Halloween IV was the seventh episode of Season 5 of Roseanne, also the 104th overall series episode. Written by Rob Ulin, the episode was directed by Andrew D. Weyman. It originally aired on ABC-TV on October 27, 1992.
Summary[]
Becky's absence has drained Roseanne's Halloween spirit, so she's visited by the Ghosts of Halloween Past, Present, and Future--and the future is truly terrifying.
Plot[]
In-Depth[]
Roseanne is in a somber state during her normal celebratory time of year for her favorite holiday. As she sends her family and friends off to the Town Hall Halloween party without her, she decides to stay home and give out candy. She is first visited by the ghost of Halloween past, a ghost who is dressed as a ghost with only a throbbing heart underneath it. After being convinced he is there for her, she gets her purse and the pair head out.
Their first stop is to Roseanne's first Halloween, where an infant Roseanne plays a prank on her distraught mother by holding her breath, making it look like she's choking and turning blue. The baby laughs as Bev runs out in a panic. The second stop shows adolescents Roseanne and Jackie talking about the "ridiculous" claims of dangerous objects in their candies.
Roseanne takes a bite of chocolate and pretends that it contained a razor blade, causing her mouth to bleed profusely. When Jackie screams and runs, Rosanne then takes the bag of candy for herself. Amused by the past pranks she had played, Roseanne pleads the ghost to show her more of her past. The ghost refuses and returns her home.
Roseanne wakes up to the doorbell ringing and opens it to find the Ghost of Halloween Present, a man dressed as a giant candy corn who takes her to the Town Hall. After warm smiles are shared over memories of Roseanne and how they miss her being there the ghost tries to hurriedly get her out of the room, but not before her friends and Dan insult her Halloween cookies and chide her for them. She screams angrily at Dan who suddenly feels a chill go up and down his spine.
The third ghost to visit is dressed as a cloaked, hooded figure with a glowing pumpkin head, who shows her two future events; the first is her being a perky, blond dyed, typical housewife whose upbeat and shrill behavior causes Dan to leave her. The ghost then takes her further into the future where Roseanne sees Bev living in the same house, when she asks the ghost what her mother is doing there, the ghost reveals that it is not her mother, but Roseanne who has grown old alone and had turned into an exact replica of the person she would hate the most in all the world to become.
Roseanne's following scream causes her to wake up, looking normal and in the present where she hurriedly regrets losing the spirit of Halloween and rushes to get ready. Immediately following the conversation that Roseanne "overheard" Dan and the others are surprised and elated to see Roseanne come to the party, dressed as Lady Liberty.
After some initial scoffs, Roseanne threatens Crystal slightly that she has a whole truckload of her Halloween cookies for her (as Crystal mentioned she hated them) and passes a winking hint of a threat to Dan as well. She lights the torch and holds it up like the Statue of Liberty. Dan asks, "Is this it? This is what we were waiting for?" referring to her usual Halloween prank.
Roseanne pulls out an umbrella as she raises her torch to the fire sprinklers overhead. She opens the umbrella saying "No Dan, this is what you've been waiting for..." as the alarms go off the sprinklers pour down on everyone at the party to Roseanne's laughing and spouting "Happy Halloween!"
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Roseanne Arnold as Roseanne Conner
- John Goodman as Dan Conner
- Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris
- Sara Gilbert as Darlene Conner
- Michael Fishman as D.J. Conner
- Lecy Goranson as Becky Conner (credit only)
Also Starring[]
- Natalie West as Crystal Anderson
- Sandra Bernhard as Nancy Bartlett
- Estelle Parsons as Beverly Harris
Guests[]
- Matt Roth as Fisher
- James Pickens Jr. as Chuckie Mitchell
- Adilah Barnes as Anne-Marie Mitchell
- Lee Arenberg as Ghost of Halloween Past
- Mario Roccuzzo as Ghost of Halloween Present
- Gary Bullock as Ghost of Halloween Future
- Krystee Clark as Cindy
- Ben Smith as Trick-or-Treater
- Brian Levinson as Trick-or-Treater
- Brady Bluhm as Trick-or-Treater
- Abraham Benrubi as Teenage Dan
- Sara Rue as Teenage Roseanne
- Zoe Perry as Little Jackie
- Katie Bell as Little Roseanne
- Janellen Steininger as Younger Beverly Harris
Trivia[]
- In the flashback to Roseanne and Dan in High School, Dan is dressed as Fred Flintstone. Coincidentally, John Goodman would play Fred Flintstone in the film adaptation of The Flintstones two years later.
- Janellen Steininger plays the part of the younger Bev in this episode, when Roseanne was a baby.
- Guest star Zoe Perry, who plays the part of the younger Jackie, is Laurie Metcalf's daughter.
- Sara Rue (Teenage Roseanne) and Sara Gilbert (Darlene) eventually worked together years later on The Big Bang Theory.
- Despite being credited, Lecy Goranson (Becky Conner) does not appear.
- This is the first Halloween episode not to feature Becky Conner.
- This episode is a parody of the classic novel A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Roseanne is not feeling the Halloween spirit, so she is “Haunted by Three Spirits” in order to show her the error of her ways.
Quotes[]
- Jackie: Happy Halloween, did you see the Great Pumpkin last night?
- Roseanne: No, Dan wore pajamas.
- Roseanne: All of a sudden, mooning the retirement home and stuffing dead fish into peoples' mailboxes seems somehow childish.
- Roseanne: (to the candy corn ghost) I hope nobody sees us together, because I'm supposed to be on Slim Fast.
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