Roseanne: The Complete Third Season [Import]

Season three of Roseanne doesn't revolve around any particular overriding story arc, but the kids are definitely beginning to grow up. As in almost every season, there are quite a few changes taking place in all of the characters' lives, but the show's greatness mainly lies in the "real life" way that each situation is handled and in the raw emotions and interactions of the characters, not in the situations themselves.

"The Test" is a great season opener as Roseanne and her family wait for the outcome of her home pregnancy test. There are some precious moments, such as when DJ asks if he was an accident, and Roseanne tells him that he was a surprise, the difference being that "an accident is something that you wouldn't do over again if you had the chance, but a surprise is something you didn't even know you wanted until you got it." The girls show their selfish side, trying to make a case for not having the baby even before the test is complete. Becky goes as far as asking her mother "Don't you want me to go to college?".

The audience gets their first look at the late Glenn Quinn as rebel and smart-mouth Mark Healey in "Becky, Beds, and Boys". Mark doesn't even pretend to care what the Conners think when he shows up in a bar, obviously under-aged and the Conners see him there. His answer to their question of how he got in there when he is only 18 is that he has a piece of paper that says he is 21. Becky's concerned parents forbid her to see Mark anymore, but she keeps coming up with ways to see him anyway. I liked how Mark was portrayed in these early seasons when he was "Rebel Without a Cause" as opposed to the last three seasons when he was transformed into "Rebel Without a Clue". Mark and Becky are the cause of quite a bit of trouble, starting with "Her Boyfriend's Back", in which Mark and Becky take Dan's prize Harley out for a ride without telling him. This infuriates Dan who doesn't even bother punishing Becky - his hurt and anger are so deep that he just ignors her for days. Of course, this is far worse than any punishment he could have given her.

In the Halloween episode, DJ decides he wants to dress as a witch this year, and this has Dan very upset as he believes it might mean DJ is having trouble with his own gender identity. You see, Dan believes only girls should dress as witches. Meanwhile, Roseanne decides to find out what it's like to be one of the guys by dressing up in Dan's clothes. She then goes to the Lobo and enjoys conversing with a group of men there on a variety of subjects. You even see Roseanne trying to make conversation with "another" man at the urinal. Unfortunately, the restroom scene has been cut from most (if not all) syndicated showings of this episode. We also get another look at Crystal's desperation for male companionship as she shows an interest in Roseanne ( alias Bob) after "Bob" pays her some well placed compliments.

"PMS I Love You" is one of my all time favorites. Dan's birthday party collides with Roseanne's PMS, and she is on a rampage. Dan, being the guest of honor, must ride out the rollercoaster of his wife's emotions, including her blurting out to everyone present that he cried when he saw "Old Yeller". In one of those great moments that Dan and Jackie often have together, Dan vents to her privately about how his 39 years have been a blur and he wonders when will it be his turn, when does HE get to have HIS PMS?

Ned Beatty returns as Dan's father, although he is more subdued and less buffoonish than he was in season one when he was first introduced. Dan, however, is still somewhat contemptuous of his dad, and it doesn't make things any better when he finds out that his father is planning to marry one of Roseanne's friends. Matters go from bad to worse when he finds out why - the bride-to-be is pregnant. Dan fears that his new brother/sister will have the same kind of life he had as a child - a life with an unhappy mother and an absentee father who is always on the road.

The other plot developments include Jackie being injured and leaving the police force, Roseanne getting a job at Rodbell's, a diner in the mall, and Dan opening a motorcycle shop of his own. This is truly one of the best seasons of Roseanne, and I highly recommend it. I just wish that there were more extras and interviews in the DVD sets than we have been getting.

The 1990-1991 third season of "Roseanne" was clearly the season where the show really defined itself. While the first two seasons were good, especially the second, the third was the first Perfect Season, and it was also when the show really started to take risks and tackle heavy issus with amazing skill, all the while remaining laugh out loud hilarious.

The first episode of the season was "The Test," and it was test in many ways. It was the first episode to air after Roseanne's National Anthem incident, where she pissed off most of America and was called a disgrace by President Bush (quite ironic considering how his son is running the country these days). Fortunately, the incident was forgotten and "Roseanne" continued to roll along smoothly, turning out some of the finest episodes of the whole series. Who doesn't love "Like, A Virgin," in which Darlene is caught making out with her friend Brian on the couch? And who could forget the classic Halloween special, "Trick Or Treat," in which Roseanne dresses as a man and is so convincing that she spends most of the night hanging with a group of men at The Lobo. Probably the funniest episode of the season is "PMS, I Love You," in which Roseanne's PMS collides with Dan's surprise birthday party and disaster ensues. "Vegas Interruptus" is a very notable episode as Roseanne and Dan debate whether to go to Vegas or stay at home so Roseanne won't lose her job. The episode shows how rare a vacation is for Roseanne and Dan and how Roseanne has to balance the importance of her job over the importance of her trip. The classic "Scenes From A Barbecue" introduced Nana Mary, portrayed brilliantly by the late Shelly Winters. Also, the late Glenn Quinn makes his first appearance on the show in "Becky, Beds, and Boys," and who could know he'd be sticking around until the very final episode? Natalie West as Crystal joins the cast in the credits for this season (and the next one, as well, before pretty much vanishing from the series save for the occasional appearance), and other great characters include Bonnie, played by Bonnie Bramlett, and of course Leon, played by Martin Mull. This season also brings us the Bowman family, including the mother Kathy, who would share some wonderful comic moments with Roseanne before leaving near the end of Season Four.

Season Three is excellent, although not up with the flat out brilliance of Seasons Four and Five (the two finest seasons of the whole run). It's sad to see how poorly the season is treated in this DVD set. The episodes are uncut, thank God, but once again, the features are nearly non-existant. We get 'interviews' with Laurie Metcalf and Lecy Goranson, but these are polluted with so many episode clips we barely get any interview time. It is worth watching to see Lecy Goranson tear up near the end of her interview (very touching) but overall these are not very exciting.

"Roseanne" is one of the best shows of all time, and this season is an example of why. Although the features are again incredibly dissapointing, the episodes are uncut and their quality can not be argued. Although it falls short when put up against Season Four and Season Five, this is definately not a set you want to pass up!

Grade: B+

I'm delighted that the uncut episodes of ROSEANNE are being issued afterthe snafu of the first season. But, WHERE ARE THE COMMENTARIES? Before Anchor Bay decided to release the show on DVD, Roseanne spoke to HomeMediaReatiling (http://www.videostoremag.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?sec_id=2&article_ID=6010) on March 27, 2004 and said:

"Roseanne said she would be happy to create extras for a DVD package. She's particularly keen on providing commentary tracks and promises to come clean on the notorious behind-the-scenes conflicts between cast and crew. "I would totally do commentary for it, because I remember almost every show and what was going on," she said. "I would say, `Well, this is where such and such was fired.' There are good stories." And yet she maintains, "We always had fun, the cast. We always had great fun every day on that show."

We're going into the third season and still no commentaries. You'd think someone who controllled the show so completely as Roseanne did would be proud to talk about her struggles and triumphs on this ground-breaking show.

Wouldn't you all love to hear Roseanne doing commentary either solo or with co-stars John Goodman or Laurie Metcalfe? Hope Roseanne is listening.