S10.E05: Darlene v. David

[chocolatine]

32 minutes ago, Ria said:

I enjoyed it up until Dan refused to allow David to see his kids and stay for the party. It wasn’t his call and both David should have stood up to him and Darlene put her foot down and insisted he be allowed to stay. I get why Darlene needs to stay with her parents for now but don’t want her to regress to a little girl who defers to her parents judgement. 

I can see both sides here. It's Dan's house, and Dan is currently the one who's feeding and housing David's children. Dan is within his rights to not want David in his home until David can prove that he's going to stick around. I do think Dan should have respected Harris's wish to have her dad stay for cake on her birthday, but he's coming from a protective place.

[peacheslatour]

19 minutes ago, TigerLynx said:

I thought Dan wouldn't let David see the children because he doesn't believe David will be back in two weeks.  He thinks David will just show up for Harris' birthday, then disappear, once again disappointing the kids.

I'm surprised Darlene wanted to get back together with David.

David not being able to handle Mark's death, and Darlene makes sense.  Darlene was the strong one.  David is the one who even after he graduated high school was still living at the Connors' house working part time.  It seems whatever ambition David had about going to college was tied to Darlene.  David also ended up living at the Connors originally because Darlene asked Dan and Roseanne if he could live there, and Roseanne caved after meeting David's mother.  Prior to that, David's plan was to run away because he didn't want to live with his mother.

Yep, running away when things get tough is pretty much David's M.O.

[ChicksDigScars]

6 hours ago, llewis823 said:

I don't think it is the actress, but I just cannot stand the character of Harris. Out-of-Control brat is an understatement. I don't care if your daddy isn't around, it doesn't give you excuse to be a jerk to everyone in every situation. With Darlene as a teen, we got the rough edges, but we also got some sweet moments where we could like her. That Harris would be in one stage of punishment at all times if she was my kid.

Totally agree. Teenage Darlene was still sarcastically funny and vulnerable when needed. Harris is neither. She's just straight up unpleasant and bratty. They showed ZERO consequences for what she did in the store. Darlene just shrugged, attempted to pay for the cakes, and made excuses for her (AGAIN).  Then, they went home and threw her a party. Yeah, that'll teach her.  The old Roseanne would have made Harris' snotty life miserable, whether it be by grounding, public embarrassment (Roseanne dressing like Hee Haw and walking DJ to school after he skipped), or household manual labor (Becky doing the oil and lube on the car after the middle finger incident).

 

I don't know if it's the writing or what, but Harris isn't likable. I'm not rooting for her at all. In fact, I'm waiting for her comeuppance every time she opens her mouth.  Maybe that's why I didn't mind seeing her waterboarded a couple weeks ago. 

 

6 hours ago, Chicken Wing said:

Gosh, I am struggling so much with the idea that David would leave his children and barely see them for years. Breaking up with Darlene because they just don't work no matter how much they try? Sure. Realizing that he's not cut out to be a full-time hands-on parent because he can't deal with responsibility? Okay. But leave them altogether? It makes my heart hurt. As much as I ship Darlene and David as a couple, I was rooting for her not to take him back just for that. He abandoned your children, girl. Give him another chance to be a dad for the sake of the kids having a dad in their lives once again, but he fails the test of a good husband. Don't walk away from your kids.

 

Yeah, I'd almost be more inclined to believe that DAVID would raise the kids and DARLENE would be the one who bolted for a better job. David was the more nuturing of the two.  Darlene was the one who was more ambitious.  I always imagined David being a Mr. Mom and staying home with the kids, while Darlene had the career. 

 

I found Darlene taking David back so easily a bit out of character. Sure, she's 40 years old now. She's not the same as she was at 20.  But, gazing at him adoringly while he slept? Cynical and sarcastic Darlene? Darlene was more the type of character that you'd be SCARED of, and wonder where she was hiding the ice pick, if she started staring at you intently. She was her mother's daughter, personality wise. 

Edited April 18, 2018 by ChicksDigScars

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Yeah, I'd almost be more inclined to believe that DAVID would raise the kids and DARLENE would be the one who bolted for a better job. David was more nuturing. 

