Roseanne: An Officer and a Gentleman

Roseanne: An Officer and a Gentleman
ABC
January 23, 1990
Sitcom
DVD
B

Jacobson & Vela wrote this story where Roseanne goes to see her father in the hospital and Jackie helps out with Dan, the kids, and the house.  At first, she's in over her head, but she soon adapts and becomes "the perfect housewife," with a little Leave It to Beaver parody thrown in.  There were moments when I was uneasy, worrying that this was going to get too backlashy, with "poor single Jackie envying her sister's life," but it's more an exploration of possibilities.  Similarly, it is disquietening to see Jackie and Dan go beyond befriending each other, really for the first time, to admitting they had crushes on each other as teenagers.  And yet, I'm glad this episode takes some risks.  It resulted from a clash between Barr and producer Matt Williams, but I think as a story it had to happen.  Such later stories as Dan beating up Jackie's abusive boyfriend couldn't have taken place if this hadn't first.