Paramount+’s gripping crime drama Happy Face is based on a book and podcast by Melissa Moore, the daughter of “Happy Face” killer Keith Jesperson. Emmy nominee and Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford plays a fictionalized version of Moore, who is a wife, a mother, and a makeup artist on a Dr.Phil-esque talk show. She finds that she must reveal her identity to world as part of her fight to save a man on death row who had been wrongly convicted of a murder her father, Keith (Dennis Quaid), recently confessed to committing. The series goes back and forth between present and past, showing Melissa’s and Keith’s relationship at various points in their lives.
In this exclusive clip from this week’s episode, a 15-year-old Melissa (Kate Maree) goes to visit her father in prison shortly after his capture by the police. The scene begins with a distraught Melissa sitting alone at a table in a visiting area surrounded by other inmates and their families. Clad in an orange jumpsuit, Keith enters the room and approaches her with a smile—per the Happy Face Killer’s MO. “How’s my Missy girl?” asks Keith cheerfully. As Melissa bursts into tears, Keith quickly comes over and holds her. “I’m so sorry,” he says as he kisses her head. “Really I am.”
He smooths her hair and apologizes once more before taking his seat opposite her. “Do you wanna know why I did it?” Keith asks his daughter. “No,” says Melissa quickly, shaking her head as tears stream down her face. Moved by her sadness, Keith reaches across the table to hold her hands. “Listen, I know all this is really hard to understand,” says Keith. “I know this place is scary, but I want you to just ignore all that, okay?”
Skeptical, Melissa continues to listen to her father. “Just look at me here,” continues Keith. “I’m still just dad,” Keith says with a smile. As Keith gently caresses his daughter’s face, Melissa’s eyes soften as she looks at him, remembering that—despite all his heinous crimes—he is still her father. “I’m your dad,” reiterates Keith warmly.
Melissa relaxes a bit as Keith leans back in his seat. “And besides, I always did look good in orange,” jokes Keith, trying to put his daughter at ease. It’s clear that she’s got something important to say. Watch the episode in full when it drops Thursday, 4/3, at 12AM PT / 3AM ET on Paramount+.
The post ‘Happy Face’ Exclusive Clip: Keith Jokes That He “Looks Good In Orange” When 15-Year-Old Melissa Visits Him In Prison For The First Time appeared first on Decider.
