'Roseanne' Recap: Revival Remains Messy. And That's The Best Part

For the remaining episodes of its 10th season, Patch will give weekly recaps for "Roseanne," the revival of the popular sitcom. And we're posting these recaps on Elgin Patch because that's the nearest community to the Conner family's fictional Illinois home of Lanford.

Before you read about the episode that aired Tuesday, April 17, check out Patch's previous "Roseanne" Recaps for Episode 3, "Roseanne Gets the Chair," and Episode 4, "Eggs Over, Not Easy."

Caught up? Good. Here's a breakdown of the highlights — and lowlights — from the latest episode.

"Roseanne" (Season 10, Episode 5): "Darlene v. David"

What Worked: It's a mess. The beauty of the show's original run was, at a time when family sitcoms still needed to neatly resolve conflicts in 30 minutes or less, "Roseanne" refused to be tidy. The Conners lost jobs without finding employment by the end of the episode. Becky ran off with Mark and stayed estranged from the family for an entire season (eventually returning as a new woman, literally). Their exploits felt like family life, not plot points.

The current series continues to flaunt that messiness, and it's probably its greatest strength behind the Becky-Darlene dynamic. We get to see Darlene's tangled feelings for David (played by Johnny Galecki, doing double time between this show and "The Big Bang Theory") as she tries to reconcile with what's best for their children with what's best for her as a person. It's an emotional confusion that comes with a bit of sadness, not because she might be sacrificing her own happieness for her kids' well-being. But because she's unsure she's making the right decision.

What Didn't: It's still overcrowded with storylines and characters. David's return should have been center stage. Instead, it has to share time with an equally important comeback: Roseanne and Jackie's mom, Beverly (Estelle Parsons), who's been kicked out of her nursing home after giving gonorrhea to some of her male suitors there. It's a development that sets up three generations of parents under a roof that is quickly running out of room for the kids.

What Was Missing: Michael Fishman's DJ. The revival's first episode might have established that his wife is serving overseas, but given the amount of screen time he's had since then, he probably could've joined her there.

Best Line: "Position, feel thy self." Becky, delivering a pretty good extended malaprop. Remember when she was the smart daughter?

"Roseanne" airs at 7 p.m. Tuesdays on ABC.

Sara Gilbert and Roseanne Barr (Photo by Greg Gayne | ABC)