What I Thought About "Maybe Happy Ending"

Note: spoilers ahead

I cried twice.

First off, I have been wanting to see this broadway show for months and I tried to see it with guy I was seeing but he took someone else he was seeing (rude) and I tried to see it with friends but no one was interested.

And then out of the blue, a dear friend who I haven’t seen in awhile offered to take me! I was touched that they thought of me and absolutely elated to finally get the opportunity to see this show.

I went in with a rough idea what it was about and a lot of endorsements from friends to go see it.

I left feeling inspired, worried, empathetic, heartbroken, hopeful, open, and a sense of permission to be more emotional all around.

In the first part of the show, I felt inspired to get my life together and go clean my house. 

Oliver, one of the main characters, lives his full robotic life from his room. He has his plant friend, his incoming mail and his little routine every day. As I watched him live his life with glee, I thought about how my closet and bedroom was so overdue for a deep cleaning.

As I write this right now, I feel a surge of motivation to organize everything this weekend.

Oliver, being loyal af, decides to travel from Seoul to Jeju with his robot neighbor Claire to go find his owner, James. The audience knows that James retired him as his helperbot and left him in the retired-helperbots-apartment-yard. 

So obviously watching Oliver head straight into heartbreak is when the plot thickens.

Oliver gets to the front of James’ Jeju home and runs into his adult son who breaks the news that James passed and tells Oliver that he was indeed retired as his helperbot. James was never coming back to pick him up in his apartment yard where Oliver lived every single day the same way in anticipation of James coming.

Oliver’s reaction is how frozen he becomes. I watched Claire soften but not approach.

Oliver stands there, still, on the stage. No one touches him as he literally processes (being a robot and all) that he was abandoned. 

This sad painful moment hangs in the air for all of us.

In what felt like a full minute but what was probably 10 seconds later, Oliver perks up and says “let’s go see the fireflies,” which is why Claire wanted to go to Jeju in the first place.

The opening scene of the fireflies was spectacular. 

It creatively begins with one firefly as the tip of the conductor’s wand and then opens to a 5 person orchestra on a rotating conveyor and the entire stage has fireflies everywhere.

It was magic.

I was crying.

The emotional memory of my mom never coming home again came up.

At 5 years old, it took many years to arrive at the truth. I used to deeply believe year after year and year that she’d be back. I looked out the front window and in my mind imagined her turning the corner of our block. I could picture her body, what she’d be wearing and holding a weekender bag with her. None of this ever happened and so my dad raised us without her. 

The feeling of knowing that I was discardable cuts intensely deep in my heart.

The ethereal scene of the fireflies and the passionate orchestra and watching the cast be enamored by it was a representation of how my life eventually unfolded– offering me emotional experiences of kindness, dependability on others, warmth, and a knowing that I’m okay.

“I’ll be okay,” is what Oliver says as well and I knew that for him the way the sky is blue.

But being an empath, I would’ve done anything to help protect the character from feeling that heartbreak. 

The show goes on to remind us about the nuances of love and expression and dating and communication. 

Ultimately, I left the theater feeling inspired to be more communicative too. Claire, being a robot, had some automated responses to human prompts such as when her owner’s boyfriend hits on her she repeats every time “I don’t have an opinion on that.” 

And I thought I need to say that more.

I don’t have an opinion on some things but I can force them if I feel it’s what the person wants from me.

Another one was when Oliver replied to Claire when she asked if could feel the same things she does (being a more advanced version of a robot and all) and he just goes “I’m not sure.”

Another phrase I never say because I worry it’ll make me seem unconfident. 

In reality, not being sure is very much human. 

The irony of this whole thing is how this cast of robots reminded me what it’s like to be more human. 

Incredibly thankful to have enjoyed this.

Thank you!