S03.E03: Plastics, Trash Talk & Darlene Antoinette

[ESS]

 Darlene isolates herself from her co-workers at Wellman Plastics, leaving them with the impression she is an elitist snob, while Louise decides to teach Harris an expensive life lesson. Jackie has invested everything she has into The Lunch Box and is determined to keep the restaurant running no matter what, leaving some family members to question her actions.

Edited November 5, 2020 by ESS

[Melina22]

I'm not sure that Dan and Louise as a couple are working for me. I realize that John's real life weight loss has maybe made him look older and feebler than he actually is, but the disparity between the two of them is so great. It feels jarring at times. It's pulling me out of the show, which I otherwise enjoy. 

[UYI]

I appreciated Darlene seeing the value of her current job once she realized she could get something Mark really needs, in this case a computer for school. And FINALLY, someone telling her how she could still write on her own time--which, duh, but it's been actually acknowledged on the show now and thank God for that.

Was that older black woman from the first season of the original show, by any chance, from the older Wellman Plastics days? 

There are still some great one liners on this show, but there are other times where things get too silly and it's distracting. And I thought the ending tag was kind of jarring. All three of them so far have been really, IMO, but this one stood out to me the most.

Good for Louise on saying why she still has her own place, though--she absolutely still have her own place, and it shouldn't mean anything bad about her relationship with Dan at all. 

I'm a broken record on the cast sitting what looks like less than six feet apart, so I'll leave it at that for now. It DOES bug me, though. 

Edited November 5, 2020 by UYI

[Annber03]

21 minutes ago, UYI said:

I appreciated Darlene seeing the value of her current job once she realized she could get something Mark really needs, in this case a computer for school. And FINALLY, someone telling her how she could still write on her own time--which, duh, but it's been actually acknowledged on the show now and thank God for that.

Was that older black woman from the first season of the original show, by any chance, from the older Wellman Plastics days? 

I was wondering that about her, too. And agreed on the other things you said as well. I hope she and Becky continue to forge good friendships with the other workers at Wellman, it'd be fun to see them form their own little group, the way Roseanne did with her friends. 

I liked Louise teaching Harris how to play guitar. Though I'm wondering what's going to become of this whole thing of Harris apparently seeing a married guy. That's...interesting. 

[Utpe]

57 minutes ago, UYI said:

Was that older black woman from the first season of the original show, by any chance, from the older Wellman Plastics days? 

Her name is Anna Maria Horsford.  She wasn't in Roseanne, but interestingly enough, the other lady (Evelina Fernández) actually was in the first two seasons.  She played the character Juanita Herrera.

The guest list is on Roseanne & The Conners Wiki for this episode.

[Bastet]

Fun to see Juanita again!  But why the hell not give the "I worked with your mom" storyline to a character who actually did, rather than to a stranger?  (I've liked Anna Maria Horsford since Amen, so it was nice to see her, but come on.)

And this rando saying Roseanne told her Becky liked to hit the bottle was dumb; by the time Becky started drinking heavily, Wellman was long gone (and Roseanne working there was even longer gone; she quit at the end of season one) so they wouldn't have been in touch, let alone to share stuff like that.  (Oops; re-watching it, I see I missed the joke.  Complaint withdrawn.)

Darlene and Becky maskless at Wellman continues to drive me nuts; I know it's because they want to show the actors' faces as much as possible, and they're showing the sisters without anyone else around (which is not how factories work), but it's still distracting - and then they get to the break room and it's even worse.

And why the fuck is Dan still having poker games?  I'm glad this was the first one and everyone else was smart enough to cancel. 

Dan getting butthurt at Louise going home was ridiculous.  She ought to be going home regularly; part of the bubble, not living there (like Jackie and D.J. and Mary).  I'm trying to decide if it's in character for him to be that needy, having had a woman living with him for almost his entire adult life, and him being all in once he's in.  Maybe.  But "How can you be so stupid and still survive?" was great, regardless, and I like that they worked it out in the end.

Darlene realizing why her mom sucked it up, did that job, and made the best of it was overdue, but welcome.  And Louise and Harris were nice (although, WTF with "dating" [it was online only, right?] a married man being stupid but no big deal?) together.

Ben again made me laugh when he said, "I was just faking it until I could get my hands on all of this" when Darlene said he was more interesting in the beginning.

Edited November 6, 2020 by Bastet

[Marley]

Still don’t like Harris she is an unbearable bitch. It’s a poker game don’t play if you can’t handle losing some money. The less Harris the better the show.

[Winston Wolfe]

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

Fun to see Juanita again!  But why the hell not give the "I worked with your mom" storyline to a character who actually did, rather than to a stranger?  (I've liked Anna Maria Horsford since Amen, so it was nice to see her, but come on.)

A former colleague of mine is good friends with Anna Maria Horsford, it was nice to see her on screen again. But what was with the odd accent? Was she going for Caribbean and somehow missed the mark?

Overall, an ok episode. Seems like the writers are reading our boards, re: Darlene's elitist attitude and how insufferable Harris is.

Recently read that last week's episode had a series-low rating. I wonder if the realistic topics of the virus, unemployment, politics, and eviction are a little bit more than stressed-out America can deal with right now.

