S03.E16: A Fast Car, A Sudden Loss, and A Slow Decline

[qtpye]

13 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

But isn’t that the way it is with a lot long running shows?   Writers come and go and many of them have only a basic knowledge of the show while fans of the show might have just watched the episode the show directly or indirectly referenced yesterday.     
 

i personally forgot who Molly even was until the back flash to Roseanne.  And the storyline was a short one so I am kinda willing to hand wave whatever the mom thing actually was.  Missing/divorced/zombie.   

It's just that you would think sitcom writers would have some knowledge of an iconic sitcom and yes hardcore fans are very nit picky. I guess it would be like me being hired to write a novel that is third in a popular series and having no idea what that series is about even though just a the barest minimal research would give me some knowledge.

 

Just now, ifionlyknew said:

That would be great but I have no faith in the writers to be able to do that.  

My first thought was family? Oh you mean Charlotte.  I know her name. But I'm inclined to believe the writers did not.  

If I was lucky enough to be writing for a TV show I would take the time to get details right regarding things that happened on screen no matter how long ago it was.  How hard would it have been to do a throw away line about Mrs Tilden being Molly's step mom?

Or just have Mr. Tilden answer the door so their would be no confusion at all. 

[MarthaEllisanne]

15 hours ago, Stacey1014 said:

I wish they would have made reference to Molly’s sister and what she was up to. 

I'd love it if Molly's shy sister Charlotte grew up to be wildly successful. (Someone in this town should.) Also, Run, Ben, Run!

[mamadrama]

14 hours ago, jmonique said:

Before the pandemic, I booked flights for myself and clients most weekends of the year. You can't just cash in airplane tickets nowadays. It's like the writers haven't actually booked their own flights since the 80s. 

Especially since they were booked on someone else's credit card using miles. Had Darlene booked the ticket through her own card then she might have gotten a refund or a percentage of it IF the tickets were non-refundable. But on someone else's card? That would've been credited back to their account. And from what Molly said, she used miles to get the tickets, not cash.

I kept thinking that, sure, the tickets were free but what about hotel, ground transportation, meals...

I'm a former travel writer. This crap irks me.

I thought Molly was going to admit that she was attracted to Darlene, not David. Didn't see the death coming at all. 

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by mamadrama

[mamadrama]

12 hours ago, Gizmo321 said:

 

There must be some remote work from home Darlene could be doing as a writer as oppposed to to just dropping the goal of being a wtiter to become an executive at a local factory. 

 

I was a freelance writer before my own novels took off. I wrote web content, nonfiction ebooks for clients, romance novels as a ghostwriter for a popular author, white papers, marketing materials, manuals...While it is possible to earn a living this way, the field is extremely competitive. Does Darlene have any professional writing experience? Because she's going to be competing against former journalists, NYT bestselling authors (yep, even some of them take banal writing jobs to make ends meet), professional copywriters, marketing execs, etc. And that's before you even get to the foreign workers who will only charge 1/18 of what the job is worth. She might be able to do some part-time gigs, but it can take years to earn a living this way. There's no stability in it and the pay is not good. It took me about 3 years before I earned enough to quit my day job, and I had a fairly decent writing resume with bylines in national papers and author cred in one of the most popular travel series out there.

[bobalina]

The plane tickets are a perfect illustration of why the Conners always fail. Darlene wants the fast, easy, shiny object, Ben is thinking of the future. Ben is definitely right.

[peacheslatour]

28 minutes ago, bobalina said:

The plane tickets are a perfect illustration of why the Conners always fail. Darlene wants the fast, easy, shiny object, Ben is thinking of the future. Ben is definitely right.

So, I guess there is some continuity.

[Snow Apple]

1 hour ago, mamadrama said:

I thought Molly was going to admit that she was attracted to Darlene, not David. Didn't see the death coming at all. 

 

That would have made sense. Molly admired and wanted to be friends with Darlene right from their first meeting. She was only interested in David because of his connection to Darlene.

A shame they killed her off. I don’t remember the last time Darlene was happy and having fun until Molly suddenly showed up.

[Mittengirl]

Aside from the cost of a Hawaiian vacation, the time frame made no sense.  I thought Molly said two days in Hawaii, maybe it was “a few”, and either Ben or Darlene said 4 days.  It would be stupid, and rather stressful, to fly from Chicago to Hawaii for such a short time.  You would spend the better part of 2 days traveling to and fro.  I think Lanford is supposed to be at least an hour from Chicago, so one hour to get to the airport, which should be at least two hours before your flight leaves, then about 10 hours flight time.  At the other end, you usually wait at least an hour to gather your luggage, then wait to either rent a car or get picked up by hotel transportation.  Obviously whoever wrote that storyline didn’t give too much thought to geography.

