S01.E08: O Sister, Where Art Thou?

[Pete Martell]

May I also say how surreal it was to see Katey Sagal in the Roseanne universe (this show will always be Roseanne to me, for better or worse). Roseanne and Married With Children were two of my childhood staples. 

Probably not the best idea for a child, looking back...

Edited December 12, 2018 by Pete Martell

[gesundheit]

I'm trying to find the nicest way to say this, but... there's a reason DJ doesn't have storylines and mostly just stands around and it's not because they can't think of anything good.

[ljenkins782]

15 hours ago, SirFilligryFlirt said:

I find the current version of Becky to be pretty in tune with who she was as a teen and young adult. She was dismayed with where she was in her life, and even in her early 20's, thought she was too old to make something of herself. Living in a trailer park where she had to carry a big stick to fend off dogs. I think that happened right? It's been a while. Anyways, I can totally see her completely losing her shit after Mark died. Mark was her everything, and they truly loved each other.  I really hope she finds happiness before the series ends for good.

Especially since she kind of chucked her entire life FOR Mark. Yes, there was the disappointment of her college fund disappearing when the bike shop went under, but if Mark hadn't been in the picture, maybe she could have rebounded with a new plan. She moved away from her family and the world she'd known her entire life and then the person who'd become the center of her life died. 

The part that still bugs me though is the portrayal of Becky as dumb. Regardless of what happened in her personal life between high school and now, a smart person doesn't turn into an idiot, which she sometimes comes across as now.

I also can't quite adjust to the way Lecy delivers her lines now, there's no punch to it. The writing for her is good, I'm just not 100% sold on her actual acting.

Quote

 

Quote

I don't think it's weird that Katey Sagal's character would be attracted to Dan.  Jackie, I think, said they had known each other since high school.  The character said something like she had always had a crush on him but Roseanne had gotten to him first.   She probably sees him in a different light that someone who had just met him might.

Plus, John Goodman is old and schlumpy...but he's got charisma. I once happened to be in a little blues bar where he wandered in and took the stage for an impromptu concert, and he was much younger then but also much BIGGER, but I unexpectedly got a little swoony. He's got swagger. Dan doesn't so much, right now, but he always did, and Katey Sagal's character knew him as a high school football star. Smarts, humor and confidence can make somebody not conventionally attractive really....attractive. I really liked Katey n him together, hope she comes back.

 

I don't find it weird at all either. As mentioned, she knew him as a young football star, he's always seemed to have his share of admirers (remember how Crystal idolized him?), plus, people's priorities really change with age. They're supposed to be in their 60s now, right? I don't think "hot guy" is as high up on the list as it might be in your 20s, Dan's a great guy who was a loyal, hardworking husband, plus he's got a great personality. I could see that appealing to a lot of women.

The show has definitely improved since last season, Darlene is getting better and better. I HATED her acting when she was on Big Bang Theory, even though her character was very Darlene-like, but I feel like getting back into this character has brought back her acting abilities. The line about "if you get reports of screaming, just ignore it" cracked me up.

The scene between her and Becky was very sad. I get why Darlene missed the importance of Becky's request if her life was also imploding, but it also seemed like that would have been the best time for them to be there for each other. Neither of them had husbands (for different reasons), they could have leaned on each other. 

[Pete Martell]

6 minutes ago, gesundheit said:

I'm trying to find the nicest way to say this, but... there's a reason DJ doesn't have storylines and mostly just stands around and it's not because they can't think of anything good.

Oh Michael Fishman isn't much of an actor, he never was, but I think he still has a way with a funny line, and especially works well with Lecy and Sara. I'd like to see more of that. 

[TheLastKidPicked]

6 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

I’m surprised that you guys think the Katey character is out of Dan’s league. Dan has lost a lot of weight. He’s kind, very witty, wise, fun. Loyal. He has terrific values. I think he is very attractive, for that age range. 

