The Conners Season 6 Episode 7 Review: Smash and Grab and Happy Death Day

For any show to reach 100 episodes is a major feat. With The Conners Season 6 Episode 7, “Smash and Grab and Happy Death Day,” this iconic show reaches that milestone.

Sara Gilbert even posted a reel to her Instagram about the love fans have had for the show and its impact on viewers. It reminds us that six seasons in, we still watch this show because it reminds us of our own families.

It’s just a shame the episode couldn’t have been a more memorable one. From the synopsis fans expect to see more nostalgic moments about family members that are no longer with us or flashbacks to years past. 

Instead, there are only mentions of people who have passed on.

Approaching The Subject of Death

Beverly Rose’s natural curiosity about death and what happens to us when we die, a la Coco, could easily open the door to a deeper conversation between her, Becky, and Darlene. It could’ve been a great way to show the fans that the writers were thinking of them after 100 episodes.

It isn’t often that Becky mentions Mark. In fact, we haven’t heard her talk about him since The Conners Season 3 Episode 18, “Cheating, Revelations and a Box of Doll Heads.”

Therefore, the revelation that she doesn’t talk about death with Beverly Rose and lets her believe people never die comes as no surprise. She can’t even face her own grief over the shocking loss, having previously avoided it by drinking. How is she to help her daughter understand loss and grief?

What would’ve made the conversation she then has with Beverly Rose about Mark even stronger is if we could’ve had old clips of them from Roseanne playing alongside her words. We are at a milestone episode. Going heavy on nostalgia is perfectly fine.

What’s even more surprising about the lack of nostalgia is that The Conners is typically all for bringing up memories from the past to make the present hit that much harder — whether it’s funny or bittersweet.

Despite this lack of depth regarding the past, this moment of acknowledgment that death happens and is part of life is a beautiful exploration of childhood wonder. It also does a great job of highlighting the stark differences between Becky and Darlene.

Becky prefers her daughter to have a more naive view of the world because the death of Mark forced her to grow up too fast. Meanwhile, Darlene has always experienced disappointment and letdown, so she has an entirely cynical view of life and death.

Jackie and Dan — Good Cop/Bad Cop

The bond between Jackie and Dan has carried The Conners since the start. Their contentious relationship hinges on their mutual loss of Roseanne.

Meanwhile, in recent years, they have come to an understanding of each other that centers on their commonalities and mutual views of the world. This really started to come out during The Conners Season 6 Episode 2, “Valentine’s Day Treats and Credit Card Cheats,” but has continued to grow in the episodes since.

On “Smash and Grab and Happy Death Day,” the opportunity is dangling right in front of them to further strengthen their bond. Luckily, the writers take it and run with it. 

This part of the episode makes the 100th outing a bit more fun. It’s still not enough to completely save the episode, but reminding viewers that Jackie used to be a cop adds to the enjoyment.

In all the years this family has been part of our lives, Jackie has had a varied work history. One that was most out there was the short period she spent as a police officer for the Lanford PD.

When she brings it up to the young girl who destroys part of the hardware store, it becomes a laughing moment. Not just because the girl teases her about it, but because Dan also pokes at his sister-in-law a bit.

What adds to the fun is Jackie manages to reach this girl on a personal level once she realizes the act was all to get a boy’s attention. Which, then brings up references to Jackie’s colorful history with men.

It’s what we wanted from the grief portion of the episode. It’s as if the writers wrote Dan and Jackie’s scenes first and were like, “That’s enough in-depth callbacks.”

Stray Thoughts

• It’s good to hear Great-Grandma Bev is still alive, I was worried this is how the show would reveal she had passed on.
• Harris was perfectly placed in this episode to be the small bit of snark to offset her mom and Aunt’s ridiculous behavior.
• Beverly Rose is growing up so fast. 
• With it being the 100th episode, I really expected them to pull out all the stops and have everyone present and part of the plot.

 

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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