S05.E12: Stuck In the Middle and Stuck In the Past

[Pallas]

Darlene and Ben get into a fight and ignore Becky's boundaries in the house; Dan accuses Jackie of losing all of their home videos.

[ams1001]

'It's my bed, too, so I can work in it and keep you awake all night.' Uh, no.

Becky should tell them that if they don't let her get her work done she'll be staying even longer...

Edited January 19, 2023 by ams1001

[Annber03]

3 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

'It's my bed, too, so I can work in it and keep you awake all night.' Uh, no.

Becky should tell them that if they don't let her get her work done she'll be staying even longer...

Ha, there ya go. 

Poor Becky. I'm glad she finally sat Darlene and Ben down and helped them sort everything out. And Beverly Rose had it right when she was just like, "Don't drag me into this" and waked off :p. 

I really liked the storyline with Dan and Jackie this episode. Their fight early on was pretty tense, but I like how they sorted their situation out, too. I also got a good laugh out of Harris and Mark teasing Dan with the whole "WWII" thing, and Jackie asking Mark to help her reach the box 'cause he's twelve feet tall XD. 

Mark offering to read through the diary for Dan at the end was sweet, too. Even if he had to skip some parts :D. 

[Browncoat]

Y'know, I did kind of feel bad for Becky when her paper wasn't accepted, but on the other hand, this is why we tell students not to wait until the last day to write the damn things.  I guarantee that paper wasn't just assigned that week.  She'd have been given several weeks between the assignment and the due date.

However, I did laugh when Jackie asked Mark to get the box because he's 12 feet tall.

[Rocknrollzombie]

Yup just popping in not watching the episode just reading the comments.

But anyways Procrastination is what messes up a lot of college students. I have procrastinated a few times but never on essays those things are hell to write sometimes. 

[greekmom]

This was absolutely stupid.

Last week Darlene (and to extent Ben) wanted Becky out asap - 2 years as promised.

This week they are using her as a sounding board for their problems.

I hope they paid for the course since she failed it because of them.

The Dan and Jackie thing was dumb as well.  Nice to see Mark this week.

[ams1001]

25 minutes ago, Rocknrollzombie said:

Yup just popping in not watching the episode just reading the comments.

But anyways Procrastination is what messes up a lot of college students. I have procrastinated a few times but never on essays those things are hell to write sometimes. 

Well, if she has to retake the class, at least she's already got the paper written.

(Hopefully the prof doesn't change the assignment...)

[Rocknrollzombie]

Also Darlene and Ben are not at fault, okay they have problems, they go to Becky whatever. What becky could  have done is take her laptop take whatever she needed for the assignment and go somewhere else. Literal simple solution get out of the house if she needed space to do the assignment.

 

if you fail a class and you retake that class. The previously written paper can not be submitted again. It is counted as plagiarism. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Rocknrollzombie

[Brn2bwild]

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Well, if she has to retake the class, at least she's already got the paper written.

(Hopefully the prof doesn't change the assignment...)

The whole premise is so stupid.  Classes cost money and she would be taking a seat from someone else.  They wouldn't make her repeat the class - just, at worst, give her a lower grade.  If that caused her to flunk, it would be because she had messed up too many other assignments. 

[Bastet]

Initially, I wondered why the hell Becky didn't just work in her room rather than wandering through communal spaces, but then it turned out Ben followed her in there.  He and Darlene both expressed immediate remorse when she told them she had to take the course over since their pestering of her over their problems meant she missed the deadline - and, I know I shouldn't go down this rabbit hole, but Becky thought submitting the paper seconds past the deadline meant she'd be dropped an entire grade, but what actually happened was it wasn't counted at all, so that misunderstanding is a big fail on either the part of the professor or Becky - but the magnitude got glossed over as she used her Psych 101 knowledge to help them.  She paid for, and spent a semester's worth of time on, units she will not get credit for, and now has to repeat.  That's big for anyone, but especially someone in her situation.

But I love her using "God Bless America!" as a curse, as I do the same.

I also like her telling Jackie and Dan she doesn't care who screwed up so that the tapes are lost, they need to sit down and record the family history before it's too late.  (I also get a kick out of the family history still being on VHS, as I, too, still have one remaining drawer of tapes to be recorded to DVD.)

