S05.E03: Driving, Dating and Deceit

[Pallas]

In pursuit of a job, Mark asks Darlene to teach him to drive. In pursuit of a boyfriend, Harris goes online and finds someone from Becky's past.

[pinkandsparkly13]

13 hours ago, Pallas said:

In pursuit of a job, Mark asks Darlene to teach him to drive. In pursuit of a boyfriend, Harris goes online and finds someone from Becky's past.

Oh who could Harris find? Dean? Chip? Jimmy Meltrigger? Johnny Swanko? Lol 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, pinkandsparkly13 said:

Johnny Swanko?

"The tongue bandit"!

If someone from Becky's past means someone Becky's age, Harris has a disturbing pattern going on here and needs to deal with her daddy issues, not keep dating middle-aged men.

[StaceyNotStacie]

1 hour ago, pinkandsparkly13 said:

Oh who could Harris find? Dean? Chip? Jimmy Meltrigger? Johnny Swanko? Lol 

Any of them would be interesting. I hope it’s not the old classmate or the professor that was shown last season (or Emilio). 

[Rocknrollzombie]

Pretty sure it’s a new character that supposedly was in the original because the actor was never in og Roseanne. Just take a look at the photos for the episode. It not any of the actors that played any of the guys from the og.

[pinkandsparkly13]

Well heck. Maybe it'll be a recast of one of those guys. I know some of them don't act anymore. 

[cdnalor]

My God, John Goodman just seems to keep losing weight!  In the opener, when he was standing sideways to talk to Jackie, he had no belly at all and not much of a chest either.  He looked almost as thin as Mark.  I had to rewind just to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

[Annber03]

My mom was struck by how his voice sounded in that opening scene. 

I liked Becky's dress. And it was nice to see Emilio again, even if only briefly. I can understand Harris getting upset at the idea of Becky going out with someone she was interested in in and of itself, but in this case, Becky was right to keep an eye out. Harris definitely needs to be a little more discerning in the kinds of guys she talks to. 

I liked how Darlene and Mark's storyline mirrored that of Roseanne and Darlene back in the day. I can totally understand Mark's reasons for wanting to get out of town. That said, I don't know how likely it is he'll be able to get into one of those coastal schools - closer to home would be cheaper. But if he gets a really good scholarship, who knows? 

[EtheltoTillie]

Have they given up pursuing the contrabassoon scholarship?  

[UYI]

I wish they hadn't made Becky's story with Harris so convoluted, but it was good to see Lecy get some more stuff to do again (okay, it's only three episodes in, but still).

I'm glad that Darlene addressed her fear about Mark may be going too far away for school, and Mark addressing his reason for looking for out of state schools, but even with him trying to save money, who's to say that's still a realistic goal for him?

Ben is becoming the show MVP in terms of one-liners; he's had some of the best this season alone so far, and tonight in particular.

Finally, as a side note: RIP, Loretta Lynn! One of my favorite moments of the original series was her guest appearance in season 5, so here she is with Roseanne singing "You Ain't Woman Enough" during that episode's tag scene:

[Bastet]

Darlene who wanted nothing more out of life as a teenager than to get the hell out of Lanford now being on the other side, knowing that's a healthy thing but feeling sad and even threatened by that, is nice symmetry.

"I'm not a teenager in the 1950s" as Mark's response to Ben's guesses for his job was what I was thinking, but also that it's dumb, because Ben's not old enough for those to be his ideas of a teenager's first job.  Video store might have worked, although he might be too old even for that.  (Lanford has not just a Trader Joe's [from David's episodes in the first season] but a Whole Foods?  Not in a Buy 'n' Bag town.)

But Ben and Mark were fun together.  "The goat head ball rolls past you and hits Harris." 

I'm so glad they kept Becky and Emilio as co-parents in a fake marriage rather than forcing a desire to be together like they toyed with for a while in the beginning.  I like her trying to figure out what happened with Steve.  "Sounds like I got off easy with just the shattered hand."

Everyone grossed out by Jackie and Neville's Ghost reenactment plan entertained me.

I like that this episode focused on relationships within the family.  Even with the appearance of Steve, it was about Becky and Harris.  The biggest flaw of this spin-off has been the time spent on random outsiders instead of, you know, the Conners, so this one got it right.

[rmontro]

Decent episode, I liked Mark's apology for lying to Darlene, and to Mark for not lying well enough.

I'd say more, but I think my mind went blank after seeing Becky's dress.