Dan still has that dry sense of humor that makes everyday conversations more fun.  His snarky comments are funny on the surface, and then when you look deeper, there is some truth to them.

6 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

May I also say how surreal it was to see Katey Segal in the Roseanne universe (this show will always be Roseanne to me, for better or worse). Roseanne and Married With Children were two of my childhood staples. 

Probably not the best idea for a child, looking back...

I know what you mean, Pete, but may I put a different spin on it?  On Married with Children, Peggy loved Al even though she didn't know why.  For her big hair, lack of cooking, and everything else, she never cheated on him, never set out to hurt him, and did want to be a good mom, in her own way.  And Al loved Peggy and the kids.  That's why he put up with his job at the shoe store, when if he was a single guy he probably would have quit long ago.

One thing that the two shows have in common is that while it is often played up for laughs, there is a quiet dignity to going in to a job you don't like and grinding it out every day.

[Pete Martell]

3 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

also can't quite adjust to the way Lecy delivers her lines now, there's no punch to it. The writing for her is good, I'm just not 100% sold on her actual acting.

Lecy has a very unique, scattershot acting style. It feels a bit like she wings it in taping. Sometimes it's off but sometimes it's incredibly good. It also feels very different to everyone else on the show, which makes sense I suppose as Becky is very different from the rest of the Conners now (I guess she was all along...). 

[Bastet]

This is a small town where everyone knows everybody's business.  So Katey Sagal's character not only knew Dan then as the HS football star she had a crush on and now as the guy she likes chatting with at the bar when he comes into Becky's restaurant, she knows that he's a man who was happily and faithfully married until his wife's death, who has never been a deadbeat, who's close with his family, and who has a good sense of humor - no wannabe trophy wife is going to have him in her sights, no, but someone his age who's hoping to find a companion would absolutely be attracted to Dan.

[Pete Martell]

4 minutes ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

 

I know what you mean, Pete, but may I put a different spin on it?  On Married with Children, Peggy loved Al even though she didn't know why.  For her big hair, lack of cooking, and everything else, she never cheated on him, never set out to hurt him, and did want to be a good mom, in her own way.  And Al loved Peggy and the kids.  That's why he put up with his job at the shoe store, when if he was a single guy he probably would have quit long ago.

One thing that the two shows have in common is that while it is often played up for laughs, there is a quiet dignity to going in to a job you don't like and grinding it out every day.

True. That was one of the true-to-life parts of MWC - Al and Peggy seemed to have a terrible marriage, but were loyal and loving deep down, while perfect Marcy had two disastrous marriages. 

 I had no idea until it was mentioned on the previous page that Roseanne was offered the part of Peggy (so glad she turned it down). And of course MWC and Roseanne both ran for nearly the same timeframe - 9 or 10 seasons for both in that period. Nice to know even 20 years later they're still connected. 

Now I'm itching for Ed O'Neill to make a cameo. 

One other thing that I do like about the revival (and even the bits of last season I could stomach) is that Roseanne and Dan were back to being the couple who did adore each other, even with all the hard knocks of life. I felt like the show really lost that in its last 3-4 years. A few days ago I was watching a clip from the first season and was reminded of all the tenderness. 

 

 

When Becky slammed the back door I was reminded of how many times Dan had that type of scene, to the point where it began to define the character for me and eventually made his relationship with Roseanne feel so sour. 

I'm glad that that isn't how they'll be remembered now. 

For all the horrors and controversies of this past year (it's hard to believe it's only been a year...), I'm very glad that the show has managed to undo several things about the last years of the original that messed with my head for two long decades. 

[Vixenstud]

48 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

I’m surprised that you guys think the Katey character is out of Dan’s league. Dan has lost a lot of weight. He’s kind, very witty, wise, fun. Loyal. He has terrific values. I think he is very attractive, for that age range. 

I don't think that at all....even at his heaviest, I've always found JG sexy as fuck; but according to some, my taste in men has always been on the eclectic side.

