Just like the original Roseanne, the revival starring Roseanne Barr and John Goodman is earning praise as showing what life is like for many of the middle class in the United States. And as a sneak peek of Tuesday’s episode revealed, one of the challenges for many individuals resides in coping with aging, from the frustrating (Barr’s character has been shown trying to figure out how to pay for her medication) to the humorous (Goodman’s character shows wit and warmth in enjoying intimate relations with his wife despite having adult kids at home).

Roseanne Barr’s Character Gets Grumpy About Her Age

The Tuesday, April 3 episode of Roseanne will feature Barr’s character, Roseanne Conner, coping with her initial refusal to ignore or fight the signs of aging, reported ABC News. Roseanne and her husband, John Goodman’s Dan Conner, butt heads almost literally as they argue over whether she really needs that dreaded sign of aging: A powered chair hooked on the staircase for those who can’t climb stairs without health problems. Dan thinks that Roseanne needs that robotic chair, and she believes just as firmly that she has no need for the fixture.

John Goodman’s character makes it clear that he installed the special chair out of love, believing that Roseanne will benefit by using the chair to travel up and down the stairs in their house. But when Roseanne learns that using a chair that she associates with aging is the answer to her question about traversing the staircase, she is reluctant to accept the gift.

“How the hell am I supposed to get up the stairs to find my ice pack without my ice pack?”

The sneak peek of Tuesday’s Roseanne episode, which was broadcast on Good Morning America today, makes it clear that Goodman’s character has a tough time getting his wife to agree to use the robotic device.

The premiere of the 'Roseanne' revival, starring John Goodman and Roseanne Barr, attracted more than 18 million viewers. Featured image credit: Jordan Strauss Invision/AP Images

John Goodman’s Character Dan Conner Uses Humor To Get Roseanne To Use “Easy Climb”

In response to Roseanne’s question about how she is supposed to climb the stairs to get her ice pack for her pain without using an ice pack, Dan is enthusiastic in his mission to get his wife to use the chair, called the “Easy Climb.” But Roseanne uses humor to show her reluctance to admit she needs the device.

“No, I don’t need [a robotic stair chair], I’m young and vibrant.”

In turn, John Goodman’s character uses wit and warmth in his efforts to persuade Roseanne to climb on the chair. When she attempts to ignore the pain and climb the stairs, John gets the “Easy Climb” to blast off, turning it into a race as he does a play-by-play in tracking the winner of the robotic chair versus human race.

The new episode of Roseanne will be broadcast on Tuesday on ABC. The premiere attracted huge ratings, with 10 percent more viewers than the final episode of Roseanne in 1997. The cast has responded by sharing secrets from behind the scenes as they make the rounds of talk shows.

The April 3 episode of Roseanne, titled “Roseanne Gets the Chair,” also will show Roseanne clashing with Darlene, played by Sara Gilbert, over how she is raising her children, reported Broadway World. In addition to showing Dan attempting to ease his wife’s pain from her bad knee with the elevator chair, the episode will focus on one of Darlene’s children, Harris, played by Emma Kenney.

Others in the cast include Laurie Metcalf returning to her role as Jackie Harris, Lecy Goranson portraying Becky Conner-Healy, a noticeably grown-up Michael Fishman portraying D.J. Conner, Ames McNamara in the role of Mark Conner-Healy, and Jayden Rey playing Mary Conner. Sid Youngers penned and John Pasquin directed “Roseanne Gets the Chair.”