S01.E10: Don’t Shoot the Piano Teacher

[tessaray]

Air date: January 15, 2019

Quote

When Ben offers Mark free piano lessons, Darlene finds this as an opportunity to test his parenting skills. Meanwhile, Jackie throws Becky a baby shower, and Emilio continues his efforts to be part of the baby’s life.

[Mmmfloorpie]

How awkward this episode is! Juliette Lewis says "let's talk about birthing experiences" and Jackie is ignored. I almost thought they were going to clear up whether Andy exists or not.

 

Also with Becky and the bus boy... She refuses to allow him into her life and Jackie totally sticks up for him saying he only wants to help out and support them. Well anyone remember Fred??

[mythoughtis]

At least Becky finally fessed up that she was afraid Emilio would leave if she allowed herself to depend on him. Not sure if this is only her past history talking or including David having left his children too. 

Darlene needs to be much more parental with her children. I know she is trying very hard to parent  differently than Roseanne. However she is way too lenient. The kids seem to have almost raised themselves.  

Exactly why should Blue have thought that Darlene would encourage David to have more children? He’s just now learning to parent the ones he has. I’d he had been there for them then it would be different.  And I’m someone who refuses to believe that David would have abandoned his children. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by mythoughtis

[Wanda]

This is apparently the final episode, and likely the last episode of any Roseanne themed show. Quite a letdown for those of us who were loyal fans in the 80sand 90s and in syndications forever. So many plots left dangling, questions unanswered (Andy?, Andy? ) interesting that this one was baby themed while the last one written and filmed, but shown last week, gave no indication that Becky was still pregnant. I’m assuming it’s the series finale because the numbers weren’t fantastic, the 3 leads don’t need the work but we’re already under contract for a second year of “Roseanne” so the network was willing to give it 10 episodes if Roseanne Barr wasn’t a part of it. Lecy Goranson ended up the surprise star in my opinion. I’d be interested in a spinoff of the spin-off to find out her back story and future as a single mom.

[tessaray]

Just now, Wanda said:

This is apparently the final episode, and likely the last episode of any Roseanne themed show. Quite a letdown for those of us who were loyal fans in the 80sand 90s and in syndications forever. So many plots left dangling, questions unanswered (Andy?, Andy? ) interesting that this one was baby themed while the last one written and filmed, but shown last week, gave no indication that Becky was still pregnant. I’m assuming it’s the series finale because the numbers weren’t fantastic, the 3 leads don’t need the work but we’re already under contract for a second year of “Roseanne” so the network was willing to give it 10 episodes if Roseanne Barr wasn’t a part of it. Lecy Goranson ended up the surprise star in my opinion. I’d be interested in a spinoff of the spin-off to find out her back story and future as a single mom.

There is one more episode next week and negotiations for a second season are underway.  It's mainly a question of scheduling from what's been said so far. 

That said, the earlier episodes of this season seemed better on average than the last few.  A late sophomore slump?

[BeachDays]

The last episode of this season is next week and the show is very likely to be renewed for another season.  

[UYI]

Definitely a much better episode than last week, IMO.

I think it's great that Becky finally accepted Emilio's help, but I TOTALLY understood why she was originally angry at Jackie and Dan about it, because of how long she had been independent and on some level not wanting to give that up (the fact that she and Emilio work together making that harder to do notwithstanding).

There are so many red flags surrounding Ben and Darlene it could be a national holiday. They're already moving in together? WHY?

Wait, Jackie is still with Peter?!?! Again, WHY?

Finally, Emilio had the two best lines of the night, when he called Jackie "Professor Jackie" and said he got the wood for the rocking horse at Lowes. #dead 

[UYI]

Also, when Darlene said that she had only slept with David, Neil, Ben and "some other guy", was that the show's way of acknowledging Jimmy from season 7? Because that's how I took it. Kind of weird that came before ever getting even one mention of Andy, but K. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

10 minutes ago, UYI said:

There are so many red flags surrounding Ben and Darlene it could be a national holiday. They're already moving in together? WHY?

That's never going to happen. Also, Darlene promised to help Becky with the baby.

Edited January 16, 2019 by ItCouldBeWorse

[mythoughtis]

19 minutes ago, UYI said:

Wait, Jackie is still with Peter?!?! Again, WHY?

I had that thought too... but then forgot about it.  I thought she’d gotten rid of him. 

[Pete Martell]

1 hour ago, tessaray said:

There is one more episode next week and negotiations for a second season are underway.  It's mainly a question of scheduling from what's been said so far. 

That said, the earlier episodes of this season seemed better on average than the last few.  A late sophomore slump?

