television – 714 Delaware St. Podcast

S6 E1: Chicken & Rodbell’s Oct 24, 2023

Greetings, long-lost listeners – we’re back for season 6! Though the SAG-AFTRA strike continues and The Conners is indefinitely on hold (and we support the striking actors – give them what they deserve, ya greedy bastards!), we’re starting slow this season with some relevant Roseanne reflections. In the spirit of the summer of labor, we take a look at two deeper cuts from the original series that deal with job woes: “Chicken Hearts” (season 2) and “Like, A New Job” (season 3). The first of the two revolves around Roseanne’s employment at a degrading fast-food chicken joint where she has a total American Psycho of a teenage boss; the second, which takes place in our favorite-ever-fake-restaurant Rodbell’s, depicts Roseanne’s struggle to cede control at home to Dan while working long hours. We discuss the theme that dominates these episodes – the struggle of raising a family while working menial jobs that don’t even treat you like a human being – and we also consider Roseanne’s tendency to vilify middle management types as stand-ins for corporate America or government.

Join us for this discussion plus digressions on What We Did On Our Summer Vacation, Becky’s Fabio hair, Darlene’s “big butt” jokes, wooden console TVs, and smoking on TV. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts!

S5 E5: A Merry Merry Conners Omnibus Dec 20, 2022

Happy holidays from 714 Delaware St! For this last installment of 2022, we’re discussing the year’s final four episodes of The Conners, exploring plots from Darlene’s job woes to Louise at the Lunch Box, from Harris’s hobo boyfriend to Beverly Rose’s new persona (Pancake the dog), and most important of all, Mom stuff: between Louise and Doris (Jane Curtin) and Jackie and Bev (the great and amazingly vivacious Estelle Parsons, age 95!). We’re overjoyed to see Bev back even though it is under difficult circumstances for the character, and we discuss the way Jackie’s relationship with her mother — and her own understanding of that relationship — has been thoughtfully rendered in The Conners. We also get to talk about some more Roseanne callbacks that have come up in season 5 — thank you for this, Conners writing staff! Join us for this epic 2022 wrap-up, plus digressions on Lindsay Lohan in Falling for Christmas, Tia Mowry Lifetime movie A Very Vintage Christmas, our thoughts on couches, baloney, and Christmas shopping, and much more. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts!

S4 E10: A Legacy of Snooping Mar 10, 2022

In our latest installment, we discuss The Conners episode “Hot for Teacher and Writing a Wrong,” in which Becky falls for her psychology professor (Matt Walsh) and Darlene accuses Mark of selling drugs — when he’s actually selling college admissions essays. We cringe as Becky’s interest in education gives way to questionable “feelings for” a professor she barely knows, and hope this doesn’t jeopardize her studies. We also consider Darlene’s Roseanne-esque tendency to snoop behind Mark’s back, and compare her plot line with the Roseanne season two episode “No Talking,” in which Roseanne searches Becky’s room and is tempted to read her diary. We ponder whether Darlene is a more permissive parent than Roseanne and analyze the generational differences between Becky and Mark’s 14-year-old drama: Becky’s “leave me alone, I hate you” approach vs. Mark’s the tell-the-truth and offer a rational explanation approach.

Join us for all this plus Maura’s detailed thoughts on Olympic figure skating and discussions of teacher-student relationships, diaries, and more. Listen and subscribe on Apple podcasts!

**S2 E11: If I Were Dwight** Feb 28, 2020

Hey listeners! After a short delay, we present to you our most recent discussion of two recent episodes of The Conners, which we’re calling, “If I were Dwight.” In this, we take on “Live from Lanford,” the live episode written around the New Hampshire primaries – a fun and successful effort in live broadcasting, we think. We do feel sad about Dan and Louise’s breakup, but we also think it’s a little weird that everyone acts like her 3-month tour is such a lengthy time away. Like, why can’t she go on tour AND stick it out with Dan, you know? Harris is still an a-hole, but Mark is a cutie pie. The main thing, though, is that our friend Dwight is such a PAL to Louise and to Dan, and he’s really delivering the goods in terms of Lanford’s Steel Magnolias spinoff. We also discuss the episode following, “Brothers, Babies, and Breakdowns,” in which Ben gets really intense about wanting a baby all of the sudden. While we think he’s a Hot Dad, we think he’s putting way too much pressure on Darlene to do something she doesn’t want to do. Dwight, again, is perfect as he shows up, breaks down, and pulls through (in that order) for the Lunch Box as Lanford’s next big stew chef. Thank goodness! Lastly, we freak out about the appearance of Little Ed, Dan’s brother and Crystal’s son, who calls on Dan to help him deal with the aftermath of Big Ed’s death. HOLY CRAP. But, wait, what? Where IS Crystal? We hope you listen and enjoy as you catch up with The Conners along with us!

S1 E24: We Love to Mull over Martin (a Leon Carp Tribute) Jun 18, 2019

In our latest episode, we pay homage to another of our favorites of the original series. We agree that Roseanne really meets her match when she meets the uptight, all-bark-and-no-bite Leon Carp, played by Martin Mull, when he comes to manage the diner at our beloved Rodbell’s. From Season 3 to Season 9 of the original series, we learn a lot about the world according to Carp. We talk about several of the best Leon episodes and moments, and Martin Mull’s amazing television career, including Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Arrested Development(AHHHHHHHH! GENE!!), as well as a number of classic 1980s commercials in which he appeared— for some surprising products. We find so much to love and be irritated by in the world’s best shitty boss and probably television’s first regular gay republican character. Where does Leon come from? Why is he the way he is? Why is Martin Mull’s mustache so majestic? We spend extra time discussing the Season 8 episode, “December Bride,” in which Leon ties the knot with his boyfriend Scott, played by the great Fred Willard (WHO ELSE?). What a bizarre, important TV moment! We hope you enjoy eavesdropping on our chat!

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