Taking a break from the laughs. The Roseanne finale took a pause on comedy to get real, with fewer jokes than normal. The first half of the Tuesday, May 22, episode, focused on Dan (John Goodman) trying to find a way to afford Roseanne’s (Roseanne Barr) knee surgery – he didn’t want her to continue taking painkillers, and with D.J. (Michael Fishman) and Darlene (Sara Gilbert) moving in the house with her kids, there wasn’t enough money to support all.
In a raw scene – and an incredible acted one by Goodman – Dan reaches the end of his patience when, on top of everything else, he learns that the basement has flooded. Ankle-deep in water, he attempts to save the important things and when an angry friend comes over, he gets brutally honest. For the first time, he admits he doesn’t know if everything will be OK and doesn’t know how to support his family. However, he tells Roseanne to reassure the family that he’ll take care of it all.
Then, they get a break: a state of emergency is declared, meaning that they’ll get money from FEMA. Dan can fix it for less, using the rest of the money for Roseanne’s surgery. They even cheers to work for both illegal and legal immigrants!
That night, Roseanne gets honest with her husband about being afraid of surgery. “I don’t want to die. I don’t want to go anywhere without you. Who’s gonna fix the pearly gates if I back into them?” she asks her husband.
Dan answers: “You don’t need me, you’ll be running the joint. God will be hiding in the garage fixing motorcycles.”
Roseanne will return to ABC in the fall.
