Arsenic and Old Mom

"Arsenic and Old Mom"
Season 9: Episode 22(220 / 231 episodes)
Network	ABC-TV
Air date	May 13, 1997
Written by	Carrie Fisher
Directed by	Mark K. Samuels
Episode Guide
Previous	The Truth Be Told
Next	Into That Good Night, Part 1

Arsenic and Old Mom was the 22nd episode of Season 9 of Roseanne, also the 220th overall series episode. It was written by Carrie Fisher, and was directed by Mark K. Samuels. It originally aired on ABC-TV on May 13, 1997.

Summary

Dan's mother Audrey Conner, visits unexpectedly and keeps trying to kill her son for putting her away for so many years.

Plot

In-Depth

The knock on the door at the Conner house that night revealed an unexpected guest. Dan's mother showed up after being released from her long stay at a psychiatric hospital. Both Dan and Roseanne were leery of the visit, but after a phone call to the doctor, her release was verified.

As long as she continues to take her medication, she should be OK. A little bit of tension is alleviated. Audrey seems perfectly adjusted when she is dealing with all the family members, except Dan.

After Dan gets locked in the garage from the outside, while the garage fills up with smoke, he begins to suspect foul play. Roseanne dismisses Dan's thought as paranoia. As Dan naps on the couch, Audrey sneaks up on him, ready to attack, just as he opens his eyes. She pretends to fluff and arrange a pillow for him. Several incidents occur, including his mother trying to choke him, as Dan tries to persuade Roseanne that he is not imagining the whole situation.

The final straw happens when Audrey is in the backyard digging a hole to bury Dan in. When questioned, she admits that she would like to kill Dan, for "putting her away." A fight ensues, Roseanne overpowers her, and Audrey is sent packing.

Cast

Starring

• Roseanne as Roseanne Conner
• John Goodman as Dan Conner
• Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris (credit only)
• Sara Gilbert as Darlene Conner (credit only)
• Michael Fishman as D.J. Conner
• Sarah Chalke as Becky Conner (credit only)

Guests

• Debbie Reynolds as Audrey Conner
• Heather Matarazzo as Heather
• Cole Roberts as Jerry Conner
• Lawrence Broch as Doctor

Trivia

• This is the second of two episodes that Dan's mom appears in. She first appeared in the episode "We Gather Together" from Season 2 played by Ann Wedgeworth. Debbie Reynolds takes over the role for this episode.
• This episode was written by Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia of the Star Wars movies), daughter of Debbie Reynolds and 1950s singer Eddie Fisher. When DJ and Heather are in the kitchen talking about Star Wars, he mentioned Princess Leia and seeing her in her iconic golden bikini which Audrey hits him for being inappropriate. Ironically, Carrie Fisher hated her costume so much.
• Debbie Reynolds revealed on Roseanne's talk show that while they were wrestling in this episode, Roseanne had accidently broke one of her ribs.
• When Roseanne and Audrey are wrestling in the backyard, you can see Roseanne is trying hard to keep a straight face.
• Despite being credited, Laurie Metcalf (Jackie Harris), Sara Gilbert (Darlene Conner) and Sarah Chalke (Becky Conner) do not appear.
• This is the last episode where these said characters mentioned above were absent.
• In this episode, Audrey is still unhinged and tries to act as an innocent woman in front of the Conner family while trying to kill Dan as revenge for putting her in the hospital. This makes her somewhat of an antagonist due to her insane antics towards her son as revenge while acting as an innocent saint in front of Roseanne and the family. Audrey is more of a villain in this episode instead of an insane person that escape the hospital. It can explain that she was being sneaky as she refuses to take her medicine and hide it after spitting it out or drinking a glass of water.
• As Roseanne and Audrey wrestle in a fight in the backyard, Roseanne noticed that Audrey set Dan’s boat on fire after Audrey find out that he had nice things after winning the lottery as she burned it with a lighter offscreen.
• While wrestling on the ground, Roseanne mentioned California as she asks if Audrey had too many frozen mocha Frappuccinos.
• It is unknown if Audrey’s nurse is unaware of Audrey escaping the hospital and trying to kill Dan for putting her in there. It is assumed that Audrey is sent back into the hospital again and her nurse is informed about what happened. It seems that her nurse shows disappointment in her as well as scolding her for escaping from the hospital.