S04.E12: Hot for Teacher and Writing a Wrong

[Intuition]

7 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

9 hours ago, jalady said:

I attended one of those schools too, although it was back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.  But, speaking for myself and the vast majority of my friends, we were lower to middle class and just tested well; no tutoring involved.  Sure there were some rich kids at the school, but the vast majority of the student body was regular kids who tested well so they didn't end up going to their neighborhood school.  I'm sad to hear that has changed so much recently because the rich can afford to send their kids to private school (Chapin, Dalton, etc.). 

This was my experience too (dinosaurs and all). It was a good mix of nerds from all walks of life.

I hope Mark finds a good non-Conner mentor to guide him through the next few years. He's a pretty cool kid and deserves to be around someone capable of making at least one good decision.

Bx HS of Science grad. here - Same for me with dinosaurs too.  And yes to there being some rich kids but the vast majority being of humbler means, me included.  The rich always were able to send their kids to Dalton and Horace Mann, even back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

[tribeca]

Wasn’t Harris a straight A student when this serious started ?   Why does everyone act like mark is the only smart one ?

Darlene has always had an attitude so it should not be surprising her kids have attitudes.  
  I don’t remember Ben being in this episode.  Shows how much I paid attention.  

[Bastet]

34 minutes ago, tribeca said:

 I don’t remember Ben being in this episode.

Probably because Darlene wasn't engaged in some sort of psychotic showdown with him, he was simply at the house for Darlene to share with him and Dan her fear Mark was selling drugs (after having found the cash) and ask them what they'd observed from Mark lately.  It was just that one short scene.

[peacheslatour]

On 2/3/2022 at 7:37 PM, Rocknrollzombie said:

The conners in general as a show has more holes in it than a colander

[Rocknrollzombie]

36 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Lol

[TheGreenKnight]

I thought this was one of the better episodes. A lot of the jokes actually landed for me, Dan's "Yaas, Queen!" being the best one.

[TheGreenKnight]

On 2/4/2022 at 5:07 PM, howiveaddict said:

Mark gets his height from Dan.

Yeah, and I really like that a member of the family finally has the same height as Dan.

Hopefully the contrabassoon plot will be the end of the spat of teenage brattiness with him. Darlene's other child is already unbearable onscreen (honestly reminds me of the teen daughter from Mom), I always sigh whenever I see that character is in the episode. Darlene and Becky could be horrible as teenagers in the original show, as all teenagers can be, but it more ebbed and flowed realistically rather than them being a 10 on the asshole scale every. single. episode.

Edited February 6, 2022 by TheGreenKnight

[ButterQueen]

18 hours ago, TheGreenKnight said:

I thought this was one of the better episodes. A lot of the jokes actually landed for me, Dan's "Yaas, Queen!" being the best one.

I enjoy the show.  I do not compare it to Roseanne because it’s clearly not the same show.  I love the characters, minus Harris, and the show is enjoyable enough for me.  Jackie and Dan are my faves.

[Virtual]

On 2/2/2022 at 11:01 PM, UYI said:

Honestly, I really do think Mark and Becky have a chance to outdo everyone else in their family and I'm here for it. 

Mark will come up with something to earn money for a scholarship, and while trying to deal with their relationship while that class is still going on will be difficult, there is definitely chemistry between Becky and her professor, and it's nice to see her interested in someone who seems so smart and kind--and again, she's actually interested in him! 

I think there is a chance for that, too. As long as Becky doesn’t repeat past mistakes. And I think Mark is already back in the right direction. I think he could even get into a college by doing something easier than taking two years to learn an instrument.

I forgot about Jackie’s exit from the police force in the original and how it went down.

[Rocknrollzombie]

On 2/2/2022 at 9:01 PM, UYI said:

, there is definitely chemistry between Becky and her professor, and it's nice to see her interested in someone who seems so smart and kind--and again, she's actually interested in him! 

