AlthoughThe Connersseason 7’s Jackie storyline was one longRoseannecallback, this did not stop the plot from feeling superfluous and ironically insulting to Jackie’s journey.The Conners’ large supporting cast of charactersall needed screen time to wrap up their stories in the show’s final outing. However, none deserved major sustained focus from the series quite as much as Laurie Metcalf’s Aunt Jackie. AlthoughRoseanne Barr claimsThe Connerscreatorsasked her to return as Roseanne’s ghost, Jackie ended up being the closest link the spinoff’s final outing had to the original show.
Granted, Roseanne’s widower Dan did spend the final season trying to get compensation from the pharmaceutical company that manufactured the opioids Roseanne overdosed on. However, Dan’s storyline was also wrapped up in his new marriage to Katey Sagal’s Louise. In contrast, Jackie’s closeness with her late sister was central to her role throughout all seven seasons ofThe Conners, or it would have been if season 7’s plot hadn’t focused on a bizarre side quest. This storyline made evenRoseanne’s contested return toThe Connerssound like a good idea.
Jackie Shouldn’t Have Rejoined the Police Force In The Conners Season 7
Jackie’s Entire Season 7 Focused On Her Return to Policing
In the first episode of season 7,Jackie decided she wanted to return to the police force over a decade after leaving the job in disgrace. InThe Conners season 4, episode 12, “Hot For Teacher And Writing A Wrong,” Dan revealed that Jackie left the police force after she shot herself in the leg with her own gun and fell down a flight of stairs. Despite this embarrassing debacle and an encounter with a sardonic police officer who implied she was too old to reprise her old job, Jackie was determined to return to the force.
Jackie rejoining the police force might have been a funny B-story in a less tightly packed season, but the plot felt like a complete waste of time thanks to the brevity ofThe Connersseason 7. The truncated outing had only six episodes, so devoting almost all of Jackie’s screen time to this goofy storyline limited her scenes of character development. WhileRoseanne’s appearance inThe Connersseason 7would have been a lot worse, the spinoff’s final outing focusing on this Jackie storyline smacked of desperate nostalgia.
Ames McNamara
Mark Conner-Healy
Jackie had grown and changed a lot sinceRoseanne’s original run, and the development of her personal maturity since Roseanne’s death was particularly striking. First, she managed to turn around The Lunchbox and make the failing eatery into a successful restaurant. Then, she found love with Neville and finally ended up in a romantic relationship with a supportive partner who genuinely loved and understood her. Finally, she made peace with her abusive mother Bev in season 6, proving that she was arguably the healthiest and most mature member of the eponymous clan.
Jackie’s Roseanne Callback Wasted Her Potential in The Conners Season 7
Jackie’s Role in The Conner Family Was Minimal
Although all the Conner family members have their demons, Jackie had a uniquely rough time when it came to romance, work, and family life alike.Jackie went through a lot inRoseanne’s original run and its revival, weathering bad jobs, embarrassing breakups, and even an abusive relationship. However, she always maintained her wild energy and her zeal for life despite all these challenges, so it was a welcome change to see her succeed asThe Connersseason 7 prepared to endRoseanne’s story.
Jackie was so busy with her non-story that she didn’t even get to bury her multi-season beef with Louise, which would have been a much more rewarding twist.
That said, this success didn’t need to come in the form of Jackie rejoining the police, and this might even have been the least interesting way the spinoff could have engaged with Jackie’s newfound character growth. Thanks to prepping for her police physical, Jackie never helped Harris take over the Lunchbox, helped save Darlene’s marriage from a potential affair, or even interacted with her own love interest, Neville. Jackie was so busy with this non-story that Jackie didn’t even get to bury her multi-season beef with Louise, which would have been a much more rewarding twist.
Jackie’s Biggest The Conners Season 7 Scene Took Place Off-screen
Jackie’s Police Physical Was Inexplicably Ignored
While it was frustrating to see all of Jackie’s emotional growth go to waste, her much-vaunted police physical at least seemed guaranteed to provide some laughs. The finale focused on Dan’s unsuccessful fight with the pharmaceutical manufacturers, soThe Connersseason 7’s endingtruly needed a bit of comedic relief in its last outing. Despite this, after six entire episodes of buildup,Jackie’s all-important police physical inexplicably took place off-screen.
Viewers who had waited six episodes to see how Jackie would handle this challenge got quick confirmation that she passed before the episode moved right along. What made this so frustrating was the fact that it wasn’t the first timeThe Connerswasted a major Jackie scene off-screen. In season 6, episode 3, “Moms and Rats,” Jackie revealed that she and Bev had finally buried their decades-long feud after her mother apologized for years of abuse. However, viewers only heard about this emotional reconciliation after the fact, instead of seeing it occur onscreen.
Roseanne’s Revival Already Set Up A Better Career for Jackie
Jackie Should Have Returned to Work as a Life Coach
Theabsence of Beverly Rose fromThe Connersseason 7proved the sitcom spinoff wasn’t worried about its next generation of Conner family members. In much the same way,Jackie’s cartoonishThe Connersseason 7 subplot wasted Metcalf’s considerable dramatic talents. Ironically, the series had already set up a perfect career for Jackie to return to in the finale, but it wasn’t the police force.
Jackie could now claim to coach others without being transparently hypocritical, and she might have even proven to be great at this challenging new role.
Jackie previously worked as a life coach, a fact that was self-evidently funny due to what a disastrous mess her personal life was. However, byThe Connersseason 7, she finally had a happy, fulfilling romantic relationship and a healthy personal life. As such, she could now claim to coach others without being transparently hypocritical, and Jackie might have even proven to be great at this challenging new role.
Instead, Jackie’s work as a life coach became just another one ofThe Connersseason 7’s dropped storylinesas her plot instead focused on her return to police work. This could have been funny, albeit in a more straightforward slapstick way, but the show denied viewers any big laughs by keeping Jackie’s physical off-screen. Thus, it was hard to view this storyline fromThe Connersseason 7 as anything more than a disappointingly hollow nod to the familiar nostalgic plots ofRoseanne.
