Original Flavor Season Talk: Dinner at Rodbell's

[Bastet]

Laurie Metcalf used to take Don Knotts to lunch semi-regularly to pick his brain; the Barney Fife stuff originated with her.  As the characterization began to decline in later seasons, when they were writing to just a small handful of each character's traits rather than the full spectrum, that became really pronounced and started to feel cartoonish.

Edited April 13, 2015 by Bastet

[SparklesBitch]

Does anyone feel that Jackie did a 180 as a character between season 6 and 7? It was like she went from a semi normal character into a high strung caricature. I guess on twop she was termed ad a female Barney eom the Andy Griffith show.

 

She definitely went way over the top after a while, and even though she's always been my favorite character, it really got cringe-worthy. I know they were trying for the whole Barney Fife thing like Bastet said, but in my opinion they took it too far and turned poor Jackie into a caricature. Then again, everyone was a caricature by the time season 9 rolled around. I felt like Roseanne, in particular, just got mean.

 

That being said, I'm watching season 7 right now and I can't believe I managed to somehow miss the "Girl Talk" episode. Dan and Fred's sex discussion was hilarious, and I love John Goodman's facial expression when it becomes obvious that they know too much about each others sex lives. Good stuff.

 

Best line: "You're gonna flunk marriage if you can't pass the oral!"

 

And then Dan and Roseanne fighting about her over-sharing with Jackie about their "sacred" bedroom info. Dan and his "How DARE you?!" killed me dead. lol

 

Also, in the same episode, I thought Laurie Metcalf looked particularly gorgeous. I really liked what they did with her hair.....short AND cute. =) And now I'll stop being shallow.

[kassa]

Was the sex talk scene the same one where they scoff at Fred's reluctance to eat dessert, because the calories will go straight to his hips?

[JakeyJokes]

kassa, yes, the tag of that episode is the women acting like men and vice versa. One of Sarah Chalke's only truly funny moments in when her beer-swilling Becky says that she smacks Mark on the ass every night after sex and then she's out like a light. 

[redlaces]

Please give me some back up here. Even though I showed my friend online that it INDEED did happen. She is still being stubborn. During the original airing of the episode where Mariel Hemmingway kisses Roseanne at the bar, there was a parental advisory warning at the beginning. She insists they didn't show the warning.. YES THEY DID! I watched this show religiously from beginning to end. No matter what, I watched Roseanne. It was there, it was lame, get over it. 

[CodeNameDuchess]

That episode definitely had a parental advisory before it aired, redlaces.  Check out this Variety article from 1994: http://variety.com/1994/tv/news/abc-to-air-roseanne-seg-with-warning-label-118423/

[Bastet]

I finished season seven this morning, and the last couple of times Darlene came home, they had her acting a lot more like her old self (rather than the sociopathic ass she’d been pretty much since she left home).  But then she goes and ruins my joy at having the real Darlene back by telling David not to go to Europe because they just got back together.  The hell?!  It’s for a month, Darlene.  Get over it.  I’m glad Roseanne told her off the same way she did David when he tried to tell Darlene not to go away to school, but Darlene just didn’t get it.  Which is ridiculous.

 

I wish they’d never got back together; they haven’t been good for each other since she left for Chicago.  (And the writers didn’t have to go that route in order to keep David around after graduation; going to community college and working, it would have made sense for him to keep living with the Conners for a while.)  It would have been so much better to watch them figure out a friendship.

 

I’ll never stop loving that Fred and Jackie breakup scene, sitting there at dinner with nothing left to say to each other and then, “I think it’s over, Fred.”  “Yeah, I do, too.”  It’s so nice seeing that on television, rather than yet another dramatic break-up with screaming, crying, and storming off. 

 

I also love prior to that, when going to counseling makes them finally acknowledge they got married not knowing each other.  “Yeah, we’d just had a couple of dates. … And, you know, the baby.”

 

I love the tag of the finale, with the Gilligan’s Island cast playing the Conners.

 

I’m not really looking forward to watching season eight; there is some good stuff in there – and we get Original Recipe Becky back from time to time – but I hate the Darlene and David storyline, and it’s just the time in the series when I really start to miss the way things used to be.  It’s not bad, but it’s not great anymore, and it makes me kind of sad.  So we’ll see how long it takes me to get through it.

[WhitneyWhit]

I'm watching Thanksgiving '94 right now and I really hate the way Roseanne treats Dan in regards to the baby. She really dismisses his feelings and opinions. I'm pro-choice as you can get, but Roseanne treated Dan like some one night stand that she didn't know instead of her husband.

[Bastet]

When I finish my rewatch, I'll have to watch that one again and take notes.  Yours is a common reaction to it, at least going by TWoP, but I sat there thinking, "Wow, that's not how I take it."  So many episodes have come and gone since then - plus a big gap in between when I was watching other things - that I can't remember specifics, though, so I'll have to revisit it in order to comment.

 

I started in on season eight last night/this morning, which opens with probably my least-favorite Darlene episode ever -- the baby shower Roseanne makes the girls throw for her (in which Darlene does jack all, yet takes credit).  She's so awful, and for absolutely no reason.  Roseanne is incredibly tacky in this one, deciding to have a shower so she can get gifts to return for enough store credit to buy the crib she wants, yet Darlene leaps right past her for the title of shittiest person of the episode. 

 

Going back to my unpopular opinions, I really enjoy the episode when Roseanne and Jackie go on a mini-road trip, give Riot Grrrl Jenna Elfman a lift, and wind up musing on how androcentric, and often downright sexist, the music they grew up on was.  It's a fluffy, filler episode, but I don't mind that meandering feel under the circumstances, because it's natural as road trip conversation.  And I love the way they are cracking themselves up as they trade insults with the sexist truck driver, especially because they have Thelma & Louise on the brain as they're doing it. Roseanne and Jackie are having fun, and Roseanne and Laurie seem to be having fun as well, and the mood seeps into me.

 

I also watched what is probably my favorite season eight episode, the "That's Our Rosey" parody.  That is a brilliant take on all the clichés of '50s sitcoms -- the advertisements, the anti-Communist hysteria, the parade of gender stereotypes, "that darn Anderson account," the cute little kid with a tag line, etc. 

 

I also like the Thanksgiving episode, thanks to DJ's Pulp Fiction-style Thanksgiving play (it cracks me up, especially Anne Marie's reaction to that "people came to this country for the freedom" woman) and Roseanne's imagination sequence as DJ's teacher starts to explain away some myths.  The ending is heavy-handed, and perpetuates several stereotypical tropes about Native Americans even as it subverts others, but those two segments make up for it.

 

Unfortunately, getting to those two meant sitting through the Halloween episode in which Roseanne gives birth to Jerry.  I know Roseanne was very affected by Jerry Garcia's death and wanted to honor the basic message he'd communicated through his music, but that episode is a mess.  I do love the tag, though - her taking questions from the studio audience and pretending to fire a writer.

