The Conners Season 5 Episode 2 Review: Scenes From Two Marriages: The Parrot Doth Protest Too Much
Christine Orlando
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Being a newlywed can be a serious adjustment, and The Conners Season 5 Episode 2 had their two recently married couples experiencing some bumps in the road to marital bliss.
You'd think that after all of the breakups and heartache that Darlene and Ben have put one another through, they'd be thrilled to finally be married.
But it turns out those rings on their fingers haven't solved their problems.
Ben was frustrated and maybe a little depressed.
I need to be around creativity. You know, I don't write anymore, and I work at a hardware store all day long. And your Dad went on the other day for 20 minutes about toggle bolts versus anchor bolts, and at one point, I looked over at the rat poison, and I thought, Oh, man, if only I had the guts.
Ben
Running his late father's hardware store to make a living isn't Ben's dream job, and I have sympathy for how that's wearing him down.
I might have more sympathy if he'd been more empathetic when Darlene faced similar difficulties adjusting to working at the factory.
I should probably let it go, considering Darlene has, but it still bugs me that Ben wasn't even willing to go away for a long weekend to give Darlene the mental health break even when she pleaded with him.
All Ben wanted was a night out doing something different, and Darlene agreed until things took a turn she hadn't expected.
Ben: Oh, come on. Loosen up. It'll be hilariously bad, and everyone will have a good laugh.
Darlene: Oh, now that I know I'm going to be humiliated, I'd love to stay.
Ben: I'm sorry it's not as exciting as checking your jitterbug for messages and falling asleep to Blue Bloods.
Darlene: Oh, so I'm old now.
Ben: You're becoming your father.
Darlene: No, my father never would have allowed himself to be dragged here.
Ben: You said you wanted to make me happy.
Darlene: Well, that was a mistake I'll never be making again. You know what? I'm done going out altogether.
To Ben, Darlene just needed to loosen up because he was having fun. But as someone who would rather hide under my seat than be a part of that type of audience participation, I felt Darlene's pain.
You'd think after all the time they've known one another, Ben would know how much Darlene would dread something like that. And even when she was overwhelmingly uncomfortable, he tried to push her into it. That felt mean.
Perhaps we're supposed to find it comforting that marriage hasn't changed Darlene and Ben's fights, but I find it disheartening.
Darlene did admit that Ben had a point. She was falling into well-worn patterns that were similar to her father's. But when Darlene realized that, she owned up to it.
Look, there's no shame in that. You have a family. You work hard, and eventually, your couch becomes your big cushiony friend that really gets you.
Dan
What bugs me about Ben and Darlene is that when Darlene recognizes she's in the wrong, she apologizes and tries to make things right.
Here, she said she was sorry for ruining Ben's night and formulated a plan that could give Ben the outings he craved while not pulling Darlene so far out of her comfort zone that she'd be miserable.
But I never heard Ben apologize for pushing Darlene to do something that made her feel humiliated. That feels like a problem.
I'm sure that renovating the house and still not having their own place to live is adding to the stress of being newly married. And let's face it, Darlene and Ben got back together after a lengthy breakup and almost immediately walked down the aisle.
It made for great TV, but they probably should have taken a beat or two before tying the knot, or even better, go for some couples therapy so they don't continually repeat the same old, destructive patterns.
Jackie and Neville had an entirely different set of problems, and who would have guessed that they'd stem from Neville's insecurities and not Jackie's?
Having Neville bring home half a petting zoo was a great sight gag, especially when the goat walked up to get a better look at the TV.
Poor Neville thought he was too dull to keep Jackie interested.
Neville: All this keeps life pretty interesting, doesn't it?
Jackie: Interesting is a puppy. This is a documentary that ends with the neighbors going, Well, we saw that coming.
It's a nice change that in this relationship, Jackie can be the strong, rational one from time to time.
I was proud of Jackie when she talked to Neville. She was kind but firm. Having all of those animals in the house wasn't working for her, and it certainly wasn't giving them more alone time the way Neville claimed it would.
Thankfully, Neville was honest about his fears, and their relationship took a big step forward.
Where the animals brought the humorous element to this story, Neville and Jackie brought the affection, which made it all the sweeter.
This episode focused on the two newlyweds, but it left me wondering about Louise.
I know Katey Sagal is only a recurring cast member so she won't be in every installment, but we're only two episodes in, and I miss her. Dan needs her back to get him up off that couch.
Plus, will Louise be okay with Harris sticking around? Have they even had that discussion yet?
And how long will it be before Darlene's house is finished? I can't imagine what it will be like to have everyone but Dan and Louise out of the Conner house, but I hope we get to experience it soon.
So what did you think, TV Fanatics?
Am I being too hard on Ben or was he being too hard on Darlene? Do I need to let go of their past and move on, or should I continue to call out Ben and Darlene's patterns?
Were you happy that Jackie got to be the person who confronted the problems in their relationship and helped solve them?
And do you miss Louise as much as I do?
Hit that big, blue, SHOW COMMENTS button below to share your thoughts, then check back in for our review of The Conners Season 2.
And don't forget, you can watch The Conners online any time here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
