S04.E18: The Best-Laid Plans, a Contrabassoon, and a Sinking Feeling

[Gemma Violet]

On 5/4/2022 at 8:31 PM, Annber03 said:

Not sure it was a wise move for Ben to move Darlene at all after she fell through that roof.

Right.  This was a major teachable moment and the writers blew it.  They could have had Ben say, "I'd pick you up, but you're not supposed to move an injured person."  Sadly, some people don't realize this.  I remember when I was 15 years old (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth), one of my classmates became a paraplegic after being thrown from the back of her older brother's motorcycle.  Her brother immediately picked her up, put her in the car, and brought her to the hospital.  Maybe she would have been a paraplegic even if he hadn't done that, but maybe there would have been a chance for a different outcome if he'd called for an ambulance and let professionals move her.  

[Kel Varnsen]

That episode was really dumb. So if Mark wants to use contrabassoon to get a scholarship, wouldn't that probably be a scholarship for a music program? Or could you study like engineering or business on a music scholarship?

[LaylaGirl]

19 hours ago, Gemma Violet said:

On 5/4/2022 at 7:31 PM, Annber03 said:

Not sure it was a wise move for Ben to move Darlene at all after she fell through that roof.

Right.  This was a major teachable moment and the writers blew it.  They could have had Ben say, "I'd pick you up, but you're not supposed to move an injured person."  Sadly, some people don't realize this. 

I thought the exact same thing - they missed a teachable moment! I read somewhere that many people's injuries are made worse by those trying to help by moving them after an accident, then by the initial accident itself.

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

Quote

 I wonder if the writers just googled “what’s the most obscure and difficult musical instrument?” and went with whatever came up. I can see a desperate student going for music (or art or sports or something) in hopes of a scholarship, but I can’t imagine any high school band having a contrabassoon in stock, especially in a low-middle class town like Lanford. My high school had a very good band program and we were told that the French horn was the most difficult. We had oboes, but didn’t have a bassoon, much less a contrabassoon.

Count me in the group of enraged musicians/ former band nerds at the ridiculous contrabassoon story.   My high school also had a very good music department and I was a very good musician (piano and voice and I have perfect pitch) before I decided to pick up the French horn as a senior.  It is VERY hard (I also picked up flute, piccolo, and percussion as well).  I had friends who played the bassoon and it's a horrible sounding instrument unless it's played well.  One kid who also played multiple instruments (clarinet, oboe, piano and even the bagpipes) was playing bassoon and it was a challenge for him to make it sound good. I was able to borrow a French horn from the school but I would also be shocked if any school had a contrabassoon these days (my local music store rents instruments but nothing quite that exotic). 

Mark could get a music scholarship but he would be required to play in the college orchestra. My niece played clarinet and got a music scholarship to college. She majored in music business administration.  And sorry but no marching bassoons in college marching bands, lol.  As a French horn player, I played the baritone in the marching band in HS.  My bassoon friends all played bagpipes and clarinets. 

What is wrong with Ben? Darlene makes herself more and more unlikeable every week.  Yet, an eligible bachelor in Lanford "with his own teeth" keeps pursuing this horrible bad-tempered woman who treats him like dirt.  I contrast her with Rosanne who could be very sarcastic and snappy with her husband, but you still felt they loved each other under it all. Darlene doesn't seem to love anybody but herself.  I'm wishing Ben leaves her at the altar.  

[Bastet]

19 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

So if Mark wants to use contrabassoon to get a scholarship, wouldn't that probably be a scholarship for a music program? Or could you study like engineering or business on a music scholarship?

Just like those attending college on a football scholarship not having to major in football, those attending on a music scholarship are not required to major in music; the scholarship would be in exchange for his participation in the school's orchestra and all that entails, but he can pursue whatever degree he wants.  This whole stupid idea was based on that being the instrument the fewest number of applicants have mastered, but the flip side of that is how few schools have orchestras and need contrabassoon players such that they're willing and able to hand out scholarships based on playing that instrument.

It was a dumb joke at the end of the episode about Mark's limited options for success causing such desperation, and for it to be turned into a storyline suggesting this is actually his best path to a college education is so far beyond stupid the light from Stupid will take one billion years to reach Earth.

