S03.E11: Panic Attacks, Hardware Store & Big Mouth Billy Bass

[Pallas]

Job pressure is internal for new manager Darlene, but for new hardware-store-guy Ben, it comes shaped like Dan -- who just wants to help.

[peacheslatour]

6 minutes ago, Pallas said:

Job pressure is internal for new manager Darlene, but for new hardware-store-guy Ben, it comes shaped like Dan -- who just wants to help.

That sounds like it could be really funny/

[SoMuchTV]

Argh! The magical mask universe again, this time in the hardware store. 
 

to be fair, they’re one of the only shows that’s even addressing the whole pandemic thing. But maybe they should just go ahead and say it’s been resolved in their universe, like a lot of other shows have done. 

Edited February 25, 2021 by SoMuchTV

[Annber03]

Panic attacks are scary. I can understand Darlene's concerns-if I found myself in a management type of position I'd feel a little awkward about it, too. But I'm glad she talked to a therapist about it.

Also glad that Dan and Ben worked things out at the end. I like the idea of them working at the hardware store together, I'd like to see that stick. It'd be fun to see them working together regularly like that. 

[chitowngirl]

Jackie-you were a cop a million years ago...Louise could take you in a heartbeat.

in Illinois, the DMVs have been closed and recently reopened.  There is an extension for expired licenses.

[UYI]

Seeing Kevin Arnold and Darlene Conner in the same room together was like the ultimate 80's/90's TV Teen universe convention coming together. It was almost too awesome for words.

(Fred Savage has directed numerous episodes of this show, of course).

I was so happy to actually see everyone wearing their masks in the hardware store...and then everyone started putting them on their chins, of course. We were THIS close, people! -_-

[Snow Apple]

I'm glad Dan and Ben are working at the hardware store. Dan *is* getting too old for putting up drywall, but the store is still in his area of expertise. He must feel good providing knowledge and the customers are already seeking him out.

Maybe next, he can manage the store when Ben goes back to his podcast. Maybe he can even hold classes in repairs or make YouTube videos. All the adults doing different things to bring in money may inject new life into the show.

[UYI]

I was kind of hoping that Darlene saying that Ben had to give up his podcast to run the hardware store was a direct response to us complaining about that suddenly being his only job. Our impact! lol :P

[chocolatine]

How is Ben's late father's hardware store in Lanford? Didn't his mother fly in from somewhere else to see him after his father had died (and tell him that his father isn't his biological father)? I'm confused. Also, if Ben inherited the store after his father's death, and assuming it's profitable, what was the point of the storyline of Ben taking the Instacart job and then quitting it to do the podcast, causing angst for Darlene?

Speaking of Darlene and angst, I can't believe Robin "surprised" her like that. It makes Robin look bad in front of the board if her subordinate is unprepared and wastes everyone's time. It's like nobody on the writing staff has ever had a corporate job.

Mark did a great job coloring Jackie's hair. Maybe that's his career path and he'll be the first family member to break out of poverty.

[Bastet]

Insert weekly usual improper mask use grumbling here.

I have anxiety attacks, and even knowing that's "all" it is, the big ones are frightening.  So I felt for Darlene, both how she felt when she was afraid she was having a heart attack, and when Becky said it was "just" a panic attack - of course that's a relief, but she still spent time worrying she was dying, which was scary.

Darlene confronting how her superiority complex informs her fears, that after so many years of confidence she no longer believes in herself, was touching.

As was Dan being a liability on the job site, so he can't even get the work that was always the thing he could fall back on.  "I always thought when I stopped, it would be on my own terms."

There's an independent hardware store in my neighborhood that has been here for decades and has held on against Home Depot and Lowe's because the staff is so knowledgeable; I'm quite handy, and I love being able to brainstorm with them.  I wanted to beat the shit out of Ben when he was such an insecure prick to Dan, so I cheered at "your lucky ass got handed a business you know nothing about".  Ben should have apologized to Dan in turn, but I liked their reconciliation in the kitchen.