All the facets of the Jackie and Dan interaction really captured their dynamic -- the fighting, the bonding, and the protecting.  I'm just glad the old footage was found (along with Roseanne's diaries).

LOL at Mark's anomalous height being addressed via the "you're 12-feet tall" line (especially since the scene was so perfectly framed to showcase the height difference).

And at "You let yourself go in kindergarten".

This was just okay.  But it had its moments.

[UYI]

I know Becky should have started her paper much sooner than she did, but any excuse she gets to go off on Darlene & Ben is fine by me!

OMG, Mark exists again! And yes, Jackie, he is indeed about twelve feet tall! :P 

[Browncoat]

Becky probably didn’t read the syllabus closely enough about deadlines and consequences. It also seems likely that that paper was worth as much as 50% of the final grade.  I know teachers who will not accept late work, no matter the circumstances — at best, the student gets an incomplete, at worst a zero for the assignment, which can cause the student to flunk the course.  And if the course is required for a degree, the student gets to take it again.

[iMonrey]

This was a bad color on everyone, except maybe Becky. Becky works (full time?) at the Lunch Box and also has a kid, so she doesn't have a lot of free time to do her assignments. 

But the way Ben and Darlene were harassing her was just so inconsiderate and rude. Even when Becky said the paper was due in two minutes Darlene replied she only needed one. I know that was supposed to be a joke, but seriously! Darlene was taking selfishness to the next level.

Dan getting mad at Jackie for something he wasn't even sure she did was an ugly side of him, too. It was big of Jackie to let him think she was the one who had the box of videos and films because he really didn't deserve it.

The only funny part (to me) was the callback joke - in the beginning when Dan was talking about the mechanical bull, he said they eventually had to remove it because some crazy drunk woman got thrown into a fountain. Next scene, Jackie says "I hate those bulls, one of them threw me into a fountain!"

[mostlylurking]

I was kind of worried they were going to give Jackie the early signs of Alzheimer’s with her forgetting aspects of the stories and the side look between Mark and Mary.  I’m glad it doesn’t seem like they are going there and it was indeed just forgetfulness/rewriting history.  Jackie was way kinder than I would have been with Dan, especially with him rubbing it in her face that she was the one who messed up.

If I were Becky and had to retake an entire class I would have been way more pissed at Ben and Darlene.  They got off easy.

[Rocknrollzombie]

Becky works part time and for her kid, doesn’t she share her with Emilio. She can’t have any excuse to not do the assignment at last minute. 
 

I would literally be typing my assignments on my phone, when I go out with my friends. I work full time, 30 minute to an hour away from where I live and still do my assignments. Many college students will do their assignments while being out with friends or partying or at raves.

 

becky can’t not be a playing victim forever. Darlene and Ben shouldn’t have to play for her class.
I don’t have my parents or my friends pay for my classes if I failed it.  it’s not on them, it on me. 
Becky wanted to be in college then she should owe up to not doing HER assignments on time, she needs to be responsible for her own actions not anyone else. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Rocknrollzombie

[TattleTeeny]

17 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Y'know, I did kind of feel bad for Becky when her paper wasn't accepted, but on the other hand, this is why we tell students not to wait until the last day to write the damn things.  I guarantee that paper wasn't just assigned that week.  She'd have been given several weeks between the assignment and the due date.

However, I did laugh when Jackie asked Mark to get the box because he's 12 feet tall.

Oh my goodness, you reminded me of my college life way back when. Although I didn't start a paper on the day before it was due, I did procrastinate -- but not because of laziness or anything. It was because if I started too soon, I would never, ever be satisfied until the very last second; I would be driving myself nuts with nitpicky changes (and that itself would sometimes almost cause me to be late with it!). I am not now, and was not then, a procrastinator by nature; this behavior, for me, was (and sometimes still is) only for certain things, to basically "protect" myself from feeling like I described above (which is far more stressful than it sounds). And I am not saying it's the best way, but maybe that's what was up with Becky. (That said, I know now that, for me, it was an undiagnosed disorder.)