[Vixenstud]

That clip was beautiful

Edited December 12, 2018 by Vixenstud

[BeachDays]

Wow I LOVED this ep!!! I need to rewatch but I had so many genuine laugh out loud moments-  including the giant fish dumped on the table.   I wasn’t expecting that lmao.

Becky and Darlene!!!!  Omg I love them so.  I loved their talk.   I’m SO INTRIGUED with the backstory-  glad we got some more.  

Dan and Jackie’s storylines were excellent too.   Jackie finally got fed up and Dan broke and strengthened my heart in one go.   

I even loved the bit with Harris.   Darlene apparently has some very intelligent kids (at least school-wise). Makes sense.   

Edited December 12, 2018 by BeachDays

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, BeachDays said:

I even loved the bit with Harris.   Darlene apparently has some very intelligent kids (at least school-wise). Makes sense.   

I liked when Harris tried to think up an excuse to get herself out of trouble and Darlene responded with, "I'll give you this, you go down swinging." I could see shades of Roseanne and Darlene's relationship in that interaction there, it felt very true to form. 

[Keywestclubkid]

2 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

 

I have mixed feelings about them having Becky talk to Harris about all the ways to avoid getting caught by the cops, as I don't remember her being that "bad" back then, even if she had her moments. 

 

This is the one MAJOR thing that annoys me and annoyed me last season they totally rewrote her character to be a promiscuous drinking teen slut when that’s not who she was at all in the original run of the show.Yes she made hurricanes and got bombed on one episode way back when but was never shown drinking again. They needed to turn her into the new aunt Jackie and just ignored 7 seasons of character for her 

Edited December 12, 2018 by Keywestclubkid

[BeachDays]

Just starting to rewatch... “Darlene won’t commit to being serious”— I wonder if the finale will be a proposal??  (Also I do still think she and David are getting back together eventually)

 

oh oh wait I think Ben meant serious like stop goofing around-  but a proposal sounds like such a season finale type of thing, doesn’t it lol 

Edited December 12, 2018 by BeachDays

[readster]

2 hours ago, Jillybean said:

I agree with you, but I've always heard that widowers who were married a long time are quick to pair up again, because they're not accustomed to being alone. Maybe that doesn't apply as much when there's a houseful of kids and grandkids and an endless parade of assorted other relatives -- but I'd be fine with Dan getting together with Katey Sagal's character by the end of the season.

Some go the other way and feel they are "cheating" on their spouse. It goes both ways, I know a woman who has been windowed for almost 4 years and she couldn't even think of going out with a man again and she has been asked. I knew another that was married over 23 years and lost their wife to a car accident and then remarried 5 years later. 

[TattleTeeny]

12 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

This is the one MAJOR thing that annoys me and annoyed me last season they totally rewrote her character to be a promiscuous drinking teen slut when that’s not who she was at all in the original run of the show.Yes she made hurricanes and got bombed on one episode way back when but was never shown drinking again. They needed to turn her into the new aunt Jackie and just ignored 7 seasons of character for her 

I don't think WE were ever meant to think of Becky as a "teen slut"; I think we were supposed to think that the younger, "boys are icky" version of Darlene thought (or at least pretended to think just to get under Becky's skin, like siblings do) that Becky was a "slut."

[Keywestclubkid]

2 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

I don't think WE were ever meant to think of Becky as a "teen slut"; I think we were supposed to think that the younger, "boys are icky" version of Darlene thought (or at least pretended to think just to get under Becky's skin, like siblings do) that Becky was a "slut."

 No last season they pretty much rewrote her has being a slut that slept with teachers. Ignoring she only slept with mark. 

[TattleTeeny]

Oh, they did? I never caught a teacher remark, just the allusions to her post-Mark life.

[Keywestclubkid]

Just now, TattleTeeny said:

Oh, they did? I never caught a teacher remark, just the allusions to her post-Mark life.