[Irate Panda]

As usual, Darlene stinks up the joint.  She’s dreadful.  What an angry ball of stress especially for a newlywed.  I thought Becky’s story was fine, but how old is Harris again? Why is she always dating 40 year olds? Ben is quickly becoming my favorite on this show.  Too bad he is saddled with Darlene.  I know it’s mean but I really wish they’d have Darlene go looking for Jerry’s character (despite him not existing on this show) and have her fall overboard never to be found again.  I do like that the characters most interacted with each other in a fairly decent matter and weren’t as nasty.  Oh and where exactly is Louise supposed to be?

[Yeah No]

It looks like they've abandoned even explaining Louise's absence now.  I'd much rather see plotlines revolving around her and Dan than the creepy storylines involving Jackie and Neville.  😝

Otherwise this episode wasn't so bad.  I actually laughed in a few places.

[ams1001]

23 minutes ago, Irate Panda said:

but how old is Harris again? Why is she always dating 40 year olds?

I was thinking the same thing. She's like 19 or 20, and no one blinks an eye at her looking on dating apps at guys in their mid-thirties (which was her guess at Steve's age). Nor do they question why these guys are talking to someone who is college-aged (then again, we know her profile pic is a lie [with the 'borrowed' dog] so who knows how old she's claiming to be).

Edited October 6, 2022 by ams1001

[UYI]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

It looks like they've abandoned even explaining Louise's absence now.  

She's back next week. :) 

[DoubleUTeeEff]

The people of Landford are just desperate for romantic partners. First you've got Louise who is willing to put up with Dan's enmeshment with his family to the point that she moves in with him even though she's got a perfectly good condo. And she has to fight just to get him not to break dates with her when he's needed for babysitting.

Then you've got that guy that Darlene was dating last season who went to meet her entire family on their first date. Then there's Ben for which I'll just say: it's Darlene. He doesn't seem like as much a wet noodle as David but she's still, you know, Darlene.

Then there's this guy who is flirting with Harris and Becky (gross) so his willingness to date someone reaches from a 20 year old girl to a sober but still alcoholic single mother in her 40's. Not that there is anything wrong with the latter but that is still quite the gamut for women he's willing to date.

Plus, giving someone who got sober a second chance isn't so terrible but when the circumstances of their break up was Becky starting a fight with a bunch of bikers? I don't know, seems reasonable to me to let that person go at that point regardless of whether they've changed or not.

Who knew Jackie's relationship would end up being the healthiest out of all the Conners?

I liked her and Neville's plan to recreate the pottery scene from Ghost and also her line about how she still has her "life coach muscles" when she was mediating between Harris and Becky.

[MissLucas]

Didn't Harris online date another guy in his 30s before Arlo came along? Or was that already Arlo?

I liked Becky's storyline, she was right to check what had really happened and he looks like decent guy (with a mild death wish it seems) and more in her age bracket so I don't blame her. (And that was a really cute dress.)  I'm glad she came clear to Harris, no stupid sitcom shenanigans. Jackie using her life-coach muscles to smooth things over was also great. I really loved that scene because it showed a conflict resolved without (too much) shouting - adults working through their emotions and remembering that they ultimately love each other.

Ben had some great lines. Loved Mark trying the 'Dad' card and Ben's reaction. But the plot still felt OOC for Darlene. She wanted to get out of Lanford too and she knows that Mark has additional incentive to get away. 

The tag scene was fun!

[pinkandsparkly13]

Well hell, of course the guy from Becky's past was someone random from her drinking days. I don't know why I thought it could be someone from the original show. Lol 

[iMonrey]

I liked this episode because there was more Becky in it and Lecy can really sell even the worst writing. She just has a way of delivering those lines that make them funnier than they are.

I also thought the convo between Darlene and Mark at the DMV was kind of sweet, with him reminding her she went to school in Chicago to get away from Lanford. It's interesting because I don't think she would care as much if Harris moved that far away.

Mark simply towers over everyone now, even Ben. I'm surprised they haven't addressed it.

[mythoughtis]

Just starting to watch this episode. Already annoyed because they’ve ignored Illinois laws again in their script. 
Illinois drivers under the age of 18 have to have their permit for 9 months.  Their parents  have  to sign a form showing 50 hours of driving practice including 10 hours of nighttime driving practices. They don’t just drive around for  a few minutes and then go get a driver’s license 

Edited October 9, 2022 by mythoughtis

[CrystalBlue]

The writers do ZERO research on anything, including the characters' traits and history and what has been established as canon.