I enjoyed this episode, although I thought it was a bit of Darlene overload. I'd say I probably enjoyed it more than some earlier episodes this season, like the Halloween episode and several of the episodes about Becky and the lesbian couple. It's been more of an up and down season for me. I thought this one did a pretty good balance of having lots of one-liners alongside some character beats. My only real complaint is, as said before, I hope they will dial back a bit on the focus on Darlene's life as even though I think she's fine I think they're going to run out of story pretty fast.

[Pete Martell]

1 hour ago, Wanda said:

This is apparently the final episode, and likely the last episode of any Roseanne themed show. Quite a letdown for those of us who were loyal fans in the 80sand 90s and in syndications forever. So many plots left dangling, questions unanswered (Andy?, Andy? ) interesting that this one was baby themed while the last one written and filmed, but shown last week, gave no indication that Becky was still pregnant. I’m assuming it’s the series finale because the numbers weren’t fantastic, the 3 leads don’t need the work but we’re already under contract for a second year of “Roseanne” so the network was willing to give it 10 episodes if Roseanne Barr wasn’t a part of it. Lecy Goranson ended up the surprise star in my opinion. I’d be interested in a spinoff of the spin-off to find out her back story and future as a single mom.

I get what you're saying (I imagine that people who were invested in the story about Jackie and her baby must be annoyed, or Roseanne and Dan's baby, etc.), but I was a fan right from the original late '80s episodes on (not sure about "loyal" as I bailed around the time Jackie had her baby, give or take some episodes) and if next week is the last episode, then unless something catastrophic happens, I won't feel let down. Let down by how ugly the original show became (I was let down about that for about 20 years), let down by Roseanne Barr's long, sad, and deeply toxic breakdown, but The Conners has allowed me to recapture a great deal of my fondness for the old show. 

[Bastet]

Ugh; this episode was not a good look for the women of the show:

Blue is an idiot; why the hell would you want to have a child with someone who abandoned the two he already has?  And it’s not as if David lost his shit when Mark died, disappeared for a year, came back, put in the work to rebuild trust and establish good relationships that last to this day – he’s only recently attempting to be a parent again, so has no track record to speak of.  This is even worse than Crystal marrying and procreating with Ed even though Dan told her exactly how her life and those kids’ lives were going to turn out.

Darlene finding the idea of moving her and the kids in with Ben "amazing" (and immediately!) is batshit crazy (not totally unprecedented; she was thinking of moving in with Jimmy, despite how nuts that would have been, but she was young and child-free then!).  She was also totally out of line about the music lessons; if you’re going to use someone for free music lessons, don’t get pissy when they act like a teacher.  “If you’ll remember that for Mother’s Day, I’d like to see it in glitter” was great, though, when Mark had more sense than her.

I can’t even with this Jackie/Peter thing, either.  Again, it made sense for her to fall into yet another relationship of this type, but it was also wonderful to see her leave it before the abuse spread.  (But we got a “Back when I was on the force,” so Jackie wasn’t a total loss tonight.)

Becky’s baby shower was almost as tacky a present grab as Roseanne’s shower for her umpteenth kid.  Becky’s story line also continued to highlight that either they’ve retconned Andy out of existence or have egregiously failed to capitalize on the similarities between Becky’s pregnancy and Jackie’s.  (And given the Darlene is the new Roseanne/Becky is the new Jackie thing that has been going on since the Roseanne revival, I lean towards the former.)  The Fred history would explain why Jackie is shoving Emilio into Becky’s life over her objections, but they're not talking about it.

I figure this is leading to deportation, but we'll see. 

I guess it's carryover love for what the original series meant to me and enjoying seeing the actors together, because for as many issues as I have with storylines/potential storylines on this show, I continue to enjoy it as a whole.

[Pete Martell]

7 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Darlene finding the idea of moving her and the kids in with Ben "amazing" (and immediately!) is batshit crazy (not totally unprecedented; she was thinking of moving in with Jimmy, despite how nuts that would have been, but she was young and child-free then!).  She was also totally out of line about the music lessons; if you’re going to use someone for free music lessons, don’t get pissy when they act like a teacher.  “If you’ll remember that for Mother’s Day, I’d like to see it in glitter” was great, though, when Mark had more sense than her.

Am I the only one who thought that Darlene didn't think the idea was "amazing" at all? I'm not sure if I am misreading Sara Gilbert's performance, but to me Darlene came across as incredibly unsure and uneasy, but going along because it was what he wanted and because he had now proven to her he was good for her kids (well, one of them anyway). I have a feeling next week she's going to tell him she doesn't want to go.

