Roseanne: Lovers' Lane

Roseanne: Lovers' Lane
ABC
December 6, 1988
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Another uneven episode, this time with a pointless rape joke.  (I don't mean gratuitous, I mean pointless, but I'll get to that.)  The title is a pun, since the Conners and friends go bowling, and Becky's "new boyfriend" Chip Lang (Jared Rushton, who would return twice in the role) works at the alley.  It turns out that they're not actually dating yet, and she's shy about speaking to him.

The other "lovers" are Jackie and Booker, who make a "friendly bet," where if he beats her at bowling, she'll spend the night at his place, while if she wins he'll have to clean her bathroom.  It's unclear what Jackie's feelings about Booker actually are.  She seems attracted to him (and, yeah, it is a twentysomething George Clooney), but she hesitates.  Because he's younger?  Because he's her boss?  Because he's conceited?  Other?  Do we ever find out?

He wins and she asks if he wants her "against her will."  He says of course.  But then he says he doesn't want it to happen because of a bet.  So what is the point of the "against her will" line?  And is it something she wants or not?  On a soap opera, this kind of ambiguity might be OK, but this is a sitcom and I'd like some insight if not closure on this plot thread.

Evelina Fernández and Annie Faulkner return as Juanita and Sylvia but apparently they're not allowed to be in any scene outside Wellman's Plastics, so they don't go bowling.  Ron Perkins returns as Pete and gets insulted.  Josh C. Williams makes his first of two appearances as Crystal's son Lonnie Anderson (get it?), although he's not referred to by name here.  This is the first of 13 Roseanne episodes written by Danny Jacobson.  I assume he improved.