[peacheslatour]

1 minute ago, Mittengirl said:

Aside from the cost of a Hawaiian vacation, the time frame made no sense.  I thought Molly said two days in Hawaii, maybe it was “a few”, and either Ben or Darlene said 4 days.  It would be stupid, and rather stressful, to fly from Chicago to Hawaii for such a short time.  You would spend the better part of 2 days traveling to and fro.  I think Lanford is supposed to be at least an hour from Chicago, so one hour to get to the airport, which should be at least two hours before your flight leaves, then about 10 hours flight time.  At the other end, you usually wait at least an hour to gather your luggage, then wait to either rent a car or get picked up by hotel transportation.  Obviously whoever wrote that storyline didn’t give too much thought to geography.

It would have made more sense for the trip to be to Florida.

[Giuseppe]

1 hour ago, ifionlyknew said:

If I was lucky enough to be writing for a TV show I would take the time to get details right regarding things that happened on screen no matter how long ago it was.

Especially since Roseanne has been in perpetual re-runs on several different channels for at least the past five years.

I was trying to remember what happened to the Tildens in the original show. I couldn't remember if it was stated that they moved away, or if they just disappeared from the show. The last episode I can remember with them is either the prom episode (which just had Charlotte if I remember right) or the ep where they went to California in the RV...I don't know which one aired first. In any case, I just had to fanwank last night's ep that Mr. Tilden got re-married and moved back to Lanford. But after the truly horrible job with introducing Little Ed, I no longer have any faith that the writers have any desire to honor continuity. May as well acknowledge that this is a slightly different Conner-verse.

 

[txhorns79]

2 hours ago, ifionlyknew said:

If I was lucky enough to be writing for a TV show I would take the time to get details right regarding things that happened on screen no matter how long ago it was. 

In fairness, they did not actually get any details wrong.  They just did not bring up a past character.

[SilverLake0315]

I really enjoyed both episodes last night. Despite the overall subject matter, I laughed a lot. Darlene had the best lines, imo.

1) When discussing the Jewish rehab, "I don't even know if there's a synagogue in Lanford. I think there's a deli, though. Oh, is that offensive?" The way she said it killed me.

2) After the lie about Beverly Rose... Darlene: "Geez, Jackie. Give me a heads-up next time so I don't have a heart attack!"

3) When Darlene first went to find Molly at her house. "Molly, one of your little friends is here to see you!" "I'm 44 years old and I've got kids... but, yeah, that's fine."

4) The noise Jackie made after Molly said it was nice to see her at the store 😂

[LAgator77]

18 hours ago, Kyle said:

This is the most depressing show on TV. It’s too bad because I really liked the original, especially the early years. And I like the performers, particularly Lecy Goranson. But every week the family’s situation gets worse.

So depressing and dark. Even the lighting is dark. It’s sad because I grew up with the original, Darlene and I are the same age, my family was also working-class in a small town. My dad is also a Jack-of-all-trades and rode motorcycles. Anyways, my family is fairing WAY better than these sad sacks. I just occasionally check in on this show, because every time I watch it’s so bleak, but I was sucked in by Molly who was one of my favorite arcs on the original. So of course they killed her. Maybe I’ll check in again before the end of the season but watching this show is such a chore. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Aside from the cost of a Hawaiian vacation, the time frame made no sense.  I thought Molly said two days in Hawaii, maybe it was “a few”, and either Ben or Darlene said 4 days. 

I think what Molly said was that Darlene could take 2 days off work. If they included Saturday and Sunday they could be in Hawaii four days. Still not a lot of time.

But the scene of Darlene just picking up the phone and asking to refund the purchase price of the plane tickets really underlines just how lazy the writing is. Forget about continuity with the original series. What about continuity with current reality? I mean, in what universe can you do that? OK so the writers aren't very familiar with the original show or the original storylines or what happened to the Tilden family or who was in it. Have they never flown before either? How much crap are we supposed to just hand-wave so the writers don't have to put any effort into this? Bottom line, they wanted Darlene and Ben to have an argument over something and didn't care if it even made sense.

Quote

I was trying to remember what happened to the Tildens in the original show. I couldn't remember if it was stated that they moved away, or if they just disappeared from the show.

They just disappeared. They moved into the Bowman's old house in Season 5 but were never mentioned again beyond that season. I couldn't swear by it but I thought they were renting the house so it would make even less sense if they moved away then back again.

