Wednesday's Conners culminated in a horrific revelation about Roseanne and Jackie's childhood — one that makes Jackie see her emotionally manipulative mother in a whole new light.
Jackie learned — from her mother's medical history — that Bev once took a beating from Al to protect her daughters from their physically abusive father. Afterward, Bev sent Roseanne and Jackie to Nana Mary — not because she was an unfit parent, as Jackie had always assumed — but because she didn't want her kids to learn that Al broke her arm.
Al was previously played by the late John Randolph, who played Roseanne twice during her first two seasons. However, in Season 4, it was revealed that the seemingly harmless patriarch was not so kind. Not only did he have a secret mistress for over 20 years, but he was also abusive throughout Roseanne and Jackie's childhood. The character was killed off in the classic Season 5 episode "Wait Till Your Father Gets Home," which culminated in Roseanne writing off a list of all the things she disliked about
Bev Parsons remained on the show for the remainder of Roseanne's nine-season run, then returned for several episodes of the 2018 revival and The Conners, which is currently in Season 5, forcing Jackie to put her displeasure aside and take care of the woman she blames for everything that's gone wrong in her life.
Bruce Helford and Dave Caplan, executive producers of TVLine, discussed the effect Bev's dementia will have on Jackie, which you can learn more about here.
What did you think of The Conners Season 5, Episode 13: "New Pipes and Old Secrets"? Share your thoughts in the comments.