S02.E16: Tats and Tias

[Pallas]

Becky's working two jobs and needs to hire childcare; Harris is back home and unemployed. But the episode is not called, "That Was Easy" -- the family helps its comeback kids find other possibilities.

 

[Annber03]

"Forget about weed, legalize my daddy."

Oh, my god. I love that. I also like Dan's Starbucks idea :p. I can very much sympathize with Emilio's family's pain over losing their son, but I am glad that Becky stood up for herself and Jackie as she did. Will be curious to see where things go from there. I would like to see her and Emilio's family become closer, so I hope they can work something out on that front. 

I like Harris working at that bike shop, too. Glad she was able to find something new. 

I also like the family tattoo idea ;D. If they go through with that, I want to see it!

 

[DoubleUTeeEff]

I'm glad Harris didn't have to end up taking care of Beverly Rose, it sucks to have to provide child care when you have no interest in it. I am afraid of Emilio's aunts overfeeding her though. I think they actually padded that other baby's pajama suit to make him look fatter! "I remember him from Ghostbusters when he was destroying the city."

Dan was funny. "I wouldn't want to miss the developmental stages between 43 and 45."

I also really liked Darlene. Becky: "They called me a horny old donkey!"

Darlene: "You should have never told me that."

[Browncoat]

The biker dude should have called Dan, "Yor".

[Annber03]

3 minutes ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

I also really liked Darlene. Becky: "They called me a horny old donkey!"

Darlene: "You should have never told me that."

"You have tricks? Why are we not talking about that?"

[DoubleUTeeEff]

11 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I also like Dan's Starbucks idea :p.

You know someone is going to steal that laptop when she goes to the bathroom!

[Snow Apple]

I understand the aunts' feelings but I still hate them. Like the poster above, I hope to god they don't overfeed Beverly Rose or take over raising her and undermining Becky.

[ams1001]

So...they want Becky to move to Mexico, marry Emilio, and maybe be able to bring him back in a year or two? Did I hear that right?

[Bastet]

"She'll bounce back.  None of us ever have, but I've seen it happen.  Mostly on TV."

Opening with that and ending with Darlene saying she's starting to think a lot of their failures are caused by these wacky family conversations they have around the kitchen table was a good opening segment.

But Harris is not obligated to care for someone else's kid.  It's a dilemma, not being able to afford childcare, and one that means family members take on burdens they shouldn't have to - it's a common theme in the Conner family as with any working class family.  But I like seeing one put her foot down at the bullshit of putting the crib in her room.  Darlene objected to even having to share with Becky babysitting responsibility for Little Ed for one night out.

Harris regressing to childhood, and Darlene enabling it (based on Jackie - the picture of mental health's - advice) leading to Dan saying, "Yeah, I would've hated to miss the developmental changes that happened between the ages of 43 and 45" about both of his daughters coming back home was a great payoff.

Emilio's aunts standing in since he can't do his share is a logical solution -- until we meet them.

When Becky said she doesn't speak Spanish, I wanted her to follow with "But my aunt does".  I've had fun a few times over the years embarrassing the hell out of people who didn't realize I understood what they were saying when they thought it was appropriate to speak about me right in front of me so long as they did it in another language.  They could have had the "the lesbian speaks Spanish" reveal that same day.  But drawing it out led to some very funny exchanges between Becky and Darlene:

They think I'm trapping him with my sex tricks.
You've got tricks; why aren't we talking about that?

They called me a horny old donkey.
You should never have told me that.

Getting back to the aunts, though - screw those two with their go to Mexico, marry him, and then he can come back nonsense.  She should uproot her and her baby's whole life and marry this guy?  He's a one-night stand who wound up being the father of her baby.  Her obligation to him only goes so far!

Darlene being on the other side with Harris's depressed period is the kind of generational flip I - and Dan - love about Darlene raising a teenager.  The prank calls are the kind of thing Roseanne and the Darlene Fades to Black era Darlene could have bonded over.