Edited November 5, 2020 by Winston Wolfe

[sheetmoss]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

Fun to see Juanita again!  But why the hell not give the "I worked with your mom" storyline to a character who actually did, rather than to a stranger?  (I've liked Anna Maria Horsford since Amen, so it was nice to see her, but come on.)

And this rando saying Roseanne told her Becky liked to hit the bottle was dumb; by the time Becky started drinking heavily, Wellman was long gone (and Roseanne working there was even longer gone; she quit at the end of season one) so they wouldn't have been in touch, let alone to share stuff like that.

~

I  took the joke as Becky liked  'hitting' her baby bottle

  I assume Roseanne was working  at Wellman  then

Edited November 5, 2020 by sheetmoss

[Aulty]

They laid the groundwork for Louise not being in every episode and it tied in well with the overall story. She fits in really well - I am so glad that Katey Sagal is so commited to the part.

[Arcadiasw]

 

Why should Louise give up her place and move in with Dan when he was served an eviction notice? Is that storyline dropped?

[Snow Apple]

2 hours ago, Arcadiasw said:

 

Why should Louise give up her place and move in with Dan when he was served an eviction notice? Is that storyline dropped?

I was wondering the same thing. I guess the house is magically saved now that they had one throwaway line about Becky and Darlene getting jobs and can pay rent.

I don’t mind though. I’m just glad Darlene got a freaking job and got a smack down that she’s not too good for factory work. It’s one thing to be a loner at work but you still need to be nice and make small talk and thank people for cake. Even if you don’t eat cake, get rid of it discreetly; not what Darlene did.

 I found it funny they all know she eats lunch in the bathroom (eww). You can’t hide anything from your coworkers 😂

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, Snow Apple said:

Even if you don’t eat cake, get rid of it discreetly; not what Darlene did.

I missed the first few minutes (because I was intending to watch Ninja Warrior until I realized it was being preempted) so I don't know what she did, but you don't even have to take cake if you're nice about it. Sing happy birthday, be pleasant, say 'no thank you' if directly offered, or otherwise just don't take a slice, and most people won't notice or care (there are numerous reasons someone might not want cake, after all). I've done it plenty of times and my coworkers don't hate me.

[MissLucas]

I wonder if Darlene will pivot back next week or if we will see make her an effort at work and get down to writing when home (which is hard but if she feels passionate enough then she just has to grind away and if it's only a sentence a day).

I like Louise, Dan just thank your lucky stars and stop behaving like a baby. Too bad Harris ignored Louise's comments on dating a married man, but then it's Harris.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Recently read that last week's episode had a series-low rating. I wonder if the realistic topics of the virus, unemployment, politics, and eviction are a little bit more than stressed-out America can deal with right now.

I think it has more to do with changing the night and time. We have to remind ourselves to watch it any more. My DH usually goes to bed at nine because of his work schedule. It's making it tough for him to watch it at all.

[AgentRXS]

I am a loner at work as well but I am polite and cordial to most of my coworkers. You can be introverted without acting like you're better than everyone else. 

I guess Darlene is lucky Mark and Harris aren't as needy as she and Becky were (and kind of still are) or she would have realized long ago that you do what you have to do to provide for your kids. You think she would have learned that from watching her mom take one shit job after another to help provide from them, but oh well. 

[peacheslatour]

5 minutes ago, AgentRXS said:

I am a loner at work as well but I am polite and cordial to most of my coworkers. You can be introverted without acting like you're better than everyone else. 

I guess Darlene is lucky Mark and Harris aren't as needy as she and Becky were (and kind of still are) or she would have realized long ago that you do what you have to do to provide for your kids. You think she would have learned that from watching her mom take one shit job after another to help provide from them, but oh well. 

Like most people, she never thought it would happen to her. After all, her future looked very promising at one time.

[perkie1968]

I don't normally comment on Connor episodes because for the most part I'm happy with them, but this episode pissed me off, so here I am.  Also, by reading through the thread, looks like i might be the only one sitting at this table.....

The Darlene/work issue:  First off, the other woman worked there with Roseanne so she's in her mid to late 60s ish, but she's childish enough to put up a drawing being mean to a fellow employee?  Bully much.  Someone did that at my work there would be some talking to and possibly firing.  Second, Darlene is allowed to hate her job.  This nonsense of you should love this job or quit so someone else can have it is just nonsense.She's entitled to her feelings, even if that the job is beneath her and just because she realizes the merit of what that job can buy doesn't mean she should run through the halls singing a happy song every day.  As for the cake, so she didn't want a piece, maybe  I  missed something but did she spit on it and throw it in the birthday girl's face? UGh.

Darlene eating lunch in the bathroom is totally gross, even before covid.  

The Harris/Louise poker thing.  Full disclosure, not a fan of Harris.  If you're going to play poker, with real money, then suck it up when you lose said money.  Having said that, Louise suckered her in by showing her that she had a 2, implying that her cards were crap.  

Funniest part of the episode was Becky not falling for Dan's puppy dog eyes and heart attack talk during the game, but DJ immediately caving when Dan pulled it on him.  