But they are really doing a number on continuity this season with the discrepancy between production and air order.

[tessaray]

This is the first episode in ages that I actually enjoyed watching. I could relate to the mad  Zoom background scramble, so that set it up  well. Also, I love small local hardware stores and Dan fit perfectly there. 

Maybe Dan and Ben can do a home repair podcast. 

[Snow Apple]

I could be wrong, but I thought there was a throwaway line about Ben's dad owning a chain? I guess one was in Landford.

Yeah, it doesn't make sense but at this point, I'm just glad they all have jobs and not moping around and lashing out. It's depressing to watch and I'd rather see Dan interacting with customers, and Ben just doing anything.

[Laurie4H]

Panic attacks are scary   I’ve had them and know many who have   

Does anyone else find Ben attractive?  He was a teen actor who I used to think was cute and I think he aged pretty well.  

[Snow Apple]

38 minutes ago, Laurie4H said:

 

Does anyone else find Ben attractive?  He was a teen actor who I used to think was cute and I think he aged pretty well.  

I don’t like the beard but I watched him in The Real O’Neals a few years ago and thought he was cute.

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, Laurie4H said:

.Does anyone else find Ben attractive?  He was a teen actor who I used to think was cute and I think he aged pretty well.  

I do :). I'm not wild about the beard right now, but yeah, he's a good guy and I like his smartass humor and whatnot. 

[MissLucas]

I liked it. The magical* hardware store could provide ample opportunities for stories and since they've already built the set it seems that's where we're headed.

*magical because I also can't remember that being mentioned before, but they tried to cover that by Louise suddenly reminiscing about the good times she had had at the store. And the store is also magical since it removed all of the issues surrounding Ben's podcast together with said podcast it seems.

Darlene's plot was great too, loved the mad Zoom scramble. Hopefully the show's not pushing the reset button with her. Panic attacks are scary like hell even when you know you're not having a heart attack. That's info provided by the younger rational part of your brain but at the same time your lizard brain is screaming 'You're going to die!!!' and that sucker has lungs like Pavarotti. I wish the otherwise helpful therapist had given her some pointers how to cope with attacks before resorting to pills, but I'm nitpicking. Loved Becky's line about Darlene dressing like a 'tiny self-loathing lumberjack'.

Edited February 26, 2021 by MissLucas

[txhorns79]

13 hours ago, chocolatine said:

 

Speaking of Darlene and angst, I can't believe Robin "surprised" her like that. It makes Robin look bad in front of the board if her subordinate is unprepared and wastes everyone's time. It's like nobody on the writing staff has ever had a corporate job.

That really bothered me.  It made no sense for her to do that to Darlene, and makes both of them look unprofessional. 

[marceline]

I really feel for Dan's predicament. When he said "I thought when I quit it would be my choice." This man is working himself into the grave and there's nothing he can do.

Ben's behavior towards Dan at the hardware store was awful. Having someone with his expertise would be a real asset. That's how word-of-mouth works.

Has Darlene been in therapy before in this season? Also, a therapy session in person in a closed room? Not a video session? Okay. I'm done picking out the COVID stuff.

[doobiedo]

4 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

I don’t like the beard but I watched him in The Real O’Neals a few years ago and thought he was cute.

If I d him very attractive and I’m used to the beard because he had it in Mad Men

[OLynn33]

1 hour ago, marceline said:

I really feel for Dan's predicament. When he said "I thought when I quit it would be my choice." This man is working himself into the grave and there's nothing he can do.

As do I. But I miss the Dan Conner who was married to Roseanne. At times I don't know who this angry, scraggly haired, bitter, volatile, old man is lurking in the shadow of Dan. But he scares me. And he should be living alone.

[UsernameFatigue]

I hope they continue on with Dan and Ben working together at the hardware store. It is nice to see something positive (assuming it will be for the most part) develop in the Connor world - it doesn't happen very often. Also nice to see that Darlene is holding on to her job, panic attacks aside. I also loved her slapping Billy the Bass to get it to stop singing/moving, and Harris telling her it is motion activated. Lol. Oh, and Jackie dying her hair - she looks so much younger. All in all a positive episode (again, panic attacks aside) for the Conners. 

