S03.E10: Who Are Bosses, Boats and Eckhart Tolle?

[Pallas]

Jackie: "I'll take Stories A, B or C for $1,000."

[peacheslatour]

Looks like we're gonna be treated to Wacky Jacky tonight. Oh, joy. 🙄

Chuck's new purchase of a boat creates a rift; Darlene hires her first assistant at Wellman's Plastics but soon realizes she is anything but helpful; Jackie is laser-focused on her dream of being a contestant on "Jeopardy!"

[Annber03]

I liked Darlene's outfit she had on during her first day in her new office. It's interesting seeing her in charge. 

Glad Dan and Chuck were able to talk things out. I liked their chat on the boat at the end. 

[Axie]

I hadn't watched this in awhile and am kind of surprised at how depressing I found it.

[SoMuchTV]

I know there’s a poster who’s been commenting on this every episode, but can I just add - what alternative universe are they living in, where you need to wear a mask outdoors, but as soon as you step inside (among people you aren’t living with), it’s all good and you can go ahead and take that thing off!

[Giuseppe]

I can't recall if this has come up before, but isn't it way too soon for Darlene to get this type of promotion? They've only been working there for a few months, right? And when they first started, she made herself an outcast. I know Robin took her under her wing, but it still just feels very rushed.

I liked seeing Dan and Chuck together. Always nice to have some of the old school recurring characters show up here. I doubt we'll ever see Crystal, Ann Marie, or Nancy again, even if they did show up previously in the reboot. Hope I'm wrong, though.

[UYI]

As far as I remember, Dan & Roseanne didn't see Chuck & Anne Marie again until the episode where Becky pretended she had flipped the bird in her class picture, and Roseanne saw Anne Marie at her school--Chuck Jr. had also gotten in trouble for the same thing. Therefore, I don't think Chuck would have been in their lives when Becky was born. But hey, what am I thinking questioning Conner family history at this point? -_-

I actually felt like we didn't see Wacky Jackie as much as we would have expected to tonight? She wasn't NEARLY as over the top as I feared she would be. Lowered expectations, I guess.

I could have almost believed that Darlene would have had an assistant who would threaten everyone else on her behalf, until we saw how cuckoo she really was.

And as always: You don't take off your mask to go INSIDE someone else's house! If the show thinks we won't recognize the character without their mask being off, have someone greet them by name first; it may be awkward, but at least they would look safer than they do now. 

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I know there’s a poster who’s been commenting on this every episode, but can I just add - what alternative universe are they living in, where you need to wear a mask outdoors, but as soon as you step inside (among people you aren’t living with), it’s all good and you can go ahead and take that thing off!

Yeah, it's driving me nuts.

[catlover79]

Naturally, neither Darlene nor any of her prospective assistants wore masks during their interviews. GRRRRRR...

Much as I like Sara Gilbert (and feel that The Talk went totally downhill once she left), I'm ready for a break from Darlene. Does she have to be the focus every single episode? 

[Bastet]

Holy hell, I know I vowed to keep it simple with my broken record, but that's as good as it's ever gonna get, because this crazy ass backwards mask shit makes me crazy every week.

Chuck and Dan's fights are always good; my favorite remains when Dan cuts him loose to get the money he needs for Roseanne's knee replacement surgery, but this was nicely played, too.  In fact, every moment of them was great.  "It's not my fault you suck at money; you couldn't hold onto it if it had a handle."  And, especially, Chuck busting Dan's white privilege bubble.  "Even if I told you, you don't live it; you wouldn't understand."

But, yeah, as pointed out, Chuck wouldn't have been there when Becky was born, as they'd all lost touch until "the finger" incident brought Roseanne and Anne Marie back together.

Darlene's blazer and sneaker combination made me laugh; it's so Darlene.  I also love Becky mocking her one-question interview process having resulted in hiring a nutjob. 

I continue to love how Robin busts Becky's chops.  I continue to love Robin, period; she's a good addition to the show.

