A focus on a real problem
Published 8:37 am Saturday, October 20, 2018
Tuesday’s episode of “The Connors” probably struck close to home for many of its viewers in the Tri-State.
The show is a continuation of the “Roseanne” show without its namesake; ABC fired Roseanne Barr after she made controversial Twitter comments.
The show was revived last year but after Barr’s comments, the network decided to continue the show after Barr agreed to allow the show to go on without her.
Fans knew going into the season opener that Roseanne died, since Barr had already revealed they were killing off her character.
Most suspected that her death was caused by complications from a knee surgery.
The show opened with characters commenting that she had died from a heart attack while sleeping. Later, a call from the coroner’s office reveals that she had died of an opioid overdose.
The family was confused, since they believed that she was only taking non-narcotic pain relievers. While cleaning, they find two hidden containers of narcotics, one a bottle with a neighbor’s name on it. The other was a baggie of pills hidden in the freezer.
Many people have identified with the show and its characters trying to survive in a blue-collar town where they factories have closed down and it is a struggle to get by.
Sadly, this twist of fate for Roseanne rings too true, especially in this area of Appalachia that has spent decades trying to deal with situations where drug use and overdoses have affected so many on a daily, continuing grind.
We commend “The Connors” for bringing national attention to the sad reality of our continuing opioid crisis.