The Conners Season 5 Episode 4 Review: Parent Traps and Heart Attacks
Who doesn’t love a good new family member reveal? The Conners Season 5 Episode 4, “Parent Traps and Heart Attacks” definitely jumps right into the concept without even pausing to look back.
This isn’t the first time this show has done a similar concept. Previously, Dan’s half-brother came back into his life on The Conners Season 2 Episode 13, “Brothers, Babies, and Breakdowns.”
With that storyline, the focus is on the death of Dan’s father, Ed Sr., which brings Ed Jr. back into Dan’s life. This time around the story focuses on Neville and Louise’s brother dying and leaving a teen son with no parents.
Jackie’s Motherly Instinct
LAURIE METCALF, KATEY SAGAL, LECY GORANSON, SARA GILBERT, JOHN GOODMAN
While The Conners, and its predecessor Roseanne, aren’t known for being on top of show continuity, one of the biggest take-backs they ever did was eliminate the reality of Jackie’s child. This is something fans have been upset about for years, but in recent seasons her ability to be there for her nieces has allowed us to put her motherhood on the back burner.
With “Parent Traps and Heart Attacks” those feelings come back in full force as we see Jackie tackle this interruption in the form of 17-year-old Caleb. The way she immediately volunteers her and Neville to care for him reminds us that she’s always meant to be a mom.
Those feelings simply grow as the episode progresses and she talks to Caleb on his level and reminds him that his father may have been trash at parenting him, but that he wasn’t alone. The way she can connect to this kid because they share a similar parental experience is something that shouldn’t be swept under the rug.
Unfortunately, the writers decide that Caleb’s trajectory is immediately going into the Marines and leaving his family behind. The disappointment and sadness in Jackie’s eyes are a testament to Laurie Metcalf herself.
There is no one else on this show that could convey so many mixed emotions within a five-minute period quite as Metcalf does. It leaves us wanting to go out and get Jackie a child of her own somehow, some way.
Darlene and Becky the Dream Team Aunts
NICO DAVID, JAYDEN REY, LECY GORANSON, SARA GILBERT
Meanwhile, in other family news, Mary is staying for a week or so while her father travels to Germany to see her mom. This poor girl needs a more stable home life, but it’s understandable that this is happening considering her mom is military.
At first, it does seem like the constant shuffling in Mary’s life is really getting to her. Then, after some poking from Darlene — who is a master at talking to moody teens — Mary reveals she actually has a boyfriend.
What proceeds is the sweetest series of moments in which Darlene and Becky get to flex their mutual aunt muscles to protect Mary. It’s not something we see very often because of how little Mary is actually around. Usually, if someone is aunt vibing they are doing it solo.
These two manage to really let her boyfriend know they will protect her at all costs while also taking jabs at each other, their family, and other ridiculous teen stereotypes. By the end, he genuinely seems to like them but Mary one-ups her aunts to show that she has the generational strong, forceful female Conner gene.
The Conners Season 5 Episode 4, “Parent Traps and Heart Attacks” serves to give a stark reminder that Mary isn’t around nearly enough for us to truly appreciate her. Of all the currently living Conners, she and Harris are most similar to the late matriarch so it’s a shame we see so little of her.
Stray Thoughts
- I’m thoroughly convinced Emma Kenney gets her Shameless castmates jobs on this show. First, it was Noel Fisher as Ed Jr and now we have Ethan Cutkosky as Caleb
- Watching Cutkosky’s Caleb flirt up a storm with Kenney’s Harris has an extra layer of weirdness because of their previous roles on Shameless
- Harris killed it with her one-liner, “He’s angry and creepy. Yeah, I’d love to go hang out in a small trailer with him. If I don’t come back, burn my journal.”
- Once again I BEG the writers to give Dan more to do than just sitting around and giving a punch line or two.
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 8/7c on ABC.
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Mads Misasi
Mads is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. They love any and all TV Dramas with a few sitcoms mixed in. Join in the fun talking about TV by following them on Twitter: @dorothynyc89.