Darlene Conner (later Healy) is played by Sara Gilbert.[16] She is Dan and Roseanne's second child and younger daughter, born in 1977. She is normally artistic, sarcastic, tomboyish, intelligent, and slightly rough. In the early seasons, she's a tomboy who loves sports and has trouble in school. However, during high school, she becomes moody, artistic, and an animal rights activist and vegetarian to more closely match Gilbert's real-life views and personality. During her freshman year of high school, she begins dating David Healy (Kevin Healy in his first appearance) (Johnny Galecki), coincidentally the younger brother of Becky's husband Mark. Darlene is sarcastic and domineering like her mother, often causing the couple to clash. Her bossy nature is best seen with David, who usually gives in to her. Darlene is a talented writer, and David is a budding graphic artist, so they begin collaborating on a graphic novel.
Darlene is awarded early admission and a scholarship to an exclusive art school in Chicago, which Roseanne eventually allows her to attend, giving Darlene a chance to become the writer Roseanne wanted to be. At college, Darlene meets Jimmy, whom she dates without breaking up with David. David is aware she is dating Jimmy and eventually tells her she has to choose between them. She chooses Jimmy, who later dumps her because he can't get close to her. Darlene realizes she still loves David after a movie date, and Roseanne talks the two of them into reconciling. Darlene becomes pregnant by David at Disney World, and they marry. She finishes art school and gives birth to a daughter, Harris Conner Healy. Harris is born three months prematurely and almost doesn't survive; David and Darlene must decide whether to keep her on life support or take her off and let nature take its course; the two decide she should get a chance to "experience life without being hooked up to all those machines", and surprisingly Harris pulls through. In the final episode of Season 9, it is revealed that Darlene had actually been dating Mark all along in reality but was written in Roseanne's book as having been with David instead, as Roseanne felt it made more sense. However, by the start of Season 10, which takes place twenty years later, this revelation has been retconned out of existence.
In Season 10, Darlene is revealed to be a single mother of two children, daughter Harris and son Mark, and she has recently lost her job in publishing, forcing her to move from Chicago back to Lanford to live with Roseanne and Dan in her childhood home.
Sara Gilbert was almost rejected from the role for "not being cute enough."[23]
Becky Conner[edit]
Rebecca "Becky" Conner (later Healy) is born in 1975, Rebecca, or Becky as she's known to her family and friends, is the eldest of Roseanne and Dan's children. Becky is introduced to the series as a pre-teen, whose primary interests are centered around makeup, fashion, and boys, and while she can be self-centered and act spoiled at times, she actually is the least problematic of the Conner children, maintaining very good grades and rarely causing issues for her parents beyond an occasional argument. However, as Becky grows older, she begins to break from her good girl mold, drinking Roseanne and Dan's alcohol with a friend while they're home alone, cutting her hair, and dating guys that Roseanne and Dan strongly disapprove of, her future husband Mark Healy being one of them. Becky's ultimate act of rebellion comes when she drops out of high school and elopes to Minneapolis.
In the year before she eloped, Becky's life was stressful. In addition to working as a cashier to help support her family and going to school, she was the sole person responsible for maintaining the household and looking after her younger siblings. Her breaking point came when she learnt her parents had used her college fund to pay household bills after the family's bike shop failed and that her long-time boyfriend Mark was leaving Lanford to work in Minneapolis. Feeling she had no prospects in Lanford, she eloped with Mark. Unfortunately, the marriage didn't bring her any financial security or stability. The two were ultimately forced to return to Lanford, where Mark began working for the city alongside Dan and Becky began serving at a restaurant called Bunz. The two lived in the Conner house for some time before moving into their own place, a mobile home. In the final episode of Season 9, it was revealed Becky was pregnant. In season 10, she reveals that she miscarried.
Twenty one years later, in Season 10, Becky is shown to still be living in Lanford and working as a server at a chain Mexican Restaurant. Her husband Mark has died. Having been widowed and left in dire financial straits, she turns to egg donation and surrogacy in an effort to make ends meet, having been offered $50,000 from an affluent couple. Her parents are disapproving of Becky's decision, with Roseanne explaining to Becky that while she might not feel a connection to her biological child, Roseanne and the rest of the family would. Becky feels she isn't in a position to turn down the offer. Becky later finds out she has a very small chance of becoming pregnant. The couple that offered her the surrogacy decides they need to move on to someone else.
Lecy Goranson played the role of Becky from the show's inception through Season 5. Goranson decided to leave the show in order to earn her college degree (she attended Vassar College). Becky's absence is written as having her elope with Mark and moving out of state. However, producers wished to return the character to the show and since Goranson wasn't available, they recast the role with Canadian actress Sarah Chalke. Chalke appeared as Becky starting in the middle of Season 6 and all of Season 7. Goranson returned for Season 8 as Becky, while still attending college, and Chalke was let go. However, Goranson's school schedule sometimes conflicted with her filming schedule and thus she was unavailable at times. The writers did not write in the Becky character when Goranson was not available for filming, but the show needed the Becky character in some episodes. Chalke was asked again to play the role when Goranson was not available during Season 8. Not wanting to put the show through more scheduling conflicts, Goranson did not sign on for Season 9 and concentrated on her studies. The role was turned over to Chalke for Season 9. With the series revival, Goranson played the role of Becky. In Season 10, Goranson as Becky, and Chalke as a character named Andrea, comment on how much they resemble one another - as the two actors once had played the same role. The Andrea character hires Becky to be her surrogate; this does not work out due to Becky's age (she is 43.)
In Season 1 of The Conners, which deals with life after Roseanne's death from an opiate overdose, Becky announces she is naturally pregnant despite a doctor telling her during the surrogacy storyline that she had less than a 5% chance of conceiving. Since her husband died, Becky is in financial difficulty and the child's father, Becky's coworker Emilio who is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, cannot help out financially as he earns only a small wage. With the support of her family, Becky proceeds with the pregnancy.
Becky later begins to warm to Emilio and accept him as apart of her life as he is the father of her child; Dan gives him a job as a drywall contractor at Dan's firm and Jackie also teaches him English. Emilio is subsequently deported in the cliffhanger ending to season one.
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