The Conners Season 7 Episode 4 Review: Danny Boy, the Interview, the New Hire, and the Hanging Chad

As we inch ever closer to saying goodbye, the lack of development for these characters becomes that much more obvious. Sure, we get by well enough on The Conners Season 7 Episode 4, “Danny Boy, the Interview, the New Hire, and the Hanging Chad,” thanks to the familiar comfort of the family dynamic.

Unfortunately, it’s not enough to give this show a stellar score. At some point, they have to stop relying on old tricks and start moving the characters toward a meaningful conclusion. 

The only character who seems to be moving forward is Becky, and that’s just plain sad. We continue to have the same issues with Darlene and her marriage, and Jackie continues to annoy Dan with her antics. All while Darlene’s kids are struggling with their status as adults.

The Chad of it All

During my review of The Conners Season 7 Episode 2, “Fame, Flying Fists, and Cold Feet,” I mentioned that Darlene developing any kind of bond with Chad could be fun. Now, I want to amend it to say Darlene making a friend could be great, too bad the writers seem to want it to develop into something more.

Darlene is canonically someone who has cheated on her husband in the past. As we learned during Roseanne Season 10 Episode 5, “Darlene v. David,” her marriage to David Healy fell apart because of an affair. 

That said, she’s grown quite a bit since then and now the idea of a cheating storyline for her seems quite a bit of a stretch. That said, the other side of her marital problems doesn’t make sense either, but that’s neither here nor there.

So, for there to be multiple instances during this episode where it is implied that Darlene is carrying on an affair with Chad is a letdown. They most definitely are emotionally cheating, but why does it have to be pointed out as such?

Why can’t we just have them be friends there to comfort each other during a difficult time? Darlene doesn’t really have any connections outside her family, and that’s a disservice to her character.

I miss her old work companion, Robin, played by the incomparable Alexandra Billings. Sure, we haven’t seen Robin since The Conners Season 5 Episode 7, “Take This Job and Shove It Twice,” but their bond was a fun dynamic to the show.

Chad is fun (mostly because of Seth Green), but he lacks any meaningful connection to Darlene. Most of their interactions have been happening off-screen and made to feel like a dirty little secret. 

What Is Dan Doing?

Honestly, at this point, it feels as though Dan Conner is just there for the legacy of it all. His appearance in this episode holds no weight and adds nothing to the story. 

He’s simply a catalyst for more of Jackie’s antics, which are also getting exhausting at this point. The two of them have their moments that feel natural, but The Conners Season 7 Episode 4, “Danny Boy, the Interview, the New Hire, and the Hanging Chad,” isn’t one of them. 

In fact, if we were to delete all the scenes involving Dan agonizing over getting in touch with his emotional side, it wouldn’t change the episode at all. All of this build-up the writers are trying to create with this lawsuit is making it more and more unbelievable as time goes on. 

At first, Joan is an interesting character, but now she’s just there to argue with Jackie and say a few zinger lines. It doesn’t make that much sense to me why she’s always around. Doesn’t she have other clients to worry about?

Basically, it feels as though the writers don’t know what to do with Dan for these final six episodes, so they created a lawsuit storyline. Except that doesn’t require much development, so now it’s getting dragged out and stretched beyond what is necessary.

Becky Somehow Manages to Land a Lucrative Job

In a twist no one sees coming, Becky actually manages to get hired as the Head of the Wellness Program at a tech company. After a job interview from hell, Becky still manages to present herself competently enough that the man wants her. 

Considering she told him all her dark secrets in an embarrassing word-vomit fashion, it’s a total shock that he didn’t run screaming. However, that might’ve oddly worked in her favor now that we look back on it.

After all, he starts the interview by saying that he feels her single mom status will help her connect with his employees better. Therefore, it’s not a total stretch to see that all her struggles are exactly what makes her uniquely qualified. 

As Dan tells her, when she’s catastrophizing, her experiences make her stronger. According to Dan, they allow people to see that she is a survivor and a fighter, which is most likely what the interviewer thinks, too.

In fact, Becky being the one to break away from the Conner curse of always barely scraping by is a bit poetic. For fans of the character, we’ve seen all that she’s been through and persevered to get where she is now.

It’s beautiful to see that at least she continues moving forward, forging a new path. As we look towards the end, her finally succeeding in life is an accomplishment worth celebrating.

 

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The Conners airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on ABC.

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