S04.E17: Big Negotiations and Broken Expectations

[Pallas]

Dan calls on his old friends; Louise calls him out on his priorities, and Darlene and Robin call up a big play. 

[ams1001]

So...they're already getting a construction crew for the house and she doesn't even know if she can afford it yet?

And then Louise is gonna get mad at him for spending a ton of time working on the giant project she volunteered him for?

Edited April 14, 2022 by ams1001

[Browncoat]

Never ever threaten to quit your job unless you actually mean it.

[chitowngirl]

Where is Mark?????

[Annber03]

Nice to see Robin again tonight! They're very lucky that their plan did ultimately pay off in the end. I sympathize with Darlene's frustration in and of itself, but, yeah, probably would've helped to think about some of this stuff first before jumping into buying a home. It's not Robin's fault she took on such a risky financial endeavor. 

As for Louise, on the one hand, I sympathize with her frustration about not being able to have time for just her and Dan. Becky and Darlene are adults, if they have an issue, they should learn to handle more of their stuff themselves. At the same time, however, she also knew this was the kind of guy Dan was before she married him, and that even when people don't ask for his help he'll still offer to do so anyway, because that's how he is. Especially when it comes to things like looking after his granddaughter. And, as others have noted, it was her idea to have Dan work on the house for Darlene. 

I did like Beverley Rose pretending to be a doctor and playing with Dan :). That was cute. 

[Shermie]

Beverly Rose is cute, but she’s just adequate as a child actor. Very stilted and staged. Of course, Lecy Goranson still sounds stilted and staged, so like (tv) mother, like (tv) daughter, I guess.

So stupid of Louise to complain about Dan being obsessed with the funeral home renovation when she planted the idea, but then the show did acknowledge that. I was hoping that when she decided to sleep there, she would see what a great building it was and posit the idea to live there with Dan instead of tearing it down.

[UYI]

I like that we at least got SOME acknowledgment of some possible conflict the kids might have over a different woman being married to their dad now. It wasn't really about her not being their mom, but it was something, and I'm happy Louise stood up for herself.

I know they'll probably find some way to ruin it later, but good for Darlene finally getting her raise--I've hated her enough that I probably should have been rooting for her to left up the creek for threatening to quit her job, but I guess I'm feeling charitable tonight. 

[Bastet]

I missed the first seven minutes as I lost track of time, so I missed all the context.  

From what I did see, Louise can miss me - complaining about a fundamental dynamic she willingly married into (the time to say "If we're going to live together as spouses, I'll want X, Y, and Z to change" is while discussing marriage, not something to wholly ignore and then whine about afterward) and then specifically about a dumb-ass situation SHE suggested - but maybe a full viewing will change my mind.  I hope it does.  As I said in another thread, I don't particularly care about Louise one way or the other, and I certainly don't miss her when she's gone, but I generally like her when she's there, and I'd hate for that to change.  But she was written horribly last episode, and I hope this one isn't more of the same; I don't need that distraction.

I enjoyed seeing Robin again, even without knowing the specifics.  I like her, and really liked her dynamic with Becky, but also enjoy how Darlene interacts with her.  "You told me I was valuable, you told me to believe in myself - what kind of stupid advice was that?"  And Darlene's attempt at covering once she got her offer and Robin's "Shut up" response were good.

[greekmom]

I like Robyn, I didn't like the storyline. It was stupid. Who puts their job on the line for a raise without a backup plan?  Robyn at least has her spouse (I remember her saying she was married but I don't remember if it was a man or a woman) till she found another job.  Darlene has no one.

I was hoping that the bar they went drinking was the Lobo. Missed opportunity.

I always did say that building a home is more of a hassle than buying one ready made. 

The show is currently in the bubble. Not sure if they will survive. 

[nelroy78]

3 hours ago, greekmom said:

The show is currently in the bubble. Not sure if they will survive. 

How do you figure? The Conners should be fine. It’s Home Economics or maybe the Wonder Years that should be worried.