I thought the scenes with Ben and Mark were a bit odd. I didn't actually see Mark cry (admittedly I wasn't paying close attention as the whole thing was uncomfortable) so I thought Darlene was going to be more upset about him grabbing Mark's hand and pushing it hard against the keyboard. Roseanne would have flipped out about that type of moment. I guess that wasn't meant to be something we were bothered by.

Edited January 16, 2019 by Pete Martell

[breezy424]

I don't get too 'deep' with the show. 

I laughed much more this week than last week.  So it worked for me.

[Annber03]

5 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

Am I the only one who thought that Darlene didn't think the idea was "amazing" at all? I'm not sure if I am misreading Sara Gilbert's performance, but to me Darlene came across as incredibly unsure and uneasy, but going along because it was what he wanted and because he had now proven to her he was good for her kids (well, one of them anyway). I have a feeling next week she's going to tell him she doesn't want to go.

I kinda wondered that myself, and I agree she'll be changing her mind soon.

Like others here, I totally understand Becky getting annoyed with everyone being so pushy about Emilio. He seems like a really good, sweet guy, though, so if he does wind up staying around, I would like to see the ways he helps her and their baby out. All the talk about his immigration status, though, definitely feels like ominous foreshadowing. Makes me nervous for both him and Dan. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

13 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Like others here, I totally understand Becky getting annoyed with everyone being so pushy about Emilio. He seems like a really good, sweet guy, though, so if he does wind up staying around, I would like to see the ways he helps her and their baby out. All the talk about his immigration status, though, definitely feels like ominous foreshadowing. Makes me nervous for both him and Dan. 

Becky has all the power.  Emilio can't try to enforce his parental rights once the baby comes, as it would get him deported.  If Becky really doesn't want him around, she could threaten to inform on him.

[Pete Martell]

8 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I kinda wondered that myself, and I agree she'll be changing her mind soon.

Like others here, I totally understand Becky getting annoyed with everyone being so pushy about Emilio. He seems like a really good, sweet guy, though, so if he does wind up staying around, I would like to see the ways he helps her and their baby out. All the talk about his immigration status, though, definitely feels like ominous foreshadowing. Makes me nervous for both him and Dan. 

Having him deported and possibly having Dan lose his business would be a very Roseanne-esque way to end the season (although if they go this route I'm not sure they would have Becky lose her baby too, as some have speculated - that would be more Bleak House). The focus on how wonderful he is and how Becky doesn't want him close makes me wonder if they may do a green card marriage story. 

I wish they would focus more on her losing Mark and how this makes her reluctant to open herself up to being too dependent on a man. I felt like they were thisclose in that argument with Dan and Jackie, but it didn't go anywhere.

[Bastet]

34 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

Roseanne would have flipped out about that type of moment.

The real Roseanne Conner, not the one who shoved her granddaughter's head under a faucet and praised spanking.

34 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

Am I the only one who thought that Darlene didn't think the idea was "amazing" at all? I'm not sure if I am misreading Sara Gilbert's performance, but to me Darlene came across as incredibly unsure and uneasy, but going along because it was what he wanted and because he had now proven to her he was good for her kids (well, one of them anyway). I have a feeling next week she's going to tell him she doesn't want to go.

Yes, I certainly hope she comes to her senses (and assume she will, or at least a cliffhanger on her decision, since Darlene in Chicago realistically means no more The Conners), but I don't buy Darlene's first reaction being agreeable because she's tempted or even just going along with it because she thinks it benefits others.  She'd say "Whoa, too fast" and evaluate from there.  She has a lot more responsibility on her plate than the Darlene of old, and she'd love a way to support herself and the kids in Chicago again, yes, but not enough to jump right to entertaining something this stupid.  If she loves this guy (which I still don't buy, because I just flat-out do not like the relationship and do not much care for the character, but for the sake of argument), she'd encourage him to take the job and try a long-distance relationship (with her writing her part from Lanford).  Not uproot her kids again (including away from their father who's at least a part-time presence again) and leave newly-widowed Dan and pregnant Becky (neither of whom are her responsibility, but they'd both be a tug), to rely on this new guy for housing on top of everything else. 

I just don't buy, whatever deliberation she might undertake in the interim given everyone's circumstances and her pragmatism, that the first thing out of her mouth would be anything other than of the WTF, dude? variety.