[Jillybean]

Hey, a Mark sighting! I really wish they would give him more to do. The show is all Darlene, all the time and every other character just revolves around her. I'm surprised they didn't call it "Darlene." 

[iMonrey]

Agreed the hardware store just came out of left field. Since Ben was determined to put all his time and effort into his podcast to the exclusion of any paid work, I thought the logical solution here would have been for him to have Dan run the hardware store for him. Especially since he knows next to nothing about hardware.

The therapist who starts complaining about his ex-wife to his patient has become an over-used trope on TV. It needs to stop. If I went to a therapist and they started making jokes and/or disparaging remarks about their ex, I'd never go back.

Fun seeing Fred Savage though.

[UYI]

4 hours ago, marceline said:

 

Has Darlene been in therapy before in this season? 

There was that brief story last season where Darlene insisted that she and David go to couples therapy...only for most of the sessions to be with David alone because she was cheating on him with Ben. 

This season, though? Not that I know of. 

Edited February 25, 2021 by UYI

[TattleTeeny]

Maybe Ben’s family lived in Lanford when he was younger and then moved somewhere else later. Also, I think Ben is attractive, beard and all.

[bunnyblue]

I thought it was nice that Becky helped Darlene frantically set up for her Zoom meeting and then was concerned she was having a heart attack. And then, of course, I like how they reverted back to the snarking. 

I hope the hardware store is here to stay. It's good that Ben has an actual job (not the podcast) that gets him out of the house, and that Dan doesn't have to do backbreaking work anymore. Standing on his feet for hours on end may not be good either, but working in the hardware store should at least be less stressful. And sharing his wealth of knowledge with Ben and the customers may help him ward off feeling despondent in what should be his retirement years.  

Fingers crossed that Darlene going on anti-anxiety meds will not lead to an addiction. We did that already with Roseanne and her pain pills, I don't need to see Darlene go down that path too. But I fear the show may not be able to resist throwing more depressing shit at the characters.

11 hours ago, Laurie4H said:

Does anyone else find Ben attractive?  He was a teen actor who I used to think was cute and I think he aged pretty well.

I crushed on Jay R. Ferguson when he played Ponyboy Curtis on The Outsiders TV series. Then he kind of disappeared and reappeared almost 20 years later on Mad Men. Once he grew the beard on MM, I was hooked again. Yeah, he's aged well. And he's looking much better now that he trimmed the hair and beard because he was looking kind of werewolfy earlier in the season. 

Edited February 26, 2021 by bunnyblue

[TattleTeeny]

Maybe they should offer “home handyman for hire” services at the hardware store. Dan could go out and do stuff he’s good at on an as-needed basis in Lanford.

Correction: HandyDAN services!

Edited February 26, 2021 by TattleTeeny

[QQQQ]

I thought it was odd how they showed the website for the spa Darlene was looking at. Like, it just seemed like two pointless camera cutaways to a pretty basic site...

[ams1001]

When Jackie asked "why would you have a panic attack" I said, "Wait, you need a reason?!"

[ams1001]

14 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

I could be wrong, but I thought there was a throwaway line about Ben's dad owning a chain? I guess one was in Landford.

I'm just watching now, and yes, during their conversation at the end about Dan coming back, Ben says "chain of hardware stores."

So is he supposed to have inherited the whole chain, or is he just running one store?

 

I think my only real laugh of the episode was their fake reaction to Jackie's "green" hair. That was pretty funny.

Mark really did get tall... 

[needschocolate]

I don't like what they have done with Ben.  The way he competed with Dan when they were fixing the basement, then quitting instacart to do a podcast, now competing with Dan again in the hardware store. I wonder if the writers are headed somewhere with this or if they just forgot that they did a very similar storyline earlier this season.  

I am glad I am not the only who thought the hardware store being in Lanford made no sense.  If it is part of a chain of stores, it should have come up in conversation when Ben's mother was visiting.  They should have had it be Ben's uncle's store, then they wouldn't need to worry about continuity.  