Maybe but running away way was David's go-to move every time he ran to into a challenging situation. He wanted to run away to NY with Darlene and when she wouldn't t go he was going to run away on his own. Who knows what would have happened if Roseanne and Dan hadn't taken him in when they did. When he graduated high school he wanted to go to Europe. It would have been better for everybody if he had.

[Unconfused]

3 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

That really turned me off. In fact, these characters are unlikable to me. They have lost their special chemistry, all of them.  I think I'm just not a re-boot kind of gal. Will and Grace sucks, too, and these two shows were favorites of mine.  Sometimes it's better to leave masterpieces alone and let their original genius shine through till the end of time..

I get what you’re saying about the chemistry, but I do believe the main, previous characters still have that it’s just different. We were used to watching the Connor parents and how they dealt with Becky, Darlene & DJ as children but now the dynamic is slightly different because they are dealing with their children as adults as well as grandparenting. I’ve seen it in real life with parents who were overbearing when they were younger but kind of mellow out as they get older b/c they just don’t have the energy anymore

Edited April 18, 2018 by Unconfused

[chocolatine]

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Maybe but running away way was David's go-to move every time he ran to into a challenging situation. He wanted to run away to NY with Darlene and when she wouldn't t go he was going to run away on his own. Who knows what would have happened if Roseanne and Dan hadn't taken him in when they did. When he graduated high school he wanted to go to Europe. It would have been better for everybody if he had.

I had a lot of sympathy for David when he was a teenager because he didn't have good parental role models until he moved in with the Conners, and he did seem like a sweet kid at heart. I can forgive a kid who's had a shitty life for thinking that running away will solve his problems. But a 40-year-old man doesn't get a pass for running away from his children.

[peacheslatour]

3 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I had a lot of sympathy for David when he was a teenager because he didn't have good parental role models until he moved in with the Conners, and he did seem like a sweet kid at heart. I can forgive a kid who's had a shitty life for thinking that running away will solve his problems. But a 40-year-old man doesn't get a pass for running away from his children.

That's right. It was a pattern he established he established as a child/teenager and never grew out of.

[Chaos Theory]

3 hours ago, tomvilchez1999 said:

No, Darlene wouldn't name her son Mark if David had already left the family.

Darlene and Mark had a difficult  relationship but so do Darlene and Becky.  I have zero issue with Darlene naming her son after Mark to honor him if he died young even if David left while she was still pregnant or soon after.  

[iMonrey]

Quote

They haven't spelled it out, but I've assumed that Mark died before Little Mark was born and he was named after his late uncle. When David explains that his brother's death was part of why he left, I didn't really take that to mean that Little Mark was born before OG Mark died and then David left. I assumed it was something he struggled with for years -- before their second baby was born and continuing after, until he finally left when Little Mark was about three.

I'm assuming the only way Darlene would ever agree to name her son Mark is if Mark had just died. I would guess she was pregnant when Mark died and that David ran off shortly after the birth (since Darlene probably would not have gone through with naming him Mark if David had already left by the time he was born).

Honestly, I don't know that they will ever spell out exactly how Mark died, or that they should. It's such a touchy issue given how Glenn Quinn died.

Quote

Bev looks fantastic. David looks old as fuck. 

Really? I actually thought David looked much younger than Darlene. Maybe it's just that I'm used to seeing him every week on Big Bang, but to me, Sara Gilbert is the one who has noticeably aged more than Johnny Galecki.

[tomvilchez1999]

11 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Darlene and Mark had a difficult  relationship but so do Darlene and Becky.  I have zero issue with Darlene naming her son after Mark to honor him if he died young even if David left while she was still pregnant or soon after.  

Oh, I have no problem believing Darlene would name her son Mark to honor her brother-in-law because that's what she (and David) did. She didn't hate Mark as much as she wanted everyone to think. I just don't think she would do it to please David and as a way to get him back. Imho

[chocolatine]

2 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I'm assuming the only way Darlene would ever agree to name her son Mark is if Mark had just died.

Why? People name children after family members who have died years or even decades earlier. Since Mark didn't have children of his own who could have named one of their children after him, there wasn't another way to honor him than to name his nephew after him.