Edited April 8, 2021 by iMonrey

[MissLucas]

Ben was right. These characters complain every episode about their money problems yet when there's a chance to ease their financial burden they ignore it for a bit of instant gratification. But if Darlene really needs a break: Putting aside all plot holes about refunds, how about getting the money and spend it on a day or two at that local hotel with the indoor pool? It's called compromising.

I wish they had not gone there with Becky but I guess it was kinda inevitable.

I did like that we saw Harris sketching ideas for tattoos - and the one about the eating the rich was funny but probably not very catchy.

[UYI]

5 hours ago, Angeltoes said:

This episode was directed by Katey Sagal's sister, Jean.  I had just been wondering whatever happened to her.

I was wondering if that was her!

For those of you who don't know, Katey Sagal is the older sister of identical twins Liz & Jean Sagal, who starred on Double Trouble, an NBC sitcom that ran for two seasons from 1984-1985 (yes, it was a midseason replacement), and they also appeared in a Doublemint Gum commercial--as most famous and/or identical twins who are actors/models are wont to do--in 1983. (They are the ones in the thumbnail below.) Side note: I find it hilarious when I see promos for Katey's new show during this show, even during episodes she isn't in. 

Now, on to the show:

I guess it made sense that someone like Molly had to die, as she actually was upbeat and happy and had a good attitude about life. We can't have any of that on this show for long, now can we?

Darlene getting in trouble for speeding reminded of DJ stealing Roseanne's car and leaving it in a ditch when he crashed--and this was LONG before he had his driver's license, too.

Once again, Molly & Chatlotte all of a sudden having a mom--and she was pretty clearly identified as their mom, NOT their step-mom--and this notion that they remained in touch is weird to me. I guess it's technically possible--the Tildens just disappeared after season 5, they didn't have any formal send-off--but still.

I like to think that Darlene was just lying down listening to the Hawaiian music before ultimately returning the tickets, but I guess we'll have to see.

I'm so glad Becky is going to rehab, and of course, I hope she FINALLY goes back to school and doesn't the obstacles in her way get to her all that much.

Finally: That was SO obviously a doll Dan and Jackie were holding in that blanket instead of Beverly Rose, LMAO. You couldn't even see her face! :P 

[Florinaldo]

The only plot I cared about in this episode was what happened to that poor casserole dish. It really was the sole sympathetic character of all.

And we did not even get a definite resolution as to its ultimate fate.

[Egg McMuffin]

9 minutes ago, UYI said:

I was wondering if that was her!

For those of you who don't know, Katey Sagal is the older sister of identical twins Liz & Jean Sagal, who starred on Double Trouble, an NBC sitcom that ran for two seasons from 1984-1985 (yes, it was a midseason replacement), and they also appeared in a Doublemint Gum commercial--as most famous and/or identical twins who are actors/models are wont to do--in 1983. (They are the ones in the thumbnail below.) Side note: I find it hilarious when I see promos for Katey's new show during this show, even during episodes she isn't in. 

Jean Sagal is following in the footsteps of her father, who directed TV shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone in the 50s and 60s, and directed the movie The Omega Man with Charlton Heston.

[Dreamboat Annie]

Ty Tilden was a widower raising his two daughters as a single father.  At the end, when Jackie said "Molly's mom delivered this for you", there would be no reason whatsoever not to say "Molly's stepmom...".  The Tilden family disappeared without explanation and were not mentioned again on Roseanne.  Do they still live next door?  (Jackie said "Darlene's aunt from next door" when she first saw Molly*, although I suppose she could have meant from decades ago) and there would be all sorts of things wrong with that.  Darlene knew "Mrs. Tilden", presumably from Roseanne's funeral**.  Yes, I agree - why not just Wings Hauser as Ty Tilden?  That was just a bizarre and very haphazard call back to the Tilden family.

Again, yes, going to Hawaii for four days when it takes at least a full day to get door to door, which would be two days out of the four does not make sense.  And I really doubt Molly would have two first class airline tickets without having made reservations at a nice hotel for the two of them.  But I'm willing to overlook those things to say this.  Molly's gift to Darlene has absolutely nothing to do with Ben.  Darlene invited Ben and she can invite whomever she likes.  That does not mean he gets to say what should be done with the tickets.  Darlene has had a crappy time and deserves to go.  Ben, if he doesn't want to join her, should have encouraged her to go.  Then after he bullies her to cash them in, he leaves?  You want them cashed in, YOU do it, jerk.  They will always need extra money but the opportunity to go to Hawaii first class will not always be there.  Darlene is not obligated to pay for anyone else's rehab.  But I do think Darlene should take Becky to Hawaii with her.  No drinking, just two sisters away together for a few days.  I think the notion that Ben cash in "his" ticket and Darlene should go alone is very unfair and unreasonable.  Ben did not receive the tickets as a gift.

