The Conners Review: Money, Booze and Lies (Season 3 Episode 14)

It’s another miss for The Conner family on The Conners Season 3 Episode 14, “Money, Booze and Lies.” Nobody could make any part of this episode interesting if they tried.

It’s like the show doesn’t know what to do with these characters anymore. Darlene is left being a mediator between her dad and Ben. Meanwhile, Becky acts like she’s high and mighty to impress some “rival” from high school.

While it is nice to see The Conners circle back to Ben’s unresolved issues with his father does it have to be at the expense of his burgeoning bond with Dan? Why can’t Ben have both? Frankly, it’ll make a better story.

I think the part of this whole feud that baffles me the most is how much it is highlighting how out-of-character both Ben and Dan are behaving. What makes it even more frustrating is that there isn’t even some semblance of a shaky middle ground reached. 

Dan is not the type of man who hears someone doesn’t want to do something for personal reasons and chooses to mock them for it. The Dan Conner we’ve grown to know over the years would’ve heard that about Ben and offered to take a step back because he understands.

“Money, Booze and Lies” is also a step backward for Ben’s character. He usually isn’t one to tuck his tail between his legs and run away.

Ben is a fighter, he doesn’t back down when he feels like he’s being wronged. So why, out of everything he’s faced, is he letting Dan kick him out of the house? Why is he taking the bait, and firing Dan?

The biggest kicker is his conversation with Darlene. She is trying to help him see reason, she isn’t asking him to stay indefinitely, just to calm down a bit before he makes a decision. 

These two are a solid couple but “Money, Booze and Lies” takes back all that growth for them and shoves it down the garbage shoot. It’s just really hard to see the end game for this whole situation. 

Especially when it feels completely over-the-top and unnecessary. Yes, Ben and Dan are stubborn people, but the last time this happened it was at least broached before the episode ended. 

This time they are going to their separate corners and refusing to speak. It’s so frustrating because there isn’t a clear-cut motivation behind it.

Perhaps it is all a side-effect of Ben’s unresolved grief and insecurities, but the writing could definitely do a bit of revamping to make that more clear. Maybe, then a lack of resolution would make more sense.

The whole Becky situation isn’t even worth getting into because it made no sense what-so-ever and is a waste of time. If anything the episode should have just left Becky in the basement. 

The Conners needs to figure out its gameplan because right now I’m on the verge of wondering what we are even doing here. There seems to be no direction for this half of the season and that’s just disappointing.

What did you think of this episode of The Conners? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Conners airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on ABC.

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