[EtheltoTillie]

I also thought Mark was too young to drive.  I thought he was 14 or 15. I live in NYC, where the driving ages are higher than in other states. Still I thought he was too young even for those other states that allow driving at 16. 

[chitowngirl]

You can get a permit at 15 in Illinois, you need to be 16 to get a restricted license.

[mythoughtis]

4 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

You can get a permit at 15 in Illinois, you need to be 16 to get a restricted license.

Speaking  of which - I forget the specifics of that.  Could he drive on that new license with both Darlene and Ben in the car?  Isn’t there a passenger limit for a few months? 

[chitowngirl]

2 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

Speaking  of which - I forget the specifics of that.  Could he drive on that new license with both Darlene and Ben in the car?  Isn’t there a passenger limit for a few months? 

Since Ben and Darlene are both adults, it’s fine. Only one person under 20 unless sibling, step-sibling, child, or stepchild of driver. The one hiccup is that the parent/legal guardian must give consent to obtain the license, or have a notarized affidavit. Mark had neither of those.

[Wizardpatch]

If these old guys were revealed to have money, at least it would make some sense why Harris keeps seeking them out. But why make them broke/middle class looking dudes? She can date plenty of those guys who are her age.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Wizardpatch said:

If these old guys were revealed to have money, at least it would make some sense why Harris keeps seeking them out. But why make them broke/middle class looking dudes? She can date plenty of those guys who are her age.

There have been neon signs pointing to her having been abandoned by her father manifesting in a troubling pattern of dating (online and in real life) older guys for much of the show, but her family is largely ignoring it.  Other than the guy who was her first sexual partner and that activist guy, all her romantic partners/potential partners have been older.

[qtpye]

On 10/5/2022 at 11:30 PM, Bastet said:

"I'm not a teenager in the 1950s" as Mark's response to Ben's guesses for his job was what I was thinking, but also that it's dumb, because Ben's not old enough for those to be his ideas of a teenager's first job.  Video store might have worked, although he might be too old even for that.  (Lanford has not just a Trader Joe's [from David's episodes in the first season] but a Whole Foods?  Not in a Buy 'n' Bag town.)

It was corny but I disagreed when Darlene said he dressed like a teenager from the 1950s.

It is obvious that Mark's style icons are Greg and Peter Brady.

[qtpye]

On 10/5/2022 at 11:30 PM, Bastet said:

Darlene who wanted nothing more out of life as a teenager than to get the hell out of Lanford now being on the other side, knowing that's a healthy thing but feeling sad and even threatened by that, is nice symmetry.

"I'm not a teenager in the 1950s" as Mark's response to Ben's guesses for his job was what I was thinking, but also that it's dumb, because Ben's not old enough for those to be his ideas of a teenager's first job.  Video store might have worked, although he might be too old even for that.  (Lanford has not just a Trader Joe's [from David's episodes in the first season] but a Whole Foods?  Not in a Buy 'n' Bag town.)

But Ben and Mark were fun together.  "The goat head ball rolls past you and hits Harris." 

I'm so glad they kept Becky and Emilio as co-parents in a fake marriage rather than forcing a desire to be together like they toyed with for a while in the beginning.  I like her trying to figure out what happened with Steve.  "Sounds like I got off easy with just the shattered hand."

Everyone grossed out by Jackie and Neville's Ghost reenactment plan entertained me.

I like that this episode focused on relationships within the family.  Even with the appearance of Steve, it was about Becky and Harris.  The biggest flaw of this spin-off has been the time spent on random outsiders instead of, you know, the Conners, so this one got it right.

On 10/6/2022 at 9:14 AM, Irate Panda said:

As usual, Darlene stinks up the joint.  She’s dreadful.  What an angry ball of stress especially for a newlywed.  I thought Becky’s story was fine, but how old is Harris again? Why is she always dating 40 year olds? Ben is quickly becoming my favorite on this show.  Too bad he is saddled with Darlene.  I know it’s mean but I really wish they’d have Darlene go looking for Jerry’s character (despite him not existing on this show) and have her fall overboard never to be found again.  I do like that the characters most interacted with each other in a fairly decent matter and weren’t as nasty.  Oh and where exactly is Louise supposed to be?

I hated that original episode of Roseanne. Darlene actually gets a scholarship to an art school in Chicago and Roseanne craps all over it because she wants to keep Darlene near her.

Mark would be smart to get away from this family as soon as possible. They are just a bunch of losers who just enable each other's horrible behavior.