Edited November 5, 2020 by perkie1968

[UYI]

10 hours ago, Utpe said:

Her name is Anna Maria Horsford.  She wasn't in Roseanne, but interestingly enough, the other lady (Evelina Fernández) actually was in the first two seasons.  She played the character Juanita Herrera.

The guest list is on Roseanne & The Conners Wiki for this episode.

I was going to ask about the other woman too but forgot--that was Juanita? Cool! :) 

[Yogisbooboo64]

8 minutes ago, perkie1968 said:

I don't normally comment on Connor episodes because for the most part I'm happy with them, but this episode pissed me off, so here I am.  Also, by reading through the thread, looks like i might be the only one sitting at this table.....

The Darlene/work issue:  First off, the other woman worked there with Roseanne so she's in her mid to late 60s ish, but she's childish enough to put up a drawing being mean to a fellow employee?  Bully much.  Someone did that at my work there would be some talking to and possibly firing.  Second, Darlene is allowed to hate her job.  This nonsense of you should love this job or quit so someone else can have it is just nonsense.She's entitled to her feelings, even if that the job is beneath her and just because she realizes the merit of what that job can buy doesn't mean she should run through the halls singing a happy song every day.  As for the cake, so she didn't want a piece, maybe  I  missed something but did she spit on it and throw it in the birthday girl's face? UGh.

The Harris/Louise poker thing.  Full disclosure, not a fan of Harris.  If you're going to play poker, with real money, then suck it up when you lose said money.  Having said that, Louise suckered her in by showing her that she had a 2, implying that her cards were crap.  

Funniest part of the episode was Becky not falling for Dan's puppy dog eyes and heart attack talk during the game, but DJ immediately caving when Dan pulled it on him.  

Co-sign via the Darlene at work situation.

I too keep to myself at work...I will say that I'm grateful for my job, having been through unemployment for a decade.  I thought Thelma Frye 😁 was unnecessarily harsh with Darlene and her attitude likely proved why Darlene wished to keep to herself in the first place.

I'm hoping that Katey's upcoming new show flops cause I love Louise and want her to stay put with the Conners.

Edited November 5, 2020 by Yogisbooboo64

[Winston Wolfe]

4 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Too bad Harris ignored Louise's comments on dating a married man, but then it's Harris.

How bad must a man's marriage be that Harris is some kind of escape? In many regards she's just a younger version of Darlene with a slighter better attitude. From his perspective it can only be about the sex.

3 hours ago, perkie1968 said:

Darlene eating lunch in the bathroom is totally gross, even before covid.  

One of the grossest things I've ever seen on TV. I gag even when I see folks brush their teeth in a public bathroom.

Edited November 5, 2020 by Winston Wolfe

[UYI]

10 hours ago, Winston Wolfe said:

Recently read that last week's episode had a series-low rating. I wonder if the realistic topics of the virus, unemployment, politics, and eviction are a little bit more than stressed-out America can deal with right now.

The Conners are kind of stuck between a rock and hard place on this one. The whole point of this show, going back to the very first episode of Roseanne in 1988, was that they were trying to show a sitcom family that was more "real" than you usually see on television, even NOW, I would argue that they have done that better than almost any other sitcom that's come along since.

Then again, knowing that there is a show literally titled General Hospital still on television that is COMPLETELY ignoring this pandemic is...well, given how it spent so much of the 2000's attempting to be a bootleg Sopranos, and how much of this past decade has been waning in quality, maybe it's not as bad as one would think? 

[perkie1968]

3 minutes ago, Winston Wolfe said:

From his perspective it can only be about the sex.

I thought she said it was an online relationship right now, (unless I misheard, which is possible!!) so not even sex to survive the constant teenage complaints.  Desperate man!

[Winston Wolfe]

Just now, perkie1968 said:

I thought she said it was an online relationship right now, (unless I misheard, which is possible!!) so not even sex to survive the constant teenage complaints.  Desperate man!

Perkie, I may have missed the online part - was dividing my attention between this episode and election coverage. They could be having cybersex though (ugh). Maybe she's a more pleasant person online?

[joanne3482]

11 hours ago, Bastet said:

Darlene and Becky maskless at Wellman continues to drive me nuts; I know it's because they want to show the actors' faces as much as possible, and they're showing the sisters without anyone else around (which is not how factories work), but it's still distracting - and then they get to the break room and it's even worse.

For me, who lives and works in Texas for a municipality, this actually rings fairly true to my experience. I did open enrollment meetings for our groups like Public Works, Water and Parks departments and even though I told the coordinator they had to wear masks and social distance there were some who weren't/didn't (and MANY who did the 'dick nose' thing - mask on but not covering nose at all). I'd walk around the building and see guys without masks. I know they're in their trucks without them. I'm not sure where you live, but in my experience, here in Texas (as well as AZ where I've visited during this time), we're not nearly as adherent as those on the coasts are. 

[Wizardpatch]

Watching teenage Darlene unable to socialize with people is funny.

Watching over 40 years old Darlene do it is just sad. Did she not have any friends during the twenty years since the show ended? Did she not work at a bad job with other people in that time?

