Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Conners season 5, episode 14.
While The Conners might be setting Darlene up as the spinoff's new version of Roseanne's eponymous heroine, this role comes with its own set of challenges. Roseanne’s protagonist, Roseanne Conner, was something of an anomaly in 90s sitcom history. The straight-talking, working-class sitcom heroine had a bone-deep aversion to sentimentality, and she would almost always deflate a sweet moment with a barbed aside. While this sarcastic attitude became increasingly common on television in the years that followed, Roseanne’s heroine was unique in a television comedy landscape filled with schmaltzy offerings like Full House and The Cosby Show that predated Seinfeld’s famously influential “no hugging, no learning” policy.
While Roseanne’s legacy casts a shadow over The Conners, the sitcom spinoff has changed some elements of the original show’s appeal. For example, the Conners have been kinder to Jackie since Roseanne’s death and the supporting character has gotten a lot better at standing up for herself as a result. Similarly, Dan has a lot fewer fights with his second wife, Katey Sagal’s easygoing Louise, than he did with Roseanne. However, this tonal shift has not stopped The Conners season 5 from positioning Darlene as Roseanne’s replacement. That said, one episode of the spinoff proved that it’s not easy to be like Roseanne's heroine, as much as viewers may have loved the late character.
The Conners Season 5 Brought Back Roseanne’s Biggest Problem
For all of her well-hidden heart, Roseanne’s dislike of sentimentality could make her a straight-up unpleasant person at times when plots demanded some tenderness. For example, when Jackie’s sadder Roseanne storylines happened, Roseanne was not a great support to her sister since the sitcom heroine struggled to align her sharp wit with any sort of softer side to her character. The drawbacks of this persistent coolness were highlighted in The Conners season 5, episode 14, “Adding Insult To Injury,” when Darlene was true to her combative, sardonic self in a job interview and potential employers were instantly put off hiring her despite her qualifications.
Although Darlene eventually gained a job in a company’s accounting department (since that section needed straight-talking, unsentimental workers), Darlene’s initial liability to understand her failure at job interviews reflected her mother’s biggest flaw. Ben and Darlene’s fights in The Conners season 5 further underlined how much Roseanne’s daughter inherited her mother’s inability to make peace and avoid conflict even when it is in her best interests. While Roseanne and Darlene could both be fearless when necessary, their shared qualities also spilled over into callous cruelty at times, and both characters share a lack of filter that has proved a problem for them.
Darlene’s Personality Costs Her In The Conners Season 5
Not only did Darlene’s terse personality deepen and draw out her fights with Ben early in their married life, but her refusal to tone down her constant insults also ruined numerous job interviews that she desperately needed. In the process of telling this story, The Conners season 5 proved Roseanne cameos aren’t necessary for the show to highlight the legacy of its former heroine. Watching Darlene fall into the same traps as her mother before her thanks to their shared hubris was a rawer, more grounded reminder of Roseanne’s star than any cameo, and the storyline served as a reminder that Roseanne’s imperfections sometimes hurt those around her.
Why Darlene’s Story Needed This Roseanne Nod
Darlene struggled with her mother more than anyone, so The Conners needed to acknowledge how much this was because of her similarities with Roseanne rather than the pair’s differences. Darlene and Roseanne both used humor as a defense mechanism to keep people at a distance since both characters were wary of emotional closeness. The Conners season 5 featured a bleak, accurate summation of Roseanne and Dan’s relationship when Mark read aloud from his later grandmother’s diary, Dan told him to only read the complimentary parts, and Mark proceeded to flip through entire pages of entries in silence.
As The Conners season 5 continues to come to terms with how Roseanne shaped the titular family’s personalities (for better and for worse), the show inevitably dredges up her flaws as well as her good qualities. This is the best approach for the Roseanne spinoff since attempting to depict Roseanne as a saint goes against both her character’s worldview and the show’s sense of humor. While it is true that The Conners doesn’t need more tragic twists in season 5, the series can address Roseanne’s faults without becoming too downbeat, as proven by Darlene’s storyline in The Conners season 5 highlighting Roseanne’s flaws.