Darlene puts it all on the line when she demands a raise on The Conners Season 4 Episode 17.

Is it worth the risk, or is there no other choice?

If Darlene wants that new home, then it appears her options are limited. Yes, she can pick up the mortgage and get the loan to cover the construction costs of the remodel, but she forgot to factor in the price of taxes and insurance.

It's a rookie mistake, and it has come back to bite her.

Nothing is ever easy for the Conners. Even with Ben selling her all of the construction materials at cost, Dan getting a retired, senior citizen crew to actually do the work on the house, and charging Becky rent, Darlene still can't make the bills on her current salary.

And I'm a little confused. Last we'd heard, the plan was to knock this house down and rebuild a new home on the same property. But now they're calling this a remodel, which makes it sound like they're keeping the same Victorian structure and updating the inside.

That seems like the smarter plan, but Darlene has said she doesn't like the sad energy the house carried after so many years of housing people in the throes of grief. So has the plan changed, or will they be demolishing this beautiful old home? I guess we'll find out soon.

As for that raise, Robin was right. Banding together did give her and Darlene more leverage as companies are struggling to keep front-end workers, so they're the ones getting more money.

It wouldn't have surprised me a bit if the factory decided to keep either Robin or Darlene, give one of them a raise and then demand they cover the duties of both jobs. It's sad how often that happens in real life.

And Darlene's outrage when she thought that Robin was being given the raise but she wasn't, was both funny and scary. Scary because it could have easily gone that way. Would Robin and Darlene have held firm if the company tried to pit them against one another. I guess we'll never know. 

I hate you so much. You’ve destroyed my life, and I’m going to spend the rest of my waking hours hoping that you fail at everything you do.

Darlene

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But I'm thankful that Darlene got the win, as that's happened far too few times in her life. Darlene works hard at a job she doesn't love. She deserves to be compensated for it. 

And for the sake of Dan and Louise's marriage, Becky and Darlene need to move out of Dan's house. 

It's easy to see both sides of this argument. Louise and Dan are married, and it's not unreasonable for Louise to expect to be a priority in her husband's life. 

Every time one of you needs something, you expect your Dad to drop everything and take care of you, and the thing he usually drops is me.

Louise

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The flip side is that Dan has always played a vital role in his adult children and grandchildren's lives, and Louise was aware of that when she married him. 

Remember when Dan mentioned that he had missed out on five years of Harris and Mark's lives when Darlene moved to Chicago? Dan doesn't want that to happen again, especially not with Beverly Rose, whom he clearly adores. 

And Becky wasn't wrong when she pointed out that Louise was the one who volunteered Dan to rebuild the funeral home for Darlene.

Louise: Now he’s going to be busy building that house for you and Darlene. I’m never going to see him.
Becky: Building the house was your idea!
Louise: I was being nice.
Becky: Well, you made a mistake. Move on.

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When things go wrong, the Conners band together in order to survive, and I don't see that changing any time soon, but they do need to adjust to Dan being married and what that means. 

Dan didn't seem to think twice about canceling his and Louise's date night to see that concert, which wasn't fair. Louise was right to question whether Dan pushed Becky to find another babysitter or if he immediately decided to play hero because the concert wasn't that important to him. 

Louise has given up a lot of her independence to be with Dan. She loves him, and she loves his family, but she can't be the only one making compromises. 

What Louise is requesting isn't unwarranted. In fact, it's pretty fair. Louise isn't asking to always come first in Dan's life. She simply doesn't want to always feel as though she's coming in last. 

But with Dan running this construction project, things could get worse before they get better. Hopefully, Louise and Dan can make it through until Darlene, Mark, Becky, and Beverly Rose can all move out and into their new place because that will be a game-changer. 

I have little doubt that Louise will be thrilled to finally have Dan to herself, but I'm curious how Dan will react. Since the kids will still be living in Lanford, I'm optimistic that this move will give everyone the space they need while still being close enough to enjoy themselves as a family.

Or just be able to make one another crazy on a regular basis. This is the Conner family, after all.

So what did you think, TV Fanatics? 

Was Louise being unreasonable? Should she have known what she was getting into when she married Dan or is she right to expect him to move her to the front of the line on occasion?

And did you expect Darlene to get that raise or be horribly disappointed?

Hit that big, blue, SHOW COMMENTS button down below to share your thoughts on this episode of The Conners. And don't forget that you can watch The Conners online any time here at TV Fanatic. 

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.