[Annber03]

5 minutes ago, Bastet said:

The prank calls are the kind of thing Roseanne and the Darlene Fades to Black era Darlene could have bonded over.

Harris' prank cracked me up :D. 

[UYI]

I liked this episode SO much more than the last few that have aired recently, if only for the lines alone. 

And I NEVER would have expected Harris to become more likable, almost overnight. But that's exactly what has happened, and I'm glad she's working again, too.

That baby reminded me of how big Jerry was back in the day. 

[statsgirl]

Would Becky have had to stay in Mexico?  I got that feeling that they were telling her to go to Mexico to marry him but after that she could go back home and apply for family unification. The aunts were hags though; they never bothered to get Becky's side of the story. I'd be looking for another child care provider as soon as I could.

[chocolatine]

I'm glad that Becky got a wake-up call that she can't just take the baby to The Lunchbox and have her sit quietly in her carrier for hours while Becky works. That was a terrible plan from the start. Emilio's aunts were really nasty though, and I'm pretty sure they were wrong that if Becky marries Emilio he'd be allowed to come back. The US is not obligated to give legal status to spouses of citizens, especially not ones who had already been deported for staying in the country illegally.

I loved the jokes in this episode, but was also really sad watching it in light of the current situation. If the COVID-19 pandemic happens in show's universe, The Lunchbox would not survive, Dan would lose contract jobs, and the advertisers for Darlene's and Ben's new magazine might pull out as well. And Dan mentioning that he's on blood thinners, he's at high risk for complications if he gets infected. Depressing all around.

[Nordly Beaumont]

I thought the one aunt looked somewhat like Rosanne, I thought for a minute they were going to have them be like another version of Rosanne and Jackie. Like they kind of did on "Rosanne" with Charlotte and Molly next door.

[ams1001]

9 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I loved the jokes in this episode, but was also really sad watching it in light of the current situation. If the COVID-19 pandemic happens in show's universe, The Lunchbox would not survive, Dan would lose contract jobs, and the advertisers for Darlene's and Ben's new magazine might pull out as well. And Dan mentioning that he's on blood thinners, he's at high risk for complications if he gets infected. Depressing all around.

Every show now has me noticing the things that are "not allowed" now...

[iMonrey]

How can anyone make a "prank call" these days from their cell phone? Unless you have a burner phone, anyone you are calling is going to see your number. Or is there a way to make a call anonymously from your cell phone that I am unaware of? If so, please enlighten me!

I'm also worried about the two aunts over-feeding Beverly Rose. I know Becky is desperate for free childcare, but these two nutjobs could potentially endanger the baby's health. Fat cells are grown in your infancy. An overweight child will likely have weight problems all their life. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

6 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

How can anyone make a "prank call" these days from their cell phone? Unless you have a burner phone, anyone you are calling is going to see your number. Or is there a way to make a call anonymously from your cell phone that I am unaware of? If so, please enlighten me!

I think there's a way to hide your number, but I did notice this as well. Me, if I see a call from "unknown caller," I don't answer the call. 

 

[UYI]

42 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

How can anyone make a "prank call" these days from their cell phone? Unless you have a burner phone, anyone you are calling is going to see your number. Or is there a way to make a call anonymously from your cell phone that I am unaware of? If so, please enlighten me!

 

I've never been sure how to do it effectively, but apparently you can press the star button, followed by a two digit number (78, maybe?) and pull it off like that. 

[Bazinga]

Any reason Darlene was not considered for taking care of Beverly Rose as she lost her retail job and the magazine work, if any, can be done from home?  They just skipped right over Darlene temporarily providing daycare.   Why was Darlene not available?

Edited March 25, 2020 by Bazinga

[pinkandsparkly13]

1 hour ago, UYI said:

I've never been sure how to do it effectively, but apparently you can press the star button, followed by a two digit number (78, maybe?) and pull it off like that. 

