Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Conners season 7, episode 1, "It's Going To Be A Great Day."dual Hollywood strikes of 2023, The Conners season 6, much like the majority of scripted shows, had a truncated release. Despite that, it was able to cover a lot of ground, resulting in ABC and the creatives behind the Roseanne spinoff sequel that 6 episodes is all it needs to officially wrap things up.

Wrapping up a beloved show already comes with high expectations. So The Conners opting to make things trickier for it by having less than a third of its usual output is equal parts impressive and concerning. Roseanne had a divisive ending in 1997, and ABC cannot afford to leave Dan and his family again with a disappointing narrative. Years after it premiered on the heels of Roseanne Barr's firing and Roseanne being killed off in the revival, I didn't expect that The Conners will begin its final season by revisiting the family matriarch's death.

The Conners Season 7 Revisits Roseanne's Death

Jackie's Class-Action Lawsuit Forces The Family To Revisit The Tragedy

ABC introduces several plot lines in The Conners season 7, episode 1. That includes Darlene getting an unexpected promotion while Mark thrives in his new job, which is apparently, hacking. Elsewhere, Becky struggles to balance her intense romance with Tyler and finishing her paper for masters. Finally, Jackie attempts to re the police force as a way to fill her time. She is dissuaded, however, by a younger cop played by Laurie Metcalf's real-life daughter, Zoe Perry. For the most part, I'm curious to see where all of these plots would go as the season progresses.

That said, arguably the biggest set up in "It's Going To Be A Great Day" comes from the revelation that there's a class-action lawsuit against the big pharmaceutical that is involved in the opioid crisis. The issue hits close to home for the Conner family, because Roseanne died of an overdose. Jackie wants them to participate, not just because of the potential compensation that they could get from the case, but also to honor the memory of her late sister. Dan is skeptical, primarily because he doesn't want to revisit the grief that comes from his first wife's death.

Why The Conners Revisiting Roseanne's Death Is Shocking

The Conners Has Moved On

Understandably, The Conners has tried hard to move on from the death of Roseanne. While her unexpected ing has been referenced periodically, the comedy's storytelling has been mostly focused on the day-to-day lives of the family. Even Dan re-married — something that I never thought would happen. Aside from being a reflection of real-life grief processing, shifting its narrative core also makes sense, considering the controversial way that Barr was booted out of the show. So, I'm shocked to learn that The Conners will devote a significant chunk of its storytelling to tackling aspects of Roseanne's death.

Through this lawsuit storyline, however, the family will have to reconcile with what happened with Roseanne.

When the tragedy happened, it was a way to launch the spinoff sequel in a way that also explained Barr's absence from the series. Although her legacy as the family's matriarch lives on, The Conners has done a good job reinventing itself without losing its core appeal. At this point, I was convinced that the show will spend its final run with the characters looking forward. The fact that they aren't bringing back Roseanne legacy characters such as DJ and David backed up this theory. Through this lawsuit storyline, however, the family will have to reconcile with what happened with Roseanne.

Roseanne Being Part Of The Conners Season 7 Honors The Franchise's Legacy

The Conners' Matriarch Is A Big Part Of The Family's Story

As unexpected as it is, revisiting Roseanne's death makes a lot of sense. Regardless of what happened behind-the-scenes that resulted in Barr's firing, her character is still beloved by her family. Granted that they have moved on with their respective lives, but that's simply life. It's also worth noting that Dan and the rest couldn't afford to be crippled by their grief because of their financial situation.

Regardless of how the lawsuit storyline pans out, going through this process will likely unearth some of the aspects of Roseanne's death that Dan and the kids never fully processed in the immediate aftermath of her death. Beyond the hurt, however, this could also be cathartic for them. Now that they are a few years removed from the tragedy, they can reminisce without beinvg overcome with grief. Considering that The Conners is standing on the shoulders of Roseanne, it's only fair that the family gets to honor the character in its send-off story.