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When it comes to Gangle, what you see is pretty much what you get. Happy mask on, Gangle acts relatively stable. Happy mask off, she becomes a literal limp noodle. This gimmick with the mask and the symbolism of what it represents is the hook of her character. Could the mask be a form of antidepressants for Gangle to make getting through the day easier? Could it be a literal mask to hide her true feelings and make her look more joyful and presentable to people? The show never spells it out, and it’s better that way. It leaves it up to you to figure out what Gangle’s whole deal is, using context clues and visual storytelling to piece it together.

Wow, it’s almost as if this show for adults expects to treat its audience as adults. Who could’ve fuckin’ wonder…

As for me, I feel like the mask really is nothing more than a mask. You see it in the way Gangle doesn’t act too differently with or without her happy mask. She may smile more or act with more energy, but “Fast Food Masquerade" proves it really is nothing more than that: An act.  She may look the part of someone who had it all together, but she was just as—If not more—miserable as she  always was. It’s just that now the mask Gangle wears feels more constrictive as she’s forced to continue the act for far longer than she’s used to. It makes losing the mask feel freeing, as it allows Gangle to be her true self, even if that true self often looks sad. 

And you see that the true side of her is always present, even in episodes outside of that one. Regardless of whether or not she’s smiling, her posture is still hunched over and tone still nervous. Like in the guns episode where Gangle still nervously says she wants to team up with Zooble instead of Jax. Her happy mask has yet to be broken, yet she doesn’t have the confidence to fully disagree with Jax’s forward thinking of being on a team together. The mask gives nothing but a change of appearance, and it’s a small one at that. If anything, it’s more of a crutch than a tool to help Gangle through her day to day. It might give Gangle some semblance of peace and makes it easier for her to smile, but, again, we see the consequences of depending on something like that. So, it’s a good thing that Gangle’s arc is all about giving it up.

Predictable? Most certainly.  I clocked that this would have been Gangle’s whole arc the moment Gooseworx made it clear that Gangle’s mask will break every episode. To the point where it becomes the show’s main running joke. 

When a character has her main source of happiness literally shatter every day, it’s clear her story is about learning to live without it. But despite the predictable nature of this arc, it’s still handled well. There’s the aforementioned over-reliance in Episode Four, and Episode Six giving Gangle the talk she needs. It sucks that she’s forced to accept this part of herself that’s all…down in the dumps, but she has to. This is a part of Gangle is, well, part of her. Always. She can’t hide it away or ignore it. She has to embrace this part of her, as hard as it may be.We all kind of have to do the same thing with a part of ourselves that we don’t like. Otherwise, we’ll be torturing ourselves with these constant self-critiques that will only make things worse.

And to get this talk from Zooble, the monarch of self-esteem issues is an impressive feat in of itself, but we’re not talking about Zooble yet. Yet.

Gangle being told that she needs to love herself as is without the mask is the first bit of progress she likely ever had in that circus. She was her own worst critic, believing that being the sad one or the one who spoils the fun just made her a detriment to the group. But by having someone like Zooble, someone to show Gangle love and appreciation, it helps her realize there is something about her that’s worth loving. And from there, she manages to find a smile even without her happy mask.

Hell, by Episode Seven, Gangle doesn’t wear her mask anymore. And yet, she seems the happiest and most alive she’s ever been in the whole series. Part of it could be that Gangle found someone worth smiling for, with Zooble doing double time to make Gangle’s time in the Circus easier. It’s effective enough for Gangle to be able to have confidence enough to move on with life better than she ever could. Like I said earlier, it’s effective in making Gangle a well-written character…So why doesn’t she grab me as much as the others do?

Well, I guess part of it is the predictability. There’s only one way you could write a character like Gangle, where everyone else either went in ways I never could have expected or are given much more layers that makes them more fascinating outside of their base character traits. Gangle has no surprises nor anything about her that really makes her stand out more. The closest we get is her being an artist who was told her art wasn’t good enough, so she settled for being a shift manager at a fast food place. That is a little interesting and it’s enough to make me find a bit of relatability with her more than any other character in the show. It’s just not as expanded upon or has that strong of relevance to the rest of the story. It’s cool, I’ll give it that, but it’s nothing more than that.