[Starchild]

2 hours ago, Winston Wolfe said:

How bad must a man's marriage be that Harris is some kind of escape? In many regards she just a younger version of Darlene with just a slighter better attitude.

Harris is WORSE than teenaged Darlene. At least teenaged Darlene was funny.

[ChicksDigScars]

13 hours ago, RocknRollZombie said:

The scene at wellman’s it just came off to me as Darlene was always the favorite child. So basically the ‘Darlene’ show vibe once again.  And I agree with Bastet about Becky liked to hit the bottle comment.

Like we get Becky was an alcoholic, how many times are they going to shoe horn in a comment about that.

Especially since Becky was the brain and the school nerd and was only shown drinking in the one episode with her friend, which was totally normal behavior for teens. Becky was the child that Roseanne would have bragged about to the ladies at Wellman. Darlene was a sarcastic tomboy who got crappy grades. I do really hate some of the retcons. It's like the producers never actually watched Roseanne (the series).

 

 

[UYI]

1 minute ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Especially since Becky was the brain and the school nerd and was only shown drinking in the one episode with her friend, which was totally normal behavior for teens. Becky was the child that Roseanne would have bragged about to the ladies at Wellman. Darlene was a sarcastic tomboy who got crappy grades. I do really hate some of the retcons. It's like the producers never actually watched Roseanne (the series).

 

 

Which is ironic, given that based on the credits I KNOW at least a few of the current producers DID work on the original series (Barbara Brace is the one who comes immediately to mind right now, but there are others, too). 

[MissLucas]

I think the established dynamic was that Becky was the hard working girl that would make it due to elbow grease and Darlene was the one with intellectual potential who just did not give a damn - most of the time. It's possible that Roseanne bragged about her for example after she had recited her poem at the school performance. And that's what distinguishes Darlene from Harris - she did have moments of grace. (Granted I have not seen every episode of season 1 - so maybe they exist but became increasingly rare.)

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

6 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

I guess Darlene is lucky Mark and Harris aren't as needy as she and Becky were (and kind of still are) or she would have realized long ago that you do what you have to do to provide for your kids. You think she would have learned that from watching her mom take one shit job after another to help provide from them, but oh well. 

Roseanne wanted to be a writer but she had to provide for her family. She did a LOT of jobs after Wellman to provide for her family. She worked for the chicken place, the hair salon, Rodbell's as a waitress - she did whatever she needed to help her family (especially her kids). Dan and Roseanne had a kid in "art school" (aka kinda college) and were giving her money every week for her expenses. It's too bad that the biggest thing Darlene learned at "art school" was to look down on people. She hated working at the casino with Crystal (from what I've heard, casino workers make good money and have good benefits). She doesn't have a problem living at home without rent or bills. Now she's complaining about working at Wellman.

I don't even feel sorry for Darlene - she just comes off as insufferable to me. I work very closely with a chronically negative person and it's very difficult. I have to ignore her when she goes on her rants and no, she won't eat cake brought in either. ;D 

The whole thing about Darlene eating lunch in the bathroom was SO cliché high school. I can't remember but I've seen it in a couple of TV shows/movies over the years. 

 

 

[peacheslatour]

Quote

The whole thing about Darlene eating lunch in the bathroom was SO cliché high school. I can't remember but I've seen it in a couple of TV shows/movies over the years. 

The only thing we did in the bathroom in jr high was smoke.

[Bastet]

18 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

I  took the joke as Becky liked  'hitting' her baby bottle

Oh, she was referring back to when she told Darlene the nice things Roseanne said about her when she was born, Becky asked what good things Roseanne said about her, and she didn't have anything?  I see.  (So that when Becky said she'd been good at drinking, she said, "Your mother did tell me you liked the bottle".)  That makes a lot more sense, duh. 

I'm not sure Roseanne was working at Wellman back when Becky was a baby (I thought she'd been there about ten years when she quit); Nicole is ultimately just making a joke, regardless, but I think not having that timeline as head canon is partly why I missed it (election anxiety-induced bourbon consumption being the other part).

Anyway, I'm still irritated they brought back someone who actually had worked with Roseanne at Wellman, but then invented a new character to be the one to say, "I worked with your mom here" and lecture Darlene about her attitude.  Why not just give that story to Juanita?  Especially since she'd quit and opened up a business with her husband; her having to come back to Wellman would give a nice context to her giving Darlene the reality check, because she'd relate to it feeling like a giant step backwards.

Edited November 6, 2020 by Bastet

[DB in CMH]

19 hours ago, UYI said:

I appreciated Darlene seeing the value of her current job once she realized she could get something Mark really needs, in this case a computer for school. And FINALLY, someone telling her how she could still write on her own time--which, duh, but it's been actually acknowledged on the show now and thank God for that.

Was that older black woman from the first season of the original show, by any chance, from the older Wellman Plastics days? 

There are still some great one liners on this show, but there are other times where things get too silly and it's distracting. And I thought the ending tag was kind of jarring. All three of them so far have been really, IMO, but this one stood out to me the most.

Good for Louise on saying why she still has her own place, though--she absolutely still have her own place, and it shouldn't mean anything bad about her relationship with Dan at all. 

