The Conners Exposed An Unexpected Side of Roseanne’s Legacy

The Conners season 5 episode 13 proved that, despite her loose cannon attitude, Roseanne had an unexpected, previously unmentioned impact on Dan.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Conners season 5, episode 13.

While the heroine of Roseanne may not have seemed like a perfect mother, an unexpected revelation in The Conners season 5 proves she was doing better than viewers may have expected. Roseanne’s sharp wit meant that she didn’t accept pity from her family members or friends, and this defense mechanism often hid just how much the heroine of Roseanne was secretly hurting under the surface. While Roseanne’s final season devolved into silliness and soap opera theatrics, earlier seasons of the family sitcom dealt with the impact that Roseanne’s abusive father had on her and Jackie, and the depression that Roseanne tried to keep a handle on throughout her adult life.

Even when it came time for The Conners to kill off Roseanne, the sitcom spinoff achieved this twist via a secret opioid addiction that the titular family barely knew about. It was a revelation that fit Roseanne’s character, with the tough, no-nonsense mother refusing to show her vulnerabilities to even her closet family members. The Conners season 5 effectively honored this side of Roseanne with a surprising revelation from Dan that proved Roseanne was both a stronger person, and a better mother, than she ever allowed herself to think.

Related: The Conners Finally Referenced Season 5’s Missing Roseanne Character

Dan’s Season 5 Story Proves Roseanne Was Pivotal To The Conners

In The Conners season 5, episode 13, “New Pipes and Old Secrets,” Dan used the excuse of repairing the pipes to sleep in Ben and Darlene’s new home for a few nights. At first, it seemed like Dan didn’t want to sleep alone in his house while Louise was on tour, but soon the true cause of this decision came to light. Dan’s revelation that he hasn’t been able to sleep though the night since losing Roseanne was a reminder of how much he lost with the character’s exit as, despite her flaws, Roseanne was a good enough mother for Dan to sleep soundly knowing his kids were safe.

Dan’s admission was a surprising one, as he always seemed to be the steady, consistent parent in Roseanne’s original run. Since she was such a loose cannon (a quality that provided Roseanne with its comedy), she was rarely referred to as a good mother. However, even without another Roseanne cast cameo, The Conners season 5 proved that she evidently made Dan feel like their kids were safe even in adulthood. This surprising fact allowed The Conners to prove that Roseanne was secretly pivotal to Dan’s inner peace, and that he relied on her stability as much as she relied on his.

In “New Pipes and Old Secrets,” it would have been easy for Dan to blame his sleeplessness on missing Louise. This would have drawn attention to Katey Sagal’s absence and could have led to a cliché fight between the sitcom spouses about prioritizing work over their relationship, a subject that Dan and Louise has already discussed countless times. Much like The Conners season 5 hinting at Dan’s memory loss, however, the sitcom spinoff wisely dropped this angle fast. The last thing that the Roseanne spinoff needs is another bleak storyline, which made The Conners season 5’s touching tribute to Roseanne’s legacy a much more fitting twist.

More: The Conners Season 5 Episode 13 Release Date (And Hiatus Explained)