S03.E20: Two Proposals, a Homecoming and a Bear

[greekmom]

12 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

It was nice that Geena mentioned her and DJ's first school dance. I like glimpses of the past. Hope we get more of that in the future. I still want to know how they got together. Did they bond over their commitment to church? Did they run into each other and started hanging out and fell in love?

Can you clarify? I don't remember Gina being super religious. 

10 hours ago, Yogisbooboo64 said:

Finally, couldn't she and D.J. have shared a passionate return kiss, something?

I'm hoping that this DOES NOT become the running gag where they don't kiss (calling back to the Roseanne episode where DJ wouldn't kiss her and if Roseanne and Dan were racists). 

Glad Ben and Darlene are finally over.  I am hoping next season Darlene meets a nice woman and questions her sexuality on the show. 

[rmontro]

51 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

Why did Geena not kiss DJ?  Was that supposed to be funny?

I thought that was odd too.  But I guess they sold it as her being upset at him for not keeping her up to speed on all the disastrous stuff that was going on.  So she left him hanging.

[Snow Apple]

1 hour ago, greekmom said:

Can you clarify? I don't remember Gina being super religious.

I don't know about super religious, but she's religious. There's an early episode called "Separation of Church and Dan" that addresses it. She also made other comments throughout the early seasons.

As a kid, DJ started going to church to Dan and Rosanne's confusion. Dan actually groaned when he found out. It was the episode where they kept delivering all the stoves to the Lunch Box.

Edited May 21, 2021 by Snow Apple

[Brn2bwild]

Poor Louise -- she deserved a happy reaction from the family to the news.

I'm glad Geena's back because it seems like she'll bring some of the snark that hasn't really been present since Roseanne left.

[chediavolo]

16 hours ago, ifionlyknew said:

I thought stimulus checks eligibility were based on your last year's tax returns. There is no way everyone living in that house filed together.

Yes. They would all have qualified for a one time check but not ongoing welfare benefits.  

[bybrandy]

16 hours ago, geauxaway said:

No it’s not.  The stimulus was based off each tax return filed, not by address of the cumulative occupants.  You don’t even have to have an address to get the stimulus (homeless were / are entitled).   Darlene would have received for herself and her 2 kids (unless Harris filed her own separate tax return).  Dan would receive his.  DJ would receive for him and Mary.  Louise would get her own.  The Connors most definitely all got stimulus money.  

Harris is over 18 and worked so I suspect she filed or made too little to file in which case there was a form for that.   Darlene wouldn't have gotten Harris's money.

[Snow Apple]

All I know is that I got all three stimulus payments and I probably earn way more than the Connors on an individual basis. If the Connors don't qualify, I'm surprised they didn't have a line about how they got screwed once again. They live to be victims.

Edited May 21, 2021 by Snow Apple
spelling

[fishcakes]

19 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

$250. At least that's what she said.

I thought it was Dan's ring for Louise that was $250. It only registered with me because when I was in high school, a couple of guys got their girlfriends the same $200 promise ring and the diamond was a chip. Visible and pretty, but tiny. And that was 1981. Even assuming prices stayed mostly flat over 40 years, that ring would work as an engagement ring, but be a bit underwhelming. Not that Louise probably cares about the ring anyway. If she's willing to marry Dan in the first place, she must be used to disappointment.

As for Darlene's ring for Ben, I would have figured them more as ordering a Manly Band off the internet rather than buying one in a store.

I haven't seen Maya Robinson in anything else, but is she always such a terrible actress? That scene with her and Lecy Goranson (who also tends to mug like crazy in her non-dramatic scenes) was painfully bad. The kids are pretty good, but the adult actors (with the exception of Laurie Metcalf) seem to be phoning it in more and more. Maybe it's just bad writing and directing. I'm rewatching the original series in syndication, and it's amazing how much better Gilbert, Goranson, and even Fishman were as kids.

[TV Diva Queen]

So Dan wants to take off on a year long road trip....ummmm that costs money Dan, are you going to take Darlene's mortgage payment?  I'm not sure why I watch this show - probably for nostalgia.  I was like "maybe Darlene get married again, Dan has a heart attack and really dies this time"   

[ShortyMac]

So convenient that Neville is going to fund Jackie's hopes for a sports bar. And it's good enough for Becky to quit the factory and solve her problems.

