While it will be fun to see The Conners season 5 finally depict Louise’s mother in an upcoming episode, this raises the question of how Dan has never before met his mother-in-law. The Roseanne spinoff has not always known how to handle the subject of Dan’s remarriage. Since his relationship with Roseanne was central to the appeal of the original series, it was tough for The Conners to give the character a new love interest without seeming to replace his first wife.
The Conners integrated Louise (Katey Sagal) into the family unit nicely after spending a few seasons with her at the periphery of the Conner clan. Louise became a gruff mentor to Harris (Emma Kenney) when Becky (Lecy Goranson) and Darlene (Sara Gilbert) moved out, and it was a role that fits Louise’s claim that she doesn’t want to be a grandmother or mother to any of the Conners. However, the impending arrival of Louise’s mother, Doris Goldufski (played by the legendary Jane Curtin), is another reminder of just how much The Conners sidelined the character early on. After all, the fact that Dan has somehow still not met his mother-in-law until over a year into his second marriage is a pretty sizable plot hole.
Why Dan Should Have Met His Mother-In-Law By Season 5
The fact that Louise and Dan have been married for over a year is enough reason for him to have met her mother by now. However, Dan’s role in earlier seasons of The Conners makes this issue even worse, since he was dating Louise for a long time before the pair got engaged. Dan and Louise have been married for over a year but dating for three, with Louise’s first appearance taking place back in The Conners season 1. While the pair’s romance did take a while to get going due to Dan’s bereavement, it is still striking that he never met Louise’s mother before, and Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) makes this even harder to believe.
Jackie’s Story Makes This Conners Plot Hole Even Worse
If Dan had been seeing Louise for only two years and married to her for another one, it would be surprising but somewhat plausible that he would not have met Doris yet. After all, COVID-19 travel restrictions account for a significant chunk of that time, meaning Doris could not have visited. However, Jackie’s character transformation in The Conners makes this excuse a lot less believable. Jackie had not even met Louise’s brother, Neville, when Louise and Dan got married — yet, in the time since that wedding, Neville and Jackie have begun dating, gotten engaged, and gotten married themselves. This makes it tough to believe that Dan didn’t have time for Doris in the interim.
Dan has been a loving husband to both Roseanne and Louise and, although he certainly has his flaws, The Conners doesn’t usually mine its humor from the terrible sitcom husband stereotype. Dan isn’t the sort to shirk family responsibilities — he has even gotten into fights with Louise over his tendency to prioritize family over everything — so his failure to meet Doris until season 5 will be hard for The Conners to justify. In contrast, Jackie’s relationship with her and Roseanne’s mother Beverly alone explains why she wouldn’t want to meet her mother-in-law, and her shorter relationship with Neville gives her another excuse where The Conners season 5 doesn’t offer Dan any such leeway.
Episodes of The Conners air on Wednesdays on ABC.
