The Conners Season 6’s Roseanne Character Return Sets Up An Unexpected Tragedy

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Conners season 6, episode 5.

While The Conners season 6, episode 5, brought back a major Roseanne guest star, this cameo could set up a tragedy later in the series. The Conners hasn’t relied much on bringing back characters from Roseanne that weren’t already on board the revival. Rather, it’s spent more time developing its current cast, along with its original characters.

Although the cast of The Conners were mostly introduced in Roseanne, the spinoff wasn’t too eager to bring back supporting characters from the original show. After all, the creators clearly didn’t want to remind viewers of Roseanne and her sudden, tragic off-screen death. However, as the spinoff continued, the show got a little more confident when it came to cameos. Almost no Roseanne characters came to Dan and Louise’s wedding, but Christopher Lloyd’s Lou did appear in two episodes of season 4. Meanwhile, season 5 brought back the barfly Bobo, who can be found in a season 1 episode of a Roseanne rewatch.

Crystal’s Return In The Conners Season 6 Episode 5 Could Be Bad News

The Conners revealed that the Roseanne character has congestive heart failure

While these Roseanne cast cameos weren’t meaningless, they were fairly insubstantial since neither Lou nor Bobo played a major role in the original show. In contrast, one Roseanne star who returned to The Conners had a big part in the earlier series. Natalie West’s Crystal was Jackie and Roseanne’s childhood friend and later became Dan’s stepmother when she began dating his father, Ed. While The Conners season 7 might bring back an even more pivotal player from the show’s original run, Crystal’s return was a huge move for the series. She did have a supporting role in The Conners season 1, but ultimately vanished without explanation.

Her absence was justified in season 6, episode 5, “When Sisters Collide and The Return of the Grifters,” wherein Crystal finally returned to the spinoff. Crystal suffered congestive heart failure in the years since her first appearance, owing in part to Dan’s late father convincing her that she didn’t need treatment for her condition. Dan had loaned her the money to pay for her medication, which led to a feud with Neville, who had loaned him the money and wanted to know how he spent it. Although Neville and Dan resolved their fight, Crystal’s return could set up a tragedy nonetheless.

How Crystal’s Health Problems Impacted Dan and Neville

Dan didn’t tell Neville he spent his money on Crystal’s medicine

Interestingly, The Conners season 6’s decision to bring back Dan’s feud with Neville from season 5, served as a conduit for Crystal’s return. Dan admitted that he felt personally responsible for his father’s widow, leading him to spend the money that Neville loaned him to cover a DUI on her heart medication. Neville had accused Dan of lying about the money but soon understood why Dan hadn’t explained the truth to him, with Neville admitting that he had his own struggles with an absent father. This conversation finally allowed Neville and Dan to bond.

Even so, this doesn’t mean that Crystal’s health concerns won’t continue to impact their friendship. Neville is the most financially stable of the extended Conner family, so there is no reason that Dan wouldn’t ask him to help out Crystal. Since The Conners season 6 has repeatedly wasted Louise, it was not surprising that she didn’t appear in the episode. However, Dan’s wife (who is also Neville’s sister) is sure to have some thoughts about sharing her home with her husband’s stepmother while Crystal recovers. This could put even more strain on Dan’s home life in season 6.

Crystal’s Ill Health Could Be Terrible For The Conners

Jackie’s childhood friend could die in season 6

Since Crystal can’t afford to pay for her medication and left her condition untreated for years, Jackie’s childhood friend may not be long for this world. This would be a tragedy, but both The Conners and Roseanne have never shied away from depicting the harsh realities of working-class life in America. Furthermore, the fact that Bev exited The Conners in season 6 means that Crystal’s death could be a central storyline in this outing. Season 5 focused on Bev’s dementia and its impact on Jackie, but season 6 unexpectedly saw her condition improve, and she left the show as an independent adult.

In contrast, Crystal’s future doesn’t seem as bright. Crystal’s husband Ed died offscreen some time ago, as revealed by Dan in season 5, episode 10, “The Dog Days of Christmas.” She has never been too good at supporting herself through both Roseanne and The Conners, often relying on Jackie and Roseanne to assist her in her time of need. Meanwhile, Dan’s admission that Crystal avoided seeking medical care for years due to Ed’s bad advice is particularly damning. While the Conner family will likely do all they can to help Crystal, the perpetually cash-strapped family can only offer so much assistance.

Crystal’s Return Could Replace Another Roseanne Character’s Story

Crystal’s death could replace Bev’s storyline

Since Jackie and Roseanne’s mother, Bev, exited the show without dying, Crystal’s death may now be the big Roseanne-related tragedy of season 6 instead. Bev’s sudden impairment was a twist that was truly unexpected and, while it was nice to see the series subvert expectations, the spinoff will still need an emotionally impactful storyline soon. While The Conners season 6’s Mark plot was engaging, his struggles with college life were hardly as dramatic as the double wedding of season 4, Bev’s dementia diagnosis in season 5, Becky’s boyfriend facing deportation in season 2, or Roseanne’s death in season 1.

As such, it would make sense for Crystal’s death to occur in The Conners season 6. Crystal’s role in the series has been unclear ever since Roseanne died and Ed’s death makes her contribution even harder to define. Jackie and Crystal were always too similar to share screen time without Roseanne around and Dan’s struggles with his stepmother (who is almost the same age as him) could become old fast. In contrast, The Conners season 6 killing off Crystal would reaffirm the show’s connection to Roseanne while also replacing Bev’s potential demise with an equally moving storyline that affects the entire family.