[Starchild]

4 hours ago, greekmom said:

I like Robyn, I didn't like the storyline. It was stupid. Who puts their job on the line for a raise without a backup plan?  Robyn at least has her spouse (I remember her saying she was married but I don't remember if it was a man or a woman) till she found another job.  Darlene has no one.

I believe I recall her referring to her spouse with male pronouns.

[iMonrey]

So once again the Conners demonstrate their bad financial decisions as proudly as can be. Take risks! Remember the time we lost our shirts on that bike shop, and on that loose meat sandwich shop? Do that again! It's counter-intuitive that they would encourage Darlene to risk a stable job with good pay and benefits based on their own failures, but the show is so tone-deaf it doesn't seem to understand how badly they have damaged the integrity of these characters for the sake of a cheap laugh. Especially when you consider that the Lunch Box was only a failure according to the revisionist history in this reboot. It was doing well when the original series ended. 

Also, did Becky say Dan painted a window in her bathroom? Which bathroom is that? Is there a third bathroom down in the basement, where she lives? 

I don't know why Jay Ferguson is still on this show, unless the long-range goal is for him and Darlene to reconcile. He's just always sitting there at the Conner house, for no discernible reason. They are really shoe-horning him into the story. 

[Welshman in Ca]

4 hours ago, greekmom said:

I like Robyn, I didn't like the storyline. It was stupid. Who puts their job on the line for a raise without a backup plan?  Robyn at least has her spouse (I remember her saying she was married but I don't remember if it was a man or a woman) till she found another job.  Darlene has no one.

 

I was stupid enough to do it once but in my defence I was in my 20s, single with zero kids and knew I was the greatest thing since sliced bread.  I now know I'm not that great but I guess I was then as I was able to negotiate a great raise out of it and stayed with that company for 17 years until I came to the USA.

[lexiexx]

Gee, the answer to how they're going to afford the move without a raise is, you know, not knocking down and rebuilding a whole house.   But instead living in the house that only costs 500 a month.   

Agreed that Lecy is super stiff and staged.  Why does she always walk onto the stage like she's about to do a dance recital?

 

[Ottis]

11 hours ago, greekmom said:

Who puts their job on the line for a raise without a backup plan? 

Forget the plan ... why does anyone believe that working someplace for 2 years, with no discernible impact (all the numbers they claimed were made up), entitled them to a raise? Just being around means more money? The whole concept made no sense. 

31 minutes ago, lexiexx said:

Gee, the answer to how they're going to afford the move without a raise is, you know, not knocking down and rebuilding a whole house.   But instead living in the house that only costs 500 a month.   

Exactly. I couldn't understand all the "i can't afford that" until I realized they weren't doing what actually made sense.

Also, who immediately attacks their old boss when they don't also get an email extending an offer? You say, "Congratulations" and hope your old boss fights for you. Twit.

I suspect one of Dan's "crew" will suffer an injury or die on the job, and wipe him out. That's how the Connors roll.

I actually liked Louise pointing out Dan's behavior, but she didn't go far enough. She should be telling ALL of the family that Dan is older, should be retiring and they need to give him a break instead of drain him like vampires.

[MrsEVH]

8 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't know why Jay Ferguson is still on this show, unless the long-range goal is for him and Darlene to reconcile. He's just always sitting there at the Conner house, for no discernible reason. They are really shoe-horning him into the story. 

I had to look him up on imdb to see if he was the Jay Ferguson who sang Thunder Island.  I didn't realize he played Burt Reynolds' son in Evening Shade.

[QQQQ]

When crunching the numbers and going over how much it would cost to purchase the house, Darlene sounded like a dim-witted middle school student first learning about personal finances. "Taxes? What's taxes, Pa?"

[Irate Panda]

2 hours ago, Ottis said:

I actually liked Louise pointing out Dan's behavior, but she didn't go far enough. She should be telling ALL of the family that Dan is older, should be retiring and they need to give him a break instead of drain him like vampires.