I'm a broken record on the cast sitting what looks like less than six feet apart, so I'll leave it at that for now. It DOES bug me, though. 

Cosign on this.

The show is SO uneven STILL. You'd think that they'd have it figured out in the third season, but they don't.

The Harris/Louise thing was eye-rollingly contrived.

The Darlene stuff at Wellman was good.

 

[iMonrey]

Quote

The whole thing about Darlene eating lunch in the bathroom was SO cliché high school. I can't remember but I've seen it in a couple of TV shows/movies over the years.

Yeah and I can't think of anything less appetizing than sitting on a public toilet in a stall eating your lunch. I'd rather skip lunch altogether if that's the only place I could go to eat. Talk about yuck.

Quote

I guess the house is magically saved now that they had one throwaway line about Becky and Darlene getting jobs and can pay rent.

Same. I guess that whole pesky eviction notice is resolved just because some extra income is coming in? How much are Becky and Darlene contributing if they've been able to pay off the past due mortgage amounts, court fees, etc.?

[ljenkins782]

18 hours ago, Bastet said:

Fun to see Juanita again!  But why the hell not give the "I worked with your mom" storyline to a character who actually did, rather than to a stranger?  (I've liked Anna Maria Horsford since Amen, so it was nice to see her, but come on.)

And this rando saying Roseanne told her Becky liked to hit the bottle was dumb; by the time Becky started drinking heavily, Wellman was long gone (and Roseanne working there was even longer gone; she quit at the end of season one) so they wouldn't have been in touch, let alone to share stuff like that.

The "bottle" in question was milk, she knew Roseanne when the girls were babies, hence the remark about remembering when Darlene was born.

Quote

I think the established dynamic was that Becky was the hard working girl that would make it due to elbow grease and Darlene was the one with intellectual potential who just did not give a damn - most of the time. It's possible that Roseanne bragged about her for example after she had recited her poem at the school performance. And that's what distinguishes Darlene from Harris - she did have moments of grace. (Granted I have not seen every episode of season 1 - so maybe they exist but became increasingly rare.)

Yes, Becky was the book smart, hard worker while Darlene was effortlessly smart. Roseanne projected her unfulfilled dreams onto Darlene because she saw her as a younger version of herself. 

Quote

 

The Darlene/work issue:  First off, the other woman worked there with Roseanne so she's in her mid to late 60s ish, but she's childish enough to put up a drawing being mean to a fellow employee?  Bully much.  Someone did that at my work there would be some talking to and possibly firing.  Second, Darlene is allowed to hate her job.  This nonsense of you should love this job or quit so someone else can have it is just nonsense.She's entitled to her feelings, even if that the job is beneath her and just because she realizes the merit of what that job can buy doesn't mean she should run through the halls singing a happy song every day.  As for the cake, so she didn't want a piece, maybe  I  missed something but did she spit on it and throw it in the birthday girl's face? UGh.

 

 

I can see both sides of it. Yes, Darlene has the right to hate her job and honestly, I doubt anyone there actually LIKES their jobs. And yet, I can still imagine people being put off if someone acted like they were too good for the job. It is a bit of a roundabout insult, the implication being that the job is fine for someone, just not someone as special as Darlene envisioned herself being. And standoffishness generally does make a person unpopular with others even if there's no ill intent behind it. 

Quote

 

Cosign on this.

The show is SO uneven STILL. You'd think that they'd have it figured out in the third season, but they don't.

The Harris/Louise thing was eye-rollingly contrived.

The Darlene stuff at Wellman was good.

 

I feel like the show is *almost* funny. There are some good lines sprinkled in, but it doesn't all gel the way the original did.

I'm not a big fan of Mark being the vehicle for all the "very special episode" dialogue. I feel like every time he talks, it's an overly earnest, stilted speech about whatever issue they're trying to highlight. 

Overall, I find it all a bit depressing, especially cause I've been watching the original on Prime. It's depressing to see the girls as kids and think about what a bleak future they have. The Booker flashback from an earlier episode just made me sad, hard to believe so much time has passed.

[ThatsDarling]

20 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

The "bottle" in question was milk, she knew Roseanne when the girls were babies, hence the remark about remembering when Darlene was born.

Yes, Becky was the book smart, hard worker while Darlene was effortlessly smart. Roseanne projected her unfulfilled dreams onto Darlene because she saw her as a younger version of herself. 

I can see both sides of it. Yes, Darlene has the right to hate her job and honestly, I doubt anyone there actually LIKES their jobs. And yet, I can still imagine people being put off if someone acted like they were too good for the job. It is a bit of a roundabout insult, the implication being that the job is fine for someone, just not someone as special as Darlene envisioned herself being. And standoffishness generally does make a person unpopular with others even if there's no ill intent behind it. 

I feel like the show is *almost* funny. There are some good lines sprinkled in, but it doesn't all gel the way the original did.

I'm not a big fan of Mark being the vehicle for all the "very special episode" dialogue. I feel like every time he talks, it's an overly earnest, stilted speech about whatever issue they're trying to highlight. 

Overall, I find it all a bit depressing, especially cause I've been watching the original on Prime. It's depressing to see the girls as kids and think about what a bleak future they have. The Booker flashback from an earlier episode just made me sad, hard to believe so much time has passed.