Yea I forget what episode it was but it’s brought up she used to sleep with her teachers and since she never went to college and married mark the only way to take it was she slept with her HS teachers

[BeachDays]

I took it to mean she slept with some of her professors at community college.   

[Keywestclubkid]

10 minutes ago, BeachDays said:

I took it to mean she slept with some of her professors at community college.   

So she would have cheated on her husband? Cause she dropped out of high school before graduating (later getting her ged) eloped and was married to mark till he died. seeing how she has been shown to be grieving still about his death with the alcoholism and stuff I don’t see her being a cheater especially with mark 

Edited December 12, 2018 by Keywestclubkid

[Bronzedog]

I worked for a man who was married for over 40 years.  When his wife was in the ICU, he ran into a high school friend whose husband was also in the ICU.  After both spouses died, my boss and the woman got together and were married within a year.  So, it happens.

[BeachDays]

12 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

So she would have cheated on her husband? Cause she dropped out of high school before graduating (later getting her ged) eloped and was married to mark till he died. seeing how she has been shown to be grieving still about his death with the alcoholism and stuff I don’t see her being a cheater especially with mark 

 

I don’t think she cheated on Mark.  My assumption was she took some classes after Mark died.   She seemed to get into her risqué behavior after Mark passed.   Again, I don’t know, this was just what I had assumed watching that episode last season.  

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

May I also say how surreal it was to see Katey Sagal in the Roseanne universe (this show will always be Roseanne to me, for better or worse). Roseanne and Married With Children were two of my childhood staples. 

Probably not the best idea for a child, looking back...

One of my favorite shows when I was a kid was Soap. Not so good either. 

[Keywestclubkid]

7 minutes ago, BeachDays said:

 

I don’t think she cheated on Mark.  My assumption was she took some classes after Mark died.   She seemed to get into her risqué behavior after Mark passed.   Again, I don’t know, this was just what I had assumed watching that episode last season.  

I think Becky hit something (the bottle) not the books when he died. I’ll have to find the episode but it’s pretty much made clear they are talking about teen Becky when the comment about the teachers was made cause I remember everyone online making the same comment she only was shown sleeping with mark back then on all the posting boards #edit the episode is eggs over not easy from last season 

Edited December 12, 2018 by Keywestclubkid

[UYI]

4 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

True. That was one of the true-to-life parts of MWC - Al and Peggy seemed to have a terrible marriage, but were loyal and loving deep down, while perfect Marcy had two disastrous marriages. 

 I had no idea until it was mentioned on the previous page that Roseanne was offered the part of Peggy (so glad she turned it down). And of course MWC and Roseanne both ran for nearly the same timeframe - 9 or 10 seasons for both in that period. Nice to know even 20 years later they're still connected. 

Now I'm itching for Ed O'Neill to make a cameo. 

 

 

Yes, she and the late Sam Kinison were the producers' original choices for Al & Peggy; they were who they pictured when they wrote the pilot, I think in large part because they were probably the two hottest up-and-coming comedians at the time. Both of them said no. (For all I know, Roseanne's show was already in the developing stages when that happened.)

Once that happened, the audition process commenced (Ed O'Neill was only brought in tto  audition after the MWC casting director remembered him from a small production of Of Mice and Men in Connecticut and wondered if he could do comedy!). 

Edited December 13, 2018 by UYI

[babyhouseman]

5 hours ago, Vixenstud said:

I don't think that at all....even at his heaviest, I've always found JG sexy as fuck; but according to some, my taste in men has always been on the eclectic side.

I always thought he was cute in a teddy bear kind of way. The KS character could do way worse. 