Yeah you dial *67 and the number and it'll come up as "restricted" or "unknown" on the other person's phone. 

[geauxaway]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

How can anyone make a "prank call" these days from their cell phone? Unless you have a burner phone, anyone you are calling is going to see your number. Or is there a way to make a call anonymously from your cell phone that I am unaware of? If so, please enlighten me!

I'm also worried about the two aunts over-feeding Beverly Rose. I know Becky is desperate for free childcare, but these two nutjobs could potentially endanger the baby's health. Fat cells are grown in your infancy. An overweight child will likely have weight problems all their life. 

You can still *67.  I’m having to do it now using my personal device during WFH.  I hadn’t used it since the good ole days of land lines and stalking boys, but alas it still exists.

[hoodooznoodooz]

This episode really ticked me off. I thought that it was really bizarre that Becky assumed Harris would be babysitting her daughter. Then Darlene’s prank phone call was so mean-spirited and not even witty or clever. Then Darlene chooses not to tell Becky [oops! Sorry, yes, I meant Harris! Thank you all for your kind help!] about the job at the motorcycle shop. 

Edited March 26, 2020 by hoodooznoodooz

[iMonrey]

Quote

Yeah you dial *67 and the number and it'll come up as "restricted" or "unknown" on the other person's phone. 

I had no idea! The more you know . . .

[seacliffsal]

So while some of the jokes/lines were funny, I found myself being more frustrated than amused.  The terrible decision making just continues.  Darlene put her own feelings ahead of Harris getting that job (which, by the way, I thought anyone would be lucky to have as the shop looked so cool).  And then the family tattoo (even with a discount)-if we don't have the money for other things and Darlene is unemployed, why not save that until later?  

I think the poor decision making (all the while wailing woe is me/us) has taken some of the fun out of this show for me.  Maybe I'm old and cranky, or maybe when people lose their jobs through no fault of their own (like now!) to watch people throw away job opportunities (looking at Darlene) is just wrong IMO.

I know Sara Gilbert really worked to get the reboot and is an executive producer, but Darlene shouldn't consistently be the center of the story IMO.

[UYI]

1 hour ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

This episode really ticked me off. I thought that it was really bizarre that Becky assumed Harris would be babysitting her daughter. Then Darlene’s prank phone call was so mean-spirited and not even witty or clever. Then Darlene chooses not to tell Becky about the job at the motorcycle shop. 

Do you mean Harris? Because while Becky once took Dan's motorcycle out with Mark back in the day (which got them in a LOT of trouble with him), she's never really been a biker chick. 😉

(Not that Harris ever struck me as one either, but anyway...) 

Edited March 25, 2020 by UYI

[foxfreakinmulder]

2 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

This episode really ticked me off. I thought that it was really bizarre that Becky assumed Harris would be babysitting her daughter. Then Darlene’s prank phone call was so mean-spirited and not even witty or clever. Then Darlene chooses not to tell Becky about the job at the motorcycle shop. 

And don't forget the 2 Aunts that blame Becky for everything. Wow, what horrible women who probably due to their religion don't believe in birth control but lets blame the women when she gets pregnant.

What about DJ who watches his daughter? Maybe that person could watch the baby? I wouldn't leave my daughter with those 2 horrible women that think a fat baby is a healthy baby and says horrible things about her mother.

Roseanne would've tore into those women for saying that about Becky. I miss her.

[UYI]

3 hours ago, pinkandsparkly13 said:

Yeah you dial *67 and the number and it'll come up as "restricted" or "unknown" on the other person's phone. 

Well, I remembered there was a "7", at least! 😄 

[bunnyblue]

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

How can anyone make a "prank call" these days from their cell phone? Unless you have a burner phone, anyone you are calling is going to see your number.

Besides what everyone else said about *67, I noticed that when Harris prank called Jackie at the Lunch Box, Jackie was using one of those really old school phones with the cord and receiver. Those ancient phones definitely did not have caller ID, so no *67 was required. As to why the woman Darlene prank called answered without knowing who was calling is a mystery to me. Because, really, who answers a call from a restricted or unknown number?