[Sile]

Why does everybody insist on treating Mark like a Faberge egg?  When Mark wanted to learn the piano and Ben generously offered his help, Darlene tore into him for telling Mark to stop goofing around and treat the keyboard with respect and now this?  If Dan thinks Lou was harsh, he's obviously never seen Whiplash. 

And as much as the Lloyd cameo was a pleasant surprise, how great would it have been to have JK Simmons show up on the doorstep?

After the pizza scene, I was really hoping that Becky and Ben might pair up since they played off of each other so well, but that hope crashed through the roof along with the cranky dancing sandwich.

[MsTree]

This show is getting more stupid and less funny with every episode. Did anyone see a shark?

[MissLucas]

4 hours ago, MsTree said:

This show is getting more stupid and less funny with every episode. Did anyone see a shark?

I could not find any contrabassoon playing sharks - is this close enough?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyzY_CVQ7OM

[Kel Varnsen]

17 hours ago, Bastet said:

Just like those attending college on a football scholarship not having to major in football, those attending on a music scholarship are not required to major in music; the scholarship would be in exchange for his participation in the school's orchestra and all that entails, but he can pursue whatever degree he wants.  This whole stupid idea was based on that being the instrument the fewest number of applicants have mastered, but the flip side of that is how few schools have orchestras and need contrabassoon players such that they're willing and able to hand out scholarships based on playing that instrument.

Interesting, I would have thought it would be more like getting a scholarship for being really good at math or French or something with the catch being you have to study math or French. Just because you can get a degree in music but you can't get a degree in football.

But either way wouldn't Mark's time be better spent investigating which schools offer the best financial aid?  Because some quick googling tells me that even Ivy League schools expect you to pay nothing if your family makes below a certain income level. And if you are in a single mom, deadbeat dad situation where you are living in your grandfather's house and stealing from salvation army bins for clothes you probably qualify for that.

[Welshman in Ca]

I would have thought that there were a boatload of scholarships available to him from various sources for much smaller amounts but which quickly add up if he & his parents put in the effort to hunt them down. There was an app on Shark tank once that lists the scholarships available to you after a few basic questions and that was a while ago so I'm sure that there are more now, maybe they don't have a smart phone or laptop in the whole family.

[Yeah No]

18 hours ago, Bastet said:

This whole stupid idea was based on that being the instrument the fewest number of applicants have mastered, but the flip side of that is how few schools have orchestras and need contrabassoon players such that they're willing and able to hand out scholarships based on playing that instrument.

Thanks, I was going to say the same thing, although my husband who knows a lot about this subject says that the contrabassoon, depending on what key it's in could be adapted to play the parts of certain other instruments.  And today computers can change the key of a piece to make it work for certain instruments.  So he doesn't see it as impossible, just unlikely maybe, LOL.

1 hour ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Interesting, I would have thought it would be more like getting a scholarship for being really good at math or French or something with the catch being you have to study math or French. Just because you can get a degree in music but you can't get a degree in football.

My husband, who is a musician and is currently attending undergrad. in a music program and I (who once upon a time worked in undergrad. admissions/financial aid) talked about this, and we both think that those scholarships given for music to non-music majors are probably not full scholarships.  The few I looked into pay no more than a few grand a year, not really enough to finance one's entire education.  Which is not bad, but not what most people assume when they hear "scholarship".  Most scholarships are only partial not full.  To get a full scholarship in music one would probably have to major in music and have talent.

1 hour ago, Kel Varnsen said:

But either way wouldn't Mark's time be better spent investigating which schools offer the best financial aid?  Because some quick googling tells me that even Ivy League schools expect you to pay nothing if your family makes below a certain income level. And if you are in a single mom, deadbeat dad situation where you are living in your grandfather's house and stealing from salvation army bins for clothes you probably qualify for that.

