' But I also really believe that people can get better, people can grow, and people can change. They can recognize that maybe their behavior is not as good as they know it can be, and that they make a conscious effort to change it.
I think a weakness to Happiest Season that has led to some of these debates is the fact that we really don’t get to know Abby and Harper’s relationship outside of the family debacle before stepping into the holiday circumstances. So when Harper puts Abby through them, we don’t have a foundation for their relationship. We do, however, get a background into Riley’s life and her instant connection to Abby, making it easier for us to get on board with them. What do you think? Who should have Abby ended up with at the end of Happiest Season? Vote in the poll below.
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