Edited January 16, 2019 by Bastet

[Pete Martell]

9 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Yes, I certainly hope she comes to her senses (and assume she will, or at least a cliffhanger on her decision, since Darlene in Chicago realistically means no more The Conners), but I don't buy Darlene's first reaction being agreeable because she's tempted or even just going along with it because she thinks it benefits others.  She'd say "Whoa, too fast" and evaluate from there.  She has a lot more responsibility on her plate than the Darlene of old, and she'd love a way to support herself and the kids in Chicago again, yes, but not enough to jump right to entertaining something this stupid.  If she loves this guy (which I still don't buy, because I just flat-out do not like the relationship and do not much care for the character, but for the sake of argument), she'd encourage him to take the job and try a long-distance relationship (with her writing her part from Lanford).  Not uproot her kids again (including away from their father who's at least a part-time presence again) and leave newly-widowed Dan and pregnant Becky (neither of whom are her responsibility, but they'd both be a tug), to rely on this new guy for housing on top of everything else. 

I just don't buy, whatever deliberation she might undertake in the interim given everyone's circumstances and her pragmatism, that the first thing out of her mouth would be anything other than of the WTF, dude? variety.

I think that the above is one of the reasons we've had so much focus on Darlene having to change who she is to have a successful relationship. She isn't trying to be the old Darlene, and the circumstances are just right enough (like their only living an hour away) to where she could tell herself everything will be alright. 

I have a feeling that next week the real Darlene will have to admit to herself that it just won't work out, and Ben will leave. Then if there is another season, he will either return with a long-distance relationship (or the job didn't work out), Darlene will have someone new, or they will start the David reconciliation (since we are hearing about his relationship problems and are also learning that his efforts to change who he is are crashing against the rocks of reality).

[tessaray]

I agree the episode had an awful lot packed into it.  Should have had a "To Be Continued" at the end because it really seems like a 2-parter.

So, the Dan and Emilio scenes were very strong. And the last one with Becky, Jackie and Dan.  I thought the baby shower was pretty weird.  Next week will be interesting anyway. 

[Pete Martell]

6 minutes ago, tessaray said:

I agree the episode had an awful lot packed into it.  Should have had a "To Be Continued" at the end because it really seems like a 2-parter.

So, the Dan and Emilio scenes were very strong. And the last one with Becky, Jackie and Dan.  I thought the baby shower was pretty weird.  Next week will be interesting anyway. 

The baby shower was an odd viewing experience as I thought they were going to go to town on hippy dippy jokes about Blue and her friends, with Blue and Darlene at odds or Blue and Jackie at odds. Instead we got a sharp left turn to Blue crying about David. It felt like they changed plans while writing the script. Maybe Johnny Galecki told them he wanted to return next season. 

[SpiritSong]

So Chicago is only an hour away from Lanford? I would hardly call that a long distance that requires moving. People in Houston have longer commutes just driving from one end of the city to the other. I do like the relationship and the character Ben, though it's way too soon to even think about living together.

[mythoughtis]

40 minutes ago, RocknRollZombie said:

The Ben and Mark scene. My hand clenched into a fist, when Ben pushed Mark's hand onto the keyboard. 

 

I’ll be honest. I didn’t have a problem with it. Mark is certainly old enough to understand you don’t beat and bang on an expensive keyboard. He deliberately did it to annoy Ben.  It’s not a play xylophone for a toddler.  He could have damaged it. Ben pushed  his hand on to the  keyboard. He didn’t do anything that would damage his hand.  He didn’t bend his hand backward or squeeze his fingers or palm.   I’m pretty sure the  child protection people that are on the set wouldn’t allow anything to be done in a scene that might actually hurt the child actor, so ergo,  ‘Mark’ wasn’t hurt. It’s a comedy too, not a drama about a child being mistreated. 

Im more disturbed by the idea that Darlene introduces her boyfriend to her kids, he gives Mark a couple piano lessons and wa-la let’s move in together.  

Edited January 16, 2019 by mythoughtis

[Pete Martell]

21 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

I’ll be honest. I didn’t have a problem with it. Mark is certainly old enough to understand you don’t beat and bang on an expensive keyboard. He deliberately did it to annoy Ben.  It’s not a play xylophone for a toddler.  He could have damaged it. Ben pushed  his hand on to the  keyboard. He didn’t do anything that would damage his hand.  He didn’t bend his hand backward or squeeze his fingers or palm.   I’m pretty sure the  child protection people that are on the set wouldn’t allow anything to be done in a scene that might actually hurt the child actor, so ergo,  ‘Mark’ wasn’t hurt. It’s a comedy too, not a drama about a child being mistreated. 

What confused me about the scene was that it was meant to emphasize how angry Darlene was with Mark's mistreatment. That's why I thought the moment meant something, instead of Mark being in tears, which I didn't really notice. 