Ding, ding, ding!  My thoughts exactly, but why should anyone in this family think along those lines?  But believe it or not, it's not that far fetched for them not to do that.  My husband and I have a friend whose daughter received a full scholarship based on grades to attend a state school in our state.  She had a bad breakup with a boyfriend and her grades slipped and she lost the scholarship because her GPA fell below a certain number.  I kept telling them that she would likely qualify for other scholarships based on need because both her parents are on Social Security disability.  But no, no one is listening to me even though they know I know what I'm talking about.  She and her parents make every excuse why they are victims and don't qualify for anything.  Of course.  Why should some people exert any common sense?  So now a brilliant 20 year old woman is working in a dry cleaner and feeling sorry for herself.  Don't get me started.....

[EtheltoTillie]

I think it's funny that we are all commenting seriously on what kind of scholarship might or might not be available for contrabassoon players when in reality we are just paying too much attention to something generated by idiot plot syndrome in the writers' room!  Of course Mark could get a scholarship based on need.  Oy. 

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, MsTree said:

This show is getting more stupid and less funny with every episode. Did anyone see a shark?

I am beginning to seriously wonder whether the writers are trying to kill this show.  It's obvious they have no respect for the characters, their history, reality or the audience.  I feel like the actors at this point are just riding the train to wherever it goes, but you can almost see the thought bubble over their heads with the "help me" sign at times.  I don't want to get all "I told you so" but I knew the moment Ben and Darlene broke up that the show would put them back together, as predictable and trite as that is, and I caught crap for that opinion, but even I couldn't anticipate how poorly they would handle it.  No warning, nothing.  Out of almost nowhere he suddenly has a reawakening and proposes to her, after she basically makes an ass of herself.  And Sarah Gilbert couldn't even make her reaction believable.  She was like "Oh yeah, that's right, I still have feelings for you, OK, yeah, let's get married", almost like it was a "sure, I guess so".   No lead up, no "will they/won't they".  Just weeks of him sitting at the kitchen table like a fixture and her basically ignoring him.  Such lazy ass writing.  I have no more predictions other than the show will find more ridiculous things to throw at us before TPTB finally yell, "Stop the insanity" and cancel the show.

[Rocknrollzombie]

11 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I am beginning to seriously wonder whether the writers are trying to kill this show.  It's obvious they have no respect for the characters, their history, reality or the audience.  I feel like the actors at this point are just riding the train to wherever it goes, but you can almost see the thought bubble over their heads with the "help me" sign at times.  I don't want to get all "I told you so" but I knew the moment Ben and Darlene broke up that the show would put them back together, as predictable and trite as that is, and I caught crap for that opinion, but even I couldn't anticipate how poorly they would handle it.  No warning, nothing.  Out of almost nowhere he suddenly has a reawakening and proposes to her, after she basically makes an ass of herself.  And Sarah Gilbert couldn't even make her reaction believable.  She was like "Oh yeah, that's right, I still have feelings for you, OK, yeah, let's get married", almost like it was a "sure, I guess so".   No lead up, no "will they/won't they".  Just weeks of him sitting at the kitchen table like a fixture and her basically ignoring him.  Such lazy ass writing.  I have no more predictions other than the show will find more ridiculous things to throw at us before TPTB finally yell, "Stop the insanity" and cancel the show.

Me and some others have been saying this since season 2, the writers, the show runners have no respect for the original. And we also have thought this season is very the much the season they are using to just get themselves cancelled. 
 

and same some of the actors do just look not into it anymore, phoney it in more 

[Yeah No]

32 minutes ago, Rocknrollzombie said:

Me and some others have been saying this since season 2, the writers, the show runners have no respect for the original. And we also have thought this season is very the much the season they are using to just get themselves cancelled. 
 

and same some of the actors do just look not into it anymore, phoney it in more 

I've been wondering it since then too (and have posted that) but now I'm seriously wondering, LOL.

As time goes on they look like they're pulling the plots and the acting out of their collective ass.  It's very sad.

[kassa]

I will concede that extracurricular activities can make a difference when competing for scholarships based on need. There are lots of poor kids out there, and he's probably not the poorest kid in his own school. If the poor kid is also a gay contrabassoon player, maybe he will get the edge. They could have pushed that aspect more than "full ride bassoon scholarship" which seemed to be the angle they were going for. Have him knocking himself out doing ALL the clubs and activities. That would be more realistic. 