Every season every guy on this damm show someone sees chemistry between them and Becky. 

well then I must be blind because I didn’t see any type of chemistry for the past three seasons between Becky and any guy on this show. And I watched episode during the weekend just to see what people are talking about I didn’t see any chemistry, the little beginnings of the relationship with the professor is already cringe as F.  As for your comments smart and kind that surface level type looking at someone. Yeah he could seem like that on the surface but what if he turns out to be a complete dick.
 

Like cool you guys like the supposed romance on this show but for the love of god people need to stop hoping for Becky and Darlene to be in relationships. Let them focus on their damm kids. Feels like two teenage girls on screen rather than two grown women. Both of Becky and Darlene’s teenage self well in Darlene’s case weren’t this guy crazy and it’s cringy to see both of them as adults to basically throw themselves at guys.

Edited February 7, 2022 by Rocknrollzombie

[iMonrey]

Quote

It's been mentioned several times by the writers in articles that Fred, Andy and Dan & Roseanne's son Jerry don't exist in the show's universe.

Not to beat a dead horse but Jerry was actually mentioned when the Roseanne reboot first started. If they're now saying he doesn't exist in this universe then they have re-imagined it more than once.

The other thing that drives me crazy is that Crystal was around until the show turned into The Conners, and then afterwards we even saw Little Ed in two episodes, but in all that time they never mentioned what happened to Dan's father. 

In short, the continuity is a colossal mess.

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

Quote

Sure, let’s run out and get a contrabassoon, they only cost like 30 grand…. He may be able to borrow a regular bassoon from the school district, but lessons aren’t free, either.  Unsurprisingly, The Bassoon Plan has some holes in it. 

As the show was progressing, I was also googling the price of a contrabassoon lol.  I played the French horn in high school and borrowed one from the school because they cost about $3000 back in the 70s (yes, I'm old).  Plus learning to play the regular bassoon is incredibly difficult.  I had friends who played oboe and bassoon in all-state orchestras.  (Zoey1996, I admire you and your double reed adventures- my niece played clarinet in college and tried the oboe and wasn't able to make it sound decent). 

As pointed out, Jackie didn't get shot - she was pursuing a naked guy and fell down the stairs and herniated some discs in her back.  It's ironic that she's carrying heavy items around all the time with a messed up back.  

I currently have a grandchild in a magnet school (yes, I'm OLD).  Parents apply for their child the year before and the children are picked in a lottery system (including race, so there is a racially diverse school, at least here in Florida).  No economic information was needed.  Same with charter schools here.  I agree that Mark needs to go the Sheldon Cooper way if he's that smart and start earning credits in HS for his budding college career (one of my children did this - called dual enrollment).  And why can't Mark get into a private school? They do offer grants and tuition reductions for students (again, one of my grandkids receives reduced tuition due to financial hardship).  

It's like the people writing the episodes have no idea how the rest of the world works.  Google is your friend.  

So why do I continue to watch? Cos I watched the OG Roseanne show back in the day and still watch the reruns.  As weird as it sounds, I'm invested in these characters and it really annoys me that the new writers don't respect the viewers to keep continuity in the show. 

[UYI]

3 hours ago, Rocknrollzombie said:

Every season every guy on this damm show someone sees chemistry between them and Becky. 

well then I must be blind because I didn’t see any type of chemistry for the past three seasons between Becky and any guy on this show. And I watched episode during the weekend just to see what people are talking about I didn’t see any chemistry, the little beginnings of the relationship with the professor is already cringe as F.  As for your comments smart and kind that surface level type looking at someone. Yeah he could seem like that on the surface but what if he turns out to be a complete dick.
 

Like cool you guys like the supposed romance on this show but for the love of god people need to stop hoping for Becky and Darlene to be in relationships. Let them focus on their damm kids. Feels like two teenage girls on screen rather than two grown women. Both of Becky and Darlene’s teenage self well in Darlene’s case weren’t this guy crazy and it’s cringy to see both of them as adults to basically throw themselves at guys.

For what it's worth, this is the first time I've really been interested in ANY guy for Becky on this show; I wasn't interested in the other two for her really at all.