[ButterQueen]

2 hours ago, BeachDays said:

Hi everyone, this is my first post on here even though I have been reading for weeks.   I have REALLY been loving this reboot, there are small things I would change, like making Harris more likeable.  But I am really sad with the direction they are going with David and Darlene to the point that I haven’t been able to bring myself to watch this episode yet.  It’s just frustrating bc I do think 2 adults who truly love each other and can work things out.  Marriage isn’t easy but.... I just feel like the Darlene I have seen so far this season and David could be great together.   At any rate, I’m curious to see what will happen next season if he returns.   Sara and Johnny have such amazing chemistry, I feel like if they are dating other people that they will still have the best chemistry in the room with each other.    At any rate, I might just skip this ep and resume next week.  

Sadly, the reality is that Johnny Galecki stars on another show, on a different network.  It was never going to work out, but so many viewers are wanting things tied up from the original show, they gave the audience what they could.  I watch the show as it is now, 20 years later.  I don’t expect every thing to be the same or tied up in a neat package.  Real life doesn’t even work that way.  

Edited April 18, 2018 by ButterQueen

[ButterQueen]

3 hours ago, tomvilchez1999 said:

No, Darlene wouldn't name her son Mark if David had already left the family.

I don’t think we can begin to know that.  

[Miss Ruth]

14 hours ago, Lili said:

And talking about aging, Becky certainly doesn't look 43. I think she could pass as late 20's. Does anyone agree?

Nope.  I think she looks every bit her age.

5 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

I really like Roseanne’s coat. 

It beats the heck out of that long, brown monstrosity she wore for several years.

[ButterQueen]

1 hour ago, chocolatine said:

I can see both sides here. It's Dan's house, and Dan is currently the one who's feeding and housing David's children. Dan is within his rights to not want David in his home until David can prove that he's going to stick around. I do think Dan should have respected Harris's wish to have her dad stay for cake on her birthday, but he's coming from a protective place.

I took Dan’s comment to mean that David wasn’t welcome in his home if he wanted to see the kids.  Dan has every right to stand his ground on that.

[BeachDays]

18 minutes ago, ButterQueen said:

Sadly, the reality is that Johnny Galecki stars on another show, on a different network.  It was never going to work out, but so many viewers are wanting things tied up from the original show, they gave the audience what they could.  I watch the show as it is now, 20 years later.  I don’t expect every thing to be the same or tied up in a neat package.  Real life doesn’t even work that way.  

I totally get that.    I’m just curious now if he comes back with a girlfriend or wife or something... I feel like I will still think he should be with Darlene instead.   Btw I finally watch some of the scenes in this episode.   Couldn’t bring myself to watch the parts where Roseanne and Becky were telling Darlene she needs to let him go, or the part where Darlene tells David that.   I’m too emotionally invested in a sitcom apparently lol.  

[ButterQueen]

1 minute ago, Miss Ruth said:

Nope.  I think she looks every bit her age.

It beats the heck out of that long, brown monstrosity she wore for several years.

I don’t like the new coat.  But I did love the continuity in the older seasons of Roseanne wearing her long brown coat, and Jackie wearing her plaid coat.

1 minute ago, BeachDays said:

I totally get that.    I’m just curious now if he comes back with a girlfriend or wife or something... I feel like I will still think he should be with Darlene instead.   Btw I finally watch some of the scenes in this episode.   Couldn’t bring myself to watch the parts where Roseanne and Becky were telling Darlene she needs to let him go, or the part where Darlene tells David that.   I’m too emotionally invested in a sitcom apparently lol.  

I don’t think CBS will allow him to be a regular on Roseanne.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

It beats the heck out of that long, brown monstrosity she wore for several years.

I used to stare at that thing for an inappropriate amount of time. Is is suede? Cloth? What IS IT?? And remember that fringed atrocity she wore in To Tell The Truth? Put together with The Worst Hair Cut In The World? Gawd awful.

[Zoe]

50 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Really? I actually thought David looked much younger than Darlene. Maybe it's just that I'm used to seeing him every week on Big Bang, but to me, Sara Gilbert is the one who has noticeably aged more than Johnny Galecki.