[Kel Varnsen]

1 hour ago, kassa said:

I will concede that extracurricular activities can make a difference when competing for scholarships based on need. There are lots of poor kids out there, and he's probably not the poorest kid in his own school. If the poor kid is also a gay contrabassoon player, maybe he will get the edge. They could have pushed that aspect more than "full ride bassoon scholarship" which seemed to be the angle they were going for. Have him knocking himself out doing ALL the clubs and activities. That would be more realistic. 

That would actually be more interesting. It would help if we actually knew what Mark wanted to do with his life/future schooling. Is it just go to university and be not poor? Because more reading tells me that places like Harvard will let you go free of charge if your family makes under a certain income. The catch is you have to get in. So for sure playing contrabassoon to pad his resume would make a hell of a lot more sense than trying to get one of those big money bassoon scholarships.

[Virtual]

I wished that instead of proposing, that Ben would have taken the opportunity to hash everything out that happened with his and Darlene’s relationship. I guess he has just resigned himself to accepting Darlene’s irrational behavior.

With all the smarts Mark has, he won’t only be depending on mastering the contrabassoon to get into college, surely...

[Pi237]

The original show, at least the first 4-5 seasons, were believable and reflected how the lower-middle-class survived. This reincarnation is living in fantasy land. As soon as a character gets a job-they’re buying a house! They have a baby, yet can hold a full time job, go to school and AA meetings!  They can buy a cheap house with some questionable history & just tear it down a rebuild it!!—with a crew of men with arthritis and congestive heart failure. They really could’ve had a great show here-showing how economically challenged people succeed or fail, how high the deck is stacked against anyone not born on 3rd base, etc But they just went for cheap laughs. 
 

Anyway, I’ll still watch cuz I really like Ben, Jackie when she’s not being a clown, and Becky. 

[izabella]

I was expecting Ben and Darlene to get back together sooner or later, and I like Ben, so I'm fine with it being now.  Watching Darlene dating was unbearable. 

32 minutes ago, Pi237 said:

The original show, at least the first 4-5 seasons, were believable and reflected how the lower-middle-class survived. This reincarnation is living in fantasy land. As soon as a character gets a job-they’re buying a house! They have a baby, yet can hold a full time job, go to school and AA meetings!  They can buy a cheap house with some questionable history & just tear it down a rebuild it!!—with a crew of men with arthritis and congestive heart failure. They really could’ve had a great show here-showing how economically challenged people succeed or fail, how high the deck is stacked against anyone not born on 3rd base, etc But they just went for cheap laughs. 
 

Anyway, I’ll still watch cuz I really like Ben, Jackie when she’s not being a clown, and Becky. 

I agree with you.  I watch this show more for its potential, than what the writing delivers. I don't know if COVID affected the story lines the last couple of years, or if the writers just aren't very good.

Edited May 9, 2022 by izabella

[CapeCodLuv]

On 5/8/2022 at 10:56 AM, Yeah No said:

Thanks, I was going to say the same thing, although my husband who knows a lot about this subject says that the contrabassoon, depending on what key it's in could be adapted to play the parts of certain other instruments.  And today computers can change the key of a piece to make it work for certain instruments.  So he doesn't see it as impossible, just unlikely maybe, LOL.

My husband, who is a musician and is currently attending undergrad. in a music program and I (who once upon a time worked in undergrad. admissions/financial aid) talked about this, and we both think that those scholarships given for music to non-music majors are probably not full scholarships.  The few I looked into pay no more than a few grand a year, not really enough to finance one's entire education.  Which is not bad, but not what most people assume when they hear "scholarship".  Most scholarships are only partial not full.  To get a full scholarship in music one would probably have to major in music and have talent.