 

As much as I dislike her portrayal of Becky - and the whiplash I get from the characterization shift depending on who's playing her - I can understand why they started bringing Sarah Chalke back when Lecy wasn't available.  I've only watched a handful of episodes from season eight so far, and there have already been several scenes, and even a couple of entire episodes, where neither Lecy nor Sara were available, and having both Becky and Darlene missing is really noticeable given what's happening in the scene/episode, especially when Mark and David are there.  And they don't even bother to throw in a line explaining their absence.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Bastet

[SparklesBitch]

Thanksgiving '94 bothered me too in terms of how Roseanne treated Dan regarding the baby, but to be fair, we don't even really get to hear his side of it until Jackie confronts him in the following episode. Before that, he does kind of come off as being all "the only option is the abortion". Then he talks to Jackie and we realize that there really is more to what he's feeling than just that. Roseanne didn't really let him talk though. Once she made up her mind about what she thought he was saying, she didn't want to hear anymore. I get that it was a very emotional time for her, but it was for Dan too, and I really think she should have listened to him more. I feel like they set it all up specifically so DJ could be the vector through which Roseanne realizes that her family truly would support any decision she made. As much as I like that scene between her and DJ, I wish she wouldn't have shut Dan out to begin with. I'm as pro-choice as you can get, but I think she should have at least heard him out.

 

 

which opens with probably my least-favorite Darlene episode ever -- the baby shower Roseanne makes the girls throw for her (in which Darlene does jack all, yet takes credit).  She's so awful, and for absolutely no reason.

 

Oh my God, yes! I just wanted to slap her through the whole episode. I hated how Roseanne decided that Becky was being a martyr about the whole thing. She worked her butt off and slacker Darlene took the credit. Ugh. It wouldn't have killed Darlene to be pleasant and helpful for one day, especially when it was for Roseanne.

 

 

And I love the way they are cracking themselves up as they trade insults with the sexist truck driver, especially because they have Thelma & Louise on the brain as they're doing it. Roseanne and Jackie are having fun, and Roseanne and Laurie seem to be having fun as well, and the mood seeps into me.

 

I adore this episode too, and for all the same reasons. For some reason, Roseanne crapping all over the music they grew up on just cracks me up like nothing else, and the best part is that she's not wrong about any of it. Also, Jenna Elfman is great in this one.

 

My own re-watch has brought me to season 9.....and I thought maybe I wasn't giving it a fair shake before, but yeah....it's still just as cringe-worthy, although I do enjoy Leon's reaction to them winning the lottery.

 

However, it reminded me of how much a actually did love the end of season 8, with the wedding and everyone at the hospital. I especially love Dan's tearful conversation with God, and then Roseanne's subsequent one. John Goodman is such an amazing actor, and that scene gets me all choked up every time. Roseanne's doesn't make me cry, but I always want to hug her because she feels guilty for cooking the way she did and seems to believe she's personally responsible for getting Dan to the point of a heart attack. Then after he comes home and cheats on his diet and they have that huge fight.....man, that was some good stuff. So powerful and believable, with all those old resentments coming up. It especially hurt that Dan thought his children were failures. Ouch.

[Bastet]

Then after he comes home and cheats on his diet and they have that huge fight.....man, that was some good stuff.

 

I'm looking forward to watching that again, as it is so raw it's almost too difficult to watch.  That is one of the best marital fights I've ever seen on television, and it pretty much has to come so far into a program so you understand both where they're coming from and that it's not going to be the end of them.  And it works on its own, as well as in hindsight knowing Dan had actually died of that heart attack -- as a manifestation of Roseanne's anger (at Dan, for the choices he made with respect to his health that contributed to his death, and his lesser share of the parenting), guilt (for her own diet/lifestyle choices that affected the family), and fear (that she didn't do a good enough job with the kids, and now she's left to continue parenting alone), it's packs a few extra punches.

[SparklesBitch]

 

And it works on its own, as well as in hindsight knowing Dan had actually died of that heart attack -- as a manifestation of Roseanne's anger (at Dan, for the choices he made with respect to his health that contributed to his death, and his lesser share of the parenting), guilt (for her own diet/lifestyle choices that affected the family), and fear (that she didn't do a good enough job with the kids, and now she's left to continue parenting alone), it's packs a few extra punches.

 

I never thought of it that way, but you're right, it really does work even knowing he died. God, it's almost more heart-wrenching that way.

 

Also, since I'm in the middle of season 9, I thought I'd mention some of the few things I actually really like about this season. First, Nana Mary and Bev's mother daughter talk. They're both such great actresses, and it makes this scene such a pleasure to watch. I love Bev wanting some answers and Nana Mary basically just telling her wild stories, but then actually giving Bev some pretty sound advice. Also, I adore Bev's reaction to finding out that she herself is a bit of a rebel as well.

 

Second is the whole family gathering around the Christmas tree. Everything from David refusing to help Dan and Mark bring it in, to Dan gleefully "amputating" the top of the tree in the fancy new living room, to Darlene throwing the clump of tinsel onto the tree all haphazardly, to the opening of the gifts and Dan burning the mortgage. Scenes like that always make me realize how much my own family mirrors theirs (without the crushing poverty or the lottery win, that is) and I think that's what's missing from most TV nowadays.....the characters never quite feel like real people. The characters on Roseanne always feel so real, like the people in my hometown growing up.....and that's why I always liked the little touches of realism on this show. Stuff like Dan always wearing the same sweatshirt and Jackie's godawful camo/hunting jacket thing that we saw for a while and that the characters don't speak perfect English and that they seem to know everyone in town. Also, I always really like the interactions between Darlene and Becky and DJ. They still feel like the most honest representation of a sibling relationship on TV to me. Now I'm on a tangent....

 

My last favorite scene is the confrontation between Jackie and Dan when she hears him on the phone with his mother's nurse. I love that she's so protective of Roseanne, and also that there's a tiny little hint of her feeling personally betrayed as well. I love how torn apart Dan is by the whole thing. John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf play so incredibly well off of each other.....it's so much fun to watch them. =)

[Bastet]

This show worked so well for a variety of reasons, and I think the fact the cast all  thoroughly enjoyed working together is one of them.  Actors can turn in great performances with people they don't particularly care for, and actors who get along swimmingly can nevertheless result in mediocrity together.  So it's not automatically a positive.  But to have the entire core cast, especially a cast playing a family, genuinely like each other as people - they all still keep in touch to one extent or another - and adore working alongside each other ... it was a big bonus here, on top of a solid foundation of sharp writing and storylines both relatable and thought provoking.

 

Because they all liked each other, we got such great interaction between the family as a whole, plus all these individual relationships -- Roseanne Barr and John Goodman work so well together, as do each of them with Laurie Metcalf.  So any combination among Dan, Roseanne, and Jackie just feels right.  Roseanne is great with kids, and had a special bond with Michael Fishman, so her scenes with Lecy, Sara and, especially, him are very natural.  Et cetera, et cetera.  And while Roseanne was a bit rough in the beginning, overall they don't break character.  Yet even though you're completely in the moment, seeing them in character, you can also tell when the actors are particularly enjoying each other as scene partners.