[Snow Apple]

I liked how Chuck revealed he's been saving $20 a week (or was it month?) for the past 40 years. If it's weekly, that's over $40k even without growing interest. He wanted a boat and was willing to save up no matter how long it took. I know people like that. I'm one of them.

Compare that to the Connors who never had an extra dollar they wouldn't automatically waste. I also know people like that. Instant gratification is their motto but then get envious of the savers who "suddenly" fall into money and buy a big purchase. Yes, things happen in life and you're forced to use your savings but the Connors never tried to build a nest egg for emergencies or for pleasure.

Edited February 4, 2021 by Snow Apple

[Yeah No]

Did anyone notice the street scene outside Darlene's office window?  There was a big Woolworth's sign on the opposite corner.  The last Woolworth's closed in the US in 1997.  I know this how is a revamp of an old series, but they could have at least updated their backgrounds.

The inconsistent mask wearing is also annoying.  Like Chuck walking into Dan's living room and taking off his mask.  They don't live together.  I know they work together, but still.  Plus Darlene's crazy new assistant walking into the house and taking her mask off.  It happens a lot and is annoying.  Given that "community spread" is now seen as the major way the virus spreads this kind of stuff is irresponsible, IMHO.

[txhorns79]

Quote

Did anyone notice the street scene outside Darlene's office window?  There was a big Woolworth's sign on the opposite corner.  The last Woolworth's closed in the US in 1997.  I know this how is a revamp of an old series, but they could have at least updated their backgrounds.

I was actually a little confused with Darlene's job.  For some reason, I thought she had been promoted to a line supervisor, which would mean she would still work on the line, but she would be supervising.  I didn't realize her promotion was to be an executive.  I don't really understand how one goes from working the line to overseeing plant production without there being a few steps in between.  I'll admit, it could be just be I misunderstood what kind of promotion she was getting. 

[readster]

3 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

I liked how Chuck revealed he's been saving $20 a week (or was it month?) for the past 40 years. If it's weekly, that's over $40k even without growing interest. He wanted a boat and was willing to save up no matter how long it took. I know people like that. I'm one of them.

Compare that to the Connors who never had an extra dollar they wouldn't automatically waste. I also know people like that. Instant gratification is their motto but then get envious of the savers who "suddenly" fall into money and buy a big purchase. Yes, things happen in life and you're forced to use your savings but the Connors never tried to build a nest egg for emergencies or for pleasure.

That's the thing, as much as Chuck wishes he was "fully retired" he didn't make the same mistakes as Dan or Rosanne did. Another change was the fact he and Anne Marie only had one kid and didn't have to deal with three (minus one more later in life). Plus, Dan, Rosanne and Jackie just would get a good break and then just spend the money like they felt it was burning a hole in their pocket. Here Dan gets mad at Chuck for getting his boat when he had been saving up for it. Realizes he might live long enough to enjoy some "fun stuff" after COVID is in the rear view mirror some day. Yet, Dan almost loses his house, keeps doing very dumb stuff. Has his kids almost living rent free. Then wants to complain about things? At the worst, he should have had his mortgage complete paid off by now and be worrying about other things. Yet, he took out several mortgages, gave up a good city job that apparently now has been officially referenced he gave up for a very dumb reason. Yet, Dan still falls into: "Why am I so damn poor?"

[peacheslatour]

10 minutes ago, readster said:

That's the thing, as much as Chuck wishes he was "fully retired" he didn't make the same mistakes as Dan or Rosanne did. Another change was the fact he and Anne Marie only had one kid and didn't have to deal with three (minus one more later in life). Plus, Dan, Rosanne and Jackie just would get a good break and then just spend the money like they felt it was burning a hole in their pocket. Here Dan gets mad at Chuck for getting his boat when he had been saving up for it. Realizes he might live long enough to enjoy some "fun stuff" after COVID is in the rear view mirror some day. Yet, Dan almost loses his house, keeps doing very dumb stuff. Has his kids almost living rent free. Then wants to complain about things? At the worst, he should have had his mortgage complete paid off by now and be worrying about other things. Yet, he took out several mortgages, gave up a good city job that apparently now has been officially referenced he gave up for a very dumb reason. Yet, Dan still falls into: "Why am I so damn poor?"

