A Stomach Ache, a Heartbreak and a Grave Mistake

"A Stomach Ache, a Heartbreak and a Grave Mistake"
Season 3: Episode 12(43 / 106 episodes)
Network	ABC-TV
Air date	March 3, 2021
Written by	Emily Wilson
Directed by	Michael Arden
Episode Guide
Previous	Panic Attacks, Hardware Store and Big Mouth Billy Bass
Next	Walden Pond, A Staycation and the Axis Powers

A Stomach Ache, A Heartbreak and a Grave Mistake is the twelfth episode of Season 3 of The Conners, also the 43rd episode overall.

Summary

Mark is stressed out and feeling sick, convinced he has COVID-19. Meanwhile, Becky and Harris team up to confront Josh who has been "ghosting" Harris; and when Jackie visits Roseanne's grave, she finds an appalling headstone right next to it and sets out to make it right.

Plot

Josh and Harris are finally breaking up. Becky says they need closure, with Becky seeming to get closure as well. Jackie has a serious burial problem. Darlene's panic attacks from work cause Mark Junior to bottle every thing up from school until he gets sick.

In-Depth

Becky gave Harris a coffee table book. Mary is at the kitchen table. She opens the wrapping and the book easily. Becky and Harris talk about Josh. She tells Becky that Josh stopped talking to her. Becky cautions Harris about the situation while Harris lets Becky read the book.

Darlene is talking to her son about Virus Tragedies. He tells his mother about a class at school. She says that his coach has the Virus. Dan thinks it is best that the school keep the information secret. Darlene says that Mark Junior does not need to keep his concerns bottled up since Darlene spent most of her life doing that and got sick. She says that Mark Junior is smart enough to be fearless. Dan still misses the stories about regular sickness and deaths.

Mark Junior, Becky, and Dan are in the kitchen talking about Harris. Josh gives money to Mark Junior in order for him to leave them in peace and quiet. Becky does not care; She throws him out of the room anyways. Becky tells Dan that she spied on Josh all this time. When Dan says that Darlene needs to tell Harris, she said that Darlene warned Harris many times. Mary sends Harris to the kitchen to get Dan. Becky and Harris are alone. She shows Harris evidence that Josh does not go on these elegant crusades. Harris accepts the situation but is angry. Becky insists that Harris gets closure. She gives an example of Josh's hypocrisy by reciting a plot from a movie. This talks Harris into agreeing.

Jackie walks in to the kitchen from The Sun Porch and says that she discovered a problem with Roseanne's grave. Somebody placed an obscene quote on the nearest tomb stone. Jackie knows the family and believes they did it on purpose based on previous interactions. They filled Roseanne's Poly Carts with extra garbage. Roseanne responded by keeping any recyclables and any thing else reusable. After that, she dumped the garbage from her poly carts (including her garbage) in front of the rival's house.

Mark Junior thinks he has the virus. Dan says that it might be necessary to lie to Mark Junior. Darlene disagrees by saying kids will stop trusting adults if they lie. He is so upset that they have to take him to the doctor.

Jackie invites the director of the cemetery to pie at The Lunch Box. Don says he is fed regularly by all of his clients. As a result, he has no intentions to remove the tomb stone.

Becky and Harris are at Josh's house. She tells Harris that she is ringing the doorbell all wrong. They proceed to attack Josh's mailbox and will not stop until he answers.

Darlene is waiting for the Doctor's test results. Dan is unhappy about the $150.00 U.S.D. per minute video conference. She tells them that Mark Junior tested negative. She says that his symptoms are common school related stress. It turns out that Dan is right. Darlene put so much pressure on Mark Junior, that he did not want to tell Darlene he had these symptoms.

Josh walks outside with nothing more to say to her. Harris tells him off, he mumbles, and runs inside. Harris feels better that she has closure. Becky enjoys the experience even more than Harris. Before they leave, they knock the mailbox's stones loose.

Darlene talks with Mark Junior. For the first time in a while, she asks how he is feeling. Mark Junior says that he was listening to his mother to help her get through her panic attacks. They agree to go through their problems together.

Jackie is drinking Dan's beer. She tells Harris about good news with The Cemetery Guy. Harris asks why would she want to sleep with him, and: "Did he make you lie perfectly still?", and "Was his bed like a coffin?". Jackie said that he did call her on the telephone to talk later. They reached an agreement. Jackie is perfectly happy with one day handling the burial of Beverly. She switched Beverly's and Roseanne's positions, and intends to place Beverly next to the obscene tomb stone.

Dan has a hearing aid.

Cast

Starring

• John Goodman as Dan Conner
• Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris
• Sara Gilbert as Darlene Conner
• Lecy Goranson as Becky Conner
• Michael Fishman as D.J. Conner (credit only)
• Emma Kenney as Harris Healy
• Ames McNamara as Mark Healy II
• Jayden Rey as Mary Conner
• Jay R. Ferguson as Ben (credit only)

Guests

• Patton Oswalt as Don Blansky
• Milo Manheim as Josh

Trivia

• Despite being credited, Michael Fishman (D.J.) and Jay R. Ferguson (Ben) do not appear.
• Although aired as the twelfth episode of the season, it was filmed as the fourth.