Just because John Goodman‘s Dan found love again on The Conners doesn’t mean his three-decade marriage to Roseanne Barr‘s late character isn’t still a conflict in his marriage to Katey Sagal‘s Louise.
During the series finale, which aired on Wednesday, April 23, Dan was being prepped by Jackie (Laurie Metcalf), Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Becky (Lecy Goranson) for a deposition against a pharmaceutical company. In order to get awarded compensation following Roseanne’s overdose, Dan was encouraged by Jackie to talk about his “devastating loss.”
“Your life is a hopeless pit of despair,” Jackie told Dan about his talking points, while Becky added, “[They] took away a love that only comes once in a lifetime.”
Louise, however, wasn’t thrilled with the way Dan’s first marriage was being described. Every girl dreams of a man saying, ‘You are the woman I always wanted after the other one died,’” she quipped.
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Later in the episode, Louise confided in Jackie about her feelings.
“I am kind of going through something. [Working out] helps me get out of my head,” she admitted. “Don’t take this the wrong way but hearing the constant talk about the irreplaceable love between Dan and Roseanne is starting to get to me.”
Jackie said she understood why Louise didn’t speak up since her issues with Dan’s past marriage would make her come off as an “insensitive selfish shrew.” Louise, for her part, wasn’t sure how to address the problem.
“I know Dan is having a really rough time and I want to be respectful,” Louise noted, as Jackie agreed that she would cause “resentment” in Dan. “But I worked really hard to keep Roseanne from being the third person in our marriage.”
The first part of the two-part finale ended with Louise asking to speak with Dan before changing her mind. Louise and Dan will presumably work out their issues before the series comes to an end after seven seasons.
Roseanne introduced Us to the Conner family when it originally aired from 1988 to 1997. Following being briefly revived in 2018, the story transformed into The Conners. After becoming a staple in everyone’s home, The Conners is wrapping up but not without leaving the door open for more.
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“I think one of the things that I was hoping that did happen [when wrapping up The Conners] was knowing that they were going on with their lives. So it wasn’t like, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s a lightning bolt and there go the Connors,’” Goranson, 50, exclusively told Us Weekly in March about the conclusion. “I hope that it would give you an imagination of Becky — who’s been through so much — that you knew that there was some hope in her future. Not hoping to win the lottery but hopefully finishing her degree and having her romance and having her daughter in a good place and her relationship.”
She continued: “Becky has been through so much. When I see people who watch the show, they say, ‘Oh my God, we’re rooting for Becky.’ It’s really nice to feel that investment, and I’m also rooting for her.”
Emma Kenney, meanwhile, said she “trusted the writers” when it came to wrapping up her arc, telling Us, “I liked the way my character Harris’ story ends and I could definitely envision the rest of her life if it were to be on camera too. … [The writers have] known all of these characters for so long now. I knew they were going to do all of the characters justice.”
The Conners is currently streaming on Hulu.
