What I’m Watching: Roseanne

Roseanne: Season 10, Episode 8 “Netflix and Pill” (B)

Being so into television, I find that conversation with friends often turns to what we’re watching, and I’m definitely one of the few in my circles still keeping up with this show. I’m asked how this show supports Trump and his administration, and to me the best examples are the subtle digs that get turned into comedy about how no one in this family can afford to make a decent living and buy what they need because of how the deck is stacked against them in favor of some other, which may well be the masses. The news that Roseanne has been taking a whole lot of pain pills that didn’t belong to her elicited an immediate and serious response from Dan, one which shows how much he wants to make sure she doesn’t remain addicted and that says that he’ll find a way to pay for this surgery that she has been putting off because she doesn’t believe they can afford it. It’s a far realer issue than most of the content on this show, which is all presented through a comedic lens as a way to process it. Darlene didn’t need to put much effort in to get the job that Crystal was retiring from, and that appeal of the full benefits package was all the impetus she needed. Tim Bagley’s guest appearance as the hotel concierge was another portrayal of how those in the working class are often looked down upon by those more fortunate, though you’d have to hope that no institution employee would be quite as condescending as he was.