[eel2178]

7 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

I have an entire scenario in my head that is probably best left for a fan fiction thread - Becky and Mark were stuck in dead-end jobs and Becky couldn't help resenting Mark, even though she also desperately loved him. Mark sleeping on the couch and Becky finding him there one morning, assuming he was just being lazy and then realizing he was dead. Dan and Roseanne trying to figure out how he died even as Becky shuts down and says it doesn't matter - he's just dead. Finally they learn he had an undiagnosed heart condition. Becky asks if that's supposed to make her feel better. She and Roseanne fight about her drinking, and how any time Roseanne tries to comfort her, Becky pushes her away. Becky saying that Roseanne can never know what it's like to lose a husband, even if Dan probably sometimes wishes he was dead. Roseanne and Becky not talking, with Dan caught in the middle, and finally only making some peace when they hear Mark's car is about to be taken away. Roseanne goes over to Becky's place and sees that Becky has been sleeping in it, because it's hard to be in the house. Becky breaking down as she tells Roseanne that she'd been so tired of her life going nowhere, how she'd been worried she and Mark were going to start hating each other, how she had just wanted something to happen, some kind of change. Breaking down in the arms of her parents as she says she got what she'd wanted - something had happened. 

I think they had a fight, and he took off on his motorcycle and crashed it. She feels guilty that the last thing she said to him was in anger.

[eel2178]

7 hours ago, Jillybean said:

 I've always heard that widowers who were married a long time are quick to pair up again, because they're not accustomed to being alone. 

I had a coworker who said if she died, her husband would have to remarry just so he would have clean clothes to wear to her funeral.

[ljenkins782]

3 hours ago, UYI said:

Yes, she and the late Sam Kinison were the producers' original choices for Al & Peggy; they were who they pictured when they wrote the pilot, I think in large part because they were probably the two hottest up-and-coming comedians at the time. Both of them said no. (For all I know, Roseanne's show was already in the developing stages when that happened.)

Once that happened, the audition process commenced (Ed O'Neill was only brought in tto  audition after the MWC casting director remembered him from a small production of Of Mice and Men in Connecticut and wondered if he could do comedy!). 

Wow, talk about serendipity. Roseanne taking that role would have meant no original Roseanne show and MWC would have been dead in the water upon Sam Kinison's death (although, perhaps it would have prevented his death as he died on his way to a comedy gig). 

Earlier today, I saw someone here mention Ed O'Neill making a cameo on this show and I just now happened to catch an episode of Modern Family where David Faustino (aka Bud Bundy) made a cameo, lol. I always thought he was under-rated (and he looks exactly the same), it was good to see him back again. Unfortunately, it was a role that didn't have any interaction with Ed O'Neill, but I have to imagine he got him the role.

Quote

I don't think that at all....even at his heaviest, I've always found JG sexy as fuck; but according to some, my taste in men has always been on the eclectic side.

He always carried himself well, personality and confidence go a long way. 

Even after watching all of the reboot episodes, I don't think I know how Mark died (and in reading the posts above, it seems like no one else does either). Has the show not gone there or did we all miss it? Given that the actor died of an overdose in real life, if they didn't already give a cause of death, I'm guessing they won't go with that one since they "killed" Roseanne that way. 

[BeachDays]

They haven’t said how he died.   This episode gives us more background than we have gotten.   Its interesting that Darlene was pregnant with little Mark when David left them-  obviously triggered by Mark’s death, but there must have been more going on.  I think someone previously said Harris is 15 but she is actually 16 this season.   So his death was 11 years ago when he would have been about 35? 

[nokat]

13 hours ago, Bronzedog said:

I don't think it's weird that Katey Sagal's character would be attracted to Dan.  Jackie, I think, said they had known each other since high school.  The character said something like she had always had a crush on him but Roseanne had gotten to him first.   She probably sees him in a different light that someone who had just met him might.

As much as Dan hates on Jackie, there has always been a flirtation, and I could see them getting together.
 

[mamadrama]

10 hours ago, Vixenstud said:

I don't think that at all....even at his heaviest, I've always found JG sexy as fuck; but according to some, my taste in men has always been on the eclectic side.