Well just like Darlene, she's the one who has had kids ;)

[StaceyNotStacie]

41 minutes ago, tomvilchez1999 said:

Oh, I have no problem believing Darlene would name her son Mark to honor her brother-in-law because that's what she (and David) did. She didn't hate Mark as much as she wanted everyone to think. I just don't think she would do it to please David and as a way to get him back. Imho

It’s possible that she named him Mark for Becky instead of David. They do seem close and since Becky never had a child, maybe she did it so she could feel close to him. 

[ButterQueen]

58 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

 

Really? I actually thought David looked much younger than Darlene. Maybe it's just that I'm used to seeing him every week on Big Bang, but to me, Sara Gilbert is the one who has noticeably aged more than Johnny Galecki.

I agree.  Sara looks like she has aged the most of the two;even her voice sounds different.  I thought Johnny looked great, albeit heavier.

[Chaos Theory]

26 minutes ago, ButterQueen said:

I agree.  Sara looks like she has aged the most of the two;even her voice sounds different.  I thought Johnny looked great, albeit heavier.

Maybe I just don’t like neck  scruff but he looked REALLY old to me.  Then again I don’t think he has aged exceptionally well anyway.  Of all the characters on Big Bang I think he looks the oldest.  

Edited April 18, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[peacheslatour]

Just now, Chaos Theory said:

Maybe I just don’t like neck  scruff but he looked REALLY old to me.  

Me too and I watch Big Bang Theory all the time. It was a shock to see him.

[LucyEth]

If they ever show Blue, she should be played by Kaley Cuoco.  

[peacheslatour]

16 minutes ago, LucyEth said:

If they ever show Blue, she should be played by Kaley Cuoco.  

That would be great. I can totally see her as some New Age vegan, PETA member who is gluten free and doesn't believe in vaccinating.

[CelticBlackCat]

David is still really all over the place.  He has a girlfriend now, named Blue, after the crayon color.  Obviously some hippie-dippie type of girl he met on his adventures with Deadbeats Without Borders, Darlene's name for Habitat for Humanity.  (I love her snark!)  Then Darlene welcomes him with open arms (and *ahem*) and he's going to drop Bluebell like a hot potato and move in to his apartment in Lanford, and then what?  Did he think he and Darlene were going to play mommy and daddy there after one night under the Conners' roof and under the covers with Darlene in her bed?  After Darlene's realization thanks to Roseanne and Becky's opinions, she shuts that down, which leaves David with the test of time ahead as to how long he sticks around and actually is a father to his children.

 

I took Dan's position to mean that David isn't going to just come and go as he pleases in Dan and Roseanne's home, and I don't really disagree with that.

 

Seeing Bev was a treat and I loved the sickle comment.  I'm not a fan of the gonorrhea storyline though and was unaware that that is indeed an issue in nursing homes!

 

Roseanne seemed to have settled down and gotten into the groove of sitcom acting, pretty much being her old self again.  I don't mind Wacky Jackie but she could bring it down a bit and not get anymore wackier.

 

Harris won't be on for a while because the actress Emma Kenney is in rehab.

[anna0852]

20 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

That would be great. I can totally see her as some New Age vegan, PETA member who is gluten free and doesn't believe in vaccinating.

This should be done! I would love to get some more running gags going between the two shows.

[Kimmmmmm]

7 hours ago, Calm81 said:

I still can’t get over how Estelle Parsons doesn’t look a day over 70 from her last appearance. And she still stands up straight and has great comedic timing. I really hope I’m like her at 90.

Sorry, but i don't understand all the gushing over that woman...to me, her age has just caught up to her old, old, old face...and I've always thought of her as a terrible actress.

[peacheslatour]

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences disagrees.

[Zoe]

30 minutes ago, CelticBlackCat said:

I took Dan's position to mean that David isn't going to just come and go as he pleases in Dan and Roseanne's home, and I don't really disagree with that.

I saw it this way too.

[TigerLynx]

44 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

For me, of course legally Dan can't tell David when he can see his kids but morally? Yep, Dan can pull the Dan card.