That motorcycle shop was the second dumbest thing Dan ever did. The first was quitting the City job. These people are children.

[greekmom]

4 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

I liked how Chuck revealed he's been saving $20 a week (or was it month?) for the past 40 years. If it's weekly, that's over $40k even without growing interest. He wanted a boat and was willing to save up no matter how long it took. I know people like that. I'm one of them.

Compare that to the Connors who never had an extra dollar they wouldn't automatically waste. I also know people like that. Instant gratification is their motto but then get envious of the savers who "suddenly" fall into money and buy a big purchase. Yes, things happen in life and you're forced to use your savings but the Connors never tried to build a nest egg for emergencies or for pleasure.

 

13 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

That motorcycle shop was the second dumbest thing Dan ever did. The first was quitting the City job. These people are children.

@peacheslatour you took the words out of my mouth. Dan and Roseanne took major financial risks time and time again so that they wouldn't work for "the man". First the bike shop then the Lunchbox. Including Dan quitting his job with the city.  At this point he could have been retired with a cushy pension.  If Dan still had his city job he could have taken odd jobs on weekends for extra cash.  When they got the windfall from the city job instead of paying off the mortgage or investing it, they blew it by taking the WHOLE family to Disney.  

I was a bit confused on Chuck's speech to Dan about their friendship. Even if say they were never close till Becky's "finger-gate", they were still good friends.  Wasn't Chuck part of Dan's crew at the city job? And when Dan went to jail for punching Fisher, it was Chuck and his wife who visited them the next day to see if he was ok and give him the harmonica.  I understand it was to Chuck's advantage to get into partnership with Dan but damn, I assumed they were good friends.

I am very surprised that Chuck has enough money saved up for retirement.  But as someone upthread pointed out, he only had 1 kid, not 3 (or 4 if we count Jerry) and most likely his kid is out of the home and not still being supported by Chuck.

The crazy assistant storyline was just dumb. Even if Darlene needed to hire an assistant, HR would be there interviewing with her. 

[peacheslatour]

Quote

The crazy assistant storyline was just dumb. Even if Darlene needed to hire an assistant, HR would be there interviewing with her. 

You bet they would. Along with dept. heads.

[Snow Apple]

5 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

You bet they would. Along with dept. heads.

And background checks. I’m some ways, this show still think it’s the 90’s.

[txhorns79]

41 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

You bet they would. Along with dept. heads.

At least at my firm.  HR pre-screens these types of positions before they ever get to interview with us.  HR is not in the interview with us, and interviews for things like secretary or clerk are with whomever they will be working for, not all department heads.

[iMonrey]

Just how dumb is Darlene supposed to be, anyway? They are writing these characters as idiots to mine them for laughs without any regard to their integrity as characters we used to care about.

I think they were trying to make a point about race with Chuck and Dan, but at one point they won a government contract precisely because of their minority-ownership status. God knows if these writers even remember that episode.

I did think it was thoughtless of Chuck to show off his new boat knowing Dan was in financial straits. And regardless of what he's been saving up, no way could Chuck afford to retire (AND buy a boat) if he's been working the same job as Dan these past few decades.

[TattleTeeny]

Maybe the Woolworths has sat there empty for all these years?

I don't know why, but this show always looks faded and washed-out on my TV, even though my other channels are fine.

Edited February 4, 2021 by TattleTeeny

[peacheslatour]

41 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

At least at my firm.  HR pre-screens these types of positions before they ever get to interview with us.  HR is not in the interview with us, and interviews for things like secretary or clerk are with whomever they will be working for, not all department heads.

We didn't have an HR dept. It was basically me (the office manager) and the principals/owners/project managers. I was never there when they hired the surveyors, only the office staff.

