D.J.: Not Dan Jr.

[Rhondinella]

Can't come up with a pithy title epithet.  Suggestions welcome.

I just have to say, I always crack up at the way Fishman would say, "Ok," after a little pause to whatever outrageous thing Roseanne or Darlene would say to him.  Became a cute and funny character beat for him.

[DXD526]

I always thought the only time DJ was referred to by name was in the spelling bee episode, when the moderator called him David Jacob. But I saw the '89 Thanksgiving episode yesterday, "We Gather Together", and when Roseanne's parents arrive at the house, she yells to DJ in the yard, "David, grandma and grandpa are here!" Why did I never notice that before? 

[Bastet]

There is also an episode in which Roseanne says, "David Jacob, I see you."  I can't remember if it's one of the times they're playing hide and seek* or if he's hiding for another reason, but it's another instance of hearing his full name.

 

* I love that Roseanne tells him he's so good at hiding, he can take her turn.

[ShellSeeker]

For the title, how about DJ: About to become a strange smell in the attic?

[UYI]

DJ: ...And Stupid, Don't Forget Stupid!

 

Speaking of which, that reminds me of when DJ was trying to come up with a story when their power got shut off, and it's about "this guy," and he has so much trouble coming up with a story Darlene finally yells, "THE END!" 

Edited October 11, 2014 by UYI

[HalcyonDays]

For the title, how about DJ: About to become a strange smell in the attic?

 

This one!! I always loved this comment from Darlene. If others agree, I can change the title.

 

I know he was described as Eddie Munster at one point.

[ElectraStar]

About to become a strange smell in the attic gets my vote!

[MissMel]

 

I know he was described as Eddie Munster at one point.

That was when he took Roseanne's car. The officer was reading the witness description of the driver, after the crash. Everyone turned to look at DJ. He was on the phone, his eyes got big, and he said, "I gotta go" then hung up the phone.

[methodwriter85]

As the youngest only boy of a family (well, DJ was that for most of his childhood) I always thought DJ was pretty accurate, especially how the sisters would tease him. You also have a tendency to rely on your cuteness way past when you should.

Darlene's joke about how long DJ is taking in the bathroom and infers that he's masturbating still ranks as one my favorite moments on the show. "He's either really, really good at it- or really, really bad."

I did think out of all the kids, he is the one who looked the most like Roseanne. His acting wasn't great and it's probably why his role on the show didn't increase that much when he got older, but he really could've been Roseanne's son.

[Bastet]

It's always hard when you cast a kid that young -- they're picked for being cute and able to remember and recite the lines, and then if the show goes on a long time, it's a total crapshoot whether they can actually act as a pre-teen/teen.  And, no, he really couldn't, but he sure felt like part of the family.  The whole cast was and is still close, but there's always been a particularly special bond between Roseanne and Michael out of all the kids, and it really shows. 

I like how open everyone was about D.J.'s weirdness, and how natural everyone's reactions to it were -- his sisters made fun of him, his parents almost always just rolled with it, and only a newcomer like Fred thought there was anything more to it than D.J. marching to the beat of his own drum.

[Dee]

Roseanne & Jackie dissolving into hysterics over DJ repeatedly getting his head stuck in a drawer never fails to crack me up.

[BitterApple]

One of my favorite scenes was when Molly asked Darlene to tell DJ to stop peeping on her. Molly says something like "you better get that kid in check or he's going to be a real weirdo" and Darlene retorts with "You don't understand. This is the most normal thing he's ever done." Her delivery of that line was awesome.

[Maharincess]

I was disappointed in DJ's name. I always thought DJ should stand for Daniel Jr. 

[Bastet]

2 minutes ago, readster said:

Completely agree. Was one of the best handled with both of them. I even was happy with DJ and his girlfriend later towards the shows end. They worked as a couple and wasn't one sided, odd or Dan high fiving DJ going: "Way to go son." They had pretty regular relationships and did go overboard. 

Even though Michael Fishman was pretty awkward as an actor in the show's later years, I love that season nine episode where D.J. and Heather don't have sex.  She asks him if he's disappointed, and he says no, truthfully, he's relieved.  It had a very natural feel to it, and a nice exploration of that not a kid, but not yet an adult age.

Of course, I also like the humor earlier in the episode, when he pages Mark at the wrestling match, looking for a condom. 

[readster]

I agree, I said it over in the Becky thread. They had all three kids handle sex in a very realistic and not "over the top" matter. It was very refreshing. 

[Dee]

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

 I also like the humor earlier in the episode, when he pages Mark at the wrestling match, looking for a condom. 

The way their relationship developed is one of my favorite things about the later years of Roseanne.

During the middle seasons of the show, DJ became extremely attached to his much younger cousin Andy because he felt anxiety about being the only Connor/Healey kid without a corresponding sibling.