2 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

Roseanne would've tore into those women for saying that about Becky. I miss her.

While I don't miss Roseanne, I did feel her absence in Becky's storyline this week. I appreciate that Jackie has provided Becky with some support since the baby was born, but I've no doubt if it had been Roseanne who accompanied Becky to meet the aunts, she would not have stood by while they called her daughter a slut. Roseanne would be breathing fire in defense of Becky and would have had the aunts begging to babysit little Bev by the time she got through with them. 

 

[MissLucas]

Are we to assume the two aunts from catholic cliché hell are baby-sitting for free? Where does their income come from? 

The prank calls were mean-spirited and not the least bit funny. But they sure as hell were in character.

[rmontro]

57 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

The prank calls were mean-spirited and not the least bit funny. But they sure as hell were in character.

When they were doing the prank calls, I was thinking "Who the heck writes this garbage?".  And why would Jackie run outside yelling without even seeing the radio van?  Twice?  But the rest of the episode was pretty good.

I don't care for tattoos, but I have to admit the ideas they had for them were kind of funny.

[DB in CMH]

4 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

And don't forget the 2 Aunts that blame Becky for everything. Wow, what horrible women who probably due to their religion don't believe in birth control but lets blame the women when she gets pregnant.

What about DJ who watches his daughter? Maybe that person could watch the baby? I wouldn't leave my daughter with those 2 horrible women that think a fat baby is a healthy baby and says horrible things about her mother.

Roseanne would've tore into those women for saying that about Becky. I miss her.

The show is stupid. Nothing has any nuance. It approaches good when it takes a more serious tone (Becky's talk with the aunts about Emilio), but is too concerned with squeezing out the next bit of slapstick/cheap laugh to follow up on it much. 

They should write the show first and foremost as a dramedy, then work backward and get the comedy. That's pretty much what the original did.

Edited March 26, 2020 by DB in CMH

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 3/24/2020 at 9:31 PM, ams1001 said:

So...they want Becky to move to Mexico, marry Emilio, and maybe be able to bring him back in a year or two? Did I hear that right?

 

On 3/25/2020 at 12:25 AM, statsgirl said:

Would Becky have had to stay in Mexico?  I got that feeling that they were telling her to go to Mexico to marry him but after that she could go back home and apply for family unification.

She doesn't have to move to Mexico.  Marry him in Mexico, or Canada, or any country to where they can both legally travel, and then come back to the US and try to get him in.  (Get DNA proof that he is Beverly Rose's father, in case that would help.)

On 3/24/2020 at 11:33 PM, Bastet said:

Getting back to the aunts, though - screw those two with their go to Mexico, marry him, and then he can come back nonsense.  She should uproot her and her baby's whole life and marry this guy?  He's a one-night stand who wound up being the father of her baby.  Her obligation to him only goes so far!

Sure, but having Emilio legally in the country would be beneficial to both Becky and Beverly Rose since he is a hardworking guy who wants to be a father.

On 3/24/2020 at 11:33 PM, Bastet said:

But I like seeing one put her foot down at the bullshit of putting the crib in her room.

Harris' room is also Mark's room. He was conveniently absent when Harris stayed in "her" room for 3 days.

14 hours ago, UYI said:

I've never been sure how to do it effectively, but apparently you can press the star button, followed by a two digit number (78, maybe?) and pull it off like that. 

It's *67.  It won't work for 911 and other emergency calls.

11 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

And then the family tattoo (even with a discount)-if we don't have the money for other things and Darlene is unemployed, why not save that until later?  

Typical bad family choice.

Edited March 26, 2020 by ItCouldBeWorse

[peacheslatour]

Quote

She doesn't have to move to Mexico.  Marry him in Mexico, or Canada, or any country to where they can both legally travel, and then come back to the US and try to get him in.  (Get DNA proof that he is Beverly Rose's father, in case that would help.)