I don't blame Ben at all for saying no.

[Cherpumple]

57 minutes ago, TV Diva Queen said:

So Dan wants to take off on a year long road trip....ummmm that costs money Dan, are you going to take Darlene's mortgage payment?

Not to mention that he just badgered Ben into giving him 10% of the hardware business. What a great business partner he's turning out to be, going AWOL for a year on a whim.

[tessaray]

23 minutes ago, Cherpumple said:

Not to mention that he just badgered Ben into giving him 10% of the hardware business. What a great business partner he's turning out to be, going AWOL for a year on a whim.

Is there anything in writing? His on-site expertise is the only thing Dan brought to the table.

This episode seems to have set up writing Ben completely out of the show. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. 

[Snow Apple]

51 minutes ago, ShortyMac said:

So convenient that Neville is going to fund Jackie's hopes for a sports bar. And it's good enough for Becky to quit the factory and solve her problems.

When Neville gave Jackie the money, it occurred to me that Louise earns enough money for herself to live a comfortable and independent life. And she can ask Neville for money if she doesn't have enough in an emergency (I doubt she never had to).

I don't think Louise and Neville know what they're getting into.

[MaryHedwig]

On 5/20/2021 at 6:37 PM, Bastet said:

But since it exists in the same universe in which they cut away just as DJ and Geena went in for a simple kiss in a previous episode, it's troubling.

Wasn't that a throwback from the original Roseanne? Isn't Geena the black girl that DJ was reluctant to kiss when they were in school together? (Can't quite remember the episode- maybe DJ was suppose to kiss her in a school play or something.)

Edited May 22, 2021 by MaryHedwig

[peacheslatour]

8 minutes ago, MaryHedwig said:

Wasn't that a throwback from the original Roseanne? Isn't Geena the black girl that DJ was reluctant to kiss when they were in school together? (Can't quote remember the episode- maybe DJ was suppose to kiss her in a school play or something.)

Is Geena's maiden name Williams? The girl D.J. didn't want to kiss was called Geena Willams.

[Snow Apple]

Yes Geena is the girl DJ didn’t want to kiss in the school play. Like many things in the reboot, we weren’t specifically told. We are just supposed to know 🙄. I found out on these message board and in articles.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, MaryHedwig said:

Wasn't that a throwback from the original Roseanne? Isn't Geena the black girl that DJ was reluctant to kiss when they were in school together? (Can't quote remember the episode- maybe DJ was suppose to kiss her in a school play or something.)

Yes.  I don't know if they think that makes it a funny running gag that their kisses either don't happen or are cut away from, or if it's just something that has happened twice by coincidence.  I thought this non-kiss was fine on its own, but it did give me flashbacks to the awkward cut away, and then it wasn't.

[One Tough Cookie]

6 hours ago, TV Diva Queen said:

So Dan wants to take off on a year long road trip....ummmm that costs money Dan, are you going to take Darlene's mortgage payment?

What little respect for old Dan from last season I really do not like how he's being portrayed this one.: take your kid's money, buy a trailer and forget your responsibilities. And he wonders  why he can't retire.😒

[I Want My MBTV]

Two (of many things) that confused me was 1) how did Darlene only get $500 for selling 2 first class tickets to Hawaii?  That's at best one economy ticket.  2) if Ben had said yes to Darlene's proposal was he going to move back into the house?  That's been his issue all along that he wanted to have his own place with Darlene (I wouldn't want to live in that house with 852 people at any given moment either and they never talked about where Mark would live) and I don't see how getting married would change their financial situation.

I do not understand why Louise would want anything to do with any of this. She seems so level headed I don't know why she wants this chaos and lifetime of bad decisions.  Also, I get so irritated that it's lately all "oh Darlene can't do what she wants because she's helping Dan" (of course nearly everything with Darlene irritates me) when the fact is that Darlene moved back in with her parents because she had no job!  And she brought her two kids with her so that was a strain on the household.  She only recently got a promotion and recently started paying rent so this whole Darlene as a martyr can bite me. 

 

[Arcadiasw]

2 hours ago, One Tough Cookie said:

What little respect for old Dan from last season I really do not like how he's being portrayed this one.: take your kid's money, buy a trailer and forget your responsibilities. And he wonders  why he can't retire.😒

Maybe that is where his stimulus checks went 🤔🤷‍♀️

[ButterQueen]

I enjoyed the show.  Glad it’s renewed.