[SpiritSong]

5 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

What confused me about the scene was that it was meant to emphasize how angry Darlene was with Mark's mistreatment. That's why I thought the moment meant something, instead of Mark being in tears, which I didn't really notice. 

I went back and rewatched the scene, thinking I must have missed something. There was no mistreatment. Ben forcefully laid his hand on top of Mark's to stop him from pounding on his keyboard. His words were harsher (though well deserved) than his physical action.

[BeachDays]

I haven’t seen this episode yet (gotta wait for Hulu) but my theory has always been that Darlene and David will be reunited-  After David told her he found his “soulmate”, she started dating a guy who was like David.  Once this was pointed out to her, she started dating a guy opposite of David.  Could her considering moving in with Ben also be a reaction to David?  Again I haven’t seen the ep yet but I have seen “Tangled Up in Blue” enough times to know that relationship isn’t done yet.   

[tessaray]

15 minutes ago, BeachDays said:

I haven’t seen this episode yet (gotta wait for Hulu) but my theory has always been that Darlene and David will be reunited-  After David told her he found his “soulmate”, she started dating a guy who was like David.  Once this was pointed out to her, she started dating a guy opposite of David.  Could her considering moving in with Ben also be a reaction to David?  Again I haven’t seen the ep yet but I have seen “Tangled Up in Blue” enough times to know that relationship isn’t done yet.   

Until this episode, I didn't think that David and Darlene had any chance to be anything other than complicated co-parents but Darlene's instant objection to David and Blue having kids made me rethink a little... at least on Darlene's part.  

Personally I think David and Blue having a kid would be the best indication that The Conners is in it for the long haul. 

[Pete Martell]

1 hour ago, SpiritSong said:

I went back and rewatched the scene, thinking I must have missed something. There was no mistreatment. Ben forcefully laid his hand on top of Mark's to stop him from pounding on his keyboard. His words were harsher (though well deserved) than his physical action.

I meant that Darlene felt Ben mistreated Mark in the scene. I thought it would be based on the hands as I didn't really notice Mark in tears. 

[UYI]

8 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

So Chicago is only an hour away from Lanford? I would hardly call that a long distance that requires moving. People in Houston have longer commutes just driving from one end of the city to the other. I do like the relationship and the character Ben, though it's way too soon to even think about living together.

There was always an ambiguity about how close Lanford and Chicago were to each other. I seem to remember them being two hours away from each other at one point, maybe when Darlene was first considering going to art school, and of course in the tornado episode from the first season, Lanford was in Fulton County, which in real life is near Peoria (that may have just been a coincidence, though--the writers may have had no idea there was a real Fulton County, Illinois). 

And then, of course, in season 6, the lesbian bar Roseanne, Jackie, Nancy and Sharon went to was in Elgin, which is a bonafide Chicago suburb.

So, who knows. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by UYI

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

The Fred history would explain why Jackie is shoving Emilio into Becky’s life over her objections, but they're not talking about it.

I found it disconcerting that Jackie "who-is-Lanford's-leading-life-coach" wouldn't have drawn from her previous experience with Fred - i.e. how she pushed Fred away for all that time when she was pregnant with Andy (FREE ANDY!!!). Why wouldn't she have said "Listen, Becky, back when I had Andy, I pushed Fred away the same way you're doing with Emilio - and I realize now that was foolish and not in the best interests of Andy" (or something similar). I'm always looking for ways for this show to tie into what was said and done in the previous Roseanne show (as a LONG time viewer of the latter).  

It's like the writers pulled a scene direct from the previous Roseanne series except interjected Becky into it instead of Jackie. Next thing Emilio will be stuffing money into Becky's tip jar and Nancy will come and steal it away. 

[ChicksDigScars]

4 hours ago, ItsHelloPattiagain said:

I found it disconcerting that Jackie "who-is-Lanford's-leading-life-coach" wouldn't have drawn from her previous experience with Fred - i.e. how she pushed Fred away for all that time when she was pregnant with Andy (FREE ANDY!!!). Why wouldn't she have said "Listen, Becky, back when I had Andy, I pushed Fred away the same way you're doing with Emilio - and I realize now that was foolish and not in the best interests of Andy" (or something similar). I'm always looking for ways for this show to tie into what was said and done in the previous Roseanne show (as a LONG time viewer of the latter).  

It's like the writers pulled a scene direct from the previous Roseanne series except interjected Becky into it instead of Jackie. Next thing Emilio will be stuffing money into Becky's tip jar and Nancy will come and steal it away. 