 

*  I hadn't seen Danielle Harris since Roseanne and thought she was completely unrecognizable.  I don't know how Jackie would have known that was Molly Tilden.

** Anyone who knows the Conners and leaves something of value (sentimental or otherwise) at their house deserves whatever they get, lol.  

[Aliconehead]

Sagal twins were also the twins in the very campy but fun Grease 2.  Jean has been directing you years and Liz is a writer.  
 

Danielle was recognizable to me but then I have seen her in a few things since.  
 

Lecy has been killing it lately.  I think she could have the career after this that she did not after the original. 

[rmontro]

Perfect compromise:  Ben can refund his ticket, and Darlene can go on her vacation.  It almost seems like they're setting up a split between Ben and Darlene, and they seem to be sending Darlene off in a new direction.  I would think they were writing Ben off the show, but he just gave Dan 10% of the business, so probably not.

Also odd that they're setting up for Darlene and Becky to both leave - Darlene to Hawaii and Becky to rehab.  I don't know how many episodes there are this season, so I don't know if we're near the end or not.  I do hope they straighten Becky out, watching her spiral is not too enjoyable.

That bit with Molly was a shocker.

[mythoughtis]

If the refund would actually go to Darlene then she should get it and pay  for things they need and stop living in her childhood bedroom.  As others said, This is why they never get out of poverty.  And it is poverty.  If she can’t get the refund, then she has to figure out where she’s going to get the money... and how much she will enjoy being quarantined in Hawaii.  I think that’s still a thing for tourists. 

[Kel Varnsen]

9 hours ago, RunningMarket said:

Thank you! I kept bringing this up while watching. First class tickets to get there is lovely, but Hawaii isn't a cheap place to stay or eat. That would have been a much better argument for Ben to present. 

That was what bugged me. Even with the free flight everything in Hawaii is freaking expensive. Of course there was also no mention of why anyone would choose to get on an airline flight at this point.

7 hours ago, qtpye said:

It's just that you would think sitcom writers would have some knowledge of an iconic sitcom and yes hardcore fans are very nit picky. I guess it would be like me being hired to write a novel that is third in a popular series and having no idea what that series is about even though just a the barest minimal research would give me some knowledge.

I wonder about that. Maybe some writers feel it is just a job like any other and not some kind of sacred calling. Especially since TV writer is hardly any kind of secure job to have. The original run of Roseanne ran for 9 seasons and is probably something like 80 hours worth of tv. If a new writer gets a job on the Conners would they really be expected to watch all of that. Especially keeping in mind that the classic WhoJackie story came from the the original Roseanne writers room.

[DB in CMH]

9 hours ago, iMonrey said:

It's so frustrating how this show picks and chooses which parts of the original series to honor or acknowledge. Sure, it was great seeing Molly again, but no, there was no Mrs. Tilden in the original version, and the Tildens only appeared on one season then were never mentioned again. Are we to assume they've been living there all along? Wasn't a Muslim family living in that house in an earlier episode? Sure, maybe it's the house on the other side of the Conner house. But I don't understand the dichotomy. Clearly the show has access to the original series . . . they showed a flashback clip right in the middle of this episode! How can they go back and find the appropriate episode without watching enough of it to get the basic facts straight?

It's kind of like what happened with "Little Ed," Dan's half brother. He showed up for a couple of episodes and apparently had been estranged from Dan. But why? Where the heck was Crystal in those episodes? Had he been estranged from her too? Because she's still involved with the Conner family, or at least she was until very recently. 

The writing just doesn't respect or care about continuity and it drives me crazy. It's disrespectful to the audience because it assumes we either don't remember or don't care, and it shows what little regard they have for us. Either that or they're just so damn lazy they pick a former character out of a hat and write a story around them whether it makes sense or not.

Thank you. They retcon the stupidest shit on this show. Erasing Jerry and Andy was completely unnecessary. You don't have to bring them on his character's, but they can still actually exist. The little Ed stuff made absolutely no sense, and there was absolutely no reason for it. He has never been seen or mentioned again. Even this stuff with Molly was dumb. If they couldn't have gotten the original actor to answer the door, get a look alike.