I haven't rewatched the original series in years, but if I recall correctly, Becky was initially the daughter with whom Roseanne shared the closer and more specific relationship. The idea that Darlene was a Roseanne in training wasn't developed until she was older and her passion shifted from sports to writing. During the time Roseanne worked at Wellman's, I think she would have been more likely to brag about Becky, though the current writers insist that Darlene was always the golden child of the Conner family.

I agree with you about Mark; it's always a gamble to give a child actor a role that relies heavily on dialogue, in which register they're more likely to come across as mannered or forced. The show seems less interested in him as a character than it is as a concept. 

Nice to see Louise given more to do this week, though I wish half of her screen time hadn't been spent with Harris as a scene partner; the latter's line readings tend to be one-note and familiar, and I've never been able to invest in her character. Segments involving the youngest generation of the family tend to be the weakest, IMO.

[ams1001]

9 hours ago, perkie1968 said:

I don't normally comment on Connor episodes because for the most part I'm happy with them, but this episode pissed me off, so here I am.  Also, by reading through the thread, looks like i might be the only one sitting at this table.....

The Darlene/work issue:  First off, the other woman worked there with Roseanne so she's in her mid to late 60s ish, but she's childish enough to put up a drawing being mean to a fellow employee?  Bully much.  Someone did that at my work there would be some talking to and possibly firing.  Second, Darlene is allowed to hate her job.  This nonsense of you should love this job or quit so someone else can have it is just nonsense.She's entitled to her feelings, even if that the job is beneath her and just because she realizes the merit of what that job can buy doesn't mean she should run through the halls singing a happy song every day.  As for the cake, so she didn't want a piece, maybe  I  missed something but did she spit on it and throw it in the birthday girl's face? UGh.

Darlene eating lunch in the bathroom is totally gross, even before covid.  

The Harris/Louise poker thing.  Full disclosure, not a fan of Harris.  If you're going to play poker, with real money, then suck it up when you lose said money.  Having said that, Louise suckered her in by showing her that she had a 2, implying that her cards were crap.  

Funniest part of the episode was Becky not falling for Dan's puppy dog eyes and heart attack talk during the game, but DJ immediately caving when Dan pulled it on him.  

I'll sit at your table with you.

59 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

I'm not a big fan of Mark being the vehicle for all the "very special episode" dialogue. I feel like every time he talks, it's an overly earnest, stilted speech about whatever issue they're trying to highlight. 

Same here. He just seems unrealistic.

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

The Darlene/work issue:  First off, the other woman worked there with Roseanne so she's in her mid to late 60s ish, but she's childish enough to put up a drawing being mean to a fellow employee?  

Weirder to me was that she did it to the child of someone she liked, who is now dead. Not that it is that terrible of a thing to do, but seemed kind of odd when I thought about it in that context.

Quote

I gag even when I see folks brush their teeth in a public bathroom.

I don't think I care that much when other people do it, other than getting grossed out when thinking of doing it myself. And I am a meticulous teeth cleaner, but I just can't do it!

Quote

Dan and Roseanne had a kid in "art school" (aka kinda college) 

No "kinda" about it; it's college--and far more grueling (and expensive, with very little time to have a job) than my years at non-art school (no quotation marks needed). That said, if Darlene was at school for writing, maybe she didn't have an 8- to 10-hour school day?

Edited November 6, 2020 by TattleTeeny

[UYI]

3 hours ago, ItsHelloPattiagain said:

The whole thing about Darlene eating lunch in the bathroom was SO cliché high school. I can't remember but I've seen it in a couple of TV shows/movies over the years. 

 

 

Lindsay Lohan's character in Mean Girls does so in the beginning before she starts making friends at her new school. That's probably the most famous example of the last 15 years or so. 

[ams1001]

4 minutes ago, UYI said:

Lindsay Lohan's character in Mean Girls does so in the beginning before she starts making friends at her new school. That's probably the most famous example of the last 15 years or so. 

I meant to mention that! That was the first thing I thought of during that scene.

[AgentRXS]

3 hours ago, ItsHelloPattiagain said:

Roseanne wanted to be a writer but she had to provide for her family. She did a LOT of jobs after Wellman to provide for her family. She worked for the chicken place, the hair salon, Rodbell's as a waitress - she did whatever she needed to help her family (especially her kids). Dan and Roseanne had a kid in "art school" (aka kinda college) and were giving her money every week for her expenses. It's too bad that the biggest thing Darlene learned at "art school" was to look down on people. She hated working at the casino with Crystal (from what I've heard, casino workers make good money and have good benefits). She doesn't have a problem living at home without rent or bills. Now she's complaining about working at Wellman.

I don't even feel sorry for Darlene - she just comes off as insufferable to me. I work very closely with a chronically negative person and it's very difficult. I have to ignore her when she goes on her rants and no, she won't eat cake brought in either. ;D 

The whole thing about Darlene eating lunch in the bathroom was SO cliché high school. I can't remember but I've seen it in a couple of TV shows/movies over the years. 

