I hate it when The Connors leaves us with a distressing season finale.
Perhaps hate is too strong a word. This series does such an amazing job of letting us laugh at the hard times, but sometimes it’s difficult when circumstances really make you want to cry or throw yourself down the escalator at the mall.
The one constant that this family has always been able to hold onto is their home. It has been the one thing they could all come back to even during their most desperate times.
So my heart hurt for Dan Conner during The Conners Season 2 Episode 20. Dan has worked hard all his life to provide a home for his family, one that they return to over and over again.
This family has suffered through so many difficult times for so long that I wondered if Ben had a point in this The Conners quote:
Damn, it just never ends for you guys. One of your ancestors mess with a witch or something?
Ben
I suppose their curse probably isn’t supernatural, but something far more common, the curse of living on the edge of poverty where one bad month can end up destroying everything for which you’ve worked your entire life.
Ugh. That’s depressing, mostly because it’s all too real.
The difference in this hardship is that Dan doesn’t have Rosie there to go through it with, which made it even more of a relief when he finally confided in Louise.
Louise: Why didn’t you tell me? We’re a couple now, we’re supposed to be there for one another.
Dan: You’re right. Give me $4,000.
Louise: I don’t have it but I have cleavage and I know how to use it.
Dan: Alright, let’s go. Better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.
Sadly, neither the ham nor Louise’s cleavage worked their magic. They really had no hope against the big bank’s new algorithm.
I’m glad Louise took the ham back. They need at least one good meal.
Unfortunately, Ben wasn’t wrong when he said Dan’s prospects for financial security were unlikely to improve.
Dan Connor is a 65-year-old construction worker, and under better circumstances, Dan should be looking to retire instead of struggling to pay his second mortgage or getting into fistfights with guys who owe him money.
As if Dan’s quiet suffering wasn’t enough to put a knot in my stomach, then Darlene’s visceral reaction to losing her only real home made it twist painfully.
The house is the last connection to her mother. Her parents always had to scratch and claw to keep their home, and Darlene isn’t about to sit back and watch her father lose it, even if trying to save it means losing Ben possibly.
Ben could see that Darlene’s reaction wasn’t entirely rational and that she was frantically determined to help no matter the consequences to herself, her kids, and Ben.
Dan: You don’t have the money.
Darlene: Well, you know what? I’ll sell my car and I’ll take the bus. I’ll get a second job, I’ll go back to the casino. I will do whatever it takes so that we don’t fall behind again.
Ben wasn’t going to be able to reason her out of her plan to sell her car and pick up a second job because she was running off of pure emotion.
To Ben’s credit, he knew it was an argument he couldn’t win. It was a point where he had to decide whether to go all-in or walk away.
Ben went all in. But will Dan let him?
Dan has always taken care of his family. Will his pride allow him to accept Darlene and Ben’s help? Will he turn over the house entirely if it’s the only way to keep the bank from taking it?
It will gut Dan, but I think he’ll do it because it’s not just about him. This house is also home to Becky and Beverly Rose, and as a viewer, it certainly will be entertaining to continue to see them — Dan, Ben, Darlene, Harris, and Mark — all living permanently under one roof.
Even when it hurts him personally, Dan Connor always puts his family first, and let’s not forget that it was Dan and Rosie’s home. He’s not going to give it up even if it means wounding his ego.
Speaking of Becky and the baby, I had little doubt that Becky would end up marrying Emilio once she decided to travel to Mexico to let him finally see their daughter.
Becky has a good heart, and she doesn’t want to keep her daughter from having a loving father in her life.
Regrettably, Emilio got exactly what he wanted but then did something stupid and put them all in jeopardy.
Sneaking back into the U.S. was unbelievably reckless! Unless he plans to stay in his tias’ basement for the next two years, the odds of successfully pulling this off must be incredibly slim.
He’s going to have a target on him. Sll it takes is one person to make a phone call to I.C.E., and Becky risking her future for him and their daughter will be for nothing.
This lack of communication does not bode well for our fake marriage.
Becky
I generally like Emilio, but this was the most short-sighted, selfish decision he could have made. He’s put his tias, Becky, and the Conners at risk.
Worst of all, if this all goes wrong, he may never see his daughter again. Having to spend two years away from Beverly Rose is a huge sacrifice, but missing out on the rest of her life is far worse.
However, Emilio’s horrible decision should certainly give us plenty to talk about next season, when or if that occurs.
Despite having to watch this family suffer once again, The Conners Season 2 has been amazing. It’s given us some of the funniest and most heartfelt installments of the series yet.
So tell me TV Fanatics, should Dan let Darlene and Ben pick up the payments on the house?
Is there any chance that Emilio won’t get sent back to Mexico permanently?
And what do you hope to see from The Conners if we get a third season?
Hit that BIG, BLUE SHOW COMMENTS BUTTON down below because we want to hear from you!
Check back in next week for my The Conners Season 2 Report Card, and until then, you can watch The Conners online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.