[Irate Panda]

2 hours ago, I Want My MBTV said:

Two (of many things) that confused me was 1) how did Darlene only get $500 for selling 2 first class tickets to Hawaii?  That's at best one economy ticket.  2) if Ben had said yes to Darlene's proposal was he going to move back into the house?  That's been his issue all along that he wanted to have his own place with Darlene (I wouldn't want to live in that house with 852 people at any given moment either and they never talked about where Mark would live) and I don't see how getting married would change their financial situation.

 

 

I think Darlene said she had $500 left after she paid down some of the mortgage.  I don’t think she said the actual amount she received in total.

[peacheslatour]

58 minutes ago, Irate Panda said:

I think Darlene said she had $500 left after she paid down some of the mortgage.  I don’t think she said the actual amount she received in total.

That's what I thought too.

[BetyBee]

11 hours ago, ButterQueen said:

I enjoyed the show.  Glad it’s renewed.

This episode seemed almost like a series finale to me. So many things were changing with some resolutions happening. I hope next season finds everyone in a better place, at least financially. They need the Conner house and the Lunch Box for most scenes, so maybe sad Darlene will still live there, with Dan & Louise living at Louise's house and stopping in. Becky might still live there too, but it sounds like she's on a better trajectory, with her no longer working at Wellman's and being able to bring Beverly to work and going to school herself. We'll see. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

 I agree that it would have been nice to see the actual proposal, but I don't mind not seeing it because I'm not sure which emotional chord would be the most appropriate (especially since they're doing the TV thing of barely mentioning the dead character).

The fact that the episode focused on Darlene's proposal to Ben, and that Dan's proposal took place offscreen really speaks to who the star of the show is now, doesn't it? It wouldn't surprise me if John Goodman begins to take on a more recurring role. Maybe the whole trailer thing is the show's way of writing him and Louise off for long periods of time. 

[rmontro]

4 hours ago, BetyBee said:

They need the Conner house and the Lunch Box for most scenes

If they're turning the lunch box into a sports bar, they're going to have to change the name.  It also means Becky will be working at a bar, which seems kind of odd given her issues with alcohol.

[peacheslatour]

33 minutes ago, rmontro said:

If they're turning the lunch box into a sports bar, they're going to have to change the name.  It also means Becky will be working at a bar, which seems kind of odd given her issues with alcohol.

Sam Malone was able to handle it. Who knows with Becky.

[CrystalBlue]

I believe Ben is going to be back next season.  If you look around here, there's an article interviewing a showrunner stating that.  Ben still has his hardware store so there's that.  I wonder if Ben's mom, Candice Bergen, will return?  She can help Ben out at the hardware store!  I'd watch a show with those two.

Let's hope Ben's no is a firm no, and we don't get a reconciliation with Darlene next season.

Dan and Louise are apparently going to get married, complete with an on-screen wedding.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, rmontro said:

It also means Becky will be working at a bar, which seems kind of odd given her issues with alcohol.

She already did that at the Mexican restaurant (she was still working there when she quit drinking) and it didn't cause a problem for her.

[Snow Apple]

2 hours ago, rmontro said:

If they're turning the lunch box into a sports bar, they're going to have to change the name.  It also means Becky will be working at a bar, which seems kind of odd given her issues with alcohol.

I don't think they need to change the name since it's familiar to Landford, but they can add sports bar on the sign. Most sports bars I've been to are full restaurants too and serves lunch.

The unbelievable thing about this story is Jackie getting a liquor license so fast and it cost money. I've seen real places that can't get approved. Were they already serving beer in this episode? I wasn't paying close attention. However, if it gives Jackie a win and brings fresh workplace stories next season, I'll ignore it. I'm tired of only seeing the house and Wellmans. 

Edited May 22, 2021 by Snow Apple

[peacheslatour]

Quote

I'm tired of only seeing the house and Wellmans. 

Same. I've always liked the Lunch Box set. It's so homey.

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

Let's hope Ben's no is a firm no, and we don't get a reconciliation with Darlene next season.

Maybe Ben and Becky will get together, as was lightly speculated awhile back.  It sounds kind of icky, but the actors work well together.

