The title of The Conners Season 4 Episode 14 was suitable in so many ways as the entire family found themselves “Triggered” by a shooting at the local mall.
Yet, much like real life, every person involved reacted and coped in vastly different ways, and a tragic event that could have had the power to pull the family apart brought them back together in the end.
In the past, I’ve complained that The Conners hasn’t been funny enough of late, but given the material, this installment was aptly more somber.
It’s difficult to joke about watching a young person being shot and killed, no matter what the circumstances, although Dan made a point about having to find a way to keep going because life goes on.
Louise: We just watched a kid get shot yesterday.
Dan: You know, I saw the same thing myself, but I’ve still got to go to work today, put a smile on my face and help the customers find the right drill bit. So if I have to joke around a little bit to get through the day, let me have that.
The shooting at the mall and the ensuing lockdown brought out different reactions.
Becky was terrified because Emilio and Beverly Rose were at the mall at the time of the shooting. No parent should have to know that kind of terror.
A day later, Becky didn’t want to stop holding her daughter, never mind allow her to leave the house to go to a friend’s birthday party. Becky couldn’t be blamed for her reaction, but Emilio was right. Becky was feeling the emotional trauma far more than her daughter.
What was best was to let Beverly Rose be a kid as Becky headed to the rec center to speak with a counselor. It was the smart thing to do, but real life frequently doesn’t make that easy.
There were only three counselors at the rec center and hundreds of people who needed to see them.
So often, we hear public service announcements about how important it is to ask for help when you need it, but little is said about how difficult, sometimes impossible, it is to actually gain access to that assistance.
Darlene faced similar issues with Mary.
Louise: This is crazy. It’s like this happens every day.
Harris: It does happen every day.
With DJ away, it was up to Darlene to help her niece deal with her distress, but how do you convince a kid it’s safe to go to school when lockdown drills are the norm, and they just watched their neighbor get shot and killed?
Darlene did what any responsible parent would do. She called the school to set up an appointment for Mary with the school psychologist, only to learn that they had one psychologist for over 1,500 students!
Through all of this, the family banded together. It wasn’t until Dan pulled out his gun that the arguments began.
Dan and Louise believed that having the pistol in the house would help them keep the family safe, especially if someone broke in during the night, but Becky saw things differently.
Are you insane? We’re the ones wandering around the house in the middle of the night. You’ve got a better chance of shooting one of us than anybody else. Just get rid of the gun!
Becky
With a young child in the house, it was easy to understand Becky’s point of view. Was the gun as secured as Dan believed it to be? The lockbox was old, and the drawer in which it was kept was low. It wouldn’t have taken much for Beverly Rose to stumble upon it.
Was Dan’s gun keeping them safer or putting the family in more danger? As it had never been used, the answer to that question simply depended upon your perspective.
The biggest shock of the episode was when Harris took Dan’s gun and handed it over to the police.
Darlene: What happened to the whole world’s screwed, and there’s nothing you can do about it?
Harris: The world is screwed, but when something like this happens in your backyard, you have two choices. I can either hide and bitch like a little punk, or I can get up off my ass and do something like a boss.
On the one hand, I applaud Harris. She took a stand for something she believed in and did something she was convinced would help keep her family safe, even knowing she could face consequences.
But the flip side is that it was Dan’s house and his gun, and he had a right to keep it. Even if I agree that it was more likely to do harm than offer protection in such a crowded house, that didn’t give Harris the right to take her grandfather’s property.
A compromise could have been found where Dan kept the gun more securely so that everyone felt more comfortable. At the very least, there should have been more open discussion about everyone’s fears.
But this is a sitcom, and Harris’ actions made for the more dramatic conclusion.
In some ways, perhaps Jackie suffered most of all. She worried about everyone and then couldn’t stop reading the news reports on her phone.
Having easy access to constant information is both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes, setting down our phones or shutting off the TV or computer and walking away is an act of kindness to ourselves.
It was a relief when Dan told Jackie she needed to stay the night because she shouldn’t be alone as she struggled through her emotional anguish.
Thankfully, it all led to the family finding their way back together, cuddled up under blankets and sleeping bags, sharing junk food, and playing card games. Because sometimes, the best thing we can do is take comfort in just being together and attempt to have a little fun.
So what did you think of the Conners lockdown experience?
Was Harris right to take Dan’s gun? Was Dan right to want to keep it? And should Mark have been home for this special event?
Hit that big, blue, SHOW COMMENTS button down below to tell us your thoughts, then check back in for our review of The Conners Season 4 Episode 15.
And don’t forget that you can watch The Conners online any time here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.