 

And, yeah, going back to that "I wish I'd never marr-"/the kids are failures fight: I think it's even more powerful as a scene from the book.  Roseanne used that book to change the things she didn't like about her life.  Thus fictional Dan didn't die (but because she had to use her writing to work through the feelings of abandonment, betrayal, and anger she was feeling following his death, he did have an emotional affair with another woman).  So, that fight is invented out of whole cloth; it never happened, because in reality he was gone.  She could have written it any way she chose to help her sort through what she was feeling in the early days of her new life as a widow and single parent.  But she writes it in probably the ugliest way possible short of violence, and has her children's father call them failures, blaming it on her failure as a mother.  Looking back and viewing that scene as a manifestation of how she's feeling about Dan, herself, the kids, the family's future ... that doubles down on the wallop the scene already packs when taken at face value.

[Bastet]

I finished season eight, and I hate Darlene's storyline as much as I ever did.  There's a scene between her and Roseanne on the couch, when Roseanne asks her why she's decided to have the baby, and Darlene says, "Because I want it.  More than I've ever wanted anything."  It's partly Sara's acting (I think she was better as a child), but mostly just the totality of circumstances, that I don't believe it for a minute.  There's nothing about Darlene wanting to get married and become a mother at nineteen that rings true to me.

 

Plus, Darlene has taken a copywriting job - something she didn't want to do - that allows her to work from home, has been able to hook David and his high school diploma up with a graphic artist job with full benefits, etc. ... in theory, I love the way she's thought things through (and like that she's interested in marriage for its practical benefits, not just because she's in love), but it's just all too tidy.  One of the things that sucks about the lottery storyline is not getting to see them deal with the reality of their grand plans.

 

Poor Dan.  He's always so disgusted and frightened when his daughters toss their lives away for a guy, and he doesn't really get to commiserate with Roseanne over it because she's so much quicker to accept that it's their decision to make and putting up a fuss after the fact only risks losing contact.  I love the perfectly natural dichotomy that he feels that way about his daughters' choices, but gets angry and defensive when Roseanne talks about what she gave up by making the same choices back in the day. 

 

I love him at the wedding (when she needs a timeout to barf), shooting down her insistence she and David have plenty of time.  You probably have to be of a certain age to appreciate the power of what he's saying about thinking you have all the time in the world to do the things you want to do, and the next thing you know you turn around and 15+ years have passed and your life is now more about obligations than aspirations.

 

My favorite moment in the post-wedding episode is when Roseanne and Jackie are left alone at the hospital, waiting for word on Dan, and Roseanne just looks at her and says, "I've been with him since I was 16 years old."  That one line contains pages of dialogue; she doesn't really remember life without him, and at their age she's never really sat down and pictured life without him in the future, yet here she is, confronted with the possibility.

 

I'm so glad they had Lecy for the episode when Darlene intends to install the new garbage disposal and Becky tells her not to, as it will make Dan feel like they regard him as an invalid who can't do those things anymore.  I think it's the last really great moment between the sisters in the series, and it wouldn't have worked with Sarah.  The way Becky says, "That's Dad's job" is pitch perfect. 

 

And that fight after he comes home ... I've already babbled at length, but, wow, was that every bit as good as I remembered.

 

Skipping back a bit, I love the "Don't get above your raisin'" storyline with Darlene turning down the job with good (by Lanford standards) pay and benefits because she wants to finish college and do something more meaningful with her skills than come up with ad slogans.  The thing about her now being a "them" rather than one of "us" and thus the same sarcastic comments she'd been making all her life about the house, the town, etc. feel very different to those on the receiving end, Dan and Roseanne wanting all this for her, but also having a hard time dealing with it, etc.  Very common, yet hardly ever seen on TV.

 

I love that Darlene's opportunities get Becky thinking, and it's so sweet to see her sitting in that trailer telling Mark she wants to go to college and become an EMT or physical therapist or something, and him translating that to she's going to become a doctor and outgrow him.  There is such amazing stuff building there with Lecy, and then she couldn't get away to go to Florida for the Disneyworld episodes so we get Sarah back and it just all fizzles out.

 

Speaking of the Disneyworld thing, I like that this show makes you understand why Dan and Roseanne make some of the dumb financial decisions they make -- they don't know any better, experience has taught them they can't stay ahead so they're more apt to treat themselves when they have a few opportunities rather than put it towards debt, etc.  And, here, Roseanne talking about this being their last chance - timing wise, given the kids' ages and situations - for a family vacation is a continuation of that realism and relatability.  But come on!  Dan spends his entire unused/accrued vacation payout AND cashes out his pension in order to buy plane tickets for eight people, then numerous rooms at a nice hotel, a several-day pass to the parks for that many people, etc.  And they're coming home to Dan having a well-paying but temporary and benefit-less gig handling the drywall for the prison project.  Go somewhere less expensive!  Stupid Disney buyout of ABC creating this stuff.

 

I do love, however, that their experience with the freak show that is Disney park employment led to the episode with David getting sucked into the creepy theme park.  It's not a great episode, but there's some funny stuff. 

 

So, now it's time to revisit season nine for the first time since it aired.  I think I better check to make sure I'm fully stocked with liquor.

Edited May 1, 2015 by Bastet

[UYI]

One of the only episodes from the later years that I actually count among my all time favorites is season 8's "December Bride", the one where Roseanne throws Leon and Scott a (very) gay wedding. I love the look of horror Leon gets on his face when he sees how stereotypical she has made the wedding look, and some of the lines in that episode are classics--replacing the bride on the cake with "one of the action heroes from Pocahontas", needing a picture of Leon but "not that retouched one where you look like Joan Van Ark", and of course, the Pop Tarts scene. And Mariel Hemingway's cameo at the end is great, too.

 

Actually, there are four episodes in a row--"December Bride", "The Thrilla Near the Vanilla Extract", "The White Sheep of the Family", and "Becky Howser, M.D."--where, even with some of the more OTT antics the later seasons took on (especially the second episode I listed, where Roseanne and Jackie work at the grocery store), where you can still see shades of what made the show great in the first place. It's not the same by then, of course, but it still happened every once in awhile. It's generally believed that Roseanne sent a lot of the show off the rails once she and Tom Arnold divorced and he was no longer a co-producer; that he was someone who could put his foot down and say no to her about something and she would actually listen to him, but there were still times post-Tom where she kept things on track. I'm also a Blues Traveler fan, so I like getting to see them perform in that earlier season 8 episode, too, even though them being there definitely dates that episode pretty squarely to 1995 (when "Runaround" was a hit).

 

I agree with you on Becky and Darlene's frequent absences this season, too. The most egregious moment was probably when Mark was at Leon & Scott's wedding, but Becky wasn't, and he was only there so Roseanne could make a dumb son-in-law joke to Leon's mother. 

[ErinW]

One of the only episodes from the later years that I actually count among my all time favorites is season 8's "December Bride", the one where Roseanne throws Leon and Scott a (very) gay wedding. I love the look of horror Leon gets on his face when he sees how stereotypical she has made the wedding look, and some of the lines in that episode are classics--replacing the bride on the cake with "one of the action heroes from Pocahontas", needing a picture of Leon but "not that retouched one where you look like Joan Van Ark", and of course, the Pop Tarts scene. And Mariel Hemingway's cameo at the end is great, too.

Leon: What if I'm not even really gay?