Edited January 19, 2023 by TattleTeeny

[Pi237]

I keep trying to get into this show, but it’s so unrealistic. Becky and Darlene are in a brand new, fully remodeled (by a small group of retired, ailing men) updated house…one works part time, one unemployed…Becky has a child and goes to college..yes, Rose’s father and family help out, but there never seems to be any issue with overlap. Granted, that wouldn’t make for a fun show to watch, but it’s just so unrealistic, it pulls me out of the show every time.

The argument over who forgot was realistic. It’s tough seeing parents decline, and the men usually get very angry when it’s pointed out or even just noticed. I miss the warmth of Jackie and Dans relationship tho. It’s not there anymore. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Pi237

[Colorado David]

1 hour ago, Pi237 said:

The argument over who forgot was realistic. It’s tough seeing parents decline, and the men usually get very angry when it’s pointed out or even just noticed. I miss the warmth of Jackie and Dans relationship tho. It’s not there anymore. 

agreed. i deal with this with my parent, they resent totally when pointed out they forgot or misremember. it is tough to deal with.  i do hope jackie and dan get back to the warmth as well, they don't have anyone else their age to turn to.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I did kind of feel bad for Becky when her paper wasn't accepted, but on the other hand, this is why we tell students not to wait until the last day to write the damn things.  I guarantee that paper wasn't just assigned that week.  She'd have been given several weeks between the assignment and the due date.

We do not know the specifics WRT Becky's assignment. She is studying for her Masters Degree so this is obviously a high level class. We do not know when it was assigned, we do not know how much reading and other kinds of research she had to do before she could even begin writing it. Hell we don't even know exactly what it was about. So I don't think we can fairly judge whether this was her fault because she simply didn't start early enough.

What we DO know is how horribly selfish and persistently intrusive Ben and Darlene were while she was trying to get this done, because we saw it. That puts the blame squarely on them, as far as I'm concerned.

[Starchild]

More of this Jackie, please.

[One Tough Cookie]

8 hours ago, Rocknrollzombie said:

becky can’t not be a playing victim forever. Darlene and Ben shouldn’t have to play for her class.
I don’t have my parents or my friends pay for my classes if I failed it.  it’s not on them, it on me. 
Becky wanted to be in college then she should owe up to not doing HER assignments on time, she needs to be responsible for her own actions not anyone else. 

 actually found Becky to be totally self righteous  and condescending. Does she sleep in the ktchen? get a table in your bedroom girl, and stop playing unqualified shrink. A few classes doesn't make you one.

[ams1001]

11 minutes ago, One Tough Cookie said:

 actually found Becky to be totally self righteous  and condescending. Does she sleep in the ktchen? get a table in your bedroom girl, and stop playing unqualified shrink. A few classes doesn't make you one.

She was in her bedroom when Ben was whining to her.

Agree she probably shouldn't play marriage councilor to her family, though.

[BetyBee]

I actually laughed out loud a few times at this episode. 

[Teriacky]

The more I watch this show the more depressing it gets. 

[Mittengirl]

Becky, you can buy something called “a lock” for your door.  Might want to look in to it.  Get Daddy to install it for you.

[Rocknrollzombie]

6 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Becky, you can buy something called “a lock” for your door.  Might want to look in to it.  Get Daddy to install it for you.

I laughed at this, so true 

[Bastet]

I didn't realize until this episode that Beverly Rose shares Becky's room at Darlene's house.  With them crammed into a regular-sized bedroom together, I'm not sure why she opted to move there in the first place instead of staying at Dan's.  There were a shit ton of people living there at the time, but with Darlene, Ben, and Mark moving out, it wouldn't have been so bad anymore; she's sharing with just as many people at Darlene's as she would have been had she stayed where she was.  There they had the whole basement to themselves, with no one else on that level, so it's almost like having a small attached apartment. 

I can understand the appeal of getting out of your childhood home, of being at the newly-renovated house feeling more like having her own place again, but seeing the room they share there and how Darlene and Ben have no respect for her time and space, she had a better set-up at Dan's (of course, she couldn't have known at the time she made the decision that Darlene and Ben were going to act like that; in fact, it might be that when she decided to move in with Darlene, it was before Darlene got back together with Ben).

