Dan starts to bond with his younger half-brother but he can't get over the fact that their father paid for Ed Jr'.s college education, something he refused to do for Dan. Jackie hits it off with a fun married couple, so much so that they "invite" her into their relationship. Harris and Mark do not react well to the news that Darlene is trying to have a baby with Ben.
The Conners are a working-class family, struggling to get by on a limited household income who, after a sudden turn of events, are forced to face the daily struggles of life in their home in the drab fictional mid-state exurb of Lanford, Illinois in a way they never have before.