Roseanne: You couldn't be any gayer if your name was Gay Gayerson!

 

My favorite moment in the post-wedding episode is when Roseanne and Jackie are left alone at the hospital, waiting for word on Dan, and Roseanne just looks at her and says, "I've been with him since I was 16 years old."  That one line contains pages of dialogue; she doesn't really remember life without him, and at their age she's never really sat down and pictured life without him in the future, yet here she is, confronted with the possibility.

All the great moments in the final seasons are fueled by our having spent a decade with the characters already, I think. My favorite is Roseanne giving Dan the lighter to burn up their mortgage papers. It's like, you could do that on a show in its first or second season, but it would not have the impact that it has for these characters we have watched struggle... and struggle... and struggle... for years. The moment Bastet quotes is powerful because it means something to us, too. Dan and Roseanne were routinely such a united front, just an inevitable pair. Which is not to say they didn't fight, because they sure did, but they still gave the impression of being rock-solid together. How does one survive without the other? It hurts to even think about it.

 

Roseanne and Dan... wow. You know, it occurred to me recently that I have this show to thank for presenting, in my formative years (I'm Michael Fishman's age, so that's how old I was at any given era when Roseanne was airing), such a great example of a companionate marriage. They do stuff for each other. They can fight but maintain respect for each other. They like each other! They like hanging out together and making each other laugh! My parents did OK there, too, but you know. The influence of this kind of TV model, especially on a child, cannot be overestimated.

 

/edited to correct a grammatical error!

Edited May 1, 2015 by ErinW

[Aja]

The primary marital relationship between Dan and Roseanne was yet another thing that hadn't really been done before on a sitcom. There weren't just plot-specific disagreements that were resolved after 25 minutes or so. There was baggage, there was years of dealing with kids and dodgy finances and annoying in-laws. There were episodes where Dan or Roseanne would be crabby and argumentative just because they were overworked and tired, and it wasn't treated as a plot point, just sort of a given. They also hung out a lot and really seemed to enjoy each other's company like ErinW said, and would often lapse into baby-talk or goofy wrestling matches or the kinds of things that exist privately between two people that have been together a long time. I remember a lot of controversy surrounding Roseanne when it was airing because of how bawdy and 'mean' and trashy Roseanne was, but I never understood that. Particularly in the early seasons, it's one of the most loving depictions of family life I've ever seen. Another thing I loved is how they'd often show Dan's reaction to Roseanne's jokes...they'd show him chuckling quietly or just gazing at her and smiling like she really delighted him. Loved that.

Edited May 1, 2015 by Aja

[Bastet]

I grew up in a family that interacted similarly to the Conners, in that we all loved each other very much, but were not at all schmoopy about it, we were sarcastic with each other and would make cracks, we didn’t have to apologize every time we got crabby with each other for no good reason, etc.  It was so refreshing to see that kind of family dynamic portrayed on television.  So all the chatter about them being “mean” to each other always gave me a good laugh.  I guess I can understand it seeming that way to someone who’s used to a different style of interaction, to me it's clear they love and respect each other.  You don't have to talk like a Hallmark card to show it.

 

I love when Darlene comes home after being snowed in at David’s and playing witness to how horrible a mother Mrs. Healy is.  She doesn’t come up and give some big TV speech about how she’s realized how lucky she is, she just gives Roseanne a kiss on the cheek.

[Bastet]

My favorite is Roseanne giving Dan the lighter to burn up their mortgage papers. It's like, you could do that on a show in its first or second season, but it would not have the impact that it has for these characters we have watched struggle... and struggle... and struggle... for years.

 

I agree.  I haven't yet hunkered down to start on season nine, but I remember watching that and, in my head, hearing the dialogue from the scene when Bonnie informs Roseanne that Rodbell's is closing down the diner:  Roseanne has this "here we go again" look on her face and says, "I've got, like, three mortgages on my house."  (And Bonnie has the great line about, "Yeah, and it's not like there are a lot of options out there for a couple of working gals like us.")  They had to keep leveraging that house to either make ends meet or take a chance at something fulfilling and long-lasting, so every time things came crashing down they faced the prospect of losing it.  We went through it with them for eight years, and now ... burn, baby, burn.  It's quite powerful. 

[JakeyJokes]

 

Actually, there are four episodes in a row--"December Bride", "The Thrilla Near the Vanilla Extract", "The White Sheep of the Family", and "Becky Howser, M.D."--where, even with some of the more OTT antics the later seasons took on (especially the second episode I listed, where Roseanne and Jackie work at the grocery store), where you can still see shades of what made the show great in the first place. It's not the same by then, of course, but it still happened every once in awhile. It's generally believed that Roseanne sent a lot of the show off the rails once she and Tom Arnold divorced and he was no longer a co-producer; that he was someone who could put his foot down and say no to her about something and she would actually listen to him, but there were still times post-Tom where she kept things on track. I'm also a Blues Traveler fan, so I like getting to see them perform in that earlier season 8 episode, too, even though them being there definitely dates that episode pretty squarely to 1995 (when "Runaround" was a hit).

 

I moved recently so I have yet to finish Season Eight and Nine, but I like these observations. I only watched the first few episodes of Eight and I think there's a big shift in tone and quality between seasons, and it would be interesting to find out which producers/writers left at that point and if that affects anything. Season Eight's premiere episode uses the older girls bashing DJ's head in the wall as its punchline. It's just mean for the sake of being mean.

 

I first saw the food fight episode as a kid and I haaattttedddd it. I think I was too young to get the over-the-top factor. When I first saw it, I thought Jackie was crying when the milk got poured on her, and all I could think about was how Roseanne got to take off her apron and was totally clean afterward, while poor Laurie Metcalf had to sit there dripping and would eventually have to be escorted to a shower. Upon rewatch, I get how slap-sticky it is and both actresses seem to be having fun, but it's just so ... silly. It's too bad, because there's some really funny lines before the shenanigans ensue ("Congratulations, Jackie. You know how to sell cheese").

 

I like the S9 Christmas episode, too. S9 isn't completely awful ... it's just that when it's awful, it's AWFUL. I will never, ever understand the point of the penultimate episode, "Roseanne-feld". I think the writers were on drugs.

[Bastet]

I thought my ultimate UO for this show was liking the concept of the “it was all a book” reveal, but revisiting the beginning of season nine (for the first time since it originally aired), I’ve discovered one that’s probably even more unpopular: I dig the "Roseambo" episode that parodies action flicks and has a lot of fun mocking anti-woman terrorists (all while getting in great lines about our own society, like, “You people are barbarians.  In our country, we don’t need to spill blood to silence women.  We do it with diet and fashion and psychiatrists”).  It sends up just about everything I hate about 99% of action movies, so I had a blast watching it.  I like that Mark gets his moment, too.

 

So far, season nine is better than I remembered.  It’s a very different show, and I think being this far removed from the jarring, “WTF is this?” nature of that shift is what makes it more watchable now.  One thing I always loved was the episode when Roseanne and Jackie go to the spa.  I laugh from beginning to end on that one.  I also love Ab Fab, so the crossover that Roseanne and Jennifer Saunders wrote together makes me laugh, too.