When I was in my early 20s, my mother and I made individual lists of famous men we'd like to sleep with. (Yeah, we have a weird TMI relationship) John Goodman and Sean Connery made both of ours. Now I am 38 and she is 72 and both men are still are on our lists. I liked Goodman heavy, I like him older, I just like him. 

[Marley]

Like Darlene should be criticizing anyone’s life. It’s not like she’s some big success. She has like a part time job at some arrest magazine. She annoys me.

I wish they would tone down Jackie she’s way too over the top. I’m still mad they erased her son.

Are they ever going to talk about the youngest Conner son again? He was on a fishing boat like at the beginning of the reboot.

The actress playing Harris still annoys me but her dating a cop line cracked me up.

[summitsw]

The show just keeps on improving. Really liked this episode (didn’t hate Harris for the first time, which is something). The Dan/Jackie stuff is always good for a laugh, and Jackie finally calling out her boyfriend was funny. Loved Katie Segal and wouldn’t mind if she stuck around.

 

All of that stuff was good, but any scene that features Darlene and Becky is gold. Loved their first scene with Ben, but the show really shines when the Becky/Darlene sister stuff comes into play. All of my favourite scenes from this season have been between the two of them. I really hope this gets picked up again, it’s much better than the original reboot. 

[Cherpumple]

16 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

Vicki has a new sitcom on FOX - The Cool Kids. 

Isn't Leon on that show too? I really wanted him to appear on the reboot, but without Roseanne to spar with, it wouldn't be much fun. Unless he gets a scene with Beverly.

I loved the ending scene with Jackie and Dan, where she's educating him about all the different looks women give men when flirting. It was a great call back to the episode where she and Roseanne spend the whole evening over-analyzing Arnie's kiss, and the episode where she's teaching Becky "the look" to attract her new crush, and Becky gets it totally wrong and looks ridiculous. That was some awesome continuity!

[Duke2801]

14 hours ago, readster said:

Some go the other way and feel they are "cheating" on their spouse. It goes both ways, I know a woman who has been windowed for almost 4 years and she couldn't even think of going out with a man again and she has been asked. I knew another that was married over 23 years and lost their wife to a car accident and then remarried 5 years later. 

I think widowers are much more likely to remarry than widows. 

[Vixenstud]

6 hours ago, Marley said:

I wish they would tone down Jackie she’s way too over the top

THIS!  She's still Gilligan Jackie, I wish she were Cop Jackie where she made some sort of sense.

 

7 hours ago, mamadrama said:

When I was in my early 20s, my mother and I made individual lists of famous men we'd like to sleep with. (Yeah, we have a weird TMI relationship)

LMAO!  I still blush when I share my plans regarding a certain Christopher Peter Meloni with my ma.

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, Duke2801 said:

I think widowers are much more likely to remarry than widows. 

I've heard something to that effect, too, yeah. It certainly seems to apply to my mom, at least. My dad passed away eight years ago. My parents had been married 32 years and before that, they dated while in high school. My mom has shown no interest in dating anybody at any point since my dad died, and I don't know that I can see her ever remarrying. 

7 hours ago, mamadrama said:

When I was in my early 20s, my mother and I made individual lists of famous men we'd like to sleep with. (Yeah, we have a weird TMI relationship) John Goodman and Sean Connery made both of ours. Now I am 38 and she is 72 and both men are still are on our lists. I liked Goodman heavy, I like him older, I just like him. 

Hehe, that's great. My mom and I have never gotten that detailed, but we've definitely discussed our celebrity crushes a few times, for sure. Our lists haven't really changed much, either, and we do have a few in common as well. 

Regarding Goodman, given he's so tied with the Dan character for me, and I've mentioned before how Dan is SO MUCH like my dad, I personally can't crush on him the way others do as a result :p. But I can totally see why other women would find him attractive, yes :). 