23 hours ago, RocknRollZombie said:

I was kinda of hoping for a bike shop mention

Maybe the bike shop is being run by Jackie's son who also doesn't exist anymore.

 

 

[Machiabelly]

50 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I'm just watching now, and yes, during their conversation at the end about Dan coming back, Ben says "chain of hardware stores."

So is he supposed to have inherited the whole chain, or is he just running one store?

 

I think my only real laugh of the episode was their fake reaction to Jackie's "green" hair. That was pretty funny.

Mark really did get tall... 

Actually,  I am pretty sure he said chain of hardware STORE. Singular, a self deprecating joke about his business 

[ams1001]

19 minutes ago, Machiabelly said:

Actually,  I am pretty sure he said chain of hardware STORE. Singular, a self deprecating joke about his business 

Did he? I can't fast forward on demand so I can't go back and watch again (well, I can, but I'm not rewatching the whole episode 🙃).

[Bastet]

16 hours ago, Laurie4H said:

Does anyone else find Ben attractive?

For that brief period he shaved his face, yes (I hate facial hair).  But even though I don't find the bearded character physically attractive, overall I do find him appealing.  I could not stand him his first season, but I came around.

5 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

I thought it was nice that Becky helped Darlene frantically set up for her Zoom meeting and then was concerned she was having a heart attack. And then, of course, I like how they reverted back to the snarking. 

I found that opening segment with the sisters well done, too, particularly how Becky recognized that something serious was happening and asked if Darlene was okay, but without interrupting the virtual meeting.

[Cherpumple]

I liked this episode and am cautiously optimistic that they are turning a corner into less depressing storylines, now that most of them are settled into decent jobs. It almost feels like they are actually listening to our feedback! Ben was a total jerk to Dan, but it seemed to get resolved quickly and I love the idea of the two of them working together at the store, so I'm happy. And I always like seeing Dwight, who has unexpectedly become my favorite secondary character. And since this actor looks so much like a younger David Crosby, in my head he's the son of Bonnie and Duke. Coincidentally, original formula Dwight owned a local hardware store too.

I've had the misfortune of experiencing multiple panic attacks, and they are indeed quite scary. I thought this part of the episode was well done, but watching Darlene go through it made me a little too anxious for comfort, so I hope it isn't a recurring thing or I may need to fast-forward through those scenes.

I liked the therapy session and Darlene's raw self-awareness, which actually seemed to match up with the original incarnation of the character- a bratty teen who thought she was superior to everyone and disdained the choices that other people made. And holy cow, Fred Savage looks exactly the same as I remember! His voice is more mature, but he looks great. I thought he was only doing behind the camera stuff now, but seeing him on screen gives me a twinkle of hope that he may one day do a cheesy Hallmark movie with Danica McKeller, who's a regular on that channel. If that ever happens, I guarantee it will be their highest rated movie ever.

[Jillybean]

7 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

And holy cow, Fred Savage looks exactly the same as I remember! His voice is more mature, but he looks great. I thought he was only doing behind the camera stuff now, but seeing him on screen gives me a twinkle of hope that he may one day do a cheesy Hallmark movie with Danica McKeller, who's a regular on that channel. If that ever happens, I guarantee it will be their highest rated movie ever.

IIRC he very much wanted the Live With Kelly co-host job that went to Ryan Seacrest. I think he guest-hosted multiple episodes.

[TV Diva Queen]

10 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Did he? I can't fast forward on demand so I can't go back and watch again (well, I can, but I'm not rewatching the whole episode 🙃).

he did say it - Ben and Dan were sitting on the couch.  Me and the hubs commented "what, they own a chain"  I said "maybe that's why Candice Bergen was so fancy" 

[TV Diva Queen]

anyone noticed that when they put the zoom background together and placed the books on the mantle, when Darlene and becky returned from the hospital, the books were gone and the pictures were back up?  