 

There’s some good stuff in exploring how the money makes people treat them differently, and how they’re fish out of water in these new spheres to which they now have access.  But those stories aren’t written as well as they should be.  And Dan’s absence is already looming large, even though I’m only a few episodes in to his time in California.

[ErinW]

There’s some good stuff in exploring how the money makes people treat them differently, and how they’re fish out of water in these new spheres to which they now have access.  But those stories aren’t written as well as they should be.

Yes, that is the problem! There are still good ideas floating around in that last season. You know Roseanne has got years' worth of stories about being nouveau riche just from her own personal experience with it. And then the Darlene baby drama happens at the end, where Roseanne flies in fancy doctors from all over, who can't help, to show what money can't do, which is a smart cap on the storyline. But the episodes just tend towards being sloppy and broad and a 180 degree turn from what the show was in its best days.

[Bastet]

Yeah, the writing was simultaneously sharp and subtle when the show was great.  By season nine, though, other than some select moments, it’s neither.  I only have a few more episodes to go.  I’m still enjoying season nine far more than I did the first time around, but it’s all over the map. 

 

Two things that have been bugging me throughout:

- They brought Sarah Chalke back full-time because they couldn’t get Lecy enough and didn’t want to switch back and forth for another season.  Okay.  But there are numerous scenes or even episodes where Becky isn’t there, even though Mark is.  What was the point, then?

 

- Darlene and David have jobs in Chicago; that was the whole basis of getting married when she got pregnant, that she and the baby could be on his insurance, she’d be able to work part time from home while finishing school, he'd be working as a graphic artist (pretty much his dream job), etc.  Yet they’re constantly at the Conners (not just at Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.) and there’s no reference to them being home for a visit.  In the episode when Darlene goes into premature labor, David is on his way back from Chicago, but otherwise they’re in Lanford.  But there’s no discussion of it, so I have no idea what’s going on with school or either of their jobs.

 

The Harris/Conner women gathered around the baby (“I think it’s some sort of coven or something”) is a moving scene – except for Sarah and Sara’s parts.  Laurie, Roseanne and Estelle do fantastic work, and then the two of them fall flat.  Sarah is to be expected, but there’s just something about Sara’s portrayal of pregnant/parenting Darlene that I’m not connecting with.  I never bought her decision in the first place, and now when they’re all expressing their emotions about this new family member who probably won’t make it, even Bev moves me more than Darlene. 

 

I do find the conversation between Dan and David in the hallway quite touching, and I love how concerned Mark is through the whole thing.  Good writing or bad, this is such a great family and I really care about these characters.

 

There’s something wrong with my disc that contains the Thanksgiving episode – I can watch the first several minutes and the tag, but that’s it – so I missed Bev coming out.  But I love when she goes to see Nana Mary to talk about this confusion she’s feeling as she hits a crossroads in her life.  Give those two acting veterans just about anything to work with, and I’ll be a captive audience, but we get great insight into both characters.  You really see how Bev became the person she is.

 

Dan and Roseanne’s separation after he confesses to his relationship with the nurse is well done.  Michael Fishman is pretty awkward as an actor by this stage, but he nails the scene where DJ snaps at Dan in the bedroom as Dan is packing to return to California.

 

I also like him in the episode when he and Heather don’t have sex.  When she asks him if he’s upset they didn’t do anything and he says he’s actually relieved, it’s such a real moment for a kid that age. 

 

And I love Mark and Jackie after DJ pages him at the wrestling match:
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, DJ was just looking for a condom.”
“What?!”

Edited May 7, 2015 by Bastet

[Bastet]

I couldn’t get back to sleep for a while in the middle of the night, so I finished the series. 

 

The finale remains so powerful to me, the complete loss of any semblance of financial security Roseanne felt upon losing Dan leading her to imagine herself as having all the money in the world, hobnobbing with the kind of people she sees on TV.  And then losing herself in a deep depression until she had to be strong for her family.  Realizing her dreams of becoming a writer weren’t going to come true unless she acted upon them, and thus spending nights in that basement writing room reviewing her life – and taking the opportunity to change things she couldn’t fix in reality, giving herself a degree of power she was denied by circumstances. 

 

I still get chills when she says “I lost Dan …” and we pan to the empty chair.  Then the wonderful VO content as we switch to reality, with Roseanne in the basement reading what she has written, concluding with the fact she thinks she’ll be a lot better now that she has finished writing the story of her life.  Remembering when Dan and the kids gave her the writing room as a birthday gift.  And then her walking back into the real living room – subtly wiping tears from her eyes as she does, which makes me wonder if Roseanne Barr was tearing up for real – sitting down on that ratty couch and turning on the TV.  Life goes on.

 

I’m just so thankful to Roseanne Barr for this show.  To the other actors who helped bring it to life and to the writers who wove her stories into such wonderful episodes, too, but primarily to her.  She had a vision, she stuck with it, and she made sure that for nine years we had a show on American television told from a feminist, blue collar viewpoint.  A nine-year exploration of class in America; with the popular narrative being that the so-called American Dream (work hard and you can pull yourself up the socio-economic ladder) is the norm, here was someone pointing out that the reality is if you are born poor, you are most likely going to die poor.  Nine years of speaking truth to power, exploring issues often misrepresented, shallowly addressed or ignored altogether, and showing us the lives of people often disregarded.   Done through comedy that is - far more often than not - intelligent, honest, and downright hilarious.

Edited May 9, 2015 by Bastet

[UYI]

I moved recently so I have yet to finish Season Eight and Nine, but I like these observations. I only watched the first few episodes of Eight and I think there's a big shift in tone and quality between seasons, and it would be interesting to find out which producers/writers left at that point and if that affects anything. Season Eight's premiere episode uses the older girls bashing DJ's head in the wall as its punchline. It's just mean for the sake of being mean.

 

 

Tom's last season as co-producer/writer was season six, so season seven is the first without him involved in any way (He and Roseanne divorced in 1994). There are still some good moments in the last few seasons, but I think season seven is the first where a certain change in quality is evident from the beginning (that said, the episode where DJ keeps getting erections in class is one of my favorites), although even season six shows some signs of decay.

 

Since it's Mother's Day tomorrow, I'm planning on watching "Don't Make Me Over" sometime this evening. Darlene and Becky were scum in this episode, although I've always found Becky calling Roseanne "The Big R" at the beginning of it funny. 

Edited May 9, 2015 by UYI

[ErinW]

Marathon on Oxygen, just watched the one where Roseanne overwhelms Darlene with preparations for a dance. Does anyone else agree that Roseanne picked the wrong dress? "Makes too much noise when [she] walks" is clearly the cutest.

[Bastet]

"Well, you do look like Judy Jetson."

 

I don't remember what the "makes too much noise when I walk" dress looked like.

[Lorna Mae]

I liked "It's too blue!" But that was full length, so maybe too formal. I didn't like the one Roseanne chose either; too babyish. What I really want to know,though,is how they did that continuous loop.

[ErinW]

"Makes too much noise":

 

 

Or, you can watch the scene on Youtube from about 6:00 to about 8:30.

