#The Conners Season 4 Episode 12 Review: Hot For Teacher and Writing a Wrong

After the high expectations that everyone had for Mark at that magnet school, it was no surprise that his re-entry into public school wasn’t easy on The Conners Season 4 Episode 12.

But when Darlene found $500 in cash in Mark’s room, she ended up with a whole new set of worries. 

I couldn’t really blame Darlene for jumping to the conclusion that Mark was dealing drugs. There are only so many ways for a kid to come up with that kind of cash. 

And I appreciated that Darlene checked in with all of the adults in Mark’s life, including Ben, before confronting her son. No matter the status of Ben and Darlene’s relationship, Mark and Ben are still close, and that’s not a bad thing. 

But when the truth came out, it made a lot more sense. Mark isn’t perfect, but having him turn to selling drugs to other kids would have been a huge left turn for his character. 

Writing other kids’ college essays for money certainly wasn’t right, but it made a lot more sense than Mark turning into a teenage drug dealer, no matter what drug he was supposedly selling. 

Your snooping is causing me to do something no Conner has ever done. I’m going to go open a savings account.

Mark

As much as I enjoy Mark with a little more snark now that he’s a teenager, there’s only so much angry Mark I can take. Harris has the constantly angry teen/young adult ground covered. 

And Mark has always walked his own path. Watching him struggle to learn the contrabassoon, and watch the family suffer through his efforts, could be fun. 

Mark: I think I might be able to get a great college essay out of this. I’m a gay contrabassoonist from the wrong side of the tracks.

Darlene: Buckle in.

Mark: Why?

Darlene: Because you are on a rocket sled to Harvard.

But when Dan said that Darlene was saving up money to move out, does that mean Mark is going with her? That wasn’t made clear, and I’m curious to see how it turns out. 

Darlene should have her own place with her son, but it’s far better for the show to have everyone dealing with living under one roof. 

Elsewhere, Becky was in a bind as no one was able to watch Beverly Rose. 

This is obviously an ongoing problem, as even Mark saw through Becky’s scenario of him being homeschooled as just a scheme that had him at home more to watch Beverly Rose.

What I like about this is that it’s realistic. Child care is a huge problem, especially for single mothers. And with Becky working at the Lunch Box while trying to finish college, finding consistent child care for her daughter will continue to be a problem.

Becky: Can you watch Beverly Rose?

Dan: In the hardware store? We had a broken bag of birdseed, and the rats are running around like it’s a Vegas buffet. I could give her a mallet, and she could play whack a mole.

Thankfully, her professor wasn’t angry when Becky snuck her child into class. And despite a little singing, Beverly Rose was pretty well behaved. 

Watching Professor Glenn make Beverly Rose his impromptu teacher’s assistant was cute, although she needs some practice drawing triangles. Overall, it was difficult not to like the guy.

Did I feel any immediate chemistry between him and Becky? Not really, but I’m willing to give that more time. 

But Jackie was right. Becky having a relationship with her professor could end badly for both of them, but I didn’t see why she needed to make an issue of it now. 

Nothing had happened between them, except perhaps some very mild flirting. I saw no reason why Becky couldn’t just finish out the course with him and then decide how to handle things. 

That said, I was proud of Becky for her honesty. It took guts to tell her professor why she thought she should drop his class. That he admitted to also having feelings for her wasn’t going to make this any easier. 

And since he’s the only one teaching a required course and her advisor, that adds another level of difficulty. 

Unfortunately, I think the two of them heading off to a clandestine dinner to discuss their issues will only lead to disaster. Becky isn’t very good at taking things slow. Will she put the brakes on this possible relationship so that it doesn’t ruin her college career? I’d be shocked if she did. 

Speaking of Becky’s love life, doesn’t Emilio have to go back to Mexico soon to ask to come back to this country legally? Have he and Becky been officially married for two years yet? And how will that affect both of their relationships moving forward?

Also, am I the only one missing Louise? I know actress Katey Sagal is recovering after an accident, but I hope Louise will be back in the Conner household soon. 

And no one can say that Beverly Rose isn’t adorable. Watching her play princess with Dan as they both wear tiaras is one of the cutest things I’ve seen on this show. That she was already able to swipe Dan’s wallet was a look at things to come.

Oh, you’re going to be a whole different kind of special.

Dan [to Beverly Rose]

So what did you think, TV Fanatics? 

Did Darlene handle Mark’s illegal activities well? Do you think he’ll actually learn the contrabassoon?

Will Becky start dating her professor, and is there any possibility that doesn’t end badly for both of them?

And do you care about seeing Harris and Aldo setting up house? Personally, they’re my least favorite part of the show, so I’m happy to have them off-screen for as long as possible. 

Hit that big, blue, SHOW COMMENTS button down below to let us know what you thought of this episode. Then, you can watch The Conners online any time here at TV Fanatic. 

C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.