At first, DJ gradually gravitates to Mark, as a means of torturing David, by proxy. However, as he matures, he finds it easier to confide in Mark about all his awkward teenage stuff instead of his parents, aunt, sisters or overly sensitive David. 

And Mark, who is rarely seen by the rest of the family as someone worth confiding in, rises to the occasion beautifully. He isn't condescending or dismissive to DJ like rest of the family; nor does he treat DJ as a peer, but instead, relates to him as a friend.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Dee

[llewis823]

On 5/20/2017 at 1:22 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Darlene's joke about how long DJ is taking in the bathroom and infers that he's masturbating still ranks as one my favorite moments on the show. "He's either really, really good at it- or really, really bad."

OMG YES!

[methodwriter85]

My sisters may or may not have cracked masturbation jokes about me when I was old enough to be doing it so I really related to that bit.

[Bastet]

My favorite part of that storyline is Darlene's perfectly-delivered "he's either really, really good at it - or really, really bad" as mentioned, but I also love D.J.'s talk with Dan.  It's nice that D.J. has parents willing to discuss it, to tell him that it's natural and healthy and nothing to be ashamed of -- and so typical (and funny) for Dan to get more and more uncomfortable with each question, quickly declaring, "Everybody does it, but nobody talks about it, okay."  And for Roseanne to have a "But he's still my little boy" mini-freakout.

[peacheslatour]

I was watching the episode last night where Jackie was furious with Roseanne for giving Andy Oreos and it hit me how casually they shrug off D.J.'s cruelty to animals. It really creeps me out.

[StaceyNotStacie]

DJ was probably the worst written of the core family members. He started off as a little weirdo/hoodlum/nuisance and then all of a sudden he was a somewhat normal teenager in the last season or two. 

I'm curious as to how he turned out as an adult in the new series. He was always somewhat of a third wheel or an afterthought (I remember the episode where he wanted to hang out with Andy because everyone else had someone, yet when Jerry was born they pretty much said that he and Andy would grow up like brothers because Roseanne and Jackie were so close). The whole photographer/director thing seemed like it was more because of the lottery, so I wonder if they'll continue with that or if he ended up somewhere else. 

[Mmmfloorpie]

Why all the DJ hate? I thought he was pretty good the first 5 seasons or so and then he had the awkward teen phase.

[peacheslatour]

I don't hold with cruelty to animals. That's where serial killers are born.

[Mmmfloorpie]

What did he do? I forget.

[peacheslatour]

Killing and skinning squirrels is one that stands out. There was another time when the girls were complaining about hair in the sink and he said something to the effect that the hair was not his, but not to worry about it because whatever it came from was dead.

[Mmmfloorpie]

Oh ya. The squirrel population doubled when the Bowman's lived next door.

[Mmmfloorpie]

Ties snakes in knots.

[peacheslatour]

Sells mice to a laboratory, blackmails David into helping.

[readster]

Saws heads off of dolls and action figures and then takes the bodies apart and puts in another shoe box. Steals a car on a dare, but the kid who dared him never got in trouble or seen. Wins the spelling bee, but we never have him do great or bad in school. I never had a problem with DJ, but I agree with a few people, except for the last few years of the show. His writing was odd except for his weird habits. Can we remember when he put a magnet on his head trying to get a headache and then put his cousin in a cooking pot. 

[Maharincess]

On 9/3/2017 at 5:22 AM, readster said:

Saws heads off of dolls and action figures and then takes the bodies apart and puts in another shoe box. Steals a car on a dare, but the kid who dared him never got in trouble or seen. Wins the spelling bee, but we never have him do great or bad in school. I never had a problem with DJ, but I agree with a few people, except for the last few years of the show. His writing was odd except for his weird habits. Can we remember when he put a magnet on his head trying to get a headache and then put his cousin in a cooking pot. 

It wasn't a magnet, it was ice trays. 

[Rebecca]

I guess so far on the reboot DJ is the “normal” one out of the siblings, with the best career and family life. I agree he wasn’t the best actor; I read that Roseanne herself is the reason he was cast - she fought hard for it.

It’s still crazy to me that Michael Fishman got married on his 18th birthday and is still married going on 20 years later. I guess he was playing way out of type to be as weird as DJ used to be.

Edited March 28, 2018 by Rebecca

[Bastet]

Or weird in a different way.

He and Roseanne had such a natural mother/son chemistry from the beginning, and they've stayed close, so I think they'll use him sparingly in the revival, given his lack of acting chops, and it will work precisely because of that chemistry.