I actually agree with this part, of course, it would have been better had she not volunteered him to demolish and then build a whole new house, but yes hopefully Dan will set some boundaries with everyone about what he can do.

So after years of hearing her parents complain about bills, you mean Darlene has never heard of property taxes or insurance?  She is so damn dumb, it’s almost painful.  So she’s “hiring” crews and “buying” materials and doesn’t know if she can afford the house?  Will they just tear down somebody else’s house and then decide “oops too expensive, never mind!”

I don’t really care about the Robyn character, but at least she has a spouse that can possibly pay their bills, Darlene is tearing down someone else’s house and just found out about a new thing called property taxes and is willing to risk it all?

Is Mark off at contrabassoon camp or they only allow 2 children per episode?

[MissLucas]

I can't believe they're going through with that insane scheme. With a crew of pensioners who will work for free. Sounds like a legal nightmare in the making.

Yeah, Louise you made your (water-)bed, now you have to lie in it.

[UYI]

11 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Especially when you consider that the Lunch Box was only a failure according to the revisionist history in this reboot. It was doing well when the original series ended. 

 

From what was implied in season 10, it was the financial crisis in 2008 that ultimately took it down, but yes, it absolutely was a success for a long time, so to use it as an example of an immediate financial failure, like the bike shop absolutely was, is strange. 

Can we all at least agree that Jackie joke about Dan's construction team having worked on the pyramids was funny? :D 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

13 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Also, did Becky say Dan painted a window in her bathroom? Which bathroom is that? Is there a third bathroom down in the basement, where she lives?

I noticed that, too.  I guess she doesn't let Louise use it.

6 hours ago, Ottis said:

Forget the plan ... why does anyone believe that working someplace for 2 years, with no discernible impact (all the numbers they claimed were made up), entitled them to a raise? Just being around means more money? The whole concept made no sense. 

Agreed.

6 hours ago, Ottis said:

Also, who immediately attacks their old boss when they don't also get an email extending an offer? You say, "Congratulations" and hope your old boss fights for you. Twit.

I did wonder if when Robyn got the raise, she would have had the authority to just hire Darlene back at her old salary.

When they were originally planning to threaten to quit together, I thought that the conflict would be that the boss would offer Robyn's job to Darlene, and she would have to choose whether to stand by Robyn.

6 hours ago, Ottis said:

I suspect one of Dan's "crew" will suffer an injury or die on the job, and wipe him out. That's how the Connors roll.

 I thought there would be some joke about the convenience of them working in a funeral parlor.

1 hour ago, UYI said:

 Can we all at least agree that Jackie joke about Dan's construction team having worked on the pyramids was funny? :D 

That, and the very ending with the 2 alternative parties were the best parts of the episode.

Edited April 15, 2022 by ItCouldBeWorse

[qtpye]

On 4/13/2022 at 11:38 PM, Shermie said:

Beverly Rose is cute, but she’s just adequate as a child actor. Very stilted and staged. Of course, Lecy Goranson still sounds stilted and staged, so like (tv) mother, like (tv) daughter, I guess.

So stupid of Louise to complain about Dan being obsessed with the funeral home renovation when she planted the idea, but then the show did acknowledge that. I was hoping that when she decided to sleep there, she would see what a great building it was and posit the idea to live there with Dan instead of tearing it down.

It is the Full House school of child actors. 

The kid says a very stilted cute line that no kid would say, batts their eyelashes, and exits the scene while the audience goes "ahhh".

The original show was known for having realistic kids who were very authentic and not just adorably precious.

7 hours ago, QQQQ said:

When crunching the numbers and going over how much it would cost to purchase the house, Darlene sounded like a dim-witted middle school student first learning about personal finances. "Taxes? What's taxes, Pa?"

Good Lord, it is so ridiculous that this almost 50-year-old woman is so stupid.

She only budgeted for a mortgage and did not realize the cost of upkeeping a home?

Why does she not just move into the nice apartment she was originally going to purchase with Ben? It would give her some space and would make more sense than paying rent to her Dad to live in an overcrowded dump.

