TV Talk - Roseanne - Winning the Lottery

(Just want to make it clear this was written when I was 26. In case I said anything embarrassing.)

Yes, I know there is no episode of Roseanne called, "Winning the Lottery."












Anyway, the jump-the-shark phenomenon with TV might have you believe Roseanne lost it after the Conner Family won the Illinois State Lottery and the 108 million dollars (though, it's never mentioned how much they have to end up giving back to the U.S. government). Sure, it lead to at least 2 or 3 of the worst (or, most useless) episodes of the entire series. Especially "Hoi Polloi Meets Hoiti Toiti," "Roseambo," and for the most part, "Pampered to a Pulp."












I almost have to wonder now what my point is. I mean, if you're reading this, I should think you remember seeing this season for yourself. Admittedly, it's clearly the weakest of the set of nine total (the show ran from '88 to '97). It's not the fault of the writers deciding the Conners should winning millions of dollars. Seriously- talk about 'The' American Dream (or, the American Dream of the '90s). Plus, the 9th season was able to make D.J. into a character I didn't hate (I'm going to talk more about that later).












I also think "What a Day for a Daydream" episode is one of the best episodes of any season after the show's 5th (and best) season. How many episodes of the show basically took place in just one room? Naturally, I wasn't crazy about the stuff with Hugh Hefner. Though the scene was funny. And I liked seeing Roseanne as a beauty queen. Sort of like the funny side of Delta Burke, who was always pretty sad on Designing Women. I could see that happening, and I think she looks good.

And then on The Jerry Springer Show was kind of funny (though nowhere near as funny as the Jerry Springer scene in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me). Since seeing the re-run of this episode in 2005 on Oxygen, I have never been able to forget the moment where the black woman in the audience shouts, "you people are livin' proof that God takes care of children, and fools!" You just have to love any scene in any movie or show where "(bleep)ing" curse words erupt into spontaneous screaming noise.

Perhaps this should have been the last episode of the show. They could have extended the 8th season for two more episodes. But in spite of its' flaws, the last season is worth watching. If nothing else, for that glorious moment when the world's most underdog-ged mainstream family finally get what they truly did deserve- the kind of money that validates how hard they worked and how many times they had to sludge through life's garbage with almost nothing to show for it.

Or... maybe they should have been able to keep it all because none of us are likely to ever see that kind of money. Hell- this computer I'm typing into is the most luxurious and lavish thing I've ever owned (and I don't even own it). We should be able to suspend disbelief and be given this fiction as a kind of escape out of our crappy lives. Either way, we put years into watching this family and I think most of us thought they should get the money.












Which of course, brings up the topic of the show's controversial ending. The ending did bother me because they lost the money. And because, with no Dan, it's just Roseanne and the diner bringing in money for 4 mouths plus her and the girls' husbands.