[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Conners Season 7, Episode 10, “Smash and Grab and Happy Death Day .”]
The Conners hit 100 episodes with its latest installment, “Smash and Grab and Happy Death Day,” but was there anything truly standout about the milestone entry?
Usually, 100th episodes lean into a big event, but The Conners relies on emotions and sentimentality for its milestone. The installment is broken up into two prominent storylines, one focusing on a smash-and-grab robbery at Dan’s (John Goodman) hardware store where Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) is on-site to help detain one of the would-be robbers.
Disney / Chris Willard
Meanwhile, Becky (Lecy Goranson) juggles the topic of death with her daughter Beverly Rose (Charlotte Sanchez) as her sister Darlene (Sara Gilbert) offers a blunter perspective. In both these storylines, sentimental aspects of these characters’ lives play a role.
Jackie ultimately lets the low-rate criminal go after the police are slow to respond to the smash-and-grab; she sees herself in the young woman’s struggle. When Dan pushes back initially, Jackie tries to change his perspective by sharing her own personal stories.
As for Becky, she gets upset with Darlene for bringing up death in the first place because it forces her to have a big discussion with Beverly Rose. It also brings up a lot of trauma from her late husband Mark’s death. Eventually, the sisters find common ground on the topic, and Becky is able to revisit Mark’s death to help teach her daughter about it.
It’s an overall sweet episode, but does it really feel like a 100th-episode celebration? We want to hear from you. Let us know your thoughts in the poll, below, and sound off in the comments section.
The Conners, Wednesdays, 8/7c, ABC