[Snow Apple]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

 

I did think it was thoughtless of Chuck to show off his new boat knowing Dan was in financial straits. And regardless of what he's been saving up, no way could Chuck afford to retire (AND buy a boat) if he's been working the same job as Dan these past few decades.

I don't remember but didn't Ann-Marie work? Maybe they can afford to retire if she worked for companies that provided insurance and a pension. Maybe their house is paid off so they just need enough money to pay bills and property taxes. Maybe Chuck Jr. helps out unlike the Connor kids.

Working for yourself is a nice dream but you need to know what you're doing to make a profit. A bit of luck too. It seems the Connors open businesses without a plan and think customers will just show up.

[peacheslatour]

45 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

I don't remember but didn't Ann-Marie work? Maybe they can afford to retire if she worked for companies that provided insurance and a pension. Maybe their house is paid off so they just need enough money to pay bills and property taxes. Maybe Chuck Jr. helps out unlike the Connor kids.

Working for yourself is a nice dream but you need to know what you're doing to make a profit. A bit of luck too. It seems the Connors open businesses without a plan and think customers will just show up.

They didn't do any research, look into demographics or even write up a business plan. Just knee jerk, I wanna do this to hell with Becky's college plans or paying off their myriad debts.

[marceline]

52 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

Working for yourself is a nice dream but you need to know what you're doing to make a profit. A bit of luck too. It seems the Connors open businesses without a plan and think customers will just show up.

Big dreams and self-sabotage have long been Connor family traits. Sadly, Ben fits right in by quitting his job to start a podcast.

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, greekmom said:

The crazy assistant storyline was just dumb. Even if Darlene needed to hire an assistant, HR would be there interviewing with her. 

Of course, even at two bit companies like that one HR would be involved at least for the initial intake, which these days most often takes place on the phone or Zoom.  And never mind that, this loon would never have made it past the resume screening.  Her history would have been like a sea of red flags waving, unless she lied.  Even if she lied she didn't seem capable of producing a resume that would make it past the HR assistant's desk.

I have to ask, how stupid do they think the audience is?  I really feel like they're insulting us at this point.  Do they think we all fell off the turnip truck yesterday?  It's just lazy writing.  Something I'd even roll my eyes at back in the '60s on "The Beverly Hillbillies". 

At this point I'm wondering how much the pandemic has to do with this because I'm noticing similarly dumb situations on other shows I watch - Dumber than usual and insulting to both the cast and the audience.  Are they letting the interns write the scripts these days?

3 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

And background checks. I’m some ways, this show still think it’s the 90’s.

I had a background check done on me to work in a Fortune 100 company back in the 90's.  This show still thinks it's the '80s, LOL. 😉

[iMonrey]

Quote

I don't remember but didn't Ann-Marie work? 

Good point. To the best of my recollection they never explicitly said whether or not she worked - she was always a fairly minor character. But it's certainly possible. 

Quote

 It seems the Connors open businesses without a plan and think customers will just show up.

You mean like opening a restaurant that serves stew? 🙄

Quote

The crazy assistant storyline was just dumb. Even if Darlene needed to hire an assistant, HR would be there interviewing with her. 

That's not the way it works at my company. The manager posts the ad, reviews the applications and resumes, and calls and sets up appointments for interviews, and does the interviewing alone. If he/she wants to offer the job to someone, only then does HR get involved by calling the references and giving the thumbs-up or thumbs-down.

Assuming Wellman's even has an HR department their level of involvement is clearly minimal. 

[rmontro]

18 hours ago, UYI said:

And as always: You don't take off your mask to go INSIDE someone else's house! If the show thinks we won't recognize the character without their mask being off, have someone greet them by name first; it may be awkward, but at least they would look safer than they do now. 

