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New photos have been released offering a sneak peak of the Roseannereboot's third episode, which premieres on Tuesday, April 3 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
The new episode, titled "Roseanne Gets the Chair," follows the record-breaking two-part premiere that aired last Tuesday. The show saw a total of over 18 million viewers with a 5.2 rating in the key demographic of adults 18-49. That was more than advertisers had dared to hope for from the 90s sitcom revival.
The new episode will reportedly take a closer look at Darlene's struggle as a single mother, and Roseanne's attempts to help without setting her daughter off. Meanwhile, the show will dive deeper into Roseanne and Dan's journey into old age as Dan buys his wife an elevator chair, which she isn't interested in using.
"Roseanne's clash with Darlene over how she's raising her kids – especially Harris – reaches a breaking point," reads the official synopsis, "while Dan tries to help Roseanne with her bad knee by getting her an elevator chair, which she refuses to use because she doesn't want to admit getting old."
The dreaded chair may be a real-life reference for Roseanne Barr, who suffered a gruesome knee injury about three years ago in San Francisco. Michael Fishman, who plays D.J. Conner in the series, wrote a blog post for Entertainment Weekly explaining that the injury had a specific impact on Barr, and that it played into the revival quite a bit.
"Some of the most compelling and honest story lines this season center around aging," Fishman wrote for the magazine. "For Roseanne and Dan, coming to grips with getting older while still facing financial uncertainty has a profound impact on every aspect of their lives. This often-overlooked truth in society was partially inspired by Roseanne's real-life knee injury. As Roseanne Conner, her resistance to accept physical setbacks and limitations is something we all know all too well, but rarely see in entertainment."
The new season's second episode already offered a glimpse into Darlene and her kids' life, but it focused more on her younger son, Mark. In a role reversal of the original series, Mark is a young boy that prefers to dress in girls' clothes, not unlike Darlene, who was an avowed tom boy throughout the original series.
The episode was lauded for its progressive attitude toward gender presentation, though some critics found it a stretch to show Roseanne as both a supporter of President Trump and an advocate for trans rights.
Roseanne Barr herself hinted that this week's episode would advance the social and political conversation the show has started in a tweet posted on Friday.
The 65-year-old actress wrote: "the next episode shows Harris (my tv granddaughter) calling me a stupid old hillbilly-watch how I handle her and her very liberal mother!"
The new episode of Roseanne premieres on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Here is a look at some sneak peek photos.
The series revival offers a touching look at the Conner parents still going strong as they move into old age together. They are amassing a number of grandchildren and begrudgingly accepting the fact they their house is still the center of activity.
The story front and center in this episode will reportedly be a conflict between Roseanne, Harris and Darlene, as Roseanne tries to help her daughter through parenthood. Barr wrote on Twitter that her TV granddaughter will call her "a stupid old hillbilly".
While Roseanne and Harris come to blows, the teenager will presumably have to take some tips from her mother on how to deal with her grandmother's convictions. The show is offering compounding insights with three generations bottled up in one house together.
In the reboot, Darlene has moved back into her parents' home with her two kids. The arrangement shows how lost a single parent can feel, and how they may gain new respect for their own parents' insights.
While Becky Conner has mocked her younger sister for moving back in with their parents, she shows up very often in the old house, and remains embroiled in all of the family drama.