Harris just passed her driving test, and she wants to drive Roseanne's old car, which Dan won't allow. Meanwhile, Jackie tells Dan and Darlene about her new boyfriend, Peter, who she really likes and wants to introduce to the family at their Halloween party. The next day, Mark is really upset because he can't wear his Halloween costume to school. Darlene tells him they can change his costume, but Dan wants her to fight back for Mark to have the right to wear whatever he wants. Darlene refuses to get involved and she goes off to a job interview.
Darlene's job interview doesn't go very well, and the boss tells her immediately that she's not getting the job. Meanwhile, Harris is still trying to get Dan to let her drive Roseanne's old car, but he still won't give her a yes, instead choosing to play tricks on her. Mark also comes down in his new Frida Kahlo costume, which everyone loves. At the Halloween party, Jackie introduces Peter to the family. He bores Dan, who keeps trying to escape. At the school Halloween carnival, Mark is told that he can't come in with his new costume, because that might also be offensive.
Mark begs for his principal to let himself into the carnival into the carnival, and Darlene yells at him to change his mind, but he still won't change his mind. Harris pesters Dan about the car again, telling him that she needs it for a new job. Dan finally agrees, on the condition that she drives him to work for a month to make sure she can drive without hurting anyone. Mark tells Dan about their experience at the carnival, and he's just happy that they stood up for themselves.
Wrap-Up:
While it wasn't quite as good as some of the original Halloween specials, this was still a very strong episode that had a bunch of fun plots. The strongest element of the episode was absolutely Darlene and Mark's plot, featuring the quest for an appropriate Halloween costume. It was really entertaining and quite funny, and it was made even better by Darlene losing it on Mark's principal. The other plots didn't get nearly as much attention, but they were also pretty strong. I would have liked Jackie's plot to get more attention, mostly because she's been underutilized all season, but what we saw of it was great, and hopefully it leads to a bigger plot for her in the coming episodes. Also, as always, the Conner family has the best costumes on TV.
Score: 9/10
Grade: A-