Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Conners season 6.
The Conners season 6 may have just written out Estelle Parsons’ Bev, but there are questions if she can still return to the series. Jackie and Roseanne’s mom is among the Roseanne legacy characters who returned for the spinoff sequel. Her tumultuous relationship with her daughters has been well-documented since the events of the original show. While she isn’t physically abusive like her horrible husband, Bev is far from a good mother. She has been emotionally manipulative to her daughters, although she has always had a more complicated dynamic with Jackie than Roseanne.
After Roseanne’s death due to an opioid overdose, Jackie is left with the sole responsibility of taking care of their mom. Bev made several more appearances in The Conners during its early years, although her involvement was mostly limited to episodic storylines. It wasn’t until The Conners season 5 that her arc got a substantial update after it was revealed that she is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The Roseanne sequel spinoff has been tackling her narrative on and off since then, but The Conners season 6, episode 3, “Moms and Rats” may have officially wrapped up her plot.
The Conners Season 6 Explains Why Dan Can’t Solve His Worst Roseanne Problem
The Conners season 6, episode 2 offers an explanation about why Dan cannot solve the biggest issue that has been plaguing him since Roseanne.
The Conners Season 6 Effectively Writes Bev Out
Bev goes on her great adventure.
Bev has already made her The Conners season 6 debut in episode 2, “Valentine’s Day Treats and Credit Card Cheats.” Jackie rushed to see her after the credit card company flagged suspicious activities in her account, which she apparently made herself. The outing featured a mostly lucid Bev, with no hints of her disease. When she returns in episode 3, however, she comes in and out of it. Surprisingly, she invites Jackie for a day together in Chicago, in an earnest attempt to make amends for all the years she treated her youngest daughter.
At the end of the hour, however, it is revealed that Bev has a much bigger plan than just wanting to spend time with Jackie. In the train station, she reveals that she is planning on her “great adventure,” refusing to die slowly while idly sitting in her apartment. Jackie tries to stop her, but she understands her mom’s sentiments. So the pair bid each other farewell and Bev boards the train to an undisclosed location.
Why The Conners Had To Send Bev Out (Without Killing Her)
Bev got a happier send-off.
Bev’s “great adventure” explains her potential absence in The Conners moving forward, although it could also double as her final outing. Considering her health status, there were assumptions that the end of her arc would involve her dying — after all, the Roseanne franchise has never shied away from tackling death. That being said, sending her off this way allows the series to leave her on a happier note. While it would have been better if Bev and Jackie’s day in Chicago fully played out on the screen, seeing them patching things up is a great way to close their arc.
Behind the scenes, writing out Bev can be The Conners‘ way of playing it safe when it comes to handling the character. Despite still delivering a brilliant performance, Parsons is turning 97 in 2024. As she ages, it gets progressively trickier to feature her. The Roseanne spinoff sequel creatives cannot further stretch out Bev’s storyline and risk not being able to properly wrap it up in case something happens to Parsons. More than Bev’s on-screen death, it is important that The Conners gives Jackie the closure she needs with her mom — something that she gets in “Moms and Rats.”
The Conners Season 6 New Intro Completes Its Roseanne Character Erasure
The much-delayed The Conners season 6 premiere comes with a brand new intro that completes its erasure of a beloved Roseanne legacy character.
Can Bev Still Return In The Conners?
Hopefully, Bev can still find her way back home.
Another advantage of the way The Conners handles Bev’s arc is that it leaves the door open for her eventual return. Jacki is reprimanded for letting her go in the train station, but she subsequently reveals that she is tracking her mom’s phone, so if ever Bev gets in trouble she will be there to pick her up. If anything, doing the poignant episode is just the show’s way of covering all their bases when it comes to the storyline, in case it is unable to bring Parsons back again.
Ultimately, Bev’s return will be dependent on Parsons’ availability. It would still be great to see her back in Lanford and spend time not just with Jackie, but also with the rest of the family. As frustrating as the character can be, her appearances have always been a delight for various reasons. With The Conners season 7 looking more likely, ABC still has plenty of time to bring her back.
The Conners
The Conners is a spinoff of Roseanne, a popular sitcom beginning in 1988 that starred John Goodman as Dan Conner and Roseanne Barr as Roseanne Conner. After the Roseanne revival was canceled in 2018, The Conners continued the storyline of the lovable middle-class family and their lives in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. The Emmy award-winning series brings back Dan’s children, Darlene, Becky, and DJ, played by Sara Gilbert, Alicia Goranson, and Michael Fishman, respectively.
- Cast
- John Goodman , Sara Gilbert , Macaulay Callard , Laurie Metcalf , Lecy Goranson , Michael Fishman , Emma Kenney , Ames McNamara , Jayden Rey , Maya Lynne Robinson , Jay R. Ferguson
- Release Date
- October 16, 2018
- Seasons
- 4
- Network
- ABC