And I'm all for Becky focusing on raising her daughter, and I certainly don't want her to date this guy while he's still her professor, I just really like him compared to basically any guy she's been involved with since Mark, that's all (okay, I wouldn't have minded her with Jackie's doctor, either). 

I'm just as big a Becky fan as you are, from way back, if you remember, really since I was I a kid in the 90's, so, believe me, I get wanting her to do well and not make any stupid mistakes. Or, at least, not TOO many. ;) 

(Also: I don't really see her as throwing herself at guys, at least not that seriously, and I certainly don't see her as being pathetic the way I do Darlene.)

Edited February 7, 2022 by UYI

[Rocknrollzombie]

44 minutes ago, UYI said:

For what it's worth, this is the first time I've really been interested in ANY guy for Becky on this show; I wasn't interested in the other two for her really at all.

And I'm all for Becky focusing on raising her daughter, and I certainly don't want her to date this guy while he's still her professor, I just really like him compared to basically any guy she's been involved with since Mark, that's all (okay, I wouldn't have minded her with Jackie's doctor, either). 

I'm just as big a Becky fan as you are, from way back, if you remember, really since I was I a kid in the 90's, so, believe me, I get wanting her to do well and not make any stupid mistakes. Or, at least, not TOO many. ;) 

(Also: I don't really see her as throwing herself at guys, at least not that seriously, and I certainly don't see her as being pathetic the way I do Darlene.)

Ah shit I should have been more clear but in general aside from you and some others who don’t immediately pair up Becky with whatever guy is thrown onto this show.
 

Like any guy even the ones that Darlene had been with I see people say oh they should put Becky with (insert name) like it’s irritating to a point

[formercontraplay]

The line "  ... gay contrabassoonist..." that the writers gave Mark is the ultimate in stupidity.  Don't they realize that German and Italian  for contrabassoon are contrafagott and contrafagotto, respectively.

[love2lovebadtv]

On 2/3/2022 at 3:02 AM, Cherpumple said:

No kidding, it's giving me whiplash. Two weeks ago Mark was so far behind the other students at the magnet school that he resorted to drugs to keep up. And this week he's so much smarter than them that they're paying him to write their college essays? Huh? At first I thought I had misheard and he was doing this for kids in his normal school, but nope, it's for that magnet school kids that he kept referring to as idiots. And I don't think the writers understand the difference between a magnet school and a private school, since Mark and Darlene kept referring to the magnet school crowd as rich snobs (and Skylar's dad had paid for some new facilities). As far as I remember, they've never mentioned that this was a private, tuition-based school, and all the magnet schools I've ever heard of (including the one I attended) were public schools that were free to anyone in the area who met the entrance requirements.

The Becky/teacher storyline was cute, but felt like much ado about nothing. If you want to start dating, just wait until the class is over. It can't be more than a few months, which goes by pretty quickly at their age. No need to rearrange everyone's schedule or risk his job by sneaking around.

It was nice to see Ben having a fun scene with Dan and Darlene with no relationship drama, just him being a supportive family friend. More of this, please!

I think Mark was underprepared and had issues with the workload but he is still smart and a good writer. His making that essay mistake could be a sign that he takes on more than he should. And I have to agree this show treats a magnet school like a fancy private school. Magnet schools are available for academically advanced kids from all backgrounds, while private schools require that kids' families can pay unless they qualify for a scholarship. Big difference, smh. 

Also don't understand why Becky and her professor have to date right this second. Or at all. 

On 2/3/2022 at 5:59 AM, EtheltoTillie said:

So much stupid in smart people. Putting aside the stupidity of writing essays for others, Mark can’t figure out that it’s not a good idea to write the same essays for two different customers?  Becky and the professor both so stupid that there’s not one person smart enough to put the brakes on the relationship?
 How is Becky paying for college? Doesn’t she have a scholarship related to her financial condition?  Most schools give some financial aid related to economic circumstances. So Mark and Darlene can’t learn from this?  
Mark could also get a merit scholarship just for having good grades or a high SAT. There are many schools that would give him a full ride without his having to play the contrabassoon, obviously just a comedy ploy. 