The show is clearly playing on our nostalgia for the original (playing these clips), but then shits on the original by changing pointless things. If there was a reason for making changes, I wouldn't have a problem with it, like erasing the lottery season. But they're just being careless. It's not like we haven't seen these episodes in 30 years. They're still available, and Roseanne is still airing in repeats.

Edited April 9, 2021 by DB in CMH

[Bastet]

So many years have passed that if Ty Tilden met this woman shortly after we last saw the family, she'd have been Charlotte and Molly's stepmom for so long by this point they could all very well regard her as Mom (especially since there isn't another mom in the picture).  So, yeah, they should have just written "stepmom" in the script rather than "mom", but it doesn't bother me.

[qtpye]

1 hour ago, Kel Varnsen said:

That was what bugged me. Even with the free flight everything in Hawaii is freaking expensive. Of course there was also no mention of why anyone would choose to get on an airline flight at this point.

I wonder about that. Maybe some writers feel it is just a job like any other and not some kind of sacred calling. Especially since TV writer is hardly any kind of secure job to have. The original run of Roseanne ran for 9 seasons and is probably something like 80 hours worth of tv. If a new writer gets a job on the Conners would they really be expected to watch all of that. Especially keeping in mind that the classic WhoJackie story came from the the original Roseanne writers room.

I understand that but honestly the Tildens were in very few episodes. It would not take that long to watch them particularly when you are writing a story arc around Molly.

However, I do not want to beat a dead horse.

It was nice to see Molly and Darlene almost become friends and I wish Molly had stuck around just a little longer.

[Dreamboat Annie]

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

Perfect compromise:  Ben can refund his ticket, and Darlene can go on her vacation.  

I don't see why there would be any "compromise".  Ben was not the one gifted the tickets.  Darlene chose to invite him (not give him one of the tickets), and he turned it down.  End of his involvement.

 

53 minutes ago, Bastet said:

So many years have passed that if Ty Tilden met this woman shortly after we last saw the family, she'd have been Charlotte and Molly's stepmom for so long by this point they could all very well regard her as Mom (especially since there isn't another mom in the picture).  So, yeah, they should have just written "stepmom" in the script rather than "mom", but it doesn't bother me.

I thought that at first, too, then I remembered that by the time the Tilden family disappeared from the show, Molly would have been 15.  I don't recall who was older, Charlotte or Molly, but both would have been older teenagers when Ty got married, unless he met and married someone within the year.  They still were not young children or even adolescents (who would be more likely to call their stepmom "Mom") when he got married, and would not have had much time with her, if any, by the time they left their Dad's house.  The only reason this sticks out to me is because it was just so half assed and lazy of them.  

 

I could be wrong, but I think the whole point of bringing Molly back was to show that Darlene wasn't having any fun.  She had been having a very rough time and Molly introduced fun into Darlene's bleak life.  And Molly showed her that there's nothing wrong with, and that it's okay, even necessary, to have some fun at least once in a while.  It's called living.  

[UYI]

5 hours ago, Kyle said:

Jean Sagal is following in the footsteps of her father, who directed TV shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone in the 50s and 60s, and directed the movie The Omega Man with Charlton Heston.

Yep, Boris Sagal, who sadly was killed in a helicopter accident in 1981 where he was partially decapitated (!!!!!!) on the set of the miniseries World War III (and yet lived another five hours before his death). As I recall, Katey became as much a mother to the twins when they were growing up as their sister, since their mom died in 1975 from heart disease.

5 hours ago, Dreamboat Annie said:

 The Tilden family disappeared without explanation and were not mentioned again on Roseanne.  Do they still live next door?  

They shouldn't, because the nudist elderly couple had moved into that house by season 7. 

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Have they never flown before either? 

 

I can't remember--did they fly to Disney World in season 8 or drive? This probably belongs in the Past & Present thread but I'm curious. 

Edited April 9, 2021 by UYI

[Dreamboat Annie]

2 minutes ago, UYI said:

They shouldn't, because the nudist elderly couple (played by Rance & Jean Speegle Howard, Ron Howard's parents) had moved into that house by season 7. 

LOL I forgot about that!  Thank you.  

[Annber03]

7 minutes ago, UYI said:

They shouldn't, because the nudist elderly couple (played by Rance & Jean Speegle Howard, Ron Howard's parents) had moved into that house by season 7. 

...wait, that's who played that couple?!?! 

I never knew that. Wow. 

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, Dreamboat Annie said:

I don't see why there would be any "compromise".  Ben was not the one gifted the tickets. 

Because they are a couple, and he actually had a good point?  But you're right, they're Darlene's tickets, if she wants to use them, she can.