Louise all of a sudden has a problem with this dysfunctional family that she became a part of with eyes wide open is frustrating. Does she not remember when Jackie slapped Darlene?

Why the Hell did she volunteer her elderly husband to build a fricken house? Did she think that would happen in a couple of days?

 

[Yeah No]

19 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't know why Jay Ferguson is still on this show, unless the long-range goal is for him and Darlene to reconcile. He's just always sitting there at the Conner house, for no discernible reason. They are really shoe-horning him into the story. 

I know, I said that earlier in the season and got told he hangs around because he works with Dan and likes being around the kids.  Whatever!  🤷‍♀️  I still think they're shoe-horning him into the story.  I originally thought it might be because the end game was for him and Darlene to get back together, but the crazy way this show is going from one week to the next I don't even give it enough credit to think that far ahead and stick to such a plan.

[Irate Panda]

How much are we supposed to believe Darlene is paying Dan in rent? She claims the construction loan and mortgage loan would be cheaper than paying rent to Dan, yet Dan acts like he barely has two nickels to rub together.  Although I guess he did offer to pay for lunch at classy La Casa Bonita for the Pensioners Crew, that’s probably a good $12 right there. 
 

I wish they’d get rid of Darlene, Harris, Beverly Rose and center the show around Dan and Louise. I don’t want to make fun of a child but I cringe anytime Beverly Rose has a scene.  They should have just aged her to 12-15 and pretend it didn’t affect Becky’s age.  Nothing else on this show makes sense, why should that? She’s was only bearable in the doctor scene with Dan.  Becky wins by default for her generation since DJ has gone into witness protection, and she can sometimes do some decent scenes when she interacts with Dan, Jackie or Louise like in the funeral home scene.  Jackie can stay as long as she’s not insane, she’s still funny like with the pyramid joke.  I don’t even mind Ben being there as I like him better than any of the 3 original children.  Maybe Dan can adopt him since he seems to live at the Conners anyway.  
 

I know it’s “wrong”, but I wanted Darlene to stay fired.  I am not rooting for her to win at all, although I thought they’d fire Robyn and offer the job to Darlene at a lower rate, then she’d offer Becky Darlene’s old job because I’m sure there’d be no nepotism conflict, plus they’d have more money to offer to Methhead Annie, who apparently keeps the entire company afloat. 
 

Also, does Mary still live there or was she off learning the contrabassoon too?

[Wizardpatch]

This episode just made me wish that I was watching a Married with Children reboot with Al and Peg being selfish and negligent grandparents.

[ams1001]

5 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I know, I said that earlier in the season and got told he hangs around because he works with Dan and likes being around the kids. 

I could buy him wanting to be around for Mark, since they seemed to be close (in that one episode, at least), but Mark is barely even around and when he is they don't have any scenes together.

[ljenkins782]

20 hours ago, Irate Panda said:

I actually agree with this part, of course, it would have been better had she not volunteered him to demolish and then build a whole new house, but yes hopefully Dan will set some boundaries with everyone about what he can do.

So after years of hearing her parents complain about bills, you mean Darlene has never heard of property taxes or insurance?  She is so damn dumb, it’s almost painful.  So she’s “hiring” crews and “buying” materials and doesn’t know if she can afford the house?  Will they just tear down somebody else’s house and then decide “oops too expensive, never mind!”

This whole plot line is so painfully stupid. Dan and Roseanne struggled back in their time, but they struggled with lack of options (on top of their propensity to be impulsive and make poor choices.) Roseanne swept up hair and worked at that horrible fast food job, at times worked 2 jobs to help keep them afloat. She did what was within her power to do for her family. Darlene clearly did not take that example to heart.

Darlene is putting herself through all of this hassle because of "bad vibes" in this perfectly serviceable house? Sorry, that's just not enough. You're a single mom with at least one kid who has real potential to make something of themselves, you have a chance to give them a real home and a place of your own that's well within your budget and nope, you just don't like that it was once a funeral home? Nope.