Canadian border is closed. Moose out front should'a told ya.

[wonderwoman]

9 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Harris' room is also Mark's room. He was conveniently absent when Harris stayed in "her" room for 3 days.

i was distracted by mark’s absence. did they even mention him in this episode? 

[foxfreakinmulder]

47 minutes ago, wonderwoman said:

i was distracted by mark’s absence. did they even mention him in this episode? 

No, not a word. Who watches him or do they leave him alone? Maybe the person that watches him or like I said in my first post, DJ's daughter could watch the baby. Oh, but then they wouldn't have a reason to introduce the horrible Aunts.

[Snow Apple]

6 minutes ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

No, not a word. Who watches him or do they leave him alone? Maybe the person that watches him or like I said in my first post, DJ's daughter could watch the baby. Oh, but then they wouldn't have a reason to introduce the horrible Aunts.

I figure Mark and Mary are in school in the morning so they don't need a babysitter or be babysitters. There's at least one adult home in the evenings.

Where's grandma Bev? I'd rather she babysit than the horrible aunts. Maybe she's too old?

How about Crystal? They can have a throwaway line about her watching the baby so the actress doesn't even have to be on screen.

I just hate those aunts.

[foxfreakinmulder]

12 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

I figure Mark and Mary are in school in the morning so they don't need a babysitter or be babysitters. There's at least one adult home in the evenings.

That's the answer. Becky and Jackie could work different shifts so an adult would be home in the evenings while Becky worked and watched the baby. But that makes too much sense, lol.

[MarthaEllisanne]

On 3/25/2020 at 1:05 PM, Bazinga said:

 

Any reason Darlene was not considered for taking care of Beverly Rose as she lost her retail job and the magazine work, if any, can be done from home?  They just skipped right over Darlene temporarily providing daycare.   Why was Darlene not available?

 

That crossed my mind, too.  Especially since Darlene convinced pregnant Becky not to go through with the open adoption because she would be there to help Becky.  I guess not.  
I thought Darlene did not tell Harris about the job because she (Darlene) has an aversion to work and perhaps did not want her daughter showing her up. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I thought Darlene did not tell Harris about the job because she (Darlene) has an aversion to work and perhaps did not want her daughter showing her up. 

No she was just being selfish because Harris was finally being nice to her and wanted to spend time with her in the first time since forever. She didn't want that to end. I was fairly horrified she'd cause Harris to miss out on a job because of that. 

Again, the writing is often so tone-deaf to how badly the characters come across. 

[rmontro]

On 3/25/2020 at 2:05 PM, Bazinga said:

Any reason Darlene was not considered for taking care of Beverly Rose as she lost her retail job and the magazine work, if any, can be done from home?  They just skipped right over Darlene temporarily providing daycare.   Why was Darlene not available?

Great point.  Maybe Becky has seen Darlene's work ethic and figured any baby would be unsafe in her care.

[lexiexx]

Damn, why is this show so dated?   Prank calling is obsolete, just like their print magazine idea.   Roseanne probably watches this show and is like wtf.   The whole show is misery or something that is not fun to watch, it's kind of funny that the opening scene is everyone laughing and talking and we haven't seen that once on this show.   The one lighthearted moment was darlene and Harris acting corny af and prank calling like it's the time before caller id.  Kinda surprised she wasn't on a rotary phone for that scene lol.   Also, I want to see Becky throw that whole 'ill help you' shit in Darlene's face.   Nobody dare ask darlene to do anything, even what she volunteered for because she is too busy acting super busy and stressed and annoyed with her two grown and pretty much self sufficient kids and no job.  

Edited to add:  I do think Emilio will end up back in town, also living at Dans.