Ding, ding, ding!  My thoughts exactly, but why should anyone in this family think along those lines?  But believe it or not, it's not that far fetched for them not to do that.  My husband and I have a friend whose daughter received a full scholarship based on grades to attend a state school in our state.  She had a bad breakup with a boyfriend and her grades slipped and she lost the scholarship because her GPA fell below a certain number.  I kept telling them that she would likely qualify for other scholarships based on need because both her parents are on Social Security disability.  But no, no one is listening to me even though they know I know what I'm talking about.  She and her parents make every excuse why they are victims and don't qualify for anything.  Of course.  Why should some people exert any common sense?  So now a brilliant 20 year old woman is working in a dry cleaner and feeling sorry for herself.  Don't get me started.....

My sister-in-law was diagnosed with COPD years ago, not that it matters but she was never a smoker. She went on disability afterwards and they lived frugally.  Her ex husband is an ass and his goal in life was to pay as little possible for child support. Since her diagnosis her whole goal in life was to get her 2 girls situated as adults before she dies, she prayed she would see it through. She began researching scholarships, financial aid and extra curricular activities when they were in junior high. The girls also participated as this was their future. The oldest finished at a state college 2 years ago with no loans. She is now gainfully employed . She also did a semester abroad in Spain and recently took a 2 week vacation there with her younger sister. I have never left the stinking county! The younger daughter is now in her 3rd year at a state school studying to become a nurse, no loans. Both girls had good grades in high school and good SAT scores but neither was valedictorian material. It can be done with effort, Darlene is lazy or the writers are, pick one.

On a good note Mom is holding her own and will most likely be with us for quite a while. She has been waiting for housing assistance since her diagnosis and is always "next on the list." They currently share a one bedroom apartment, but as far as she is concerned the success of her children means she won. And you don't hear the whining you get from Darlene out of any of their mouths.

Edited May 10, 2022 by CapeCodLuv

[CapeCodLuv]

What a shame they didn't ask us all for our opinions. I was so excited to relive part of my childhood with this reboot. Of course the Conner's wouldn't be swimming in the dough, but there is no joy There has to be a sensible win here and there. Ben and Darlene getting engaged should be a win but we all know it won't end well. If we get another season they will argue continually and money problems will be paramount. It's not fun to watch. Let them realize the new build is idiotic. Let them move into the funeral home and embrace it's "haunted" past. Let Ben's store pick up business and Dan make some money working there. Show us Mark and Harris get into school, maybe they struggle for reasons but let them get there.

We get it, it's tough to be lower middle class. Show us realistic day to day struggles but not everything has to be dire. Lastly, not everything has to be the cause of the moment. It's too much crammed in, this tiny family ticks all of the popular issues. I'm waiting for Harris to need an abortion next season, you know it's coming. Or, someone is going to be molested, called a racial slur, bullied, raped etc.

The original show addressed issues but it wasn't all doom and gloom. This new show makes me sad. Roseanne wouldn't have gone in this direction, I feel it's all Sara Gilbert who loves to have her opinion front and center. It's a comedy for God's sake!

[Kel Varnsen]

45 minutes ago, CapeCodLuv said:

My sister-in-law was diagnosed with COPD years ago, not that it matters but she was never a smoker. She went on disability afterwards and they lived frugally.  Her ex husband is an ass and his goal in life was to pay as little possible for child support. Since her diagnosis her whole goal in life was to get her 2 girls situated as adults before she dies, she prayed she would see it through. She began researching scholarships, financial aid and extra curricular activities when they were in junior high. The girls also participated as this was their future. The oldest finished at a state college 2 years ago with no loans. She is now gainfully employed . She also did a semester abroad in Spain and recently took a 2 week vacation there with her younger sister. I have never left the stinking county! The younger daughter is now in her 3rd year at a state school studying to become a nurse, no loans. Both girts had good grades in high school and good SAT scores but neither was valedictorian material. It can be done with effort, Darlene is lazy or the writers are, pick one.

So what you are saying is your nieces are expert contrabassoon players. Seriously though that is a great story and just reading it made me feel lazy.

[CapeCodLuv]

18 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

So what you are saying is your nieces are expert contrabassoon players. Seriously though that is a great story and just reading it made me feel lazy.