Yeah, it's becoming a distraction that they're not mentioning Andy, and that last night's speech that Jackie gave Becky was practically identical to the one that Dan and Roseanne gave her about Fred. It just emphasized the fact that they writers seem to be intentionally avoiding the issue, along with Original Mark's cause of death.  Don't they realize that most of their fans have seen all the old Roseanne episodes, and know the major story lines? This show is not attracting bunches of new fans that have never seen Roseanne. We can accept forgetting the final season. That was low rated, universally panned, and most of us WISH it had never existed, for the most part. The final season is the only DVD that I refuse to buy. Andy's conception and birth was a big part of some highly rated episodes in a season that Roseanne was still at its peak. It's harder to forget that he never existed. Plus, Michael O'Keefe (Fred) was fairly well liked. Jackie's unwed pregnancy took up an entire season, and was part of some classic episodes (such as the show when she actually HAD Andy and lifted up her shirt to expose her actual pregnant belly and wailed, "I HAVE A FIVE DAY OLD CHILD IN THERE!") Also, Laurie was visibly pregnant and hiding under baggy clothes, Lunch Box aprons, and that old red plaid jacket, during the time that the classic pot smoking episode was filmed. They just hadn't written Jackie's pregnancy in yet. By the time they got around to it, everyone and their mother knew that Laurie Metcalf was pregnant and had been showing most of the season.  They weren't great at hiding the evidence. 

 

Any General Hospital fans (especially past fans)? Last night's episode was directed by Kimberly McCullough (ex-Robin Scorpio). 

 

And count me in as one who'd rather not see Darlene and David reconcile once BBT is over and Galecki is free. Too easy. I felt the same way when the Friends writers made Ross, Emma's father and put Ross and Rachel back together in the end. Lazy writing. The ship had sailed for me. Sure, have Galecki show up for some episodes and have co-parenting conflict, but sliding back into the weak David/domineering Darlene isn't something I want to see again. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by ChicksDigScars

[Mmmfloorpie]

58 minutes ago, ItsHelloPattiagain said:

I found it disconcerting that Jackie "who-is-Lanford's-leading-life-coach" wouldn't have drawn from her previous experience with Fred - i.e. how she pushed Fred away for all that time when she was pregnant with Andy (FREE ANDY!!!). Why wouldn't she have said "Listen, Becky, back when I had Andy, I pushed Fred away the same way you're doing with Emilio - and I realize now that was foolish and not in the best interests of Andy" (or something similar). I'm always looking for ways for this show to tie into what was said and done in the previous Roseanne show (as a LONG time viewer of the latter).  

It's like the writers pulled a scene direct from the previous Roseanne series except interjected Becky into it instead of Jackie. Next thing Emilio will be stuffing money into Becky's tip jar and Nancy will come and steal it away. 

That last paragraph made me LOL! 

It's so silly how they go out of their way to avoid references to the original show.

Either, they are trying to make this 'its own show' that's not dependent on the original, or the people who write it haven't seen the original.

I have to think it's the latter. If they wanted it to be its own show they wouldn't be lifting a storyline right out of the original. I'm sorry but this Becky/Emilio story is an EXACT copy of Jackie/Fred. Single woman getting older who wants a child before she gets too old. Gets pregnant off a one night stand and pushes the father away because she wants to do it on her own. If you read the TvGuide synopsis, you'd think it was a repeat from season 6.

 

If it is the latter, it's incredibly sad that they are so ignorant of the original they don't even realize they are plagiarising it!

 

I think the series ends next week with Becky reconciling with Emilo and Darlene and the kids move back to Chicago with Ben. DJ's total number of lines throught the revival being under a dozen.

[DoubleUTeeEff]

13 hours ago, UYI said:

Finally, Emilio had the two best lines of the night, when he called Jackie "Professor Jackie" and said he got the wood for the rocking horse at Lowes. #dead 

Lowe's. That's good wood. 

[UYI]

49 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Any General Hospital fans (especially past fans)? Last night's episode was directed by Kimberly McCullough (ex-Robin Scorpio). 

 

 

This is her second directing credit of the season! It's so cool to see how far she's come in her career. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

 Why wouldn't she have said "Listen, Becky, back when I had Andy, I pushed Fred away the same way you're doing with Emilio - and I realize now that was foolish and not in the best interests of Andy" (or something similar).

I think this episode is the best indication yet that they have decided to retcon Andy's existence, and probably Fred's too. I agree at this point the retcon is a downright distraction because this thing with Becky pushing Emilio away when Emilio wants to be a part of the baby's life is an exact rerun of what happened between Jackie and Fred. It's almost like the writers are deliberately trying to antagonize the audience by rehashing such an important chapter in the original show without any reference to it. Either that or they are blithely unaware of the original series, and which one of those two things is better anyway?