Seriously, if you're not going to use any logic with the masks, just pretend Covid doesn't exist and don't use them at all.  Or maybe they need to hire Tom Cruise as mask consultant  🙂

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

I still find Reboot Darlene confusing. Wasn't she cynical and negative and sarcastic in the original series? Now she's this spineless anxious whiny woman who falls for some weird woman's sob story (sorry but that new assistant was too perky for Original Recipe Darlene ). She's being written as a sitcom semi-bimbo that seems to try too hard to be liked. There's no bite in her personality (and I really didn't like Original Recipe Darlene much). 

Loved Dan and Chuck. I wonder why they didn't show Dan back in his garage working on his old boat. I was thinking that's why Dan was so upset about Chuck getting his own boat. Ann-Marie did work originally, because she lost her job at one point. I'm guessing she found another and worked and stuffed money under her mattress so Chuck could get his boat and retire. 

I'm optimistic about Jackie and Jeopardy. I remember she had quite a smart lively uncrazy personality earlier in the original show - until Fred left and she turned into Wacky Jackie. Maybe she has found it again.  Isn't is about time for Fred to show up and drive her off the edge? 

 

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

I don't remember but didn't Ann-Marie work?

Yes.  In her first episode (when they're both at the principal's office because their kids flipped the bird in the class photo ["We're all fingers over here"]), Roseanne remarks that she hopes this doesn't make her late for work, and Anne-Marie says "me too". 

[mythoughtis]

All this  about Dan and Chuck was to do two things... give this show a chance to weigh in on race relations like every show on and give Dan another reason to be broke.  Now he has to come up with the money to buy Chuck out of the partnership.  Of course, they had to steamroll over their friendship to do so.  They were too close if friends for Chuck and to tell him their friendship was all a lie so that he could own part of a business.

[greekmom]

47 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

All this  about Dan and Chuck was to do two things... give this show a chance to weigh in on race relations like every show on and give Dan another reason to be broke.  Now he has to come up with the money to buy Chuck out of the partnership.  Of course, they had to steamroll over their friendship to do so.  They were too close if friends for Chuck and to tell him their friendship was all a lie so that he could own part of a business.

I didn't understand why Chuck wouldn't agree to being a silent partner if Dan still wanted to work. And I agree with your remark that they were too close of friends for Chuck to say what he said. It really shows how little the writers refer to the original Roseanne show.

[ams1001]

 

12 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Did anyone notice the street scene outside Darlene's office window?  There was a big Woolworth's sign on the opposite corner.  The last Woolworth's closed in the US in 1997.  I know this how is a revamp of an old series, but they could have at least updated their backgrounds.

Flashbacks to childhood visits to my grandparents' house. They lived close enough for us to walk into their small downtown when we were old enough. Woolworth's was about the only place to go. (My grandfather died in 1988 and my grandmother moved to Maryland to live with my aunt and uncle after that; was never in a Woolworth's since.)

9 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I was actually a little confused with Darlene's job.  For some reason, I thought she had been promoted to a line supervisor, which would mean she would still work on the line, but she would be supervising.  I didn't realize her promotion was to be an executive.  I don't really understand how one goes from working the line to overseeing plant production without there being a few steps in between.  I'll admit, it could be just be I misunderstood what kind of promotion she was getting. 

I thought the same thing. I'm 99% sure they said "line supervisor" when they announced her promotion; I think her nameplate said "production supervisor." Either way, that doesn't sound like the kind of job that would come with a private office and an assistant.

I can see someone maybe getting a promotion like that if they had something in their work background to justify it (like, they took the factory job because it was all that was available at the time but had some relevant management experience in the past), but what does Darlene have? Some kind of publishing job in Chicago and helping run a mugshot mag for five minutes...?

I transferred to where I work now from another part of the company, for a job with a former manager at one of the stores I worked in (so I knew him and that I was pretty much sure to get it); I still had to interview with HR first.  And even if they don't have a big HR department, I'd think her boss would want to at least be involved in interviewing, especially for someone who is new to the job and has never hired before. Robin said she set up the interviews. Crazy Ex-Assistant made a comment about how she couldn't have another firing on her resume...Robin didn't even look at her work history before bringing her in?