The oldest actually played softball in college, not sure if that got her any money though. Definitely should have know about the contrabassoon. They are great kids, a tough life in my opinion but they never complained. It's so nice to see them doing well, their lives are far more exciting than mine and I never struggled. Wouldn't it be nice to see just one Conner succeed? Darlene has a college degree, she's supposedly not an idiot, just a miserable human being. Researching financial aid and scholarships should have been the parents number one priority. Is David even interested? Does he know the kids exist? The Middle did it better with Sue and Axel.

[Rocknrollzombie]

37 minutes ago, CapeCodLuv said:

The oldest actually played softball in college, not sure if that got her any money though. Definitely should have know about the contrabassoon. They are great kids, a tough life in my opinion but they never complained. It's so nice to see them doing well, their lives are far more exciting than mine and I never struggled. Wouldn't it be nice to see just one Conner succeed? Darlene has a college degree, she's supposedly not an idiot, just a miserable human being. Researching financial aid and scholarships should have been the parents number one priority. Is David even interested? Does he know the kids exist? The Middle did it better with Sue and Axel.

Honestly David pretty much has been written out by now, it wouldn’t kill the writers or maybe it could to at least mention him by having one of the kids mentioning him. But like a lot of us have pretty much come to the same conclusion this show is just lazy writing.

[Cherpumple]

On 5/8/2022 at 11:55 AM, Yeah No said:

I am beginning to seriously wonder whether the writers are trying to kill this show.  It's obvious they have no respect for the characters, their history, reality or the audience.

I feel the same. I can deal with some level of stupidity and unrealistic storylines in a sitcom, but I can't deal with the lack of respect to the original material and to the audience. I increasingly come away from this show feeling insulted and condescended to, as if the writers think that just because I was a fan long ago I'll accept any trash they throw at me. It's just not worth it anymore.

[chediavolo]

On 5/5/2022 at 11:33 AM, UsernameFatigue said:

As noted above, Ben has much more chemistry with Becky than Darlene. Heck, he has much more chemistry with Dan, Jackie and Mark. I do like the character so I am glad that Ben has stuck around, but not looking forward to he and Darlene becoming a couple again. They weren't cute together the first time. and I doubt that the fall with change Darlene's personality.

I also hate the storyline of renovating a lovely old home because Darlene doesn't like that it was a funeral home. I hope she is haunted by ghosts once she moves in (like the ghosts on Ghosts, but not nearly as nice) and ends up selling at a loss. 

They are the definition of white trash. How do you not see the beauty & craftsmanship that can be duplicated today unless you are a millionaire and even then how many master craftsman are out there anymore, the fine wood, the American made parts. This story breaks my heart the same way some house hunter & renovation shows do. And the money.  Do you know how much this gut job is going to cost? She could have bought another more suitable to her shitty taste, home. It’s infuriating. 
And are the newlyweds going to be living with Becky now for years to come. Did I miss something? I was falling asleep due to boredom, but did the 3 of them discuss this? 
& why can’t Becky have her own bathroom, they are destroying, I mean, building this abomination themselves? 

Edited May 10, 2022 by chediavolo

[MissLucas]

51 minutes ago, chediavolo said:

And are the newlyweds going to be living with Becky now for years to come. Did I miss something? I was falling asleep due to boredom, but did the 3 of them discuss this? 
& why can’t Becky have her own bathroom, they are destroying, I mean, building this abomination themselves? 

Apparently Becky is moving into the basement again, which makes zero sense to me. But I also don't understand why Darlene has the money to buy and tear down/rebuild (whatever) a house but no money to support Mark through college. 

Edited May 10, 2022 by MissLucas

[Kel Varnsen]

9 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

I feel the same. I can deal with some level of stupidity and unrealistic storylines in a sitcom, but I can't deal with the lack of respect to the original material and to the audience. I increasingly come away from this show feeling insulted and condescended to, as if the writers think that just because I was a fan long ago I'll accept any trash they throw at me. It's just not worth it anymore.

I am sort of the opposite. I am good with them picking and choosing what kind of old show continuity they keep, since otherwise this might be a show without John Goodman. I just hate that they ignore any kind of logic. Like the family still being super broke when Dan is now the partner in a successful hardware store and Darlene got a management job at the factory. Or how playing contrabassoon can some how pay for university, even though you have no idea where you want to go or what you want to study.

