The Conners Review: Young Love, Old Love and Take This Job and Shove It (Season 4 Episode 6)

The saga of Ben and Darlene continues, but in a way that moves more toward the median. The Conners Season 4 Episode 6, “Young Love, Old Love and Take This Job and Shove It,” is that middle ground between these two characters who were recently slated to walk down the aisle together.

Young Love Leads to Olive Branch

The two best things of this whole episode are the changes being presented with Mark and how it changes Ben and Darlene. 

Ultimately, we’ve known Mark since he was a pre-teen who was very confident in who he was. These last few seasons, we haven’t seen him evolve into a typical — don’t want to talk to my mom — teen. So, it’s nice that this episode gives us that.

Mark is typically a very sweet, kind kid who goes along with anything his mom wants to do. The Conners finally evolves him forward and shows that he’s not always okay with his mom’s meddling. 

He is 14 and truly discovering the beauty and fun of romantic relationships. I’m glad that despite it being hard for him to make friends, Mark isn’t willing to allow his mom to push him toward someone just because.

I really hope that this evolution continues, without compromising his relationship with his mother. If the final scene between them is an indication the hopes are high that these two will be just fine.

Fine, a word that is so vague, and yet is the perfect description of where Darlene and Ben are at. They have been clashing ever since their relationship fell apart, and yet “Young Love, Old Love and Take This Job and Shove It” shows they are able to work past that.

Despite the relationship with Darlene not working out, Ben continues to love and support her kids. It’s a beautiful thing to see. 

This bond he has with the kids is finally breaking through Darlene’s tough walls and it shows. This is the type of character evolution and development we want from this show. 

Is Becky Ok?

One part of the episode that doesn’t make sense in the slightest is Becky dropping her job at The Lunchbox. She’s worked so hard to reach a financially stable point in her life for her and Beverly Rose.

I understand that she wants to really feel the experience of being in college. However, she’s not a young adult in college; she’s a middle-aged, single mom. 

Becky has responsibilities to herself and her family that she can’t just drop because she feels like being more involved with school instead. It’s very unlike her to leave Jackie hanging like that with no warning. 

Jackie is willing to work with her — to an extent — but Becky is totally taking advantage of that good feeling these younger students give her. Yes, she is smart and has the right to share that with her classmates. 

There just needs to be a limit to how much she’s sharing. There is a way to be both an involved college student and maintain a steady, full-time job so your responsibilities on both sides are met. 

Hopefully, the family won’t let Becky continue this behavior. Maybe, they can convince her to do things the right way and still manage to enjoy her life.

Stray Thoughts:

• The cold open didn’t make much sense. It makes the story seem like it was backtracking to before the previous episode with the mention of Dan and Louise missing out on their honeymoon.
• I really like Logan for Mark; I hope we still get to see them evolve despite Logan leaving for Oklahoma. 

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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