 

 

Agreed. I get that it's disappointing to feel like a career failure, but c'mon. Darlene saw her mom take shit from a teenaged twerp at the chicken shack just to provide for her kids. She also knew her mom was passionate enough about writing that the basement became her writing room at one point. I get why the show wants to avoid too much talk about Roseanne Conner, but its crazy to me that Darlene at her age with teenage kids of her own wouldn't have the maturity to realize that you have to eat shit sometimes to do whats best for your family. 

Also, why the hell is Ben doing Instacart instead of helping Dan out? I don't mind him doing it for supplemental income, but a guy of his size and stature should be ashamed of himself to watch Dan at his age doing all that physical labor and not at least offer to work with him part-time--especially since he seems to be living under Dan's roof too. 

[Bastet]

Other than in the middle of a deadly pandemic, I give zero thought to germs, but even I would not want to eat in a shared bathroom.  Because, again, don't care about germs, but the sounds and smells from others are not exactly conducive to eating, not to mention the cramped quarters and uncomfortable seat. 

I get that this is fall in Illinois, not Los Angeles where I live, so eating outdoors is probably not an option, but how about in the car?  If they take the bus to work (or parking is far enough away it's not feasible to clock out, get her food prepped, go to the car, eat, come back and clock back in), did she even try sitting by herself or with Becky in the breakroom and just not participating in conversation beyond that which is necessary to be polite if someone else sat down and started chatting?  I know she said something about looking funny while she eats, but I think Darlene fundamentally just wants to be left alone at lunch.  And I can understand that, but there has to be a better way than eating in an employee bathroom!

[geauxaway]

4 minutes ago, Bastet said:

And I can understand that, but there has to be a better way than eating in an employee bathroom!

They’re called ear buds.  Every adult human should be aware of them.  Pop them in and sit at a table alone.  I used to see it every day when I worked in a very large office facility.  
 

The Connors are assholes.  I can’t come up with any other explanation at this point.  They are rude and they complain constantly, and then criticize and make fun of anyone who is not them.  

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

I get that this is fall in Illinois, not Los Angeles where I live, so eating outdoors is probably not an option, but how about in the car? 

She had been eating in the car, but I think someone mentioned some reason that changed that in the scene where Darlene overheard them.

[DB in CMH]

Darlene always thought she was better than the other characters on the show, so it's no surprise that she still thinks she's better than them. She's bitter because her life circumstances don't reflect what she thinks she is. From the midpoint of the original onwards, she was also treated as the great hope of the Conner family, and she clearly failed to live up to that. Roseanne was never anybody's great hope, and she didn't act like she was better than anybody else. She was trying to make sure that her children did better than she did.

Being a few years younger than Darlene, I know people exactly like this. Their lives didn't pan out the way they imagined, so now they're in their 40s, with kids, stuck at crappy jobs, and they're bitter. They're not the kind of people you want to spend a lot of time with because they're draining.

If the show were better written, I think they could still make Darlene a funny character to balance her bitterness a bit. But the show would have to be better written....

 

On another note, the scenes at Wellman really bother me because Darlene and Becky barely do any work. I have the same issue with Superstore. It's hard to buy into the realism of the scene when you know the actors were told just to move things around a bit to make it look like they're doing something.

 

Edited November 6, 2020 by DB in CMH

[jewel21]

1 hour ago, TattleTeeny said:

She had been eating in the car, but I think someone mentioned some reason that changed that in the scene where Darlene overheard them.

She had been shown eating in the car. While she's was in the bathroom stall, one of the women said that they were fixing up the parking lot or something which explains why Darleen couldn't continue to eat in her car. 

[rmontro]

This is a very minor quibble, but I found it distracting.  In the guitar scene, Harris' fingers were one fret too high to be an E7 chord that Louis was teaching her.  When Louis picked up the guitar, she played it correctly.  I'm not trying to pretend this matters in any way, but I couldn't help but notice it.  

[CrystalBlue]

Everyone here has covered all my points and opinions very well.

[qtpye]

On 11/4/2020 at 10:54 PM, Melina22 said:

I'm not sure that Dan and Louise as a couple are working for me. I realize that John's real life weight loss has maybe made him look older and feebler than he actually is, but the disparity between the two of them is so great. It feels jarring at times. It's pulling me out of the show, which I otherwise enjoy. 

 I think of Louise the way I think of Ben. I like the actors and are glad the characters are still around. However, realistically both Ben and Louise could do a lot better. There is no reason for them to hook their boats to the sinking ship that is the Connor clan.

On 11/4/2020 at 11:14 PM, UYI said:

I appreciated Darlene seeing the value of her current job once she realized she could get something Mark really needs, in this case a computer for school. And FINALLY, someone telling her how she could still write on her own time--which, duh, but it's been actually acknowledged on the show now and thank God for that.

Was that older black woman from the first season of the original show, by any chance, from the older Wellman Plastics days? 

There are still some great one liners on this show, but there are other times where things get too silly and it's distracting. And I thought the ending tag was kind of jarring. All three of them so far have been really, IMO, but this one stood out to me the most.

Good for Louise on saying why she still has her own place, though--she absolutely still have her own place, and it shouldn't mean anything bad about her relationship with Dan at all. 