[Wizardpatch]

I get that Roseanne pissed off all of the people involved in the show, but to not mention her character at all when her husband is contemplating a proposal just strikes me as horrible. That is worse than a stupid fake lotto season.

Edited May 23, 2021 by Wizardpatch

[tessaray]

9 minutes ago, Wizardpatch said:

I get that Roseanne pissed off all of the people involved in the show, but to not mention her character at all when her husband is contemplating a proposal just strikes me as horrible. That is worse than a stupid fake lotto season.

They do mention Roseanne once in awhile. I think she was mentioned several different ways when Dan and Louise connected at the Mexican restaurant. Jackie had the strongest reactions.

Becky and Darlene want Dan to be happy. And it's been 3 years. I do think if Louise moves in and starts changing things, we might see some angst there. 

 

[tessaray]

5 hours ago, rmontro said:

Maybe Ben and Becky will get together, as was lightly speculated awhile back.  It sounds kind of icky, but the actors work well together.

For me it would be gross. (I hate it when soaps do it.) But they do have chemistry. In the hands of some good writers it might even be funny.

[MsTree]

12 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

I wonder if Ben's mom, Candice Bergen, will return?  She can help Ben out at the hardware store!  I'd watch a show with those two.

I love Candice...and if Katy Segal couldn't return (if her show was picked up), I was hoping Candice could step in. No matter what happens now, I'm hoping they're both back too.

[Sile]

Someone (Neville, I think) said that there weren't any Bears bars in Lanford.  What about the Lobo?  I don't think we've seen it since the reboot, but I think it's been mentioned and Dan has worn a Lobo shirt on at least one occasion that I remember.

Geena's fatigues did say Williams.  There was a fold so I couldn't see if Connor was added on or not.

[LBS]

Darlene, when you are proposing to your boyfriend who is currently living in his store because you both have fundamental financial planning differences not to mention lifestyle clashes not to mention your habit of lying to avoid conflict, you may want to re-think your life.  
I really hope the writers watch back on that scene with Geena and the litany of bad things that happen to the Connors this year and make some changes for the positive. 

[love2lovebadtv]

 

On 5/20/2021 at 10:48 AM, Snow Apple said:

And why isn’t there any mention of stimulus checks?

I could never figure out why stimulus checks, food stamps, Medicaid, etc. don't exist in this show. None of those things would make them rich but their plots would be more realistic of working class folks trying to make it. 

On 5/20/2021 at 12:58 PM, eel21788 said:

Stimulus checks were based on total household income. If all five adults in the house (Dan, Becky, Harris, Darlene and Ben) had each made at least $20,000 in 2019, they would be over the threshold to receive any stimulus checks even though individually they would have had an income that was considered below poverty level. Once Harris moved out, the remaining four still could have made only $25K in 2020 and still been ineligible for stimulus checks. There should, however, have been something mentioned (aka bemoaned) about how they were being screwed over by the government because they thought they were the people who needed the money the most.

No, stimulus checks were based on the individual's tax returns. If you had a bank account on file with the IRS, your stimulus was deposited into it. 

On 5/20/2021 at 1:22 PM, eel21788 said:

They probably sent in separate tax returns; however, they would all have the same home address on them which is what is used for calculating all government benefits: stimulus, earned income credit, food stamps, etc.

Nope, home addresses don't matter either. There are plenty of people who have the same home address (roommates, extended family, etc.) who have totally separate finances and got their own stimulus checks. 

On 5/20/2021 at 2:37 PM, Saylii said:

Darlene was employed at the paper, so it would have depended on Ben paying her above board and her actually doing taxes.

Becky should have gotten a check and so should Dan, unless he was being squirrelly with the drywall business.

I know Ben was the editor/Darlene's manager - was he also the big boss? I thought there was corporate overhead, which is how he ended up getting laid off. In any case, she was definitely an employee and would have had a tax return. 

On 5/20/2021 at 9:48 PM, rmontro said:

I thought that was odd too.  But I guess they sold it as her being upset at him for not keeping her up to speed on all the disastrous stuff that was going on.  So she left him hanging.

It was awful. 

On 5/21/2021 at 11:46 AM, ShortyMac said:

So convenient that Neville is going to fund Jackie's hopes for a sports bar. And it's good enough for Becky to quit the factory and solve her problems.

I don't blame Ben at all for saying no.