[methodwriter85]

On 3/28/2018 at 3:35 PM, Rebecca said:

I guess so far on the reboot DJ is the “normal” one out of the siblings, with the best career and family life. I agree he wasn’t the best actor; I read that Roseanne herself is the reason he was cast - she fought hard for it.

It’s still crazy to me that Michael Fishman got married on his 18th birthday and is still married going on 20 years later. I guess he was playing way out of type to be as weird as DJ used to be.

I remember watching an interview with Michael Fishman when he was early 20's or something and he was talking about his family life. It probably wasn't easy to be a young father, but it seems like he worked it out pretty well.

[Mmmfloorpie]

Is it weird that he's grown and they still call him DJ? Maybe he would have picked something like Dave or Jake?

[Browncoat]

He might have done, but it is extraordinarily difficult to get your family to call you something different.  OTOH, he might be fine with DJ.

[Bastet]

13 minutes ago, Mmmfloorpie said:

Is it weird that he's grown and they still call him DJ? Maybe he would have picked something like Dave or Jake?

I don't think so.  Kids called by juvenile-sounding variations on their name often switch when they become adults (e.g. a Robert called Bobby switching to Bob or Robert), but going by initials doesn't sound inherently child-like.  He got called David Jacob only a handful of times, David just once, and while those are only the instances we heard, I think they're probably representative of his life -- he was called D.J. over 95% of the time, so that's probably how he thinks of himself.  Especially among the family (because even some of those Bobs are still Bobby when they're with their parents/siblings), and especially in this family, where everyone hearing "David" will automatically think David Healy, not David Jacob Conner. 

[Mmmfloorpie]

3 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I don't think so.  Kids called by juvenile-sounding variations on their name often switch when they become adults (e.g. a Robert called Bobby switching to Bob or Robert), but going by initials doesn't sound inherently child-like.  He got called David Jacob only a handful of times, David just once, and while those are only the instances we heard, I think they're probably representative of his life -- he was called D.J. over 95% of the time, so that's probably how he thinks of himself.  Especially among the family (because even some of those Bobs are still Bobby when they're with their parents/siblings), and especially in this family, where everyone hearing "David" will automatically think David Healy, not David Jacob Conner. 

Just finding it hard to believe he'd be "DJ" in the military. I guess they'd probably just call him Conner.

[CelticBlackCat]

3 hours ago, Mmmfloorpie said:

Just finding it hard to believe he'd be "DJ" in the military. I guess they'd probably just call him Conner.

Why not call him DJ in the military?  Everyone does call each other by their surname though in the military; if you're not using their rank title, but for friendships and just hanging out your last name is used, or you get a military nick.

Edited April 3, 2018 by CelticBlackCat

[Indy]

10 hours ago, Mmmfloorpie said:

Is it weird that he's grown and they still call him DJ? Maybe he would have picked something like Dave or Jake?

He might go by something else outside the family but at home he’s DJ because that’s what he’s always been.

My husband goes by a different name around family and around friends. His family will always call him what they did when he was growing up bc that’s who he is to them. When we visit his family I don’t know what to call him...it feels foreign to use the name his family does but also odd to be having a conversation about him while someone else calls him a different name. 

[methodwriter85]

15 hours ago, Indy said:

He might go by something else outside the family but at home he’s DJ because that’s what he’s always been.

My husband goes by a different name around family and around friends. His family will always call him what they did when he was growing up bc that’s who he is to them. When we visit his family I don’t know what to call him...it feels foreign to use the name his family does but also odd to be having a conversation about him while someone else calls him a different name. 

My family calls me JR. No one else does. I'm 32 and they still call me that.

Initial names aren't particularly juvenile.

[bybrandy]

I don't think initial names are juvenile and know initial people who go by initials as adults.   I think it would be stranger for the show to be calling him a different name now and while I don't watch Fuller House, I don't presume that DJ is Donna Jo now, either.  

[Mmmfloorpie]

7 hours ago, bybrandy said:

I don't think initial names are juvenile and know initial people who go by initials as adults.   I think it would be stranger for the show to be calling him a different name now and while I don't watch Fuller House, I don't presume that DJ is Donna Jo now, either.  

Donna Jo is a terrible name tho lol.

[StaceyNotStacie]

I could see him going off to boot camp where everyone calls him by his given name and him telling them to just call him DJ. 

[HeySandyStrange]

In the Military DJ would've been know by his surname Connor, so I guess DJ stuck because he has been used to being called Connor for the last decade or so anyway, when he wasn't around his family.

[iMonrey]

I'll be interested to see if they do any episodes that really focus on DJ. So far the show seems more interested in focusing on Darlene and her kids. I think the reason is twofold - Sara Gilbert is probably the strongest actor on the show after John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf, and Darlene was always one of the strongest characters in terms of story material. We haven't really had a chance to gauge how well Michael Fishman can act. He was 15 when the show originally ended; he did OK but wasn't anywhere near the level of Sara Gilbert or Sara Chalke in terms of acting. It appears that he has since studied acting to some degree and still works behind the scenes. But I think if we don't get any DJ-centric episodes it might speak to how little confidence the show has in his ability to carry an episode.