[Linderhill]

My mother and father were married for over 40 years and when my father died, my mother didn't want anything to do with another man. Even after 15 years, she would say she doesn't need to put up with another man. A friend's mother died after 40 plus years of marriage and her father was dating with in two months of her death. After twenty years of marriage, my widowed sister has no desire to date four years after her husband's death. Yes, to each their own. I enjoyed the episode and was pleased that we finally got a little more info about when Mark died. Maybe one day we'll find out more.

[Mmmfloorpie]

Fishman isn't THAT bad of an actor that they only give him 1 line every other episode.

He could handle more. Maybe he doesn't want more to do or the writers don't know what to do. 

This is really sad to say but I think they pigeonholed him as a "wounded warrior". The writer's think that's his one storyline and there's no comic angle to it. He had that one exchange with Dan last season and now they don't know what to do with him. Can he become Mr DJ goes to Washington to fix all the veteran's issues? Could he handle more dramatic scenes of him dealing with PTSD? Is that even the right tone for a show like this? No on all counts.

Edited December 13, 2018 by Mmmfloorpie

[Not4Me]

I think Michael Fishman has gotten the Sarah Chalke nuBecky edit...they didn’t know what to do with her so she became a background character. At the time, part of it was that she just wasn’t a good actress back then (until Scrubs later on).

Of course the ironic part is now in the few guest appearances Sarah Chalke made in the revival, her character made much more of a presence than Fishman.

[ChicksDigScars]

I know this is probably an unpopular opinion, but count me in the "NO" crowd for a David/Darlene reconciliation. I was always uncomfortable with the way Darlene was portrayed as bullying David, and really uncomfortable that he allowed it. Roseanne was also a bully, but Dan was NOT a pushover.  I actually enjoy that Darlene is hooking up with a guy that pushes back when she tries to bully him. 

 

But then again, I'm also in the "YES" crowd to Dan eventually dating the Katey Segal character. And NEVER to him hooking up with Jackie. For now, the reaction to him saying no to another woman's advances is typical, and him twirling his wedding ring as he's telling her that, was a nice touch. They could center a future episode around Dan's struggling to remove that ring (not literally, but symbolically), as he's thinking about possibly asking someone out for a date. 

[msrachelj]

21 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Katey Sagal looks fantastic for her age. At first I thought there was no way she and Dan could have been in the same class but in real life she's only 2 years younger than him! Wow. Whatever she's taking, I'll have some of it.

And yeah . . . if she was crushing on Dan all the way back in high school she may very well see him as she did then despite his aging. 

Good episode. I really like how the show seems to be focusing on Becky and Darlene and suspect they're testing the waters for maybe losing Jackie and Dan somewhere down the road. 

she's taking something surgical or chemical?! lol....katies had some work done and john has not? ladies, most of these actresses who look so good for their age have had a bit of help! 

[Mmmfloorpie]

2 hours ago, Not4Me said:

I think Michael Fishman has gotten the Sarah Chalke nuBecky edit...they didn’t know what to do with her so she became a background character. At the time, part of it was that she just wasn’t a good actress back then (until Scrubs later on).

Of course the ironic part is now in the few guest appearances Sarah Chalke made in the revival, her character made much more of a presence than Fishman.

You're right. Becky and Darlene were symbiotic characters. Like the Odd Couple. Their characters conflicted which created some nice storylines. 

The best thing to happen to Darlene was the depression. It opened up a whole new side to the character and something that hadn't been done on a sitcom before. Meanwhile Becky pretty much stayed the same beauty queen teacher's pet until the character left in season 5.

At that point the writer's kept going to the Darlene depression/jaded outlook well for the "kid stories" which were usually the B plots.

The reason they brought in Sarah Chalke and revived Becky's character was to fill the void Darlene created when Gilbert went to college. Problem was the Becky character had missed out on 2 years of development and by outward appearances she was still just the pretty blonde. All the Becky stories really just revolved around her conflicts with Mark which got tired pretty quick.