 

 

Since it's Mother's Day tomorrow, I'm planning on watching "Don't Make Me Over" sometime this evening. Darlene and Becky were scum in this episode, although I've always found Becky calling Roseanne "The Big R" at the beginning of it funny.

 

Did you see that episode went up for consideration for the Canon in the Extra Hot Great podcast?

Edited May 10, 2015 by ErinW

[SparklesBitch]

 

"Makes too much noise when [she] walks" is clearly the cutest.

 

Agreed! I really disliked the flowered one that Roseanne said was the best. Darlene looked adorable in the green one, even if it was noisy.

 

 

The Harris/Conner women gathered around the baby (“I think it’s some sort of coven or something”) is a moving scene – except for Sarah and Sara’s parts.  Laurie, Roseanne and Estelle do fantastic work, and then the two of them fall flat.

 

THIS. So much this. Laurie, Roseanne and Estelle were so phenomenal that the other two just stick out like sore thumbs, especially Sarah Chalke. This episode was on during the marathon today and I forgot how bad her whole somewhat inappropriately cheerful "we had a pretty cool aunt growing up and I hope I can be the same for you," speech was before she just kind of tosses the baby off to the next person. Everyone else was choked up and crying and she's all, "well, hope you live, kid!"

 

 

I do find the conversation between Dan and David in the hallway quite touching, and I love how concerned Mark is through the whole thing.  Good writing or bad, this is such a great family and I really care about these characters.

 

I love the bejeezus out of this whole scene. I love David freaking out and Dan trying to calm him down, and the relationship between the two characters is just fantastic. Also, Mark not being an idiot for a change is really refreshing.

 

On a slightly unrelated note, the episode "Scenes From a Barbecue" was on today too, and I love that episode from beginning to end anyway, but the part with Dan and Chuck arguing over how to cook the burgers on the grill is awesome. There's something about John Goodman's delivery of the line where he say something like "No Chuck, I was going to stack them all up and let them cook as a team" that makes me dissolve into ridiculous giggles every single time I hear it. He's so great, I totally get why Roseanne and Laurie and the kids all had such a crush on him at the time.

[Aja]

Since it's Mother's Day tomorrow, I'm planning on watching "Don't Make Me Over" sometime this evening. Darlene and Becky were scum in this episode, although I've always found Becky calling Roseanne "The Big R" at the beginning of it funny.

 

I loved Dan's chewing out of Becky and Darlene at the end, too. Typical pitch-perfect family scene from Roseanne that you just didn't see in other sitcoms. Instead of the wise, infinitely good-natured parent describing, with much love and humor, the errors in the girls' behavior (which they immediately see, acknowledge, and sincerely apologize for), you had two teenagers pissed off that they can't go to a concert. You have a husband who sees his wife crying on Mother's Day and loses his shit. "Shut up. And just so I don't have to say it again in a minute, you shut up too." You can see Becky and Darlene's assy little attitude falling away and turning into guilt and shame that they don't know quite what to do with when Dan tells them that Roseanne is crying. And then...the best...the tag when Dan is on the phone with Bev and we learn that, as punishment, they were ordered to take D.J. to Grandma's for the weekend. "Darlene loves singing show tunes. No, she's just being shy! Make her!" Amazing.

[DkNNy79]

On a slightly unrelated note, the episode "Scenes From a Barbecue" was on today too, and I love that episode from beginning to end anyway, but the part with Dan and Chuck arguing over how to cook the burgers on the grill is awesome. There's something about John Goodman's delivery of the line where he say something like "No Chuck, I was going to stack them all up and let them cook as a team" that makes me dissolve into ridiculous giggles every single time I hear it. He's so great, I totally get why Roseanne and Laurie and the kids all had such a crush on him at the time.

One of my favorite episodes.  Their grandmother is a hoot and a half.

[SparklesBitch]

One of my favorite episodes.  Their grandmother is a hoot and a half.

 

Nana Mary is definitely my favorite recurring character. Everything that comes out of her mouth is hilarious and perfect, and I love how much everyone loves her. I forget which episode it is, but there's this cute little back and forth between Dan and Jackie over who Nana Mary is staying with overnight when she comes to visit. If it was any other relative, they'd probably be trying to pawn them off on each other, but I really like how Dan seems to genuinely be a little bummed when he realizes that Nana Mary is going to Jackie's ("Hey, I thought WE had Nana Mary tonight!"), and Jackie just kind of smiles like she won ("no, I'VE got Nana Mary!"). Also, with Roseanne trying to get her to come live with them. i could have done with a little more Nana Mary and a little less Bev during the run of the show. Both actresses are fantastic, but I just always really enjoyed Nana Mary's scenes with everyone more because they were always happy she was around....and I liked that she was a smart ass. =)

[Bastet]

Yeah, it was particularly nice to see Dan enjoy having her around (even offering to let her live with them), since he was so annoyed by the presence of Al and Bev.  It showed it wasn't just some stereotypical "I hate in-laws" thing.

 

Roseanne Barr was quite close to her grandma, and could talk with her in a way she couldn't with her mom.  She thinks grandmas can be a tremendous asset to a family, and that's how Nana Mary came to be. 

 

Listening to Roseanne talk about Shelley Winters is a hoot.  Winters was a method actor, and the cast got a real kick out of her being in Nana Mary mode for the whole week, reverting to normal once taping was completed.

 

It's also great to know Roseanne and Laurie said at the time that in 25 years Roseanne would be Shelley and Laurie would be Estelle.

[JakeyJokes]

 

There’s some good stuff in exploring how the money makes people treat them differently, and how they’re fish out of water in these new spheres to which they now have access.  But those stories aren’t written as well as they should be

 

Roseanne has gone on record at some point defending the ninth season because that's what resembled her life at that point: She was insanely wealthy, surrounded by people from that world, and still wasn't seen as "good enough" or not as an upper-class person. Some of Season Nine's best episodes do discuss this, such as when they go to the Hamptons with Mo Gaffney's family, or the Halloween episode, or even the the goofy spa episode, where it's suggested that it's offensive that someone so wealthy could also be FAT. But, as you say, they aren't as written as well as they could be. I wonder if part of this is because Season Nine was ordered at close to the last minute, and a lot of her other writers had already moved on to other shows. If you look up the Season Nine writers, some of them are from British comedies or hadn't written a lot of TV before -- the writer of "The Miracle" (an episode I can't stand, which might be a minority opinion) was the property master of the show for eight years.

[Aja]

Also, didn't she have some fascination with Absolutely Fabulous at the time? I seem to remember reading somewhere that she was wanting to turn the show into an AbFab-esque festival of zaniness. Maybe she felt British writers would be able to capture that aesthetic better or something.

[UYI]

Also, didn't she have some fascination with Absolutely Fabulous at the time? I seem to remember reading somewhere that she was wanting to turn the show into an AbFab-esque festival of zaniness. Maybe she felt British writers would be able to capture that aesthetic better or something.

 

I believe she had the American rights to develop a stateside version of AbFab at some point, although obviously that never happened.

 

I can see how season nine might be a metaphor as to what her life had become, but at the same time it still seems like a way for her to cover her own ass after that season went over so badly with viewers, and the finale was a way of trying to apologize to them and get them back on her side.