[Sakura12]

I'm okay with DJ not being in every episode, he's got a kid who probably has things to do and his own life. He's not going to be at parents house all the time. Becky doesn't have a kid so she has more time to show up at the house and even she just shows up and leaves. Darlene and her kids live with Dan and Roseanne so of course we'll see them more. 

[Mmmfloorpie]

40 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I'll be interested to see if they do any episodes that really focus on DJ. So far the show seems more interested in focusing on Darlene and her kids. I think the reason is twofold - Sara Gilbert is probably the strongest actor on the show after John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf, and Darlene was always one of the strongest characters in terms of story material. We haven't really had a chance to gauge how well Michael Fishman can act. He was 15 when the show originally ended; he did OK but wasn't anywhere near the level of Sara Gilbert or Sara Chalke in terms of acting. It appears that he has since studied acting to some degree and still works behind the scenes. But I think if we don't get any DJ-centric episodes it might speak to how little confidence the show has in his ability to carry an episode.

I think it's really because she is exec producer and responsible for there being a revival.

[HeySandyStrange]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I'll be interested to see if they do any episodes that really focus on DJ. So far the show seems more interested in focusing on Darlene and her kids. I think the reason is twofold - Sara Gilbert is probably the strongest actor on the show after John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf, and Darlene was always one of the strongest characters in terms of story material. We haven't really had a chance to gauge how well Michael Fishman can act. He was 15 when the show originally ended; he did OK but wasn't anywhere near the level of Sara Gilbert or Sara Chalke in terms of acting. It appears that he has since studied acting to some degree and still works behind the scenes. But I think if we don't get any DJ-centric episodes it might speak to how little confidence the show has in his ability to carry an episode.

I posted a video in the Revival thread a couple of weeks ago that showed a scene that hasn't aired yet, in which DJ got a decent amount of lines. From what I could tell (the audio wasn't great) he actually did seem somewhat better then he was as a child/teen. At least more natural. I don't think they made DJ a veteran, a SAHD,  and married to Geena without exploring some of this. Whether they give him any heavy storylines (like  a ,for example, PTSD storyline) remains to be seen. I also read that

Spoiler

They cast his wife Geena and she will be appearing at some point, so I would assume they will get more into DJ's life when she shows up. She will be played by  Xosha Roquemore, who I've heard is a very talented comedic actress. Maybe they will use her acting and comedic chops to carry DJ's plot. https://www.inquisitr.com/4854001/roseanne-spoilers-get-ready-to-meet-d-j-conners-wife-geena/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+google%2FyDYq+(The+Inquisitr+-+News)&utm_content=Yahoo+Search+Results

[HurricaneVal]

I've got a weird observation and question here. Is Michael Fishburn an Orthodox Jew where he wears a kippuh or yarmulke at all times?  I ask this because when I was watching the third episode last night (On Demand) he was only in the opening credits, and there was something odd about the back of his head that looked like a very small disc of a yarmulke awkwardly fixed in place, and he was twisting his body strangely when sitting his daughter at the table so the back of his head was never fully to the camera.  Then I thought about when we saw him in the first episode, and I believe he was seated, facing into the living room for all his scenes. 

I can't google up anything about this.  Maybe he's just got a weird tonsure-like bald spot in the back of the head and the hair/makeup department was phoning it in because the blocking didn't specifically call for him to have his back to the camera?

[chocolatine]

8 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

I've got a weird observation and question here. Is Michael Fishburn an Orthodox Jew where he wears a kippuh or yarmulke at all times?  I ask this because when I was watching the third episode last night (On Demand) he was only in the opening credits, and there was something odd about the back of his head that looked like a very small disc of a yarmulke awkwardly fixed in place, and he was twisting his body strangely when sitting his daughter at the table so the back of his head was never fully to the camera.  Then I thought about when we saw him in the first episode, and I believe he was seated, facing into the living room for all his scenes. 

I just checked the opening credits again on YouTube, and no, he's definitely not wearing a yarmulke. We also saw him from the side/back in the first episode, when he walked into the kitchen and hugged Jackie. In the opening credits it looks like he has product like gel or wax in his hair, and it's reflecting the light.

As far as I know, Michael is Jewish - as are Roseanne and Sara Gilbert - but not Orthodox. If he'd been born into an Orthodox Jewish family, he'd have had to wear a yarmulke as a boy as well.

On a different topic, why was the thread title changed? I liked "about to become a strange smell in the attic" much better.