And then of course the storylines became less about the family and more about Roseanne and Jackie at the restaurant and Roseanne and Nancy going to the Lesbian bar and Jackie and Fred etc.

Edited December 13, 2018 by Mmmfloorpie

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

Like Darlene should be criticizing anyone’s life. It’s not like she’s some big success. She has like a part time job at some arrest magazine. She annoys me.

If part-time writing (part-time anything, for that matter) pays the bills, I'd call it a success. 

Edited to add that I am not saying I’d like to live with my family—just that I’d be into a part-time job over my 50+ hours per week one!

Edited December 13, 2018 by TattleTeeny

[BeachDays]

I don’t think Darlene was out of line with what she said to Harris.   She wants the best for her kids and for them to not head down the wrong path.   The issue itself was that Harris was drinking and saying calm down mom, I’m getting awesome grades.   Darlene wasn’t saying she herself is perfect, but rather just wanting Harris to make better decisions.  

[iMonrey]

Quote

The part that still bugs me though is the portrayal of Becky as dumb. Regardless of what happened in her personal life between high school and now, a smart person doesn't turn into an idiot, which she sometimes comes across as now.

I've commented on this before, but I always thought Lecy Goranson's Becky and Sarah Chalke's Becky were like two completely different characters. The former was an ambitious straight-A student, the latter was kind of a dim bulb. To me, it feels like they are still writing Becky as though it's the Sarah Chalke version rather than the original Lecy Goranson version. And there's probably something to that because they're also writing Jackie the same way she was written in the later seasons of Roseanne - sort of cartoonish. I think the writers simply identify these two characters with how they were portrayed at the end of Roseanne's original run and disregard the more nuanced way they started out. It's easier to write broad than nuanced. Or maybe they just think the characters were funnier in their later incarnations.

Quote

I agree with you, but I've always heard that widowers who were married a long time are quick to pair up again, because they're not accustomed to being alone. Maybe that doesn't apply as much when there's a houseful of kids and grandkids and an endless parade of assorted other relatives -- but I'd be fine with Dan getting together with Katey Sagal's character by the end of the season.

Given how young Dan was when he married Roseanne it wouldn't be out of character if he remarried quickly. My friend's mother died after their parents had been married 50+ years and her father was remarried within the year. After his second wife died he remarried again within a year. Some men simply cannot function without a woman taking care of them in one way or another.

[jsbt]

Becky as a character was abandoned when Lecy left the original series. When she returned for Season 8 they tried to dig into her a little, but abandoned it again when Lecy didn't commit full time and they started (very stupidly, IMO) rotating her and Sarah Chalke in and out for the same year. IIRC everyone thought S8 was the last year, which is why Lecy agreed to return. When Roseanne decided to continue Lecy split and John Goodman also was allegedly very unhappy (and drinking a lot).

They did Becky dirty with the recast, but at this point her foolish choices have a long history - she was grappling with this same stuff as early as S8 when Lecy played her again. Now she has 20 years of regrets. There's a lot of people like Becky who start out with every opportunity and end up in a dead-end life ekeing out whatever diversion they can, and then trying to come back from that. I don't think this Becky is unlike the original, I think this is simply the rough (but real) progression of the Becky who made the choices she did in the first five seasons of the original show, and began asking herself in Season 8 'how did I get here?' Sarah Chalke's Becky never had a shred of inner life or POV. Lecy's always did and still does. I think she is still intelligent and nuanced, but it's hard for me to say it's unusual she isn't still the classy overachieving sister when Darlene went to college and Becky went to the trailer park after marrying at 17. That's what happened. They switched places in life. (And Darlene has been calling Becky a bimbo since at least Season 2)

Edited December 13, 2018 by jsbt

[Chaos Theory]

I always thought the reason Dan didn’t like Mark was that he was ALOT like Mark as a teen.  The James Dean,  rebel without a cause but ultimately a good guy type.