The Conners season 6 episode 4 finally brought back Mark and, in the process, the sitcom revived Roseanne’s secret weapon with his latest subplot.
Although The Conners season 6 ignored Mark for its first three outings, the show more than made up for this oversight by bringing back a classic Roseanne ingredient in his episode 4 plot. Even though The Conners boasts an ensemble cast, this blessing can be a curse for Roseanne’s spinoff. While Roseanne followed the misadventures of Roseanne, her husband Dan, her sister Jackie, and her children Becky, DJ, and Darlene, The Conners added a slew of new characters to the mix. Darlene’s children, Harris and Mark, became major characters in Roseanne’s season 10 revival before The Conners introduced even more new characters.
In The Conners season 6, the show has to find screen time for Darlene’s love interest Ben, Jackie’s husband Neville, Dan’s second wife Louise, and Becky’s daughter Beverly-Rose. While The Conners season 7 might find a way to balance all these characters gracefully, season 6 has mostly resorted to cutting them when they aren’t vital to a given episode’s story. This is an efficient approach, but it means supporting players aren’t seen for numerous episodes at a time. Darlene’s son Mark was the season 5 finale’s main character, but he didn’t appear in season 6’s first three episodes.
Katey Sagal’s Louise looking concerned in The Conners
The Conners season 6’s first story for Katey Sagal’s Louise only underlined just how much Roseanne’s spinoff has failed to find a role for her.
Mark’s Commuter Student Struggles Brought Back A Recurring Roseanne Theme
Mark’s college problems proved The Conners can handle financial woes
While viewers had to wait a while to see Mark return, season 6, episode 4, “Shrinks Don’t Talk and Kids Don’t Sing,” gave him a storyline that was worth the wait. Mark’s struggles with commuting to college revived a classic Roseanne storyline as Darlene’s son had a hard time working around his family’s limited means. This resulted in an increasingly rare sight on network television, namely a sitcom subplot about financial struggles that didn’t end with a convenient deus ex machina. Darlene simply couldn’t afford for Mark to live on campus, but this seriously impacted his social life.
The storyline allowed The Conners to touch on the issue of income inequality without the show losing its sense of humor.
While Mark was understandably disappointed by this reality, he was more than willing to put up with it since he knew his family was doing their best. This is exactly how Darlene reacted back when Dan and Roseanne struggled to provide for her, and this storyline allowed The Conners to touch on the issue of income inequality without the show losing its sense of humor. Mark’s return in The Conners season 6 proved that the eponymous family is still living paycheck to paycheck a full generation after the events of Roseanne, but they are also still resilient.
The Conners Season 6 Kept Roseanne’s Working-Class Perspective Alive
The blue-collar sitcom still reflects the harsh realities of working-class life
It is easy for sitcoms to ignore inconvenient economic realities, as infamously epitomized by the unacknowledged wealth on display in Modern Family. Even The Conners itself has been guilty of this, with season 4 seeing Mark buy a contrabassoon despite how absurdly expensive the instrument is. However, when Darlene got Mark a job as a night janitor so he could get a free dorm room, The Conners season 6 offered a more believable solution to his plight. Much like Roseanne’s heroine facilitated Darlene’s vegetarianism because it was important to her daughter, Darlene went the extra mile for her child.
The Conners have often been called on to make sacrifices for their children.
As working-class people, the Conners have often been called on to make sacrifices for their children. The reason Darlene discovered that Mark was struggling with his status as a commuter student was because she worked as a lunch lady at his college since this was the only way to pay his expensive tuition. Darlene helping Mark despite her dire financial straits mirrored Roseanne’s recurring theme of Dan and Roseanne living with less so that they could provide their children with more. It’s tragic that Darlene ended up as cash-strapped as her parents, but it’s sweet to see her prioritize Mark.
Mark’s The Conners Season 6 Episode 4 Story Has A Drawback
Mark’s absence from The Conners season 6 could get even more noticeable
Much like Bev’s exit in The Conners season 6, Mark’s comeback was something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it was fun to see the character return, interesting to find out how he was finding college life, and heartwarming to see Darlene help him adjust. However, it was also unfortunate that Mark got a dorm room at the end of “Shrinks Don’t Talk and Kids Don’t Sing,” since this means he is even less likely to come home to Lanford in the future.
After a three-episode absence, it is sad to see that Mark will now be getting even less screen time in The Conners season 6 since he will be living on campus. Darlene’s job means she will still be in regular contact with him, but the fact that viewers saw very little of Mark even before he gained a dorm room doesn’t bode well. Mark’s role in The Conners season 6 seems to be shrinking and his dorm room now justifies this. As such, The Conners season 6 must find a new way to keep Mark involved in future episodes of Roseanne’s spinoff.