Depending on whether or not David has been paying child support during his absent years, legally, David could find his ass in jail for not supporting his kids.

I still don't believe Darlene would want to get back together with David.  The thing about being the responsible capable one is you have a tendency to get tired of all the whiney excuses the irresponsible weak one makes which leads to anger and resentment, not a desire to reconcile.

[snarkylady]

54 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

This should be done! I would love to get some more running gags going between the two shows.

Doubtful it would happen, I've heard that Roseanne and Chuck Lorre hate each other. 

I was hoping that David's new girlfriend would be named Penny....and that a surname would be given as well.  Penny Smith.  Penny Jones.  Penny Robinson.  Doesn't matter what the name was but would have been hilarious (to me anyway) that on the BBT no one knew Penny's maiden name but Roseanne revealed it.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Harris won't be on for a while because the actress Emma Kenney is in rehab.

I'm reasonably certain all nine episodes of this show were filmed months ago. Kinney just checked into rehab last week IRL. 

[TVbitch]

A DVR glitch made me miss the last thing Rosanne said to David as he walked away. Can someone please fill me in? 

[hnygrl]

37 minutes ago, TigerLynx said:

Depending on whether or not David has been paying child support during his absent years, legally, David could find his ass in jail for not supporting his kids.

I still don't believe Darlene would want to get back together with David.  The thing about being the responsible capable one is you have a tendency to get tired of all the whiney excuses the irresponsible weak one makes which leads to anger and resentment, not a desire to reconcile.

Nope, not one dime. He gave her a huge check for all the years of back child support he should've paid (thanks to Blue) right before Darlene jumped him. 

I think Darlene was like Becky. Stuck in the past. David was her first everything AND the father of her children. That's why she never divorced him (could have, abandonment, etc.) and why she was so quick to "take him back" after what he did to her. Never paid a dime in child support, just up and disappeared one day, leaving the freaking country for years at a time with no way to find or contact him...she had to be stuck in "happier times" when the thought that. Never thought I'd say this but thank GOD for BECKY talking sense to her. 

[chocolatine]

5 minutes ago, hnygrl said:

Nope, not one dime. He gave her a huge check for all the years of back child support he should've paid (thanks to Blue) right before Darlene jumped him. 

He didn't give her a check, he showed her the lease document he signed on a place that's next to Mark's school. Neither of them mentioned money, and since they're still legally married, David doesn't technically owe Darlene child support.

[ButterQueen]

Estelle Parsons looked fabulous!  I just love she was able to appear on the show.  

[Chaos Theory]

This is just a MAJOR guess but its more likely we are going to see Blue next season and NOT David because well Big Bang Theory.    Landford is a small town and Darlene is going to keep running into Blue who is probably be a Millennial.    (No offense to Millennials out there I know quite a few who are hard working but I like the idea of Blue being David mid life crisis being ALOT younger then he is.)     

I did think the scenes right after David and Darlene had sex when they were done with the gooey stuff was very telling.   They fell right back into old habits. Darlene was controlling and David was overly emotional.   The episode showed pretty quickly why they fell apart.  They fought.  ALOT.  

I also liked how Darlene admitted that if it wasn't for the kids that she would go round and round with David forever.  He was her first everything.  (More or less)  But for Darlene the kids were a prority.   I think for David they are just starting to be.  

It will be interesting to see how the show gets around David not being a regular.  Will the character walk away to Deadbeats without borders or will he just be one of the those "out of town" characters.   Just off the screen.   "Hey kids dad is coming to pick you up."  "No mom Blue is."  "Oh the crayon."  

Edited April 18, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[Kimmmmmm]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences disagrees.

And they always make the right decision....

[BeachDays]

Johnny Galecki said he wants to be in more eps next season.   If next year is the last year of BBT, I can see him coming back as a regular if Roseanne is picked up past next year.    

1 hour ago, ButterQueen said:

Estelle Parsons looked fabulous!  I just love she was able to appear on the show.  

Agreed!!

[Miss Ruth]

Lanford has only one "d."

[sara416]

I thought Dan's reaction was perfect. He was basically saying "you hurt my kid and my grandkids. For their sake, I'm not going to kill you, but you are persona non grata."

