The Conners Season 4 Episode 16 Review: Gus Pump, House

Would you live in a former funeral home? 

That was the question Darlene and Becky had to answer on The Conners Season 4 Episode 16, and their decision wasn’t what I expected.

Patton Oswalt returned as Don Blansky, which was a treat, but I wish they’d utilize him more. This visit felt much too brief, but my hope is that this real estate venture will have him in The Conners’ orbit more often. 

The old Victorian home was pretty amazing. Even more surprising was that it was something that Darlene could actually afford. 

 Becky was worried about the ghosts and possible spirits still lurking in the former funeral home but that didn’t seem to be Darlene’s primary concern. 

Darlene: I don’t believe in spirits lingering in a house.
Dan: Do you believe in adult children lingering in a house? Because that’s what I’m trying to fix.

The children’s room struck a chord with Darlene. It was a room where they tried to explain death to kids who had recently lost someone close to them. One visit had Darlene contemplating the decades of sadness and grief that had been felt within those walls. 

But was that a good enough reason to turn down Blansky’s incredible offer and buy a home over an hour away?

Darlene: Dad, an hour is not that far away.
Dan: Chicago is only an hour away. When you lived there, I missed five years of my grandkids’ lives.

What if they added a few coats of paint, ditched all of the angel statues, and burned some sage? Would that be enough to clear out the old energy and start anew? 

I love that Louise came up with an idea that could make everyone happy. Darlene and Becky get a new home nearby, while Dan gets his adult children out of the house but still keeps them in town. 

But there are a lot of potential problems with this plan. 

First off, it’s a lovely old Victorian home, and it seems a shame to demolish it.

Second, will Blansky agree to this plan? From what he said, his grandfather bought the place when he started the funeral home business. Dan even mentioned doing some drywall work for Blanksy’s father and that the house was beautiful. Maybe Blansky doesn’t want to see it destroyed.

Finally, is Dan really up to the challenge of building an entire home? Hopefully, he can get a crew together and supervise the work, but it still sounds like a big job for a man who had to retire from the construction business because he wasn’t up to the physicality of the work. 

And is this something Dan can do in between shifts at the hardware store? 

It feels like this plan puts a lot of pressure on Dan at a time when he should be relaxing and enjoying his newlywed status with Louise. 

I hope all goes well, but given the Conner family history, what are the odds?

Over at the Lunch Box, Jackie was struggling. 

It’s actually pretty sad. Jackie bought the Lunch Box because of all of the fond memories she had of running it with her sister. This time around, she expected to be running the business with Becky as her partner. 

But Becky bailed on her. 

Don’t get me wrong. Becky has every right to go back to school and try to restart her life. It’s good for both Becky and Beverly Rose, but it’s left Jackie carrying all of the burden of running this business. 

You’d think will all of that, Becky could at least show up for her shifts on time. 

Jackie isn’t a young woman any longer, and an 85 hour work week is brutal. When does she even find the time to see Neville?

For as much as it used to annoy me that Ben hung out at the Conner house so much, I appreciated his willingness to help Jackie even when she was spinning out of control. 

Ben not only helped her with the commercial for the Lunch Box, but he also realized that Jackie needed to update her systems to make running the business easier. 

Perhaps most importantly, he offered to be her sounding board when things get to be too much. 

Jackie can be so eccentric and over-the-top that it can be easy to dismiss her craziness when she becomes overwhelmed. I’m not sure if the rest of the family even noticed how close to the edge Jackie had been. 

But Ben noticed, he helped, and he was the friend Jackie needed. And Jackie doesn’t have a lot of friends. 

So what did you think, TV Fanatics? 

Should Darlene and Becky have just bought the former funeral home and done some renovations? Was the presence of sadness and grief an ongoing issue, or was it all in Darlene’s head?

Do you think building a home for his daughters is too much for Dan at this stage of his life? Were you surprised that Louise suggested it?

And is the Lunch Box too much for Jackie? Can she handle running it all on her own, and was it unfair of Becky to bail on her to go back to school? 

Hit that big, blue, SHOW COMMENTS button down below to share your thoughts on this episode of The Conners. 

Then don’t forget to check back in for our review of The Conners Season 4 Episode 17.  And if you need a quick refresher, you can watch The Conners online here at TV Fanatic. 

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C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.

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