"The Conners" Discussion Thread

[Vee]

Every kid is different. I knew I looked at and was fascinated by boys a lot from around that age or close to it, but did I know I definitely was into boys most of all? Not until maybe 12 or 13, and I didn't make a definitive determination on my orientation until I was 17 or so. I can't say what every kid experiences. I think she is erring on the side of caution in her remarks when dealing with a 9 year old child character and actor on a charged topic, and I think that's prudent. Easiest and smartest, IMO, to say Mark will figure himself out in his own time. Which most of us did.

Edited April 5, 2018 by Vee

[Gray Bunny]

 

I get it. I didn't have my "Ah ha! I'm gay!" realization until I was 13. 

 

Meanwhile, when I'm watching these new episodes, I have take a step back and realize - wow, the last time a brand new episode of Roseanne aired; the last time we saw those characters interacting in that house - I was a wee 14 year old boy myself, with the world still reacting to Ellen's "Yep, I'm Gay" revelation.  Not only is it so amazing to have this wonderful, iconic show back on television, but our LGBTQ representation has changed so drastically (for the better, of course!) in the last 20+ years. 

 

And it should be noted, long before it became "the norm" or "hip" to have a gay character or two, you had Nancy openly bisexual in '92, Nancy & Morgan Fairchild almost shown kissing under the mistletoe that same year, Roseanne and Muriel Hemingway literally locking lips in '94, and Leon and Scott's commitment ceremony/marriage in '95.  If Roseanne Barr had had it her way, DJ would've been revealed as gay, too. 

 

Edited April 5, 2018 by Gray Bunny
We've come a long way, baby

[BetterForgotten]

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[KMan101]

Apparently a writer on Bob's Burgers took issue with the joke Roseanne and Dan made, that I actually totally missed, about falling asleep between 'Wheel and Kimmel' and made mention of missing the shows featuring Black and Asian families. Roseanne said "they're just like us. There you're caught up".

 

I mean, I can understand his annoyance but I think he's reading too much into and trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. Everyone finds issue with SOMETHING these days. I mean, if you try hard enough, you can pick apart anything and everything.

 

I don't know. It just seems so easy to get outraged at things anymore.

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/roseanne-criticized-black-ish-fresh-boat-joke-1100311?utm_source=twitter

 

Ames and Emma fit right in. Great casting.

Edited April 6, 2018 by KMan101

[BetterForgotten]

I though the point of of that joke was to say we're all more alike that different, and obviously a wink to the rest of the ABC lineup. People definitely get offended easily these days, and Roseanne makes herself an easy target.

 

I think it's stuff like that which really pisses her off too, she's talked at length about how comedy has to be overly sanitized now because everyone is politically correct and gets offended easily. Mind you, not that she goes about it in the most graceful ways at times, but she does have a point. 

Edited April 6, 2018 by BetterForgotten

[Faulkner]

 

 

[Vee]

Lecy talks to Vulture and does her best to thread the needle. Not brilliantly, but I see her point.

 

I can disagree and agree; I see both sides of the argument. I know very well the show isn't run by or an apologia for the right wing or Trump supporters, but it's still caught in a controversial and uneasy spot in a difficult moment and has no good answers. But maybe that's where it needs to be. It's also not incisive enough yet to really confront the issues, but it sounds like the opiates episode may do that.

Edited April 10, 2018 by Vee

[dragonflies]

 

[dragonflies]

Really good episode tonight! Got me teared up when Becky & Darlene were talking about Mark. Love the dedication at the end

[DRW50]

 

What did they say about Mark?

[dragonflies]

They got to talking and Becky said her and Mark tried to have kids and never could. The family thought Becky didn't want kids and that's why she never had any.

 

At the end a dedication to Glenn Quinn

[DRW50]

 

Oh. Thanks. That's so sad. And it sounds like Becky. 

 

I'm glad they remembered Glenn. I loved him on Roseanne, and on Angel. The whole thing still upsets me even though it's been 15 years. 

[dragonflies]

Becky said something like after Mark died she couldn't imagine having kids with anyone else

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[Vee]

I hope this one was better than last week's, which I found truly painful and retrograde and definitely a boon for the conservatives. Except for the good scene with Sara Gilbert and Emma Kenney it was mostly Roseanne doing bad S8-S9 applause lines that you can easily see being used by right wingers. I get what they were going for with the parenting debate but I thought it was poorly done. I don't think the show is alt right at all, but it (and Roseanne's very stiff performance) didn't do the controversy over the show any favors. If it's true it was actually the second episode filmed, it explains why she looked much more at ease in the aired ep 2 focusing on Mark Jr. Anyway, I'll get to tonight's in a few hours.

 

I am glad tonight's episode is apparently Becky-focused. I've been waiting for that since the first time Lecy left the show. She's been quite candid recently about how uncomfortable she found Season 8.

[KMan101]

Tonight's episode was far better than last weeks. I laughed a lot. I kind of LOL that they give adult DJ a line or two like they use to give kid DJ.

 

I liked it was Becky centric. Lecy was good. I liked the Becky/Darlene scenes. Becky was always a character who wanted more for herself so I liked how Darlene basically pointed out that Becky has been trying to be the same person since Mark died. Or something to that effect. It made sense. I liked a lot of it. I always thought it was obvious how different they viewed the Becky's when Lecy came back in Season 8 they had Becky questioning her marriage and wanting to go back to school, to college, that is.

 

Lecy was on GMA this week and talked about Darlene and Becky's relationship and how they start to realize they need each other as friends and sisters. She explained it well and I hope we get lots more of what we saw tonight. It's awkward but you know they love each other. Deep down. Waaaay far deep down. I'm definitely interested in seeing their relationship develop as 40-something adults at a crossroads in their lives.

 

They keep talking about how Jackie is alone. A lot of it was funny but I wish Andy were talked about. It's weird that they're treating it as if he's erased from the history (and maybe he is?). It just feels weird to me.

 

It was a good episode, at least compared to last week. I think the first two episodes remain the most solid so far. Last week's wasn't the best but I get what they were trying to do, and it would have made more sense as Episode 2, but I also get why they held it off and used Episode 3 as Episode 2.

 

Armani the dog

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Lots of good one liners.

 

Roseanne and Becky had a nice moment at the end. I liked Dan demanding Roseanne stay out of it (and she did!).

 

For whatever reason I can't say it was "great" (though it was often quite funny) but I enjoyed it.

Edited April 11, 2018 by KMan101