I totally get being put off by it if you're a person who has choices and can easily look elsewhere or if you're just a single person on your own who isn't hurting anyone by not seizing the opportunity. But as an adult sponging off an elderly parent and letting down your own kids, you suck it up and take what you can get.

Quote

When they were originally planning to threaten to quit together, I thought that the conflict would be that the boss would offer Robyn's job to Darlene, and she would have to choose whether to stand by Robyn.

That's exactly what I thought would happen too. And that Darlene would decide to stand by Robyn and give up her job because nothing she ever does seems to be in line with the goal of making a life for herself, it seems to all be about her feelings.

[Marley]

I just can’t with this show.

So they are building this house with a bunch of old retired men? Do these writers not understand construction loans or permits? What insurance company is going to insure this house that’s slapped together? Do they not have to get occupancy permits in Lanford? This is so stupid. I understand sometimes you suspend belief for tv but this is too much. Is a 13 year old writing this storyline like wtf.

Beverley Rose is too cringy to watch. I’m sorry I know she’s a child but just no.

Ben deserves better then Darlene but either put them back together or accept Jay Ferguson can no longer be on the show much. It makes no sense he’s hanging around all the time.

Other then shitty writing this show being centred on Darlene is one of its biggest problems. She’s a horrible stupid woman.

[iMonrey]

Quote

So they are building this house with a bunch of old retired men? Do these writers not understand construction loans or permits? What insurance company is going to insure this house that’s slapped together? Do they not have to get occupancy permits in Lanford? This is so stupid. I understand sometimes you suspend belief for tv but this is too much. Is a 13 year old writing this storyline like wtf.

They constantly go for the cheap and easy joke over any version of reality or logic. There is just SO MUCH going on that makes zero sense. The writers have no grasp on how anything works in the real world. Either that or they just don't care or think we're too stupid to care or notice. It's actually insulting.

[marceline]

On 4/13/2022 at 11:38 PM, Shermie said:

Beverly Rose is cute, but she’s just adequate as a child actor. Very stilted and staged. Of course, Lecy Goranson still sounds stilted and staged, so like (tv) mother, like (tv) daughter, I guess.

Beverly Rose has been better in previous episodes. 

On 4/14/2022 at 11:55 AM, Welshman in Ca said:

I was stupid enough to do it once but in my defence I was in my 20s, single with zero kids and knew I was the greatest thing since sliced bread.  I now know I'm not that great but I guess I was then as I was able to negotiate a great raise out of it and stayed with that company for 17 years until I came to the USA.

I was 25 when I did the same thing. Not a grown woman with adult children and an aged parent who relied on me for money.

The Conners offering up their small business failures (bike shop, loose meat) as strategic victories was insane.

If this show is renewed, Dan and Louise will break up during the next season. IMO, the marriage is untenable under the current circumstances.

ETA: Darlene shit-talking "Cokehead Annie" is rich given how Roseanne died from an overdose, Becky's an alcoholic, and Mark was doing speed a few episodes ago. Darlene is living in a glass house on that issue.

Edited April 17, 2022 by marceline

[CrystalBlue]

OK, let me join in on the snark of this show.  The whole show is untenable!  A novel could be written about the unreality and illogical logistics and storylines this show has.

I don't care what Roseanne Barr may indicate to the public, but she's gotta be watching and seeing this ship, the U.S.S. The Conners, sink around all the sharks a jumpin' around in the sea.

[Colorado David]

19 hours ago, Marley said:

 

Other then shitty writing this show being centred on Darlene is one of its biggest problems. She’s a horrible stupid woman.

Ok, agreed but it's the character, not the person.  I thnk Sara Gilbert is not so much of a lame brain as Darlene.

[Rocknrollzombie]

4 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

OK, let me join in on the snark of this show.  The whole show is untenable!  A novel could be written about the unreality and illogical logistics and storylines this show has.