I'm a broken record on the cast sitting what looks like less than six feet apart, so I'll leave it at that for now. It DOES bug me, though. 

Dan can probably move into that place once he is evicted...if that is still happening.

On 11/5/2020 at 12:36 AM, Bastet said:

Fun to see Juanita again!  But why the hell not give the "I worked with your mom" storyline to a character who actually did, rather than to a stranger?  (I've liked Anna Maria Horsford since Amen, so it was nice to see her, but come on.)

And this rando saying Roseanne told her Becky liked to hit the bottle was dumb; by the time Becky started drinking heavily, Wellman was long gone (and Roseanne working there was even longer gone; she quit at the end of season one) so they wouldn't have been in touch, let alone to share stuff like that.

Darlene and Becky maskless at Wellman continues to drive me nuts; I know it's because they want to show the actors' faces as much as possible, and they're showing the sisters without anyone else around (which is not how factories work), but it's still distracting - and then they get to the break room and it's even worse.

And why the fuck is Dan still having poker games?  I'm glad this was the first one and everyone else was smart enough to cancel. 

Dan getting butthurt at Louise going home was ridiculous.  She ought to be going home regularly; part of the bubble, not living there (like Jackie and D.J. and Mary).  I'm trying to decide if it's in character for him to be that needy, having had a woman living with him for almost his entire adult life, and him being all in once he's in.  Maybe.  But "How can you be so stupid and still survive?" was great, regardless, and I like that they worked it out in the end.

Darlene realizing why her mom sucked it up, did that job, and made the best of it was overdue, but welcome.  And Louise and Harris were nice (although, WTF with "dating" [it was online only, right?] a married man being stupid but no big deal?) together.

Ben again made me laugh when he said, "I was just faking it until I could get my hands on all of this" when Darlene said he was more interesting in the beginning.

Did Darlene think her mom enjoyed doing these types of jobs for fun? The chicken place with the twerp boss was particularly brutal.

14 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

I am a loner at work as well but I am polite and cordial to most of my coworkers. You can be introverted without acting like you're better than everyone else. 

I guess Darlene is lucky Mark and Harris aren't as needy as she and Becky were (and kind of still are) or she would have realized long ago that you do what you have to do to provide for your kids. You think she would have learned that from watching her mom take one shit job after another to help provide from them, but oh well. 

Mark is a sweetheart and Harris was actually pretty independent the way she went out and got a job at that Wal-Mart type place. It is too bad it replaced its employees with robots. Also, the pandemic is probably keeping her from getting other types of jobs.

10 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Especially since Becky was the brain and the school nerd and was only shown drinking in the one episode with her friend, which was totally normal behavior for teens. Becky was the child that Roseanne would have bragged about to the ladies at Wellman. Darlene was a sarcastic tomboy who got crappy grades. I do really hate some of the retcons. It's like the producers never actually watched Roseanne (the series).

 

 

 

10 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I think the established dynamic was that Becky was the hard working girl that would make it due to elbow grease and Darlene was the one with intellectual potential who just did not give a damn - most of the time. It's possible that Roseanne bragged about her for example after she had recited her poem at the school performance. And that's what distinguishes Darlene from Harris - she did have moments of grace. (Granted I have not seen every episode of season 1 - so maybe they exist but became increasingly rare.)

 

5 hours ago, ThatsDarling said:

I haven't rewatched the original series in years, but if I recall correctly, Becky was initially the daughter with whom Roseanne shared the closer and more specific relationship. The idea that Darlene was a Roseanne in training wasn't developed until she was older and her passion shifted from sports to writing. During the time Roseanne worked at Wellman's, I think she would have been more likely to brag about Becky, though the current writers insist that Darlene was always the golden child of the Conner family.

I agree with you about Mark; it's always a gamble to give a child actor a role that relies heavily on dialogue, in which register they're more likely to come across as mannered or forced. The show seems less interested in him as a character than it is as a concept. 

Nice to see Louise given more to do this week, though I wish half of her screen time hadn't been spent with Harris as a scene partner; the latter's line readings tend to be one-note and familiar, and I've never been able to invest in her character. Segments involving the youngest generation of the family tend to be the weakest, IMO.

This is true. At first Roseanne was supposed to be more like girly Becky and Darlene was supposed to be more like tomboy Darlene.  I think the dynamic changed because at the beginning of the series because young Darlene was a bit of a breakout star. There had never been a girl on TV like Darlene before this show. She seemed so real and had not of the precocious polish that most kid actors automatically have. It is kind of hard to believe since now all teenagers seem to smart mouthed pains  but it was true when the show first aired. Some people thought young Darlene could deliver a line that sounded just like Roseanne. Then Becky had more moments with her rebellion phase and Darlene grew up to be a bit more deadpan and was not as fun as a teenager as she was when she was a very smart mouthed kid.

However, while Roseanne was working at Wellmans, the golden child would be Becky, at least for Roseanne. Also, Becky did enjoy doing some things with Roseanne but Darlene never could stand to be around her. Even when talking about books, Darlene preferred to hang out with some bookstore owner and her husband, rather than her mother. I do not think that Darlene had even begun to write while her mom worked at the factory but I could be wrong.