The complete rearrangement of the layout of the bedroom is driving me crazy. Ever since the episode where Rosanne went into Darlene's room through the bathroom. They've done a pretty good job with continuity thus far, this is making me crazy though!

[Jax7917]

I haven't watched Big Bang in a while . Is it ending soon ? If so , hopefully Johnny comes back for future seasons 

[babyhouseman]

27 minutes ago, Jaclyn88 said:

I haven't watched Big Bang in a while . Is it ending soon ? If so , hopefully Johnny comes back for future seasons 

I think the next year is the last year on contract, but it could still be renewed. 

[Zoe]

51 minutes ago, sara416 said:

The complete rearrangement of the layout of the bedroom is driving me crazy. Ever since the episode where Rosanne went into Darlene's room through the bathroom. They've done a pretty good job with continuity thus far, this is making me crazy though!

The bedrooms are connected by the bathroom. That's how Darlene walked in on Jackie when Jackie was putting on one of Darlene's shirts (Fisher episode).

[princelina]

On 4/17/2018 at 10:29 PM, chocolatine said:

Bev broke her hip in S6 because she slipped in the shower while having sex with her boyfriend Jake. In S9 she was a lesbian, but it sounds like she's straight again in the revival since Becky said Bev was having sex with "old men with veiny legs."

But when she broke her hip she lied about how it happened because she was embarrassed.  One of my all-time favorite scenes is when she is standing with her walker berating Fred, he outs her for breaking her hip having sex, Dan gets outraged and she hobbles back and forth, full of shame and trapped between them!  I found her a little more "Nana Mary" than "Bev" this episode.

 

11 hours ago, qtpye said:

My question is: Do you think she would have ever been as forgiving of Mark if it was him that abandoned Becky to raise two kids on her own? I would think she would have been raging with anger and would not have welcomed him with a giant a hug.

 

11 hours ago, AM1418 said:

She would go to the ends of the Earth to insure that Mark never saw those kids again. 

I don't think she would have forgiven Mark because she hated him and loved David.  But I kind of think she would have been on the side of him still seeing his kids, even as she threatened him to do it right or else!

Also - IMO David could have left any time between Darlene's pregnancy and Mark's toddler/preschool years, based on his question of what kind of person Mark is.  My nephew will be turning 3 next month, and if I stopped seeing him from now to age 10 I would certainly wonder that.

[TigerLynx]

4 hours ago, chocolatine said:

He didn't give her a check, he showed her the lease document he signed on a place that's next to Mark's school. Neither of them mentioned money, and since they're still legally married, David doesn't technically owe Darlene child support.

Actually he could.  People have filed to get child support from people they are still married to.  It can be for different reasons such as a spouse trying to drag things out with divorce proceedings precisely because they don't want to pay child support or alimony.  Or because they are trying to work out an amicable property settlement, but need child support in the interim.  Or if the other party can't be served divorce papers because they are out of the country, or simply dodging the process server.  That way the paperwork can be in place, and back child support can be collected if the dead beat father/mother shows up again or is tracked down.

[chocolatine]

@TigerLynx, I'm sure that's true, but Darlene and David are obviously on amicable terms and until this episode, Darlene had been hoping for a reconciliation, so I doubt very much that she ever took David to court. Obviously, David was morally wrong not to support his children, but I'm pretty sure that he's legally in the clear.

[Tosia]

Wacky Jackie is a little discomfitting,  i.e. uncomfortable cuz it's kinda manic, and not that funny.

Could the writers be setting us up for Jackie to be showing signs of early-onset dementia, Alzheimers, MS, or even Parkinsons? 

Just a thought,  although Jackie was very flighty and hopped from profession to profession back in the day.

 IDK, I guess I thought the Roseanne show took on so many social contemporary issues, that the character  Jackie might be portrayed in this way.....partially because those are BIG issues with an aging population, plus Laurie Metcalf could act the hell out of it; she has a compelling presence , acting chops, and a  likability that would draw a ton of attention to the cause.  And  ratings.

[UYI]

The cake eating contest reminded me of the ice cream fight at the end of season 4. I liked that.