Summary
AlthoughThe Connersseason 6 seemed set to provide one supporting character with a solid storyline of her own,Roseanne’s spinoff ultimately forgot about this plot before the outing’s finale.The Connershas a large cast of characters, so it is inevitable that not everyone gets a storyline for themselves in every episode. Mark didn’t even appear in the first three episodes of season 6, but his character arc proved central to the last five episodes of the series. Now,The Connersseason 7is set to focus on his journey while other characters take a backseat.
Some supporting stars haven’t enjoyed the spotlight in some time as the show focuses on their co-stars for seasons at a time. Although he played a substantial role inRoseanne’s original run, Michael Fishman’s DJ was cut fromThe Connersbefore season 5 began since he hadn’t had a substantial subplot of his own in a long time. WhileMark’s story inThe Connersseason 6 finalemeans he is unlikely to suffer the same fate, Dan’s second wife has not been quite so lucky. Katey Sagal’s Louise had a promising season 6 story, but this plot went nowhere.
Louise’s The Conners Season 6 School Board Campaign Seemed Promising
The Roseanne Spinoff Set Up A Politically Fraught Plot
Upon learning that Beverly-Rose’s school was banning songs for fear of offending parents, Becky began protesting this censorship in season 6, episode 4, “Shrinks Don’t Talk and Kids Don’t Sing.” Initially, Louise didn’t feel compelled to join Mark and Becky’s protest even though she was a volunteer music teacher at the school. Eventually, Louise had a change of heart and decided to not only protest the decision but also run for the school board.Louise’s school board campaign could have been a tense subplot, but it was barely mentioned again between her initial announcement and the season 6 finale.
Viewers could be forgiven for missing Louise’s season 6 subplot entirely since, outside a few cursory mentions and one subplot involving Jackie, the entire campaign took place off-screen.
ByThe Connersseason 6 finale, Louise had won her campaign and been elected to the school board. Viewers could be forgiven for missing this subplot entirely since, outside a few cursory mentions and one subplot involving Jackie, the entire campaign took place off-screen. Since school boards across America are currently embroiled in a political battle over LGBTQ+ rights and education, Louise’s plot could have been a timely, relevant storyline that addressed a real-life issue. Instead, the entire plot was background noise except for episode 10, “Campaign U-Turn and a Hard Write,” which had an even bigger problem.
Louise’s School Board Story Highlighted Her Biggest Problem
Katey Sagal’s Character Never Gets To Shine
As a child-free person, Louise was understandably afraid that she wouldn’t win over parents.
In that episode,Jackie’s retirement led her to demand a role as Louise’s campaign manager. Being Jackie, she immediately overstepped her boundaries and started smearing Louise’s opponent. Although Jackie’s subplot was funny, it didn’t result in much character growth for Louise.Louise almost becameThe Conners’ Roseanne replacementwhen she realized that she would need to make herself seem like more of a family woman to appeal to voters. As a child-free person, Louise was understandably afraid that she wouldn’t win over parents. Unfortunately, nothing ever came from this fear since the subplot was abandoned in the following episodes.
When Louise did get some screen time, it was because Jackie wanted to be her campaign manager and because Becky wanted her to join the protest in the first place.Louise’s season 6 story was never her own, with all the subplots related to her campaign sidelining the character herself. Sagal is a sitcom veteran who has starred in classic shows likeMarried… With Children,8 Simple Rules, andFuturama, so it was frustrating to see her talents wasted in plots that barely even required Louise’s presence. Sadly,The Connersnever found a meaningful role for Dan’s second wife.
The Conners Season 7 Can Still Salvage Louise’s Story
The School Board Plot Could Return In The Spinoff’s Final Outing
Now that Louise has won her school board campaign, she can finally have a role outside the family that gives her character purpose.The Connersseason 7 will endthe series, butthere is still plenty of time for Louise to make more of an impression on viewers. The responsibilities of her school board position could soon get to Louise, or she may find politics a great fit for her. Her retirement means that she has more time than ever to focus on the school board, but this could clash with her shifts at The Lunchbox.
This may lead to fights with Harris, who took over the restaurant and hopes to reinvent the struggling establishment. Harris’s desire to make The Lunchbox work could make Louise’s school board responsibilities a problem, which would allow season 7 to flesh out Louise’s internal life while incorporating other characters into her story. Much likeThe Connershad to drop Roseanneto save the show’s overarching story, the spinoff now needs to prioritize Louise to ensure she is more than Dan’s love interest.The Connersseason 7 can pull this off, butRoseanne’s spinoff needs to switch its focus soon.