 

Although, IMO, that still doesn't work. There are some touching moments in that final episode, and I understand her writing a book as a way to "fix" her life, but at the same time, it feels like a slap in the face to what were arguably the best years of the show (seasons 3-6). Not to mention that the switching husbands idea wasn't necessary, even if it was a book. The couples made sense as they were. I can MAYBE see how David & Becky could be together, but Mark & Darlene? No way in hell.

 

Gah, this show. I love it, but it's fall from grace was so massive, it's hard to talk about sometimes. 

Edited May 24, 2015 by UYI

[Bastet]

"The Miracle" (an episode I can't stand, which might be a minority opinion)

 

I like parts of it, but I loathe with the heat of a thousand suns the whole "it [stuff like bathing a sick person in holy water] works, and it works because they believe it works" thing. 

 

There were two or three people - although I'm blanking on who else other than the prop master - who had worked at other jobs on the series, put forth good ideas over the years and caught her attention that way, who were then given the chance to write an episode. 

 

I like that Roseanne gives props to the network for giving her the ninth season after she'd been perfectly honest that she wanted to really go crazy experimenting with different ways of telling stories.

[HalcyonDays]

I’m just so thankful to Roseanne Barr for this show.  To the other actors who helped bring it to life and to the writers who wove her stories into such wonderful episodes, too, but primarily to her.  She had a vision, she stuck with it, and she made sure that for nine years we had a show on American television told from a feminist, blue collar viewpoint.  A nine-year exploration of class in America; with the popular narrative being that the so-called American Dream (work hard and you can pull yourself up the socio-economic ladder) is the norm, here was someone pointing out that the reality is if you are born poor, you are most likely going to die poor.  Nine years of speaking truth to power, exploring issues often misrepresented, shallowly addressed or ignored altogether, and showing us the lives of people often disregarded.   Done through comedy that is - far more often than not - intelligent, honest, and downright hilarious.

 

This is a fabulous post, Bastet. Truly. The sad reality though is that yes - politicans and the like are all like "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps". Nice idea, but it's not reality. In my view, there was a peak of propersity for the average Joe in North America around 1999. After that, with the dot com bust, 9/11, Enron and all of the other corporate shenanigans, most people cannot attain the "American Dream" anymore, unless you are born into money.

 

To quote Neil DeGrasse Tyson:

 

Neil deGrasse Tyson @neiltyson  ·  May 8

Okay to encourage others to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. But if you do, just remember, some people have no boots.

 

Roseanne to me is one of the most realistic portrayals of a family, with a comedy flair running through. With all of the remakes of TV shows and movies, I think we are desperately overdue for another "Roseanne" type series. But nothing can improve from the original, I think. Some TV station really needs to rerun the show again from day 1 - in order.

[SparklesBitch]

I first saw the food fight episode as a kid and I haaattttedddd it. I think I was too young to get the over-the-top factor. When I first saw it, I thought Jackie was crying when the milk got poured on her, and all I could think about was how Roseanne got to take off her apron and was totally clean afterward, while poor Laurie Metcalf had to sit there dripping and would eventually have to be escorted to a shower. Upon rewatch, I get how slap-sticky it is and both actresses seem to be having fun, but it's just so ... silly. It's too bad, because there's some really funny lines before the shenanigans ensue ("Congratulations, Jackie. You know how to sell cheese").

 

I happened to catch this episode as part of a marathon while doing laundry today, and was reminded of your comment about it. You're right, it is definitely just.....ridiculously silly. I can enjoy the pure fun of the food fight as long as my responsible adult side doesn't kick in, because when it does all I can think about is how much of an inconvenience they're being and how childish it all is. In order to really enjoy it, I have to remind myself that it's a show and they're acting and it's not a real store, and therefore they aren't destroying real product and blah, blah, blah. That being said, it's clear that both actresses are having a blast. Every time I see it though, I have to wonder if the milk thing was actually planned, because Laurie seems genuinely shocked. Then again, I guess it would be hard to not react like that when something gets poured over your head, even if you're expecting it.

 

That scene got me to thinking about how some of my favorite scenes from the show are Roseanne and Jackie alone together. Things like them on the mini road trip, or them in the kitchen with their respective babies complaining about how Thanksgiving is a man's holiday, them ending up at the Lobo that one Halloween when Roseanne is dressed as a guy and pretends they're a couple, the Halloween where they pretend fight in the kitchen with Jackie as the witch and Roseanne as the gypsy and the whole thing with Mrs. Butterworth.....and I think my very favorite "sister" scene with the two of them: sitting on Jackie's couch as Jackie reads the letter Roseanne wrote to her before she goes into the police academy. As much as I love it when they bicker and toss insults at each other, I love it even more when they, every so often, let slip how much they really care about each other. I still really love their one scene in the episode where Roseanne gets the sexy photos taken of herself for Dan for their anniversary and Jackie goes with her. Roseanne is trying on outfits and Jackie surprises her with something really pretty that she bought for her, and just for a second before Roseanne makes a funny quip, there's a genuine appreciation from Roseanne that what Jackie bought her was really beautiful and genuine excitement on Jackie's part (and a cute little giggle as she hands over that outfit) that her sister is celebrating this really cool milestone and it's just very sweet and I'm going to stop rambling now and just say that I adore watching those two women play off each other. They've got such great sisterly chemistry. =)

[jonesingjay]

What I really want to know,though,is how they did that continuous loop.

 

Spliced the scenes together. Very creative. I really liked that technique. 

[UYI]

I happened to catch this episode as part of a marathon while doing laundry today, and was reminded of your comment about it. You're right, it is definitely just.....ridiculously silly. I can enjoy the pure fun of the food fight as long as my responsible adult side doesn't kick in, because when it does all I can think about is how much of an inconvenience they're being and how childish it all is. In order to really enjoy it, I have to remind myself that it's a show and they're acting and it's not a real store, and therefore they aren't destroying real product and blah, blah, blah. That being said, it's clear that both actresses are having a blast. Every time I see it though, I have to wonder if the milk thing was actually planned, because Laurie seems genuinely shocked. Then again, I guess it would be hard to not react like that when something gets poured over your head, even if you're expecting it.

 

That scene got me to thinking about how some of my favorite scenes from the show are Roseanne and Jackie alone together. Things like them on the mini road trip, or them in the kitchen with their respective babies complaining about how Thanksgiving is a man's holiday, them ending up at the Lobo that one Halloween when Roseanne is dressed as a guy and pretends they're a couple, the Halloween where they pretend fight in the kitchen with Jackie as the witch and Roseanne as the gypsy and the whole thing with Mrs. Butterworth.....and I think my very favorite "sister" scene with the two of them: sitting on Jackie's couch as Jackie reads the letter Roseanne wrote to her before she goes into the police academy. As much as I love it when they bicker and toss insults at each other, I love it even more when they, every so often, let slip how much they really care about each other. I still really love their one scene in the episode where Roseanne gets the sexy photos taken of herself for Dan for their anniversary and Jackie goes with her. Roseanne is trying on outfits and Jackie surprises her with something really pretty that she bought for her, and just for a second before Roseanne makes a funny quip, there's a genuine appreciation from Roseanne that what Jackie bought her was really beautiful and genuine excitement on Jackie's part (and a cute little giggle as she hands over that outfit) that her sister is celebrating this really cool milestone and it's just very sweet and I'm going to stop rambling now and just say that I adore watching those two women play off each other. They've got such great sisterly chemistry. =)

 

It's obvious, but my favorite scene between them is probably when Jackie tells Roseanne what Fisher did to her, and when she breaks down and finally collapses into Roseanne's arms. I think Laurie's second Emmy was for that particular episode, even though it was the same season as the Auntie Barbara call, which would have been enough, too. 

