However, The Conners season 7 seemed set to make this unfortunate event into an unlikely win for the unlucky family. Ben’s insurance company paid out, and he realized that he never wanted to run the store in the first place. This led him to buy out Dan’s share of the shop with some of the money. Ben used the rest of the insurance payout to purchase Hardware, a magazine where he wrote a column. Ben hoped to make his and Darlene’s shared dream of working as writers come true with this investment, and things appeared to be looking up.
The Conners season 7 could bring back a famous supporting character from Roseanne, but the spinoff has left this guest star with no role to fulfil.
The Conners Season 7 Could Spend Ben’s Insurance Money On Mark
Mark Became Involved With Scammers In The Season 6 Finale
However, the family’s newfound financial comfort could easily be undone in The Conners season 7 and Roseanne’s spinoff has already hinted at how this could happen. In season 6, episode 13, “Less Money, More Problems,” Mark dropped out of college after discovering that he was accepted into the University of Chicago. He immediately began working multiple jobs to save up for this expensive university’s tuition fees, but struggled to stick with working as a repo man. Mark balked at the prospect of repossessing the belongings of struggling people, so he instead began working as a computer hacker alongside some acquaintances.
Mark could be arrested for this work and all the money that Ben recently received might go toward Mark’s bail or legal defense. Although The Conners season 6 ended Jackie’s Lunchbox storyline when she handed the restaurant over to her grandniece Harris, this didn’t magically solve the family’s broader financial woes. Ben’s insurance payout didn’t cover Mark’s tuition, meaning Darlene’s son still needed numerous jobs to cover his education at the University of Chicago. This led Mark to make a risky choice of becoming a computer hacker and this, in turn, could cost Ben his windfall.
The Conners Season 5 Foreshadowed Ben and Mark’s Shared Plot
The Duo Didn’t Share Much Screen Time In Season 6
What makes this twist more likely is the fact that The Conners foreshadowed Mark relying on Ben’s help a year earlier. In season 5, episode 22, ”The Grad Finale,” Mark said that he saw Ben as his real father during his graduation speech. His biological father, Roseanne supporting star David, didn’t attend the ceremony and this led Mark to realize that Ben was always a better support to him than the inconsistent, inconsiderate David. This was a heartwarming scene, but it also subtly set up the possibility of Mark relying on Ben for money in The Conners season 7.
Ben has been a support to Mark for years now.
While The Conners season 6 ended Bev’s role in the series, the show shut down the chance of Johnny Galecki’s David Healy returning even earlier. The fact that David initially promised he would attend his son’s graduation, only to let him down at the last minute, made Mark effectively disown his father. Ben has been a support to Mark for years now, with the stepfather helping him pass his driving test in secret when Darlene wouldn’t stop stressing her son out. This makes it all the more likely that Mark would confide in Ben alone if he was arrested for hacking.
Ben’s Insurance Story Risked Repeating A Hated Roseanne Story
Roseanne Season 9 Made The Conners Rich
While it would be sad to see Ben’s money and all its promising prospects gone so soon, it is important to note that The Conners season 7 shouldn’t make the family rich. The series made this mistake once before in season 9 of Roseanne‘s original run. The Conners won the lottery and became millionaires overnight, an absurd twist that ruined the show’s working-class humor. Season 9 was filled with silly twists and zany plots that bore little resemblance to the grounded, relatable storylines of earlier outings. Even the role of Martin Mull’s pivotal Roseanne supporting character, Leon, was ruined.
The Conners season 7 could see Ben struggle to help out Mark.
The Conners season 7 needed to avoid repeating this mistake for obvious reasons, so Ben’s windfall going to Mark’s legal defense may not be as mean-spirited as it seems. However, there should be a middle ground between The Conners taking all the family’s newfound comfort away and Roseanne making them ludicrously rich overnight. The Conners season 7 could see Ben struggle to help out Mark but still keep Hardware magazine afloat despite some hiccups. This would provide the necessary narrative tension without making the tragic story of the family even sadder. After all, they have already been through a lot.
The Conners Season 7 Still Needs A Hopeful Ending
Roseanne’s Spinoff Shouldn’t End With Its Heroes Still Struggling
The Conners came into existence when Roseanne’s original title character was killed off by an off-screen overdose. Since then, the Conners have dealt with a string of traumas that only subsided in season 6. It has been 35 years since Roseanne originally began, and it is fair to say that, outside of the retconned season 9, the family has struggled throughout. The Conners deserve a break and, since season 7 is the show’s final outing, there is no better time for the series to give their story a hopeful final chapter as well as more Roseanne character returns.
Season 7 should still leave viewers with a reason to believe that life could get better for Lanford’s favorite family.
Roseanne’s supporting cast needs a chance to say goodbye before The Conners wraps up for good, and Mark and Ben’s story shouldn’t end on a completely downbeat note. It would make sense for Mark’s hacking job to end in disaster, but season 7 should still leave viewers with a reason to believe that life could get better for Lanford’s favorite family. The Conner clan has been through more than enough hardship for one lifetime. As such, The Conners season 7 owes Roseanne’s heroes a hopeful last outing, even if they don’t receive an unambiguously upbeat end to their story.
