Season Four is the darker times of the series where the characters would all learn to take more serious roles in their lives. While “Season Four” is the darker more dramatic time of the series, it’s still one of the best times of the show where the reality of owning a business in this economy would soon rear its ugly face and affect the Conners, leaving a giant rift between them by the time season five will roll around. This time around Darlene develops from a rambunctious tomboy in to a depressed high schooler who is trying to find her way in the world.
This means a lot of alienation and a lot of cold shoulders among her family which gives her a reason to battle it out with Roseanne, Dan and even Becky. There’s never an indication as to what’s affecting Darlene, but her character takes a more serious route during these twenty five episodes. Meanwhile Dan’s life as a bike shop owner becomes the basis for his character adding to the show as he struggles to pay the bills, find customers, and work the business in to a successful endeavor.
Of course as the episodes go on it becomes apparent to him and the viewers that this is never to be. There’s also the revelation that Roseanne and Jackie’s dad has had a mistress for twenty years which nearly splits Jackie and Roseanne apart as sisters in their attempts to not only figure out what drove their father to infidelity but to justify his ultimate betrayal. This also provides insight in to their childhood and how he was one of the many men stuck in a loveless marriage involving teenage pregnancy.
There’s also Becky’s consistent drifting to boyfriend Mark which reflects her woes about not being able to attend college thanks to her family’s situation which would directly carry over in to season five where Dan eventually goes broke and loses his bike shop. Season Four is a lot more serious, but it provides some truly great episodes and excellent insight in to Dan and Roseanne’s childhoods and how they eventually turned in to folks with a giant chip on their shoulders. Season Four features extras such as “Life Imitating Art,” “Life Imitating Roseanne,” Interviews with stars Lacy Goranson and Michael Fischman, and video commentary on two episodes.