[txhorns79]

Quote

I thought the same thing. I'm 99% sure they said "line supervisor" when they announced her promotion; I think her nameplate said "production supervisor." Either way, that doesn't sound like the kind of job that would come with a private office and an assistant.

I watched the prior episode on ABC.com.  Robin does tell Darlene she is being promoted to line supervisor, and the nameplate in this episode did say "Production Supervisor." 

[Melina22]

23 hours ago, Bastet said:

I continue to love how Robin busts Becky's chops.  I continue to love Robin, period; she's a good addition to the show.

I must be in the minority but I'm not enjoying Robin at all. Is she supposed to have a dry sense of humour? Or is she just hostile and/or in a terrible mood most of the time? 

And I'm not enjoying Katey Segal either, although I've liked her in other shows. Her acting seems stilted here. 

I continue to enjoy watching Darlene, Becky and Jackie. They always make me laugh and I still love Jackie's awful quarantine hair. 

[Lovecat]

On 2/4/2021 at 1:14 PM, iMonrey said:

I did think it was thoughtless of Chuck to show off his new boat knowing Dan was in financial straits. And regardless of what he's been saving up, no way could Chuck afford to retire (AND buy a boat) if he's been working the same job as Dan these past few decades.

Of course he hasn't, he's been moonlighting as a surgeon up in Seattle all these years 😉

16 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I watched the prior episode on ABC.com.  Robin does tell Darlene she is being promoted to line supervisor, and the nameplate in this episode did say "Production Supervisor." 

Yeah, I'm certain that when Darlene got the promotion, she said she'd still be working on the line, just with some additional supervisory duties, which I imagined to be related to training, scheduling, and monitoring productivity.    Her (relatively) improved wardrobe, an office, and an assistant?  Interacting with department heads?  Those are the trappings of someone much higher on the food chain.  The writers don't seem to know the difference between a supervisor and a manager.

[ams1001]

13 minutes ago, Lovecat said:

Yeah, I'm certain that when Darlene got the promotion, she said she'd still be working on the line, just with some additional supervisory duties, which I imagined to be related to training, scheduling, and monitoring productivity.    Her (relatively) improved wardrobe, an office, and an assistant?  Interacting with department heads?  Those are the trappings of someone much higher on the food chain.  The writers don't seem to know the difference between a supervisor and a manager.

I work in the finance department of a warehouse. The warehouse supervisors have cubicles near the areas in which they supervise. The warehouse managers who have offices are still just in larger, fully enclosed cubicles with doors, also on the warehouse floor. It's the people above them who have actual offices up in the office area (where I work, but I'm not management so I have a cubicle).

13 minutes ago, Lovecat said:

Of course he hasn't, he's been moonlighting as a surgeon up in Seattle all these years 😉

It'd be funny if they worked that in somehow. Halloween costume, maybe?

[eskimo]

I agree with those above who are saying that the writing is killing these characters.  They've become very two dimentional.  The heart is gone, along with the characters brains.  I get that the Connors have made many poor decisions, but there was a little general common sense at one time.  Now they are all empty shells.  

I also dislike how the episodes don't gel together as a complete series.

I actually loved Darlene's assistant.  A completely dedicated nut job!  Lol  I thought it was funny in the sitcom universe.   

Edited February 5, 2021 by eskimo

[Cherpumple]

You guys have covered my confusion/criticism of the Chuck plotline really well, so I'll stick with the positives from this episode. I like the Jackie stuff and hope they follow through and let her actually go on Jeopardy. It would be great for her to actually win a game and get some money, rather than make a fool of herself, so I'm rooting for her. But I have no idea if filming a cross-show episode is allowed under Covid protocol.

I was glad to see Dwight back and would be happy to see him as Dan's new partner. This version of Dwight is fun and brings a little more energy to his scenes, so I'm all for it. And Covid-hair Dwight looks a lot like a young David Crosby, so it would be hilarious if he turned out to be related to Bonnie's husband from the original run.