[Bastet]

56 minutes ago, Dreamboat Annie said:

I thought that at first, too, then I remembered that by the time the Tilden family disappeared from the show, Molly would have been 15.  I don't recall who was older, Charlotte or Molly, but both would have been older teenagers when Ty got married, unless he met and married someone within the year.  They still were not young children or even adolescents (who would be more likely to call their stepmom "Mom") when he got married, and would not have had much time with her, if any, by the time they left their Dad's house. 

Well, maybe they didn't leave - or stay gone from - their parents' house in the typical timeframe, just like the Conner kids.  Regardless of where they lived when, since they'd already been without a mom for however long - rather than always having a mom present in their lives and then getting a stepmom as well - I can still go with everyone in the family coming to regard her as Mom sometime in the last nearly 30 years even though the kids were teens when she first came into their lives.

I mean, yeah, it's another continuity error from writers who don't pay as much attention as we do to the show's history.  But I can make it work and thus not be distracted or annoyed by it.  Becky supposedly having dissected a cat in Biology when we saw numerous details about her refusal to dissect a frog in Biology, I can't.  But the blended family dynamics of people we haven't seen in nearly 30 years, yeah, I can just go with it.

Charlotte was older.  Charlotte was the Roseanne and Molly the Jackie:
 

Quote

 

Darlene, watching Molly control Charlotte: You two are so screwed up.
Molly: We are not!
Darlene: Oh, please.  Why do you think she eats so much and you'll sleep with any guy who'll give you a little attention?
Molly: Oh shove it, Darlene.  Where the hell do you get so much insight?
Darlene, looking over at Roseanne and Jackie: Trust me, I know.

(From "Lose a Job, Winnebago")

 

 

[OLynn33]

I understand everyone's point about the tickets and the Conner's cycle of poverty, but Molly's dying wish was for Darlene to use those tickets to have some fun and live for the moment because you may not get the future. Molly didn't. 

Also, Jesus take the wheel because I'm way beyond tired with respect to Ben.

Edited April 9, 2021 by OLynn33

[bobalina]

1 hour ago, UYI said:

Yep, Boris Sagal, who sadly was killed in a helicopter accident in 1981 where he was partially decapitated (!!!!!!) on the set of the miniseries World War III (and yet lived another five hours before his death). As I recall, Katey became as much a mother to the twins when they were growing up as their sister, since their mom died in 1975 from heart disease.

They shouldn't, because the nudist elderly couple (played by Rance & Jean Speegle Howard, Ron Howard's parents) had moved into that house by season 7. 

I can't remember--did they fly to Disney World in season 8 or drive? This probably belongs in the Past & Present thread but I'm curious. 

That was Jean Howard but the husband was Jack Murdoch.

[UYI]

26 minutes ago, bobalina said:

That was Jean Howard but the husband was Jack Murdoch.

This is what I get from not double checking with Google first! Thank you. They did so many things together that that was how I remembered it. Fixed. :) 

Edited April 9, 2021 by UYI

[Egg McMuffin]

The other thing - if the Tildens have been living next door to the Connors all this time, Jackie shouldn’t have been so surprised to see Molly. Wouldn’t she have been around sometime in the last 30 years?

The people who are writing this just don’t care about continuity. And it’s weird, because of all the showrunners the original show had over the years (and Roseanne went through a LOT of them), it’s Bruce Helford, the showrunner from season five - when the Tildens were on - who is running The Conners.

Edited April 9, 2021 by Kyle

[Kel Varnsen]

7 hours ago, rmontro said:

Because they are a couple, and he actually had a good point?  But you're right, they're Darlene's tickets, if she wants to use them, she can.

I actually feel where Ben is coming from since if they don't actually make an effort it is easy to see a situation where they live in Dan's house forever.

50 minutes ago, Kyle said:

The people who are writing this just don’t care about continuity. And it’s weird, because of all the showrunners the original show had over the years (and Roseanne went through a LOT of them), it’s Bruce Helford, the showrunner from season five - when the Tildens were on - who is running The Conners.

Picking and choosing what stuff from the original show they follow doesn't bother me that much considering the fact that Dan isn't dead.

[ams1001]

Why would you go to a hardware store for speakers...?

[peacheslatour]

10 hours ago, UYI said:

Yep, Boris Sagal, who sadly was killed in a helicopter accident in 1981 where he was partially decapitated (!!!!!!) on the set of the miniseries World War III (and yet lived another five hours before his death). As I recall, Katey became as much a mother to the twins when they were growing up as their sister, since their mom died in 1975 from heart disease.

