What I’m Watching: The Conners

The Conners: Season 1, Episode 9 “Rage Against the Machine” (B+)

This show has done a great job of realizing what it should be, and this episode was extremely entertaining. Leave it to Dan to have a vending machine fall on him and then not want to put in much effort to fight the system to get what he deserves. Despite DJ’s job, Darlene was all for pushing as hard as possible to get their bills covered, and as soon as she said the word “lawyer,” the conversation was over and the snacks were taken away. I was very excited to see the always great Peter Gallagher as the lawyer that Darlene decided to hire after seeing his face advertised at a gas station, and though he didn’t have all that much to do, he did have a great line in response to Dan saying he wasn’t hurt as bad as six figures: “Never say that again.” Naturally, the settlement that he ultimately got wasn’t anything to write home about, though Darlene’s persistence and humor helped them conclude that they ended up with $600 extra to spend on a trip to Europe, or, as Dan decided, thirty mail-order steaks. Jackie had a winning half-hour, making jokes that amused even herself, starting with the nickel-and-dime vending machine crack. Serving as a life coach for the very directionless Becky was a fun idea, and I like that Becky went to her competition because she had never actually seen her aunt with a client. Having a flirtatious customer’s girlfriend come in and chew her out was a more serious moment than we’re used to, but, as with how the Conners deal with problems, it all resulted in more comedy.