[MarthaEllisanne]

Wasn't Chuck the one who convinced Dan to quit the garage (and life-time benefits) to pursue the short-term, but lucrative prison dry-wall project?  But Chuck is right; the Conners immediately blew through money instead of trying to save.  I recently saw a rerun of the episode where they took Dan's severance money from the garage and took the whole family to Disneyland. Just one of the many decisions they made over the years that continue to dog the family.  Not saying families shouldn't have some fun, but better financial planning would have helped. I guess the show could serve as a warning to younger folk.

[UYI]

1 hour ago, MarthaEllisanne said:

Wasn't Chuck the one who convinced Dan to quit the garage (and life-time benefits) to pursue the short-term, but lucrative prison dry-wall project?  But Chuck is right; the Conners immediately blew through money instead of trying to save.  I recently saw a rerun of the episode where they took Dan's severance money from the garage and took the whole family to Disneyland. Just one of the many decisions they made over the years that continue to dog the family.  Not saying families shouldn't have some fun, but better financial planning would have helped. I guess the show could serve as a warning to younger folk.

Minor nitpick: They actually went to Disney World. :)

Your overall point stands, though. 

 

[love2lovebadtv]

On 2/4/2021 at 1:14 PM, iMonrey said:

Just how dumb is Darlene supposed to be, anyway? They are writing these characters as idiots to mine them for laughs without any regard to their integrity as characters we used to care about.

I think they were trying to make a point about race with Chuck and Dan, but at one point they won a government contract precisely because of their minority-ownership status. God knows if these writers even remember that episode.

I did think it was thoughtless of Chuck to show off his new boat knowing Dan was in financial straits. And regardless of what he's been saving up, no way could Chuck afford to retire (AND buy a boat) if he's been working the same job as Dan these past few decades.

I think he could afford it if he handled his money well. Many people work second jobs, so side work, save their income tax refunds, etc. Dan could be quite comfortable with different choices and different circumstances. There are so many people on the show and the writing glosses over most of them. We don't know if Chuck's wife has also been working, whether his son still exists and helps his parents. And their mortgage is probably paid off by now, too. 

Edited February 5, 2021 by love2lovebadtv

[nilyank]

If the Connors had actually won the lottery all those years ago, they would have wasted every single dollar and have nothing to show for it except maybe some tacky items that they bought that they no one will now buy on eBay.

[peacheslatour]

8 minutes ago, love2lovebadtv said:

I think he could afford it if he handled his money well. Many people work second jobs, so side work, save their income tax refunds, etc. Dan could be quite comfortable with different choices and different circumstances

For that matter, he could have inherited money.

[love2lovebadtv]

On 2/3/2021 at 9:56 PM, Giuseppe said:

I can't recall if this has come up before, but isn't it way too soon for Darlene to get this type of promotion? They've only been working there for a few months, right? And when they first started, she made herself an outcast. I know Robin took her under her wing, but it still just feels very rushed.

I liked seeing Dan and Chuck together. Always nice to have some of the old school recurring characters show up here. I doubt we'll ever see Crystal, Ann Marie, or Nancy again, even if they did show up previously in the reboot. Hope I'm wrong, though.

The promotion is ridiculous lol. Being good on the line got her promoted to line supervisor. That's almost believable. I have no idea what kind of promotion this is supposed to be. 

On 2/4/2021 at 7:38 AM, Snow Apple said:

I liked how Chuck revealed he's been saving $20 a week (or was it month?) for the past 40 years. If it's weekly, that's over $40k even without growing interest. He wanted a boat and was willing to save up no matter how long it took. I know people like that. I'm one of them.

Compare that to the Connors who never had an extra dollar they wouldn't automatically waste. I also know people like that. Instant gratification is their motto but then get envious of the savers who "suddenly" fall into money and buy a big purchase. Yes, things happen in life and you're forced to use your savings but the Connors never tried to build a nest egg for emergencies or for pleasure.