I don't know if the show will go this way, but I've said all along it would probably make sense to transition into a show about Darlene and Becky since I can't imagine Laurie Metcalf and John Goodman signing on for another season full time. This episode felt like it could have been a set-up for that. Darlene can move to Chicago with Ben, Harris and Mark and they can find a way to move Becky there too. Then maybe Aunt Jackie and/or Dan could show up in guest appearances from time to time. I think it could work; I'm not sure the network would want to gamble on it without the two biggest stars, though.

Blue's appearance in this episode was weird. It felt like it was going somewhere when she asked if Darlene would drive her home and I figured maybe we were going to see David again. Then it just went nowhere. Bizarre. 

[willowk]

I know this is a sitcom, but really having a hard time believing Darlene would be so overjoyed at moving her and the kids to Chicago with Ben. They haven't been dating all that long, her divorce from David isn't final, her dad is still recovering from Roseanne's death, and she just promised Becky that she'd be there for her when the baby is born. I think this will blow up somehow, but think the whole premise is unworthy of the show.

[BeachDays]

1 hour ago, ChicksDigScars said:

And count me in as one who'd rather not see Darlene and David reconcile once BBT is over and Galecki is free. Too easy. I felt the same way when the Friends writers made Ross, Emma's father and put Ross and Rachel back together in the end. Lazy writing. The ship had sailed for me. Sure, have Galecki show up for some episodes and have co-parenting conflict, but sliding back into the weak David/domineering Darlene isn't something I want to see again. 

 

 

Finally watched the ep-  I loved it!!!  Also I’m 99% sure David and Darlene are reconciling.  No way is she moving to Chicago.   What I love about this season is I am also pretty sure both characters were learning and growing -  Darlene is learning to be less domineering and David is learning to be less weak (he is probably in therapy now and refusing to have kids with this “soulmate”)-  so when they get back together it won’t be the same relationship but a stronger, steadier one.    

Ok onto the ep at hand-   I LOVED Jackie in this!!!  I love how she is sticking to her guns, she knows Emilio is a good guy and she doesn’t want her niece to miss out having him in the baby’s life.  Also Emilio is amazing.   I hope he and Becky get together.  Also if David and Darlene reconcile and Becky and Emilio get together it will be super interesting bc David was the younger brother obviously of Mark, but now he will be older “brother”.  

We finally got clarity over Darlene’s sex life!!!! I’m laughing so hard bc I bet some folks saw the questions online after the previous comment about her only having slept with 2 guys.   And I love Becky and Jackie’s unfenced “gardens” haha.  

I didn’t think Ben was being out of line with Mark.   I thought that whole thing was played well.   Also I LOVE how much Darlene loves Mark, he’s an exceptional child, and she just adores him, it’s so cute.    I laughed at “Mark isn’t my half-assed child, that’s Harris!”  

Going to rewatch now.   What a fun ep.   I’m sad the season finale is next week but excited too.  

Edited January 16, 2019 by BeachDays

[rmontro]

I wish they would quit painting Dan as a guy everybody is afraid of (Emilio in this case).  I know John Goodman is a big guy, but he's 66 years old, I doubt that he's interested in going around bashing heads all the time.  I could see it when he was younger, but it kind of bugs me now.

[SHD]

1 minute ago, rmontro said:

I wish they would quit painting Dan as a guy everybody is afraid of (Emilio in this case).  I know John Goodman is a big guy, but he's 66 years old, I doubt that he's interested in going around bashing heads all the time.  I could see it when he was younger, but it kind of bugs me now.

I took it as, in Emilio's case at least, being more about fearing protective father anger, not so much Dan as an imposing figure in general.

[jsbt]

16 hours ago, Wanda said:

This is apparently the final episode, and likely the last episode of any Roseanne themed show. Quite a letdown for those of us who were loyal fans in the 80sand 90s and in syndications forever. [...] I’m assuming it’s the series finale because the numbers weren’t fantastic, the 3 leads don’t need the work but we’re already under contract for a second year of “Roseanne” so the network was willing to give it 10 episodes if Roseanne Barr wasn’t a part of it.

All of this is demonstrably incorrect if you check the Media or Ratings thread. According to multiple press sources, the show has had solid numbers and is in talks to be renewed.

[TWP]

Laurie Metcalf says it's most certainly coming back and I believe her.  Compared to the dregs on broadcast TV these days, it's pretty much a work of writing art.  Given that it's ABC's second highest rated show, the network is going to turn cartwheels to make it happen. I can't wait.

