Roseanne Review: Go Cubs (Season 10 Episode 7)

On Roseanne Season 10 Episode 7, “Go Cubs,” the mood turns political. To be honest, I was concerned going into it — mostly because I am against most (if not all) of Roseanne Barr’s political leanings.

I chose to watch this reboot despite this knowledge because, above it all, I love Roseanne Conner and her crazy family. However, when the talk of this episode turned to political issues, I thought I was going to have to draw the line.

I have never been more excited to be wrong in my whole life.

Despite last week’s dull episode, Roseanne Season 10 Episode 6, “No Country for Old Women,” the Conners manage to draw us back in.

When Roseanne realizes that Dan has lost a bid (and therefore their income), she doesn’t sweat it. Instead, she makes snide remarks about how it’ll be a game of bill roulette in finding out which one got paid.

This is the type of humor and view about life’s struggles that I have been expecting all season. So far, the show hasn’t really delved too deeply into that struggle.

In the ’90s, this show embarked on the poor, working-class family trope. Now here we are, and the trope remains, because let’s face it: the Conner’s will never shed that skin.

Showing that Dan lost out a bid to undocumented workers making a lower bid is what started to open my own heart. It gives a face to one of middle America’s biggest issues with immigration.

It’s easier to imagine distrust and fear of minorities from the job aspect than it is from a distance. Struggling to pay even the internet/cable bill because people who came from other countries “took” your work for the week is a more human side not always thought of.

Putting a modern spin on their struggles makes it more relatable to even younger generations. After all, who hasn’t tried stealing a neighbor’s WIFI when you can’t afford to pay your own?

What makes me really take pause with this episode is what comes next — the political side to all of this. The Conners’ new neighbors are Muslim. This is a hard subject in today’s political climate.

For Roseanne to decide to address it shows how respectable the show really is.

My biggest concern for this story is the fear that only one side of this debate is going to be addressed. Seeing Roseanne talk to her neighbors and admit to her fear of them, it goes better than I’d hoped. She starts a conversation.

This conversation is something that I believe all Americans should watch. Whether you side with the Democrats or the Republicans, this episode could benefit you.

I’m not trying to get all preachy. I am just saying that this episode really delves into the heart of why people feel the way that they do about immigration. They don’t always have the proper experiences to look at situations with a wide-lensed view.

By giving her neighbors a human quality — i.e., the son having nightmares due to teasing, or loving baseball — the writers leave us more open to hearing their story.

The best line from the whole episode comes from the neighbor’s wife, and it is still haunting me.

Neighbor’s Wife: The ignorance of adults shouldn’t punish children.

It’s a moment that really brings home the reality that prejudices and judgments can end from one generation to the next. Just because we believe in something doesn’t mean that our children must do the same.

Minds can even be changed, as with this newfound understanding between the neighbors of color and the white “natives.”

That change of heart on Roseanne’s part is what utterly surprised me and has me remaining faithful to the show once again. It’s not a move any longtime fan would ever expect.

It gives me hope for Roseanne’s strict conservative view. If even she can change her tune ever so slightly, then how hard can it be to help those in our own lives?

After all, you can learn more about a person by simply starting a conversation. In today’s charged political climate, where people are judging without talking, “Go Cubs” reminds us to take a second to get to know that person living next door or in the line at the grocery store.

By opening your mind, you can open your heart. It’ll be interesting to see where the final episodes of this season take us. I mean, we have seen it all now. Wouldn’t it be something for Roseanne to come back as a Democrat?

Other Thoughts:

• Despite the episode being about DJ’s daughter, Mary, we still barely see any of DJ.
• The end with DJ and Dan hits me right in the feels. It’s the passing of the torch, so to speak.
• Pickens JR is a nice little outlet of simplicity in an episode filled with complexity.

What did you think of this episode of Roseanne? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Catch up with our review of Roseanne Season 10 Episode 6, “No Country for Old Women” right here.

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Roseanne airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC.

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