They shouldn't, because the nudist elderly couple had moved into that house by season 7. 

I can't remember--did they fly to Disney World in season 8 or drive? This probably belongs in the Past & Present thread but I'm curious. 

They flew and they sneaked into  first class and the rest of passengers took a vote. It was unanimous that they stay there.

[UYI]

2 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

They flew and they sneaked into  first class and the rest of passengers took a vote. It was unanimous that they stay there.

I remember now. Thanks!

13 hours ago, Aliconehead said:

Lecy has been killing it lately.  I think she could have the career after this that she did not after the original. 

It's insane to look back at how overshadowed she was by Sara Gilbert in the original series. I guess what goes around really DOES come around after all. :)

 

[RunningMarket]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

Why would you go to a hardware store for speakers...?

I was wondering if they were playing fast and loose with the store, like it might be more a "general outdoor store". I would think you could find outdoor speakers at a garden-type store? (I live in a condo, what do I know.)

It's been mentioned a couple of times here too, but it definitely also stuck out to me that in the argument of going to Hawaii, there was no mention of... pandemic. I know we all rage against the general masking of actors on this show, but it's like they just dropped it.

[Egg McMuffin]

4 hours ago, UYI said:

I remember now. Thanks!

It's insane to look back at how overshadowed she was by Sara Gilbert in the original series. I guess what goes around really DOES come around after all. 🙂

 

I NEVER understood why Sara got all the accolades in the original series while Lecy didn’t. Sara was very good in the early years of the series. But something happened by midway through the series and she started delivering her lines in this monotone straight out of the Tina Yothers School of Acting.

Lecy, once she really grew into the role by season three, was excellent - great comic timing and range. I was so disappointed when she left - it upset the dynamics of the whole show (and don’t get me started on PodBecky who came in during season 6).

[SassyCat]

I wonder about how Molly wrote that letter and put in an envelope with the tickets for Darlene while she was dying. They said she started seizing and never recovered from them and died. Did she preemptively write that and put it in the envelope just incase she died before they left? She did seem to think she was going to live long enough to make that trip.

Its the little things i think about, lol.

[Dreamboat Annie]

18 hours ago, Bastet said:

But I can make it work and thus not be distracted or annoyed by it.

It annoys me because it would not have been any skin off their lazy asses to place "step" in front of "mom" for Jackie to say.  And Ty Tilden was a single dad, dammit!  LOL.  I respect your opinion.  It's been my experience that everyone I ever knew whose parent got remarried (after being widowed or "widowered"*) when they were teens (and there were many), never referred to the new step parent as "Mom" or "Dad", and never referred to the two of them as "Mom and Dad".  It was always "Mom and Jim" or "Dad and Susan".  Even after almost 30 years, even if they truly love the step parent, it's still "Mom and Jim" or "Dad and Susan".  

 

12 hours ago, Kyle said:

The people who are writing this just don’t care about continuity. And it’s weird, because of all the showrunners the original show had over the years (and Roseanne went through a LOT of them), it’s Bruce Helford, the showrunner from season five - when the Tildens were on - who is running The Conners.

Well now that makes it even worse to me.  No excuse for that level of carelessness.  

 

12 hours ago, Kyle said:

The other thing - if the Tildens have been living next door to the Connors all this time, Jackie shouldn’t have been so surprised to see Molly. Wouldn’t she have been around sometime in the last 30 years?

There would have been lots wrong with it.  Like, for instance, neighbours see each other once in a while whether it's gardening/cutting the grass or snow shovelling or even just pulling up and getting out of your car.  Although it sounds like Molly really didn't come home a lot, Darlene would have heard at some point that Molly got married (twice).  Obviously they moved and live elsewhere in Lanford, as I was reminded about the nudist couple living there.  But Mrs. Tilden placing several notes in the Conners' mailbox sounds like a (geographically close) neighbour thing.  I can't see anyone driving over several times just to place notes in the mailbox - if you're going to bother driving over, you're ringing the doorbell to ask for your casserole back.  And evidently after the two families hadn't been in contact for 28 years, they attend Roseanne's funeral and gathering after?  The whole thing was just so poorly done.  I actually really liked this episode, but they so could have handled the resurrection of Molly much better and seems to me it would have been very easy.  

 

* Credit Annie Reed, lol.  

[CrystalBlue]

They resurrected Molly just to kill her off in the same episode!  Also, Ben has no claim to Darlene's gift of tickets to Hawaii.  He's a control freak again.  Just be a big boy Ben, and sleep in your sleeping bag at the hardware store until you can afford your own place, with or without your girlfriend (not fiancee) who still has a minor child to raise (Harris doesn't count).

