9. Mother’s Day: Roseanne, “Scenes From A Barbecue” (1991)

9. Mother’s Day: Roseanne, “Scenes From A Barbecue” (1991)

Roseanne’s depictions of family dynamics were (and continue to be) lauded for their realism. But for as many problems as the series tackled, it was more remarkable to see how the writers dealt with the Conners’ mundane interactions. This third season episode—whose loose plot involves a low-key Mother’s Day barbecue—is no exception. Its only mild conflict occurs when Roseanne (unsuccessfully) tries to convince her talk-radio-addict grandmother Nana Mary (a delightfully stubborn, eccentric Shelley Winters) to move in with the family. Otherwise, “Scenes From A Barbecue” subtly weaves together matriarchal threads that are both humorous (Roseanne and Jackie’s mother, Bev, irritates everybody via one of her usual shrewish phone calls, before Nana Mary gives her a dose of her own passive-aggressive medicine) and sentimental (Dan gives Roseanne a photo of the family as her present). Any frustrations with relatives pale next to the warmth and conviviality of the day, and the episode closes with a sing-along. In the end, the complex mother-daughter interactions add up to an episode full of small pleasures.

[Ed. note: This story was written in 2013.]