On 10/6/2022 at 9:36 AM, ams1001 said:

I was thinking the same thing. She's like 19 or 20, and no one blinks an eye at her looking on dating apps at guys in their mid-thirties (which was her guess at Steve's age). Nor do they question why these guys are talking to someone who is college-aged (then again, we know her profile pic is a lie [with the 'borrowed' dog] so who knows how old she's claiming to be).

12 hours ago, Wizardpatch said:

If these old guys were revealed to have money, at least it would make some sense why Harris keeps seeking them out. But why make them broke/middle class looking dudes? She can date plenty of those guys who are her age.

Harris obviously has some horrible daddy issues but Darlene is too busy patting herself on the back for being a great mother to notice.

On 10/6/2022 at 1:32 PM, DoubleUTeeEff said:

The people of Landford are just desperate for romantic partners. First you've got Louise who is willing to put up with Dan's enmeshment with his family to the point that she moves in with him even though she's got a perfectly good condo. And she has to fight just to get him not to break dates with her when he's needed for babysitting.

Then you've got that guy that Darlene was dating last season who went to meet her entire family on their first date. Then there's Ben for which I'll just say: it's Darlene. He doesn't seem like as much a wet noodle as David but she's still, you know, Darlene.

Then there's this guy who is flirting with Harris and Becky (gross) so his willingness to date someone reaches from a 20 year old girl to a sober but still alcoholic single mother in her 40's. Not that there is anything wrong with the latter but that is still quite the gamut for women he's willing to date.

Plus, giving someone who got sober a second chance isn't so terrible but when the circumstances of their break up was Becky starting a fight with a bunch of bikers? I don't know, seems reasonable to me to let that person go at that point regardless of whether they've changed or not.

Who knew Jackie's relationship would end up being the healthiest out of all the Conners?

I liked her and Neville's plan to recreate the pottery scene from Ghost and also her line about how she still has her "life coach muscles" when she was mediating between Harris and Becky.

Yes, the Connors must be an irresistible bunch. I feel like getting your hand smashed by bikers would be a bit of a deal breaker for a second date, even if it was when she was drinking at the time.  Also what was up with that stupid laugh track? Someone getting physically assaulted is not funny.

[Rocknrollzombie]

On 10/10/2022 at 6:55 AM, qtpye said:

Yes, the Connors must be an irresistible bunch. I feel like getting your hand smashed by bikers would be a bit of a deal breaker for a second date, even if it was when she was drinking at the time.  Also what was up with that stupid laugh track? Someone getting physically assaulted is not funny.

I didn’t not watch the episode nor will I but the assault situation that my friend told me about in the show and reading it here. 

If I was that guy I would have gotten a restraining order and moved to a different state, change phone numbers even. Put enough distance between the person that ended up being the reason I got beat up by a gang of bikers.

[SnapHappy]

John Goodman's speech seemed affected as well.  Almost as if he may have had a mild stroke.  He's always been my favorite, I hope his health isn't in a precarious state.  The weight loss is pretty extreme, and not in a healthy way.  He seems frail. 

However, he did just turn 70, so that's a big change from the John we've seen for so long on our screens.  

Edited October 11, 2022 by SnapHappy

[kassa]

I assumed it was a denture issue. That's what it sounded like to me. Will be interesting to see if it continues.

[Wizardpatch]

I figured Ben was just being sarcastic about the jobs available to kids nowadays.

Edited October 14, 2022 by Wizardpatch

[Ottis]

On 10/6/2022 at 7:25 AM, Yeah No said:

Otherwise this episode wasn't so bad.  I actually laughed in a few places.

I have ragged on this show since it debuted, so I feel like I need to give props as well. I liked this ep. The situations various Conners were in here were all reasonable, and the way they worked through them was realistic and at times touching. So many times in the past they all just did stupid things and complained about the causes (usually someone else's fault) and outcomes without taking responsibility for being stupid. This time they are doing understandable things, and thus their complaints create empathy. Who doesn't struggle with a kid wanting to go away to college? Who doesn't struggle with finding dates as an adult? And even when Harris and Becky found the same guy, they worked it out in a mature, humorous fashion deserving of the fact that Harris hadn't even met the guy, yet. I like the blue-collar setting and sarcasm. I like The Connors better when they show they also have brains.

Edited October 17, 2022 by Ottis

[TheGreenKnight]

On 10/5/2022 at 9:30 PM, Bastet said:

But Ben and Mark were fun together.  "The goat head ball rolls past you and hits Harris."

This was my favorite moment of the episode for sure.