And it is not just the family that acts stupid which I might accept, it's apparently the whole world. Like who would go to a sports bar, that is just a diner with some Bears banners that's main menu item is stew. Or if real estate in Lanford is so hot that Darlene can only get something an hour a way then why are they the first people to think to do a teardown/rebuild of the funeral home. Those happen all the time in my neighborhood.

[Colorado David]

Sigh, this show. Its becoming tuning in to watch the car wreck that will the continuation of storylines.

Start with Mark - the kid has shown he is smart and articulate. Why go for the scholarship on something you've never touched before?????? Go for a business scholarship or heck even whatever the equivalent of debate is for college = he's good at speaking with people. Hell even go for a pysch degree, you have plenty of experience with that dealing with this messed up family. I think the writers went for the contrabassoon as it looks unique and does have an interesting farty blatty sound (so does a baritone sax - my bro played one for years back in school.)

Yeah, people don't move injured people unless they are in immediate danger, that's the first rule you are taught in dealing with emergencies (Ive seen dozens of those mandatory work videos spelling out what to do). I guess they could pose the logic of "we can't afford the ambulance trip", but still yep risking all sorts of internal injury carrying an accident victim.

Bless Mr Lloyd, still getting around and being somewhat funny with  pretty tame script.

Becky had better dialogue this week, yay. I like Lecy and wish she got better to work with. 

I hadn't planned on watching this episode, but the talk about falling thru the roof got me intrigued, so well done writers on fishing me in with that one.

[Mittengirl]

If the funeral home is being torn down, why would you care about the state of the roof?  Just throw a tarp up there until you can salvage the floor boards or whatever. I would think you would want to get the house down ASAP, so you can start the rebuild ASAP.  Lanford is in Illinois, correct?  So you would want to get the rebuild closed in before the snow flies.  They don’t have a minute to spare.

[CapeCodLuv]

5 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Apparently Becky is moving into the basement again, which makes zero sense to me. But I also don't understand why Darlene has the money to buy and tear down/rebuild (whatever) a house but no money to support Mark through college. 

I will never understand the puzzle they made of buying the funeral home, it made no sense to me with regards to mortgage, deed etc.. But it seems she could have bought with very little or no money down and made only cosmetic changes until Harris and Mark are older. I totally get her desire to give them a home of their own but Harris is now an adult and Mark is right behind, the ship sailed Darlene. She should be putting them and their futures first. If she left the funeral home as is with just some prettying up she could contribute to their tuition. Then once they are all set she can use the equity accrued to renovate. These kids are crammed into Dan's house or living in a beat up trailer. They would find the funeral home as is to be a palace! And we never saw her even ask them what they thought of living there as is.

And again, financial aid and scholarships are out there. They could go to a 2 year community college and then transfer to a state school. They don't have to live at school either, I know it's more fun to have the whole experience but the education is what matters in the end.  My Lord, my blood pressure. I'm so upset over these imaginary children's lives. Apparently more upset than Darlene.

Question, has Becky chosen a degree that will also require a Masters in order to gain a job in her chosen field? I can't remember how she is paying, is she getting help or is she using loans? I'm trying to figure out how old she will be by the time she starts earning significant money. I know she isn't paying tuition serving stew. I think her baby is now 2 years old in a 5 year old body. She should be thinking about her future but it seems she is following in the Conner tradition of not planning ahead.

I wish Roseanne hadn't messed up, I think the reboot would be very different.

[CapeCodLuv]

14 hours ago, Rocknrollzombie said:

Honestly David pretty much has been written out by now, it wouldn’t kill the writers or maybe it could to at least mention him by having one of the kids mentioning him. But like a lot of us have pretty much come to the same conclusion this show is just lazy writing.

Exactly, I understand Johnny doesn't wish to appear but David's name can be mentioned. Simply have Mark say to Darlene one episode "Dad printed out some interesting financial aid information for me when I visited him last weekend." There, problem solved. And I don't even make the big bucks.