[NoReally]

11 hours ago, Machiabelly said:

Actually,  I am pretty sure he said chain of hardware STORE. Singular, a self deprecating joke about his business 

That's exactly what he said. It was a joke like, "welcome to my empire."

[TV Diva Queen]

1 hour ago, Jillybean said:

IIRC he very much wanted the Live With Kelly co-host job that went to Ryan Seacrest. I think he guest-hosted multiple episodes.

oh he wanted that gig bad.... he was actually pretty good too.  I have never been a Seacrest fan - so I was anyone but Seacrest.

[Keywestclubkid]

18 hours ago, iMonrey said:

 

The therapist who starts complaining about his ex-wife to his patient has become an over-used trope on TV. It needs to stop. If I went to a therapist and they started making jokes and/or disparaging remarks about their ex, I'd never go back.

 

Right? I feel like Mom just did this storyline ..

[ams1001]

3 hours ago, TV Diva Queen said:

anyone noticed that when they put the zoom background together and placed the books on the mantle, when Darlene and becky returned from the hospital, the books were gone and the pictures were back up?  

Well, they did steal the books from Mary. I  assume she took them back after they left. (Though...did they actually tell anyone they were going to the hospital?)

[Bastet]

32 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Well, they did steal the books from Mary. I  assume she took them back after they left. (Though...did they actually tell anyone they were going to the hospital?)

I doubt they'd have freaked anyone out, especially Mark, by telling them.  And, yeah, I figure at some point Mary came out of her room to listen for whether the videoconference was over, and came down to reclaim her books (and put the stuff they'd taken down back where it belonged).

[ams1001]

On a side note, I was wondering why they didn't just put the books in front of the fish...

[Bastet]

3 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

On a side note, I was wondering why they didn't just put the books in front of the fish...

I think an already flustered and rushing Darlene got really ruffled once the fish started singing and moving when she tried to pull it off the wall, and when Becky pointed out it's motion activated, she just wanted to get the hell away from it.

(I mean, of course the real answer is so that the fish could go off during the meeting, but I actually can see her putting the books up there, grabbing the fish, and then all logical thinking flying out the window in her state of mind.)

[peacheslatour]

48 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

On a side note, I was wondering why they didn't just put the books in front of the fish...

Ah, I see you prefer the scholarly approach.

[ams1001]

29 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Ah, I see you prefer the scholarly approach.

Sometimes being a more logical thinker is a curse when watching silly TV.

[Kel Varnsen]

Do people really care what it looks like behind you when you are on a video conference call? Last spring when my kids' school was closed I was working part of my day in my bedroom sitting on my bed. Once or twice people commented on it but no one really cared. Plus if I was worried that they did don't most video conference apps have like background filters?

[Mr. Sparkle]

39 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Do people really care what it looks like behind you when you are on a video conference call? Last spring when my kids' school was closed I was working part of my day in my bedroom sitting on my bed. Once or twice people commented on it but no one really cared. Plus if I was worried that they did don't most video conference apps have like background filters?

I blur my background. I don't really want people looking into my house. But yes, all the apps have various backgrounds available. I'll go with a Godzilla one depending on the meeting. 

Edited February 28, 2021 by Superclam

[chediavolo]

On 2/25/2021 at 6:07 PM, iMonrey said:

Agreed the hardware store just came out of left field. Since Ben was determined to put all his time and effort into his podcast to the exclusion of any paid work, I thought the logical solution here would have been for him to have Dan run the hardware store for him. Especially since he knows next to nothing about hardware.

The therapist who starts complaining about his ex-wife to his patient has become an over-used trope on TV. It needs to stop. If I went to a therapist and they started making jokes and/or disparaging remarks about their ex, I'd never go back.

Fun seeing Fred Savage though.

I had a therapist that spent the whole session talking about her animals her trips  etc. etc. asking my advice on what to do where to go blah blah blah it was like sitting there with a girlfriend for 45 minutes but I was paying for  it

and I actually did it quite a few times because I didn’t know how to tell her this is insanely  unprofessional and a waste of my time