Warning: This story contains spoilers for the premiere episode of “The Conners” Season Seven.
The ABC sitcom returned for its seventh and final season on March 26 with the first of six episodes to round out the series.
Since its debut in 2018, “The Conners” has provided plenty of laughs and a bit of controversy. In May 2018, ABC canceled the โRoseanneโ spinoff after its star Roseanne Barr published racist posts on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The series was later rebranded as “The Conners” and Barr’s character was killed off. The matriarch’s death plays a focal point in the Season 7 premiere, with her family considering legal action against the pharmaceutical company responsible for her opioid addiction.
Missed the season premiere? We’re recapping all the highlights below.
The family considers suing over Roseanne’s death
Barr’s character previously died of an accidental opioid overdose. In the Season 7 premiere, her sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) learns about a court ruling that would allow the family to sue the drug manufacturer.
Darlene (Sara Gilbert) is encouraged by the news and thinks a financial settlement could give the family a much needed “safety net.” However, her father Dan (John Goodman) isn’t so keen on the idea and says, “We’ll lose because they’ve got big, fancy lawyers.”
Jackie insists that it’s still a viable option because there are many lawyers that work for contingency on these cases, meaning they’d only have to pay a lawyer if they win the case.
Still, Dan doesn’t think it’s worth the hassle and says, “No amount of money is gonna bring your sister back or your mom.”
While talking with his wife Louise (Katey Sagal), Dan says he doesn’t want to dig up all the pain from Roseanne’s death once again, especially since there’s no guarantee that they’ll win the case.
Louise says he doesn’t have to go through with it, but Dan says he feels guilty and basically wants her to force him to do it. However, she says it’s not her decision to make.
Later in the episode, Dan and Jackie argue about the case and Jackie questions Dan about how he’s changed, saying he used to be someone “who would never walk away from a fight.” Jackie says she feels like she needs to start a case and he tells her to do what she has to do.
“I have the guts to do something you won’t,” she says. “If you don’t hear from me it’s because I don’t know who are you are anymore, Dan.”
Tyler and Becky adjust to living together
The season premiere picks up where Season 6 left off, with Tyler (Sean Astin) moving in with Becky (Lecy Goranson) at Darlene’s house.
Becky is trying to work on her thesis and finish her master’s degree, but Tyler is going above and beyond with romantic gestures and Becky has a hard time focusing while spending so much quality time with her beau.
Becky tells Darlene she doesn’t want to burst their “romantic bubble phase,” especially since Tyler is “too sensitive” for her to tell him to ease up a bit.
One night, Tyler cooks for Becky and she wants to have a little talkย about their relationship. Lucky for her, he opens up first, saying, “Showing you how much I love you is ruining my life” since it’s taking up so much time.
Becky plays along, pretending that she’s fine with all the romantic gestures but admitting that they could cut back on it.
Ben returns and Darlene feels neglected
After getting a promotion at work, Darlene comes home one day and is psyched that Ben (Jay R. Ferguson) will be returning home after traveling for work.
When he arrives, Darlene shows Ben a makeshift office space she created for him in their house. However, he says he’s already rented out an office space.
Darlene soon feels neglected that Ben is spending so much time at work and takes Becky’s advice to make more of an effort in their relationship. She shows up at his office one day and asks if Ben wants to go to a bar that night but he says he has to work.
Louise reassures Darlene that this hectic time is just temporary and says work will calm down for Ben soon.
Jackie confronts Mark about his job
Last season, Mark (Ames McNamara) took a job hacking computers to say money for college. As a cover, he told his family he was working for a Fortune 500 company.
In the Season 7 premiere, Jackie begins to wonder how Mark is earning so much money. After doing some sleuthing, she finds a note in his backpack that says he’s the “best hacker ever.” She confronts him, warning him that he might get hooked on the job.
Mark reassures Jackie that he’s going to stop when he has enough money for school, but she’s not so sure. Jackie, meanwhile, has been contemplating a return to the police force and lets Mark know his actions could lead him to be on the police’s radar.
