‘Happy’s Place’: Belissa Escobedo Talks Isabella’s ‘Heartwarming’ Relationship With Emmett (Exclusive)

Happy’s Place had its midseason premiere on Friday night, and star Belissa Escobedo spoke to PopCulture.com about a very special relationship.

In “An Accountant Prepares…,” Isabella gives Emmett (Rex Linn) notes on his new appetizer for the tavern.

She serves as a taste tester and a very harsh critic, and the whole storyline serves as an entertaining subplot that touches more on Isabella and Emmett’s relationship. She pushes him out of his element when it comes to cooking, and not many people would stand up to him as she does. It’s one of the reasons their relationship is so great, and Escobedo loves it.

“I love being able to do scenes with Rex,” Escobedo shared. “Emmett and Isabella’s relationship is one of my favorites and one that I always love when we get to tap back into, because I think it’s so silly and funny, but very heartwarming. And if there’s anyone that softens Emmett up instantly, it’s Isabella. So I really loved being able to do that. And she’s the one person in the show that’s not afraid of Emmett ever. But she’s never like, ‘Oh, he’s gonna be mad.’ Everyone else is always really worried, and she’s kinda like, ‘He’s just a teddy bear. He’s not gonna hurt me.’”

At one point in the episode, Isabella and Emmett share a sweet moment in which Emmett gives Isabella one more plate to try, which turns out to be amazing, and he tells her that most people at the tavern don’t push him. Just her and “the other guy,” Happy. He revealed that Happy was also blunt and that she is like her dad more than she knows. It was an unexpected comment but a special one, and Escobedo thinks it “means a lot” to Isabella to hear something like that.

“I think if she learns so little about her father, she really does learn it through everybody else who knew him,” she explained. “They’re keeping him alive for her, and so learning these little bits, it’s like piecing together a puzzle. And to know that she got something from him, even if it’s just this one quirk about her, is so meaningful for her because it reminds her that she does belong in that tavern with these people, and she is part of that family.”

It’s hard to predict what else will happen as Isabella continues learning about the father she barely knew, and with Emmett knowing about Isabella for years, it’s also unknown what could come of that when and if she eventually finds out. New episodes of Happy’s Place air on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming the next day on Peacock.