I want this family to win but they make big financial decisions so quickly. As soon as something goes well for a short amount of time, they are ready to start leaning on that. However, I do think that's realistic. At least Darlene offered to fire Becky so she could get unemployment, though we won't discuss how Supervisor Darlene is in a position to make that call. 

On 5/21/2021 at 6:06 PM, One Tough Cookie said:

What little respect for old Dan from last season I really do not like how he's being portrayed this one.: take your kid's money, buy a trailer and forget your responsibilities. And he wonders  why he can't retire.😒

Dan is so irresponsible and gets angry when others have what he thinks he should have - boat, successful hardware store, retirement.

But I don't see where he's taking his kids' money.

On 5/21/2021 at 7:47 PM, I Want My MBTV said:

Two (of many things) that confused me was 1) how did Darlene only get $500 for selling 2 first class tickets to Hawaii?  That's at best one economy ticket.  2) if Ben had said yes to Darlene's proposal was he going to move back into the house?  That's been his issue all along that he wanted to have his own place with Darlene (I wouldn't want to live in that house with 852 people at any given moment either and they never talked about where Mark would live) and I don't see how getting married would change their financial situation.

I do not understand why Louise would want anything to do with any of this. She seems so level headed I don't know why she wants this chaos and lifetime of bad decisions.  Also, I get so irritated that it's lately all "oh Darlene can't do what she wants because she's helping Dan" (of course nearly everything with Darlene irritates me) when the fact is that Darlene moved back in with her parents because she had no job!  And she brought her two kids with her so that was a strain on the household.  She only recently got a promotion and recently started paying rent so this whole Darlene as a martyr can bite me. 

I think Darlene contributed to the household and $500 was left over. And yes, Ben's issue was wanting to have a place for themselves and not be person #853 in the house. I think Darlene proposed because she's not self-aware and she missed the plot altogether. She was so cocky about it, too -  saying she was getting married, not that she was going to ask Ben. That relationship was no good. 

I also get irritated when Darlene acts like she's contributing to Dan's GoFundMe page for his mortgage while paying bills elsewhere. The reality is, she moved 3 people into the house and paid nothing for a couple of years. And it doesn't seem like she brought anything with her either. I know they like to keep the set close to the original but I find it hard to believe Darlene didn't bring anything new(ish) from her Chicago apartment. 

Becky doesn't irritate as much but she does make some rushed decisions. 

[Irate Panda]

On 5/24/2021 at 8:19 PM, love2lovebadtv said:

I also get irritated when Darlene acts like she's contributing to Dan's GoFundMe page for his mortgage while paying bills elsewhere. The reality is, she moved 3 people into the house and paid nothing for a couple of years.

This irritates me too, I get Dan has made bad financial decisions but the others aren’t doing that great either, they’re all living with him and up until recently Ben!

[lexiexx]

I just don’t understand why Ben doesn’t just go get an apartment somewhere.  He has a job and is apparently doing well enough to cut Dan in on the business.  Like what the only options are find a place with Darlene or live in the store?  I think Darlene is going to have the Brian Austin green character fall madly in love with her and then Ben will all of a sudden be trying to get back together with her because she’s the hottest thing in lanford I guess.  Also, how long are the breaks at the lunch box?  Becky is going to take college classes on breaks while working and also will have a toddler at her job that’s about to be a bar?  Lol okay.   The writers of this show are really throwing some odd things at us.  

[Browncoat]

I suspect Ben did not get an apartment because he was waiting to see whether he needed to look for one just for him, or one for him and Darlene.  They still never mentioned where Mark and/or Harris would live.  But now that that's off, maybe he'll move out of the store.

If Becky's online classes are asynchronous, she can watch the lectures as she has time -- even if she doesn't have time to watch an entire lecture at once.  The primary issue would be exams, I think.  She'd need to carve out the time for those and take them in real time.  

[lexiexx]

Right, but I don't get why asynchronous college classes weren't an option when she was working at the factory.  Most places give an hour at the most for lunch so I don't see why attempting that at a bar with your toddler kid running around is more feasible than doing whatever she could on break at the factory or even before or after a shift?  It would be a very small amount of time during the work day either way.  Also the issue before was money if I recall correctly, the kids' father seems to have her a lot of the time.  I just feel like all of the 'answers' on this show are just really illogical and pretty far out there.  