I don't care what Roseanne Barr may indicate to the public, but she's gotta be watching and seeing this ship, the U.S.S. The Conners, sink around all the sharks a jumpin' around in the sea.

Lol yeah maybe one day me and another fan will write that out the unrealistic aspects this shows desperately wants to portray as their truths.

in. The mean time just rewriting the conners and the revival season is enough for fanfics authors of the Roseanne fandom to keep sane and not break our brains over this show.

[Virtual]

Funniest episode I’ve seen in a while, and Darlene didn’t annoy me as much as normal (although she still annoyed me with her “woe is me” and was gonna give up on her raise after only two hours of quitting, as well as hoping Robin would fail at everything she does; seriously?? YOU were the one who brought Robin into this).

If Roseanne were still around, she would have stayed in the room and screamed at Dan. So would have the other family members. That’s why I like Louise’s approach with them; she is showing them a better way to handle things. She was also right about how Dan can’t always be bailing his daughters out of trouble.

Beverly Rose telling Darlene that they wrote on the other side of her card at the end was the kids’ version of, “These guys are all BS’ing, this is the truth.” 🤣

Edited April 19, 2022 by Virtual

[SanDiegoInExile]

When the show is renewed for next season, they have an easy out.  Dan and Louise move into the Funeral Home.  Darlene and Becky stay in the "Family Home".  No demolition. No rebuild.  Dan just gets to tinker and Louise gets to be Queen in her own home.

They move Ben into the basement "apartment".  More $$$$.

Dan still pops into the Family Home.  Louise appears sparingly (saving some casting expense).

Edited April 19, 2022 by SanDiegoInExile

[Maccagirl]

7 hours ago, SanDiegoInExile said:

When the show is renewed for next season, they have an easy out.  Dan and Louise move into the Funeral Home.  Darlene and Becky stay in the "Family Home".  No demolition. No rebuild.  Dan just gets to tinker and Louise gets to be Queen in her own home.

They move Ben into the basement "apartment".  More $$$$.

Dan still pops into the Family Home.  Louise appears sparingly (saving some casting expense).

@SanDiegoInExile: you are now officially hired as the new head writer for this failing series.  KUDOS!!

[mythoughtis]

If Darlene is  finally paying rent ( and maybe Becky too), and Dan needed that rent  to pay the mortgage… what’s going to happen when they both move out?  Dan is  going to lose the house and they move in with Darlene? 

[Shermie]

13 hours ago, SanDiegoInExile said:

When the show is renewed for next season, they have an easy out.  Dan and Louise move into the Funeral Home.  Darlene and Becky stay in the "Family Home".  No demolition. No rebuild.  Dan just gets to tinker and Louise gets to be Queen in her own home.

That’s literally what I posted in the previous episode thread where the funeral home was first offered. It makes the most sense, logistically and financially. Which means the Connors won’t do it.

[mostlylurking]

I didn’t like Louise in this episode.  I get she’s never been married but she’s gotta realize the dynamic she married into.  First of all with the antihistamines she could very well run to the store and get them.  She has allergies, not the plague.  Secondly, I thought it was nice Dan volunteered to watch Beverly Rose so Becky didn’t have to pay for a babysitter.  Also it’s not right that every time someone disagrees with her she bolts out of the room and refuses to discuss it.  I normally like Louise but this episode not so much.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

3 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

I didn’t like Louise in this episode.  I get she’s never been married but she’s gotta realize the dynamic she married into.  First of all with the antihistamines she could very well run to the store and get them.  She has allergies, not the plague.  Secondly, I thought it was nice Dan volunteered to watch Beverly Rose so Becky didn’t have to pay for a babysitter.  Also it’s not right that every time someone disagrees with her she bolts out of the room and refuses to discuss it.  I normally like Louise but this episode not so much.

Agree with everything except the part about babysitting.  They had tickets to a concert, and he didn't even tell her he wasn't going until she was about to get ready.  As she later found out, he hadn't inquired if he was Becky's only option.  Had she asked Emilio?  Jackie, who's always around?  Possibly even Ben? Could the study group have met at Becky's house?