[Rocknrollzombie]

8 minutes ago, CapeCodLuv said:

Exactly, I understand Johnny doesn't wish to appear but David's name can be mentioned. Simply have Mark say to Darlene one episode "Dad printed out some interesting financial aid information for me when I visited him last weekend." There, problem solved. And I don't even make the big bucks.

I know it could be so easy and we don’t get paid for this. 

Like it’s telling when we the fans can come up with storylines right on the spot, come up with better rewrites of a spin off show. Come up with something that fans enjoy better than what these professional writers get paid to do. 
 

gives fans hope and something they can look forward to  reading no matter how long updates can take.

Edited May 10, 2022 by Rocknrollzombie

[MissLucas]

2 hours ago, Colorado David said:

Yeah, people don't move injured people unless they are in immediate danger, that's the first rule you are taught in dealing with emergencies (Ive seen dozens of those mandatory work videos spelling out what to do). I guess they could pose the logic of "we can't afford the ambulance trip", but still yep risking all sorts of internal injury carrying an accident victim.

Who cares about correct first aid when you can have the visual of Ben swooping Darlene in his manly arms and carry her to safety? T'is writing for the amygdala not the frontal lobe!

[izabella]

1 hour ago, CapeCodLuv said:

I will never understand the puzzle they made of buying the funeral home, it made no sense to me with regards to mortgage, deed etc..

This story line is written by people who, apparently, have zero experience with buying, selling, tearing down, building, or owning a home of any kind whatsoever.  Even if we handwave the down payment, even if we handwave the "taking over the mortgage" bullshit, if they tear the house down, they still have to pay the $500 per month on the mortgage.  So WHERE do they get the money to tear down a house, which is NOT cheap, cart away all the debris from an entire house, including foundation, and then buy materials to build an entire new house?  If they had that kind of money, Darlene could have bought anything in Lanford.

Right now, they are violating probably a hundred laws about needing permits to do any demo, not to mention any toxicity abatement they need to do to get rid of a cremation oven.

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, Colorado David said:

I guess they could pose the logic of "we can't afford the ambulance trip", but still yep risking all sorts of internal injury carrying an accident victim.

If they wanted the imagery of him carrying her out of there, that's what they should have gone with -- her telling him to take her to the hospital, him saying he shouldn't move her and he'll call 911, and her telling him she can't afford the ambulance and demanding he do it.  That's right in line with their dynamic.

[CapeCodLuv]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

This story line is written by people who, apparently, have zero experience with buying, selling, tearing down, building, or owning a home of any kind whatsoever.  Even if we handwave the down payment, even if we handwave the "taking over the mortgage" bullshit, if they tear the house down, they still have to pay the $500 per month on the mortgage.  So WHERE do they get the money to tear down a house, which is NOT cheap, cart away all the debris from an entire house, including foundation, and then buy materials to build an entire new house?  If they had that kind of money, Darlene could have bought anything in Lanford.

Right now, they are violating probably a hundred laws about needing permits to do any demo, not to mention any toxicity abatement they need to do to get rid of a cremation oven.

Yeah, I give up. $500 a month. Add taxes, utilities and insurance and how much could it be between Darlene, Ben and Becky? Tackle the cosmetic slowly and the needed immediately which would now be the roof. I don't know, maybe the crematorium needs to be addressed immediately but I figure Patton Oswalt has some contacts to remove and sell all that is there and clean air. That stuff is worth some money, I imagine at least enough to pay for the removal. They can seal off for a bit, Becky doesn't NEED the basement, Beggars can't be choosers. Why am I trying to figure this out?

[Colorado David]

they should've gone with distant uncle 'x' died and left us this house, that would've solved a lot of story problems.

poor Harrison barely got anything to do this episode.

[lexiexx]

The contrabassoon thing is so hilarious to me.   Considering how many people are out there with useless degrees drowning in student loan debt, they really want us to believe that here's the magic answer to getting a free ride through college. lol.  I can't.

It's also pretty ridiculous that Darlene won Ben back not by being a less miserable, less rude, less annoying version of herself, but by amping it up to max level and falling through a roof in the process.   What a waste of a reboot this show is.