I assumed Becky was getting financial aid grants. I have a hard time understanding why that is never mentioned in the show. Frankly, I find it odd to be "saving" money for college when you can't pay for basic things. Mark would get financial aid because of their finances (though I don't know what Darlene's income is like right now), SAT scores, etc. 

On 2/3/2022 at 1:03 PM, QQQQ said:

If Mark is as smart as everyone says, between AP, dual enrollment, and CLEP he could earn enough free credits to get through his first two years of college while in high school. But no, please focus your time and energy on the contrabassoon.

Mark is smart and focused. He could definitely do AP, dual enrollment, and CLEP. He could transfer an Associate's to a 4-year college. There are so many options that don't involve a contrabassoon or writing essays for other kids.

On 2/4/2022 at 12:06 PM, TattleTeeny said:

Maybe? But, on the other hand, that's only 3 men (in how long of a time?) -- is that an addiction for a "single" chick? Outside of that recovery rule about not starting a relationship, I don't think it seems odd (and if it does, I may have had such an addiction at various points in my life!).

I don't think it's an addiction either. She doesn't seem to be overly concerned with finding men nor is she pining when she's in between romantic encounters/dates. It seems that all the guys she's been interested in are men she's already encountering. It doesn't seem excessive or addictive.

On 2/4/2022 at 12:14 PM, iMonrey said:

Yeah and I'm irritated at how bratty Mark has become about getting into college. I mean, I totally get that he wants to lift himself out of poverty, but his obsession with getting into an Ivy League school is stupid and unrealistic, and wouldn't even guarantee him a lucrative job in the end any more than a degree from a state college would. As has been noted, we don't even know what kind of career he is shooting for anyway. Does he want to be a lawyer, or a doctor? HIs nasty attitude towards his mother is completely unwarranted (about this particular issue, anyway). He's acting just snotty as Harris.

Mark is still my favorite character. I just like the kid. His bratty behavior makes sense for his age and his frustration with his surroundings. Ivy league wouldn't guarantee him a lucrative career - totally agree with that - but I'm disappointed none of the adults in his life help him think about some goals that are more realistic and concrete than him saving money for college. I can see him saving money for a school trip or a new computer. But college tuition? Darlene's counter to that is to learn to play an instrument he's never even heard of? Also, Mark's disdain for his family seems to stem from not wanting to end up like them and being frustrated at how much they self-sabotage. He likely sees Darlene as having taken away his chance at a brighter future. 

[Rocknrollzombie]

8 hours ago, love2lovebadtv said:

I don't think it's an addiction either. She doesn't seem to be overly concerned with finding men nor is she pining when she's in between romantic encounters/dates. It seems that all the guys she's been interested in are men she's already encountering. It doesn't seem excessive or addictive.

Season 1 a women was ready to fight her because Becky and the women’s boyfriend were texting or some bs I don’t remember.  

Both Becky and Jackie were asking josh questions about his dad looking at his Instagram and finding photos of his dad. And pretty sure there have been other drunk hook ups that she has had before Emilio and apparently her former boss at casita Bonita.

Edited February 11, 2022 by Rocknrollzombie

[Bastet]

11 hours ago, love2lovebadtv said:

She doesn't seem to be overly concerned with finding men nor is she pining when she's in between romantic encounters/dates. It seems that all the guys she's been interested in are men she's already encountering. It doesn't seem excessive or addictive.

Exactly.  She briefly dated that asshole Packers fan and then kicked him to the curb, and I don't remember if there were any other dates around that time; if there were, it wasn't very many.  More recently, she wanted to have sober sex, so asked that old high school friend if he was interested, got that out of the way (and then hooked up with him again at the wedding when she was freaking out, but knew she needed a better coping mechanism than sex so it never happened again), and then there hasn't been anyone until this professor, right?  I mean, it is absolutely ridiculous for them to date right now instead of waiting until the class is over and I'm disappointed she's being so dumb about it (and massively side-eyeing him), but I don't see a broader issue with men going on; Becky hasn't been out scouring Lanford for them or, as you said, sitting around whining about not having a boyfriend.