Sure, it's easiest to ask Dan, but Dan has to learn to say he has other plans when he actually does.  If it's truly an emergency, then of course he should babysit. 

Edited April 20, 2022 by ItCouldBeWorse

[wonderwoman]

On 4/17/2022 at 8:33 PM, Colorado David said:

On 4/17/2022 at 1:13 AM, Marley said:

Other then shitty writing this show being centred on Darlene is one of its biggest problems. She’s a horrible stupid woman.

Ok, agreed but it's the character, not the person.  I thnk Sara Gilbert is not so much of a lame brain as Darlene.

yeah… but sara gilbert is an executive producer, so she does have a lot to say about her character.

[CrystalBlue]

30 minutes ago, wonderwoman said:

yeah… but sara gilbert is an executive producer, so she does have a lot to say about her character.

Exactly, and that's not saying much, is it?

Also, I'd like to comment about Dan's impromptu babysitting night assignment.  Why the hell didn't Louise go to the Bachman Turner Overdrive concert by herself?  Why let two tix go to waste?  Why not invite another girlfriend or gal pal to join her?

BTW, the last time BTO was together was in 2018 as Bachman & Turner.  Another fail of the writers keeping up with facts and minutiae.

Edited April 20, 2022 by CrystalBlue

[Irate Panda]

6 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

If Darlene is  finally paying rent ( and maybe Becky too), and Dan needed that rent  to pay the mortgage… what’s going to happen when they both move out?  Dan is  going to lose the house and they move in with Darlene? 

I’m still left wondering how much rent Darlene is even paying, but I would say the other bills: water, electricity, food, should go down a lot since Darlene, Becky and whichever children-of-the-week go with them, plus Louise should now be contributing since she lives there.  Not to mention, Dan saves money by not having insurance or paying property taxes apparently.  Although Dan could fully pay for his mortgage(s) just by charging Ben an entrance fee every time he visits the Conners’ House of Horrors.

[Rocknrollzombie]

10 minutes ago, Irate Panda said:

just by charging Ben an entrance fee every time he visits the Conners’ House of Horrors.

Lol house of horrors at this point I’m just waiting for the day I read that the show officially just goes full blown horror show. With DJ as the killer.

[Colorado David]

1 hour ago, CrystalBlue said:

 

Also, I'd like to comment about Dan's impromptu babysitting night assignment.  Why the hell didn't Louise go to the Bachman Turner Overdrive concert by herself?  Why let two tix go to waste?  Why not invite another girlfriend or gal pal to join her?

 

Great point. Louise doesn't seem to be the loner no friends type, like ahem Darlene.  Take a friend or a neighbor, BE SOCIABLE.

[Shermie]

Re: the last minute babysitting. It annoys me on many levels. It annoys me that Becky (and the writers, I guess) assume that because Dan is a grandparent he should babysit just because. And it assumes he has no other plans. And that Becky didn’t ask first if Dan had other plans. And that Dan didn’t say, sorry I have other plans. And that when he agreed to babysit, he didn’t immediately tell Louise so she’d have time to ask a friend. And that Louise didn’t just say, fine I’ll go with a friend.

I don’t know how much fictional BTO farewell tour tickets would cost (but my Elton John farewell tour tickets were a pretty penny), but it’s yet another example of the Connors stupidly spending money on things they can barely afford - and then don’t even use!  I just can’t with these people.

[qtpye]

7 hours ago, Shermie said:

Re: the last minute babysitting. It annoys me on many levels. It annoys me that Becky (and the writers, I guess) assume that because Dan is a grandparent he should babysit just because. And it assumes he has no other plans. And that Becky didn’t ask first if Dan had other plans. And that Dan didn’t say, sorry I have other plans. And that when he agreed to babysit, he didn’t immediately tell Louise so she’d have time to ask a friend. And that Louise didn’t just say, fine I’ll go with a friend.