[Cherpumple]

On 5/29/2021 at 8:54 PM, lexiexx said:

Becky is going to take college classes on breaks while working and also will have a toddler at her job that’s about to be a bar?  Lol okay.

I know, right? And even if she can take the classes on her own time, the issue was more about her mental health than time management. One of the first things she said when she got out of rehab was that she was going to work standard hours (no over time) and put school on hold so she could focus on Beverly Rose and improving her health. And then she just turns around and decides to add school back to her plate, along with working in a bar. Not smart, Becky.

On 5/29/2021 at 8:54 PM, lexiexx said:

I just don’t understand why Ben doesn’t just go get an apartment somewhere.

I don't know what the zoning laws are like there, but I always thought the best solution was for Ben to covert some of the storeroom space into actual living area for himself. Even if it's just a studio apartment, he gets the benefit of no rent and a comfortable space, and when he eventually moves on he could even use it as a rental property (as long as it has its own entrance). Not ideal, but still a win win.

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

I know, right? And even if she can take the classes on her own time, the issue was more about her mental health than time management. One of the first things she said when she got out of rehab was that she was going to work standard hours (no over time) and put school on hold so she could focus on Beverly Rose and improving her health. And then she just turns around and decides to add school back to her plate, along with working in a bar. Not smart, Becky.

I don't know what the zoning laws are like there, but I always thought the best solution was for Ben to covert some of the storeroom space into actual living area for himself. Even if it's just a studio apartment, he gets the benefit of no rent and a comfortable space, and when he eventually moves on he could even use it as a rental property (as long as it has its own entrance). Not ideal, but still a win win.

He could live above it like Luke on Gilmore Girls.

[Snow Apple]

Becky’s plan is weird. It’s probably actually easier to plan her life around Wellman’s because of set hours. Do her job and go home. Take online classes at night and weekends without being interrupted by customers. Restaurants can be an all day and all night job. It’s not just serving customers. And I hope she thought about health insurance for her and the baby since I don’t know if the restaurant is planning for that.

[peacheslatour]

30 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

Becky’s plan is weird. It’s probably actually easier to plan her life around Wellman’s because of set hours. Do her job and go home. Take online classes at night and weekends without being interrupted by customers. Restaurants can be an all day and all night job. It’s not just serving customers. And I hope she thought about health insurance for her and the baby since I don’t know if the restaurant is planning for that.

It's just another stupid, short sighted Conner move.

[Janie430]

On 5/29/2021 at 8:54 PM, lexiexx said:

I just don’t understand why Ben doesn’t just go get an apartment somewhere.  He has a job and is apparently doing well enough to cut Dan in on the business.  Like what the only options are find a place with Darlene or live in the store?  

To be fair, he inherited the store, and we don't know what the debt/rent/overhead situation is yet.  Plus, Ben wasn't making a lot of money as an Uber driver, he was paying Dan at least a token amount of rent, their magazine folded and may have had debt, and he also bought all that podcast equipment.  If he had a lot of high interest credit card debt, and his credit score is not great, it might be better for him to live for a few months free and try and get the credit card debt down to a reasonable amount.

[CrystalBlue]

1 hour ago, Janie430 said:

To be fair, he inherited the store, and we don't know what the debt/rent/overhead situation is yet.  Plus, Ben wasn't making a lot of money as an Uber driver, he was paying Dan at least a token amount of rent, their magazine folded and may have had debt, and he also bought all that podcast equipment.  If he had a lot of high interest credit card debt, and his credit score is not great, it might be better for him to live for a few months free and try and get the credit card debt down to a reasonable amount.

Is Barb now living in Lanford?  Funny that she hasn't suggested Ben abandon his Hobo Camp (TM) and move in with her.  That could be their own show!

[Kel Varnsen]

So I was curious so I looked it up and Geena"s uniform means she is a Captain. Which means she probably has a university degree and was probably making good money while in uniform ($52-85,000 per year plus benefits, probably more while she was overseas). Between that and DJ's salary they were probably living fairly comfortably, especially with the free daycare. I can't remember if they helped pay Dan's mortgage or not. It would also be kind of interesting if Geena got a job at Wellman as Darlene's boss since she would likely be way more qualified. Or of course that was the first army uniform they found at the studio that fit the actress.

I did like Ben turning down Darlene. Since her proposal totally seemed like a stupid quick fix that didn't pay attention at all to what he was looking for