But I honestly thought this was a weaker episode.  Somehow the overly positive child doesn't work for me?  I'm not buying it.   Please don't make the rest of this show like this one.

[rmontro]

24 minutes ago, jsbt said:

All of this is demonstrably incorrect if you check the Media or Ratings thread. According to multiple press sources, the show has had solid numbers and is in talks to be renewed.

I would think the show would be getting good ratings, or it wouldn't be given the 8:00 time slot, the lead in for the Tuesday night shows.

I didn't realize next week was the season finale already.  Maybe if it gets renewed it will get more episodes.  I hope so, because I'm enjoying it.

[Concerned]

5 minutes ago, TWP said:

Laurie Metcalf says it's most certainly coming back and I believe her.  Compared to the dregs on broadcast TV these days, it's pretty much a work of writing art.  Given that it's ABC's second highest rated show, the network is going to turn cartwheels to make it happen. I can't wait.

But I honestly thought this was a weaker episode.  Somehow the overly positive child doesn't work for me?  I'm not buying it.   Please don't make the rest of this show like this one.

Laurie Metcalf plays Hillary Clinton in a Broadway show starting March 16 and if it’s a hit, she likely won’t be available for the Connors during 2019. John Lithgow plays Bill Clinton.

[jsbt]

Laurie Metcalf has made it clear she intends to come back, but either way they wouldn't be making a decision til spring. They are in negotiations and ABC wants more. It's more likely it will return in the fall of this year.

[Vixenstud]

Regarding Darlene/David getting back together.....

[Pete Martell]

4 hours ago, Mmmfloorpie said:

That last paragraph made me LOL! 

It's so silly how they go out of their way to avoid references to the original show.

Either, they are trying to make this 'its own show' that's not dependent on the original, or the people who write it haven't seen the original.

I have to think it's the latter. If they wanted it to be its own show they wouldn't be lifting a storyline right out of the original. I'm sorry but this Becky/Emilio story is an EXACT copy of Jackie/Fred. Single woman getting older who wants a child before she gets too old. Gets pregnant off a one night stand and pushes the father away because she wants to do it on her own. If you read the TvGuide synopsis, you'd think it was a repeat from season 6.

If it is the latter, it's incredibly sad that they are so ignorant of the original they don't even realize they are plagiarising it!

I think the series ends next week with Becky reconciling with Emilo and Darlene and the kids move back to Chicago with Ben. DJ's total number of lines throught the revival being under a dozen.

I don't see it as a repeat of the Jackie and Fred story. For one thing, I thought that story was much more unpleasant and forced (by this time they had started making Jackie's character so one-note and unpleasant it led to me quitting the show, along with the overall decline in the writing). Jackie was also a different person than Becky is - Becky is much more fragile, which the show only occasionally acknowledges. The story of a woman who thought she was past her chance to have a child only to then get pregnant when she didn't want to has been around for a long time. There are definitely parallels with Jackie and Becky, which could and possibly should be acknowledged, but I would never look at this story and think it was a repeat from season 6.

I think a number of the people who write and produce the show were around for the original, so I'm sure they know of the story. I think they just don't do anything with Andy because they already have a full cast and they mostly use Jackie as the wisecracking aunt and then a little bit of focus on her love life or on her relationship with Bev.

1 hour ago, SHD said:

I took it as, in Emilio's case at least, being more about fearing protective father anger, not so much Dan as an imposing figure in general.

I agree. I don't think John Goodman played it as a genuine threat anyway. It was something Dan was telling himself because that's the man Dan still wants to be. Emilio is a gentle, sweet guy, so of course he's going to be wary of a fight (especially with someone who could have him deported).

Edited January 16, 2019 by Pete Martell

[BeachDays]

37 minutes ago, Vixenstud said:

Regarding Darlene/David getting back together.....

 

Dont shoot the David/Darlene shipper!!! ;) Haha.   (But really I think Sara Gilbert totally ships it and that’s reason #1 that I think it’s happening).  

[Snow Apple]

18 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

 

I think a number of the people who write and produce the show were around for the original, so I'm sure they know of the story. I think they just don't do anything with Andy because they already have a full cast and they mostly use Jackie as the wisecracking aunt and then a little bit of focus on her love life or on her relationship with Bev.

I don't need them to cast Andy but it would be nice to have one line mentioning "he's working overseas" or something. Also one of their friends asking "is Jerry still on that boat?" Just one line.

I prefer just having the focus on the main cast but it's insulting to fans to pretend those two boys never existed.

[Vixenstud]

(Mails BeachDays a one way ticket to.....SHUTTIE TOWN!)