I don’t know how much fictional BTO farewell tour tickets would cost (but my Elton John farewell tour tickets were a pretty penny), but it’s yet another example of the Connors stupidly spending money on things they can barely afford - and then don’t even use!  I just can’t with these people.

It annoys me, as well.

However, I remember when Becky got pregnant, her family promised her that they would help her raise the baby, particularly after the father got deported, so she could get her education.

I think Dan actually likes to spend the whole evening in his crappy house with his messed-up family. Particularly if he has spent the whole day working at the hardware store and building his stupid daughter's house. I think this was his passive-aggressive way to say he really did not want to go to the concert.

On the other hand, Louise has been used to living a fairly unencumbered life for most of her adulthood.

I would feel sorry for her but it is not a surprise that this family is codependent in a toxic way. She was aware that Dan came with a lot of baggage but did not seem to mind until this episode.

She was right to be mad at Dan for flaking on the concert and putting her in an awkward position of looking like a selfish step-grandma when it is the family that is selfish.

[CrystalBlue]

10 minutes ago, qtpye said:

It annoys me, as well.

However, I remember when Becky got pregnant, her family promised her that they would help her raise the baby, particularly after the father got deported, so she could get her education.

I think Dan actually likes to spend the whole evening in his crappy house with his messed-up family. Particularly if he has spent the whole day working at the hardware store and building his stupid daughter's house. I think this was his passive-aggressive way to say he really did not want to go to the concert.

On the other hand, Louise has been used to living a fairly unencumbered life for most of her adulthood.

I would feel sorry for her but it is not a surprise that this family is codependent in a toxic way. She was aware that Dan came with a lot of baggage but did not seem to mind until this episode.

She was right to be mad at Dan for flaking on the concert and putting her in an awkward position of looking like a selfish step-grandma when it is the family that is selfish.

They never do mind, until the ink on the wedding certificate has dried.  I hope Louise smartens up and divorces Dan's constantly beer-drinking ass.  She can do a spinoff show all by herself.

[qtpye]

1 hour ago, CrystalBlue said:

They never do mind, until the ink on the wedding certificate has dried.  I hope Louise smartens up and divorces Dan's constantly beer-drinking ass.  She can do a spinoff show all by herself.

Yes, just like I have no clue what Ben finds so captivating about Darlene (particularly after she cheated on him), I had no clue why the Hell someone as gorgeous and put together as Louise would want to marry Dan. 

I mean, John Goodman is adorable, but Dan comes with a toxic family and a ton of financial issues.

I know she had a crush on him in high school but that was decades ago.

[Rocknrollzombie]

2 hours ago, qtpye said:

It annoys me, as well.

However, I remember when Becky got pregnant, her family promised her that they would help her raise the baby, particularly after the father got deported, so she could get her education.

I think Dan actually likes to spend the whole evening in his crappy house with his messed-up family. Particularly if he has spent the whole day working at the hardware store and building his stupid daughter's house. I think this was his passive-aggressive way to say he really did not want to go to the concert.

On the other hand, Louise has been used to living a fairly unencumbered life for most of her adulthood.

I would feel sorry for her but it is not a surprise that this family is codependent in a toxic way. She was aware that Dan came with a lot of baggage but did not seem to mind until this episode.

She was right to be mad at Dan for flaking on the concert and putting her in an awkward position of looking like a selfish step-grandma when it is the family that is selfish.

I didn’t watch the episode nor I will but from what I read the babysitting is the problem and that I can see a problem. Still don’t like Louise but aside from that.

elderly grandparents babysitting is a thing that irritates me about a niece of mine ( I have a relative who acts like The conners Becky) who is in her very early 20s that I have she tried dumping her two kids on my parents who are in their 60s. Cuz she was working afternoon shifts me and my other siblings put our foot down that she needed to find a babysitter, put her kids in a daycare or send them back to Mexico  to be with the dad. So him and his family can watch them if she’s busy acting irresponsible and wanting to dump the burden of child raising on my senior age parents.

Edited April 20, 2022 by Rocknrollzombie