(Dan took over the basement after she moved out, yeah, but if she hadn't decided to move, he'd have let that be her and Beverly Rose's for as long as she wanted it.) 

[love2lovebadtv]

On 1/18/2023 at 9:38 PM, Rocknrollzombie said:

if you fail a class and you retake that class. The previously written paper can not be submitted again. It is counted as plagiarism. 

I don't think she actually submitted the paper (it was rejected) so she would be able to submit it in the future.  

On 1/18/2023 at 11:52 PM, Bastet said:

She paid for, and spent a semester's worth of time on, units she will not get credit for, and now has to repeat.  That's big for anyone, but especially someone in her situation.

LOL at Mark's anomalous height being addressed via the "you're 12-feet tall" line (especially since the scene was so perfectly framed to showcase the height difference).

I know the show doesn't mention it but Becky would normally get financial aid and not be paying out of pocket. And that wouldn't cover a class repeat. Either way, that sucks. 

On 1/19/2023 at 10:40 AM, iMonrey said:

This was a bad color on everyone, except maybe Becky. Becky works (full time?) at the Lunch Box and also has a kid, so she doesn't have a lot of free time to do her assignments. 

This is what I've been wondering: does Becky work full-time at the lunch box? And why isn't she attending class online? 

On 1/19/2023 at 5:32 PM, iMonrey said:

We do not know the specifics WRT Becky's assignment. She is studying for her Masters Degree so this is obviously a high level class.

I don't think Becky has graduated from community college yet. She was originally going to live with Darlene and Ben for 2 more years while working on what I think is a bachelor's degree. So it seems she's finishing her associate's.

Then she decided she wants to pursue a master's degree, which she said would add 4 more years, so that sounds like 2 more years of undergrad to finish a bachelor's, followed by 2 years to finish her master's.

[SoMuchTV]

In the version of Lanford Community College in my head, there's an appeals process for situations like this.

[Browncoat]

3 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

In the version of Lanford Community College in my head, there's an appeals process for situations like this.

There may well be, but if the teacher's rules are in their syllabus, the school will back the teacher.  At least, that's the way it is at the college where I work.

[chitowngirl]

Her failing the class would also suck if it were a prerequisite for another class. And sometimes classes are offered only in the Fall or in the Spring…this could really throw the schedule off…

[ams1001]

24 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Her failing the class would also suck if it were a prerequisite for another class. And sometimes classes are offered only in the Fall or in the Spring…this could really throw the schedule off…

Yeah, I took a class as a directed study because it was only one semester each year and I couldn't fit it into my schedule in the previous two years. Not a required class (it counted toward my major requirements but I could have taken something else to fulfill it) but it was one I wanted to take. Luckily the professor agreed (because it was the spring of my senior year so it was my last chance).

If nothing else, if they ever complain about how long she's staying in the future, she can remind them that she could have been out sooner if they'd stopped bugging her when she was trying to work.

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

There may well be, but if the teacher's rules are in their syllabus, the school will back the teacher.  At least, that's the way it is at the college where I work.

Yeah, I’m sure you’re right, but syllabus or not, that just seems like an extreme policy (single paper counts for 2/3 of the grade, no allowance for late submissions).  That’s assuming Becky is giving us the full story.  

[Rocknrollzombie]

Extreme policy or not. it is policy, professors have their rules and the conditions for assignments set, they can be loopholes but not that much to bend it completely and get rid of the rules for their assignments for the students.  They had deadlines themselves for grades. 
 

Becky could have literally gotten out of the house gone, somewhere, gotten a lock for her door like someone else mentioned, To do her assignment…blaming Darlene and Ben is idiotic. Once again no responsibility.

What happens the next time she misses a deadline for an assignment and by some tv miracle Ben and Darlene are out of the house, and no one is home except Becky and she didn’t turn in the assignment. she will have no one to blame but herself.

Edited January 21, 2023 by Rocknrollzombie
College life is hell

[CarpeFelis]

I kept wondering why the hell Ben didn’t set up a home office, even if it was just a table in an alcove somewhere in the house. Who the hell absolutely must do their work in bed when their spouse is trying to sleep? That’s just obnoxious.