Edited March 26, 2020 by lexiexx

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, lexiexx said:

The one lighthearted moment was darlene and Harris acting corny af and prank calling like it's the time before caller id.  Kinda surprised she wasn't on a rotary phone for that scene lol

That would go along with the "hard luck, poverty stricken Conners" theme on the show, if everyone still had rotary phones.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

10 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

That's the answer. Becky and Jackie could work different shifts so an adult would be home in the evenings while Becky worked and watched the baby. But that makes too much sense, lol.

Jackie would be a pretty bad babysitter.  Way too intense.  Ben has a lot of time on his hands and seems eager to be involved, though.

6 hours ago, rmontro said:

Great point.  Maybe Becky has seen Darlene's work ethic and figured any baby would be unsafe in her care.

Darlene's not that interested in Beverly Rose, and taking more than just basic care of a baby requires interest.  Darlene loves her own kids, but she's not a natural kid lover, in my opinion.  Ben and the Aunts are both very interested.  The Aunts are either running an unlicensed daycare, or they take care of multiple babies in the family-maybe their own grandchildren. As long as they stop badmouthing Becky, they'll probably do a fine job.  They seem to love babies.

Edited March 27, 2020 by ItCouldBeWorse

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Darlene's not that interested in Beverly Rose, and taking more than just basic care of a baby requires interest.

Also, Becky probably saw that Harris was broken all episode, so she probably didn't want her baby to be raised the same way.

[nokat]

14 hours ago, rmontro said:

Great point.  Maybe Becky has seen Darlene's work ethic and figured any baby would be unsafe in her care.

Becky has turned her life around, and has a good work ethic, and loves her child. She is such a better mom than Darlene if we are honest. Yes, Darlene loves her kids, but she makes such bad decisions.

I wish the writers would tone it down with Jackie. She's a favorite character of mine, and yes she is flaky but she doesn't have to be manic. She does get some of the best lines, though.
 

[seacliffsal]

I think Dan should just sell the house, take whatever he can get from it, and follow Louise on her tour (I think I got her name right).  Let the rest of them figure it out without being able to depend on him.  After all, DJ lives elsewhere-it can be done!  Then maybe Darlene would take any job that would hire her more seriously.  Harris already has a cool job at the bike shop.  If Becky and Jackie can make it work at the Lunch Box then they should be fine as well.  Sometimes, having a "fall back" option (living with Dan) makes it a bit easier to not worry about one's own finances as there is someone else who will foot the bill.

[Snow Apple]

13 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

 The Aunts are either running an unlicensed daycare, or they take care of multiple babies in the family-maybe their own grandchildren. As long as they stop badmouthing Becky, they'll probably do a fine job.  They seem to love babies.

The aunts may love babies but even before they started badmouthing Becky, I was horrified that they think force feeding to make overly fat babies is healthy.

[nokat]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

I think Dan should just sell the house, take whatever he can get from it, and follow Louise

In real life, definitely, but then we wouldn't have a show. The Conners is more of a tragicomedy, and that's why many of us liked it in the first place, and it's probably more relevant than ever, with kids and grandkids moving back home.

 

1 hour ago, Snow Apple said:

The aunts may love babies but even before they started badmouthing Becky, I was horrified that they think force feeding to make overly fat babies is healthy.

I was kind of thinking that was an unfortunate stereotype. Between the aunts and Darlene though, I'd go with the aunts.
 

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Harris already has a cool job at the bike shop. 

She does have a cool job, but it doesn't look like something she could live on.  The nice thing about her previous job was that it was going to fund her education as a benefit.  I doubt that's the case here, but it's still a nice starter job for her age.

The house is about the only thing Dan has, so I wouldn't give that up to follow Louise on a tour that was only going to last three months IIRC.  Besides, he's probably taken out multiple home equity loans on it to fund the Conners annual Halloween fests.

[BeachDays]

I just watched this episode and i thought it was so funny.   I’m ok with Emilio’s aunts having faults just like the Conners have faults.   I do want Becky and Emilio to end up together, I think they are super cute together.  Of course it would depend on how they are written together in the future as well.  But I’m also the crazy person who still wants David and Darlene back together.