The Conners Season 6 Episode 11 Review: Fire and Vice

What starts off being an episode centered on bad luck turns into another example of the family persevering above all else. The Conners Season 6 Episode 11, “Fire and Vice,” doesn’t shy away from Ben and Becky’s desires to want more from their lives.

While at times Ben seems to be teetering on extremely selfish and self-serving, the episode never lets him completely jump off that ledge. On the flip side, Becky comes very close to falling back into her own addiction due to her internship but is pulled back just in time.

All in all, this episode creates a delicate balance that can sometimes be hard to reach, especially for The Conners.

Ben’s Dreams Finally Realized

When Ben’s hardware store goes up in flames everyone is upset at the prospect of what is lost. Except for Ben, he almost immediately sees it as an opportunity to give up a rebuild and use the insurance money to buy a magazine instead.

Sure, it’s Hardware Magazine, which isn’t exactly the mecca of creative writing. But Ben truly believes that he can turn it around and expand their customer base even further.

It’s just unfortunate that, at first, he comes off as his old self. The Ben who was antisocial, barely cared about others, and extremely selfish. This version of himself hasn’t been seen since the early days of knowing Darlene.

At first, The Conners does a great job of spinning it to seem as though Ben is taking an opportunity to be someone who doesn’t have responsibilities to anyone but himself. A feeling that is reinforced by Ben sort of scoffing at Darlene when she asks him about Dan’s future or her own.

It’s been quite a while since Ben’s behavior has really turned me off. But, man was I on the cusp of it in the first half of the episode. Then, he brings it home by buying the magazine and still setting aside 10% of the insurance money for Dan – allowing him to pay off the house.

At that moment, Ben shows us all that he has grown into a more selfless person thanks to his connection to the Conner clan. It’ll be great to see Ben truly excited about the work he is doing once again.

Becky’s Heart Gets in the Way of Her Head

As Dan points out at the start of the episode, Becky is always the sunshine and rainbows, while Darlene is doom and gloom. But now things have changed, and Becky is taking on doom and gloom much more.

It’s a nerve-wracking place for viewers to see Becky because she’s been doing so well with her alcoholism recovery. A deep mental health spiral could put her on a path she can’t afford to trod.

The family really comes together for her by trying to tell her she doesn’t need to get fully involved with the patients she is observing at her internship. Fortunately, the best person in the family to be able to reach her is Jackie, and not surprisingly, she steps up to the plate.

Jackie can see Becky on the edge and knows she has to act fast, or her niece will end up at a point of no return. So, using the very close bond these two share, Jackie relentlessly tries to get Becky to see sense.

What makes this intervention even better is Tyler stepping up to join Jackie in this pursuit to help Becky. He is showing his hand even more profoundly than ever before.

This man wants to be Becky’s everything. And, based on how she opens up to him at the end, she might be feeling the same way.

It’s a love connection that Becky deserves after everything she’s been through with Mark and Beverly Rose’s dad.

Stray Thoughts

• Dan and Louise are going to have the best time with retirement
• I’m so happy Louise won her election with a completely clean campaign
• Here’s hoping that Ben finds success with Hardware Magazine
• Ben described as having an arsonist vibe, plus Becky’s comments about little Ben and his beard, were the peak of comedy for this episode
   

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 9:30/8:30c on ABC.

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