Roseanne: The Pied Piper of Lanford

Roseanne: The Pied Piper of Lanford
ABC
May 14, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Jay O. Sanders returns as Ziggy, who not only leads Jackie on by sleeping with her and then wanting to move in, but he leads Dan on by wanting to buy the town's bike shop so they can repair motorcycles together.  (A pre-Everybody-Loves-Raymond Brad Garrett plays Dan's friend Doug the loan officer.)  I don't know if it's Sanders's performance, Jeff Abugov's writing, Whitesell's direction, or for that matter the hair, makeup & costume crew, but Ziggy comes across as creepier than I think he's meant to.  We should see why he appeals to people, including Becky, who sees him as a "more mature" version of Mark, but I have trouble seeing how he sweeps people off their feet.  That said, at least his leaving $20,000 in an envelope, after having bailed and said goodbye, sets up some of the changes in the next season.  For once, Roseanne won't be the one changing her job, which is good for Bonnie and Leon fans like myself who welcome more Rodbell's stories.

As we complete the first third of Roseanne's nine-year run, it's clear that the show continues to get better and better.  The range for Season Three is C to B+, but over half the episodes receive B's and the average is B.  The writing is generally both funnier and more realistic, not just than the first two seasons but then any of the contemporary sitcoms.  Whitesell's direction is understated but clearly effective.  The cast becomes more solid, with welcome new additions, from Martin Mull and Bonnie Sheridan at the restaurant, to Glenn Quinn as Mark.  From what I recall, Season Four would build on this, including adding Johnny Galecki as David.  But we're not quite there yet....