[SparklesBitch]

It's obvious, but my favorite scene between them is probably when Jackie tells Roseanne what Fisher did to her, and when she breaks down and finally collapses into Roseanne's arms. I think Laurie's second Emmy was for that particular episode, even though it was the same season as the Auntie Barbara call, which would have been enough, too. 

 

That's a fantastic scene, and she definitely deserved an Emmy for that whole episode. Well, both of the episodes dealing with Fisher beating her up, actually. The Auntie Barbara call was hilarious (and I would have gladly handed her an Emmy for that too), but she really brought it in the scene where she breaks down because of Fisher. These characters, man....they can sock you right in the heart.

 

Another time when I wanted to give Jackie a huge hug was in Mall Story where she's all upset about feeling stuck and needing to get out of the pit that is Lanford, but not knowing how. That whole speech sums up everything I felt before I finally DID get out of my hometown for greener pastures.

[JakeyJokes]

That season, I think Laurie Metcalf submitted *both* "Crime and Punishment, Part 1" and "Wait 'Til Your Father Comes Home" for her Emmy reel (in those days Supporting nominees could pick two episodes). Roseanne won for the latter episode, too, and I think it's some of the strongest work she's done in the entire series. It's one of my favorite episodes, too. It's not afraid to get dark but it's never sappy. It's probably no coincidence that it was written by Amy Sherman-Palladino of Gilmore Girls success.

 

"Jackie, can't you just .. get drunk somewhere?"

[Bastet]

The sad reality though is that yes - politicans and the like are all like "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps". Nice idea, but it's not reality. In my view, there was a peak of propersity for the average Joe in North America around 1999. After that, with the dot com bust, 9/11, Enron and all of the other corporate shenanigans, most people cannot attain the "American Dream" anymore, unless you are born into money.

 

The widespread disappearance of union jobs took a jackhammer to the working and middle classes, and Roseanne joins Cagney & Lacey (another show that took an ongoing honest look at many issues, including class) as being one of the few television shows to both show and explicitly talk about the role union wages, benefits and protections play.  The collapse of Wellman is a backdrop to so much that happens over the course of the series, which is spot on.

[MissMel]

So, I'm stuck in a total rut. The one where a woman gets smacked in the face for not being the cute 23 year old but not quite the grandma, either. Better known as being in her 40s.

Anyway, I have tucked myself into my spare bedroom with my 1994 TV and Roseanne DVDs. I started with season 3. We get the Bowman's, Nana Mary, Bonnie, and Ziggy. I love this season.

I think my favorite part of the entire series is when DJ gets his head stuck in a drawer. Jackie is cracking up. For real. "How....does he keep getting his head stuck in a drawer?" Roseanne, takes a breathe from laughing, " he's gifted, Jackie".

We still use that line in my house when one of us does something entirely stupid. "He's gifted".

We also get the line "her name is Mother". I laugh every time I hear it. My oldest son asked if he should call me "mother" from now on. I said sure, but you'll probably only do it once. "Why?" "Because I'll send all of your teeth into the back of your throat and make sure you spit blood for two days for being a smartass". "So, what you're saying is just stick with "Mom"?"

For what's it's worth, I was pregnant with him while Jackie was pregnant on the show's original run. This show is like a sibling to him. :D

We also get the backyard cookout with Nana Mary and Bonnie singing. I stop in my tracks when Bonnie sings, everytime. My husband makes fun of me because I always have at least one tv on, 24/7. I like the noise. He says, "but when that scene comes on? You stop. Turn the volume up and actually watch. And two tears, always."

And Ziggy and the bike shop idea. "It'll be fun!" "Or we could just stay married."

Well, I've outed myself as a crazy Roseanne fan now. Off to season 4. "Isn't it great, Roseanne?"

[peacheslatour]

So, I'm stuck in a total rut. The one where a woman gets smacked in the face for not being the cute 23 year old but not quite the grandma, either. Better known as being in her 40s.

Anyway, I have tucked myself into my spare bedroom with my 1994 TV and Roseanne DVDs. I started with season 3. We get the Bowman's, Nana Mary, Bonnie, and Ziggy. I love this season.

I think my favorite part of the entire series is when DJ gets his head stuck in a drawer. Jackie is cracking up. For real. "How....does he keep getting his head stuck in a drawer?" Roseanne, takes a breathe from laughing, " he's gifted, Jackie".

We still use that line in my house when one of us does something entirely stupid. "He's gifted".

We also get the line "her name is Mother". I laugh every time I hear it. My oldest son asked if he should call me "mother" from now on. I said sure, but you'll probably only do it once. "Why?" "Because I'll send all of your teeth into the back of your throat and make sure you spit blood for two days for being a smartass". "So, what you're saying is just stick with "Mom"?"

For what's it's worth, I was pregnant with him while Jackie was pregnant on the show's original run. This show is like a sibling to him. :D

We also get the backyard cookout with Nana Mary and Bonnie singing. I stop in my tracks when Bonnie sings, everytime. My husband makes fun of me because I always have at least one tv on, 24/7. I like the noise. He says, "but when that scene comes on? You stop. Turn the volume up and actually watch. And two tears, always."

And Ziggy and the bike shop idea. "It'll be fun!" "Or we could just stay married."

Well, I've outed myself as a crazy Roseanne fan now. Off to season 4. "Isn't it great, Roseanne?"

I do the exact same thing!  Her singing is phenomenal, I don't know how the cast held it together.

[JakeyJokes]

I watched some of Season Six again and while the dynamic is off because Becky isn't there (for most of it, anyway), I really like the scenes when it's Roseanne, Dan, Darlene, David and DJ at the dinner table. Roseanne is trying so hard for them to be a normal family with productive conversations, but it never works out that way.

 

DJ isn't everyone's favorite character, but he always seemed real to me. I forget what season it is when the girls are being nasty and DJ starts acting up, too. As he storms out of the room, Roseanne sincerely tells Jackie, "And he's my favorite!"

[ErinW]

As [DJ] storms out of the room, Roseanne sincerely tells Jackie, "And he's my favorite!"

 

Off the top of my head, I am thinking, the one where Roseanne is laid up with the back injury and says she can't buy him a birthday cake. And then she says "Where's my birthday kiss?" and he says, "Come and get it." Those kids could be such a-holes!

[UYI]

It's been 20 years today since the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia passed away. As we all know, Dan & Roseanne's youngest son, who was born a few months later on Halloween, was named after him. This apparently would have happened even if he hadn't have died, though. The original plan was that Roseanne would go into labor at a Grateful Dead concert. 

Edited August 9, 2015 by UYI