As for Becky… when she said she had 2 minutes to deadline and Darlene said “I only need one”, I would have held my hand up and said “You can have your minute AFTER I turn in this paper”. Good grief. (And isn’t there a library somewhere she can escape to?)

[CarpeFelis]

On 1/20/2023 at 4:15 PM, Bastet said:

(Dan took over the basement after she moved out, yeah, but if she hadn't decided to move, he'd have let that be her and Beverly Rose's for as long as she wanted it.) 

Hadn’t Dan and Louise decided they wanted to have the house to themselves?

[SoMuchTV]

12 hours ago, CarpeFelis said:

Hadn’t Dan and Louise decided they wanted to have the house to themselves?

Wait, where are Darlene's kids living? (Mark in particular.  Harris could well be out on her own.)  Darlene was talking like she and Ben would have the new house to themselves if it weren't for Becky & Beverly Rose.

[Bastet]

Harris lives at Dan's (in one of the upstairs bedrooms [I assume Becky and Darlene's old room]; the other one Louise turned into a music room) and Mark lives at Darlene's.

I think.  That's what was mentioned at one point before the move, and I don't recall seeing anything to indicate plans had changed.

2 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Darlene was talking like she and Ben would have the new house to themselves if it weren't for Becky & Beverly Rose.

Darlene has an extensive recent history of not thinking about her kids, so forgetting about Mark would fit right in.

Edited January 22, 2023 by Bastet

[pinkandsparkly13]

They also showed Becky on her laptop at the Conner house when everyone was talking about Dan and his mechanical bull story. Was she supposed to be working on her paper there too? In that case, how was she able to work with at least 5 other people in the room, and not complain?? Lol. Surely she could have taken that time to get some privacy. I did get her frustration with Ben and Darlene especially when they were bothering her. 

And whatever happened to her working at the school helping other students? I thought she got a work-study type thing by doing that. Did she lose that after her thing with the professor? Although I only remember hearing about that job in one episode. I don't know how they ended it. 

[Yeah No]

On 1/21/2023 at 1:41 AM, love2lovebadtv said:

I don't think Becky has graduated from community college yet. She was originally going to live with Darlene and Ben for 2 more years while working on what I think is a bachelor's degree. So it seems she's finishing her associate's.

Then she decided she wants to pursue a master's degree, which she said would add 4 more years, so that sounds like 2 more years of undergrad to finish a bachelor's, followed by 2 years to finish her master's.

That would make the most sense.  I have a Master's in Counseling Psych. and it took me 2 years to complete part time while working full time.  So the only way she would need 4 years to complete the required education to become a substance abuse counselor is if she still needed to complete a bachelor's degree first.

I personally hate it when professors base the course grade on only one or two tests and/or assignments.  Too much is riding on too little.  I actually don't remember that happening that much to me when I was in college.  Thankfully it was the exception rather than the rule.

[RunningMarket]

There were many options for Becky to find a quiet space to finish her paper, including the local library branch or school. The entire story line was PLOT! to shoehorn in the issues between Ben and Darlene. That's the problem with this show, they find decent stories for the characters (it wouldn't be out of place for Becky to be stressed juggling work, school and family), but the follow through is usually unrealistic.

I loved the twist at the end where Jackie claimed it was she who forgot about the tapes. As @Starchildsaid, more of this Jackie please.

[Bastet]

14 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I personally hate it when professors base the course grade on only one or two tests and/or assignments.  Too much is riding on too little.

Don't ever go to law school -- with rare exceptions, the final exam grade is your grade for the course.

Becky is definitely not already doing Master's work; she just discovered she'll need to go on to get her Master's in order to do the work she wants to do.  Where she is in undergrad, I'm not sure, but if those extra two years mean four more years to go (I didn't hear that), I think that tracks with how long this school storyline has been going on. 

I love how the writer's just assume she'll get into a relevant Master's program in or within commuting distance of Lanford; I doubt there are multiple options.

[Wizardpatch]

So Dan knew that Roseanne's diary was in the kitchen, but didn't think for a second that MAYBE just MAYBE the other stuff he was looking for might be there too?