This family handles money quite poorly. I still can't get over Dan being too proud to accept rent. And I was surprised that Mary was asking Dan for money to play laser tag. I don't think DJ is rich but it's still his job to provide funds for Mary's care. Just because she stays in the main Conner household does not mean she should have to ask her grandfather for money. She is not there because her parents are struggling, but rather because they're working. 

On 2/4/2021 at 10:57 AM, txhorns79 said:

I was actually a little confused with Darlene's job.  For some reason, I thought she had been promoted to a line supervisor, which would mean she would still work on the line, but she would be supervising.  I didn't realize her promotion was to be an executive.  I don't really understand how one goes from working the line to overseeing plant production without there being a few steps in between.  I'll admit, it could be just be I misunderstood what kind of promotion she was getting. 

Yes, I was surprised to see her in a huge office with an assistant. Does Robin even have an assistant? A line manager works on the line and isn't an executive. 

On 2/4/2021 at 11:57 AM, greekmom said:

 

@peacheslatour you took the words out of my mouth. Dan and Roseanne took major financial risks time and time again so that they wouldn't work for "the man". First the bike shop then the Lunchbox. Including Dan quitting his job with the city.  At this point he could have been retired with a cushy pension.  If Dan still had his city job he could have taken odd jobs on weekends for extra cash.  When they got the windfall from the city job instead of paying off the mortgage or investing it, they blew it by taking the WHOLE family to Disney.  

I was a bit confused on Chuck's speech to Dan about their friendship. Even if say they were never close till Becky's "finger-gate", they were still good friends.  Wasn't Chuck part of Dan's crew at the city job? And when Dan went to jail for punching Fisher, it was Chuck and his wife who visited them the next day to see if he was ok and give him the harmonica.  I understand it was to Chuck's advantage to get into partnership with Dan but damn, I assumed they were good friends.

I am very surprised that Chuck has enough money saved up for retirement.  But as someone upthread pointed out, he only had 1 kid, not 3 (or 4 if we count Jerry) and most likely his kid is out of the home and not still being supported by Chuck.

The crazy assistant storyline was just dumb. Even if Darlene needed to hire an assistant, HR would be there interviewing with her. 

I'm not surprised about Chuck because we don't know anything about his finances besides working with Dan. I mean, on the outside looking in, I'd expect Dan to be able to buy a boat. But we know way more about his finances. 

[threebluestars]

I saw more boss potential and leadership in Becky during this episode ... which I kind of love. She knew right off how things were going to go.

[LBS]

18 hours ago, Lovecat said:

Of course he hasn't, he's been moonlighting as a surgeon up in Seattle all these years 😉

I never made that connection and I feel so dumb!! 😂

[iMonrey]

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 Her (relatively) improved wardrobe, an office, and an assistant?  Interacting with department heads?  Those are the trappings of someone much higher on the food chain.  The writers don't seem to know the difference between a supervisor and a manager.

Or they don't care. The writing has been so inconsistent and lazy, they probably just came up with an idea about Darlene having a wacky assistant and went from there.

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Wasn't Chuck the one who convinced Dan to quit the garage (and life-time benefits) to pursue the short-term, but lucrative prison dry-wall project? 

Yes but who knows if that still stands in the revisionist history this show plays so fast and loose with. Hell they can't even keep straight what Darlene's new job is from one episode to the next, I doubt if they give a damn what happened in the original show.

[tribeca]

I really thought Chucks boat was going to be a result from the extra unemployment money.  There has been a lot of resentment about that.  The show seems to acknowledge the Covid pandemic but not everything.  
Dan and Chucks conversation was well done and interesting.  Dan sees had he made different choices In life he could be enjoying retirement now.  It’s kind of sad.  
  

[StaceyNotStacie]

Re: the garage job - It seems like its only purpose was to introduce Fred so that Jackie can get pregnant with Andy. If they’re pretending that Fred and Andy don’t exist, I’m wondering if Dan working at the garage is one of those things that doesn’t exist anymore. If/how they made it to Disney if the vacation money didn’t exist, I have no idea.