[Bastet]

18 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

Also, Ben has no claim to Darlene's gift of tickets to Hawaii.  He's a control freak again.

He was even irritated that Darlene was going to go to Hawaii with Molly.  Dude, Molly bought tickets and invited Darlene.  It was to be a friend trip for the two of them to continue getting to know each other as adults and have some fun.  Ridiculous that he'd be huffy about her going on a vacation without him.

20 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

Just be a big boy Ben, and sleep in your sleeping bag at the hardware store until you can afford your own place, with or without your girlfriend (not fiancee) who still has a minor child to raise (Harris doesn't count).

Seriously.  It's hardly the end of the world if they don't live together for a while.  Darlene has a lot of family ties right now, and Mark is probably where it's best for him to be.  So if Ben doesn't want to move back into that environment, I get it (I thought it was stupid for him to do so to begin with), but he needs to just go get his own place.  Then Darlene can choose whether to move her and Mark in with him or stay where she is.  And if she chooses to stay and he can't handle it, then they can break up.

He makes his choices, she makes hers.  And of course they discuss them, since they are in a committed relationship, but he thinks he has far too much of a say over what she does with her money and her family.

[CrystalBlue]

25 minutes ago, Bastet said:

He was even irritated that Darlene was going to go to Hawaii with Molly.  Dude, Molly bought tickets and invited Darlene.  It was to be a friend trip for the two of them to continue getting to know each other as adults and have some fun.  Ridiculous that he'd be huffy about her going on a vacation without him.

Seriously.  It's hardly the end of the world if they don't live together for a while.  Darlene has a lot of family ties right now, and Mark is probably where it's best for him to be.  So if Ben doesn't want to move back into that environment, I get it (I thought it was stupid for him to do so to begin with), but he needs to just go get his own place.  Then Darlene can choose whether to move her and Mark in with him or stay where she is.  And if she chooses to stay and he can't handle it, then they can break up.

He makes his choices, she makes hers.  And of course they discuss them, since they are in a committed relationship, but he thinks he has far too much of a say over what she does with her money and her family.

Exactly.  And won't Dan's 10% of his business bite him in the butt someday?

[lexiexx]

On 4/8/2021 at 2:21 AM, Irate Panda said:

I know they never said it, but exactly how much are we supposed to believe this mortgage is? You had 4-5 adults living there and they still can couldn’t up with mortgage? 

I was wondering this myself.  They had all those adults living there and chipping in for the bills before Ben got some wits about him and moved out.  They weren't acting that broke even when it was just Dan and Roseanne and she was working at places like the hair salon.  This show emphasizes the strangest things.  Why aren't they talking about getting money by selling all that podcast equipment Ben got to have instead of trying to get a cash refund for tickets bought with someone else's credit card.  

[Kel Varnsen]

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

Seriously.  It's hardly the end of the world if they don't live together for a while.  Darlene has a lot of family ties right now, and Mark is probably where it's best for him to be.  So if Ben doesn't want to move back into that environment, I get it (I thought it was stupid for him to do so to begin with), but he needs to just go get his own place.  Then Darlene can choose whether to move her and Mark in with him or stay where she is.  And if she chooses to stay and he can't handle it, then they can break up.

It's not the end of the world of they don't live together, but at the same time I can easily see how Ben would see it as her always finding reasons to stay. Right now it is Dan needs help with the bills, then it will be Becky is at rehab and needs help with the baby. But it could have just as easily been Becky is going to school and needs help. After that it could be Dan's health is failing and he needs help. Then after that it could be Dan died and left the house to his kids so Darlene might as well just live there 

[Bastet]

23 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

It's not the end of the world of they don't live together, but at the same time I can easily see how Ben would see it as her always finding reasons to stay. Right now it is Dan needs help with the bills, then it will be Becky is at rehab and needs help with the baby. But it could have just as easily been Becky is going to school and needs help. After that it could be Dan's health is failing and he needs help. Then after that it could be Dan died and left the house to his kids so Darlene might as well just live there 

Right, and if she winds up always wanting to stay, and he doesn't want to be in a long-term relationship that isn't cohabitational, then they're not the right fit for each other and need to move forward separately.  He gets to state what he wants, but he doesn't get to dictate what she does (ever, but especially not when they don't have a marriage or equivalent partnership), and he's had some inappropriately demanding moments lately - after the writers had course corrected a relationship that started on a highly problematic dynamic - so I wonder where they're going with this.