Designing Women - General Discussion

[Bastet]

The episode where she was thinking about gettting breast implants was good.

 

"These things are power!"

[crazycatchick]

Charlene: "Julia, you can't be in here! This room is for belles only; y'all aren't belles."

Julia: "Oh yes we are. We're Hell's Belles and we're getting you out of here."

 

I just saw this episode as well! I loved the part where they went to rescue Charlene and Suzanne put on her best Helen Paterson Von Patten to distract DeeDee. I kept thinking how over-the-top DeeDee was but I have been accosted by several Mary Kay Ladies at various stores and they really do try their best to be persuasive and I can see how someone can get sucked in because they make it sound like an amazing business opportunity. I loved how Charlene warned Mary Jo and Julia not to go to the supermarket once the convention started.

 

I wonder if this is what sparked the whole "I want to quit the gym" thing from Friends! 

 

I FINALLY saw the "some white girl" episode. I need to work that into every day conversation.

[BindsTheTuna]

I love the jury episode (and have been known to refer to certain people as "big ol' donkey girl scout"). 

 

I'll never not hear "Ain't No Mountain" without seeing them dressed as the Supremes. (That was the Very Special Domestic Violence Episode too.) 

[BindsTheTuna]

This is my favorite quote, mainly because of the way Delta Burke said, "Don't you people ever READ?" 

 

Suzanne: Haven't you ever heard of Darwin?
Julia: You mean Darwin Sanders? The man who used to take care of our lawn?
Suzanne: No, Silly, Charles Darwin. Don't you people ever read?
Julia: Yes, Suzanne, yes. We do. But you don't, so I thought... well... go on.

[Maherjunkie]

I thought crashing the porn stand was stupid and wrong, but I normally liked her.

[Happytobehere]

I always liked Mary Jo, but then I loved the core four (Alison was awful, Carlene was okay, BJ was good too, perhaps the show would have lasted longer had BJ taken come in earlier). I just never understood why they always had her dress so poorly. Sometimes her outfits are positively distracting in the worst possible way.

[Maherjunkie]

I thought BJ was just a Julia knock-off, I couldn't stand her.

[ShellSeeker]

One of my favorite Charlene moments was when Suzanne was trying to get her to put a baby wig on Olivia. They're all sitting on the sofa, and Suzanne whips the wig out of her purse. I don't know why, but the way Jean Smart delivered her next line always cracks me up. She gave a horrified gasp, and then said, "What is that??" It was like she thought Suzanne had pulled a rat out of her purse.

[ShellSeeker]

I thought Mary Jo had great character growth over the course of the series (although I can't really speak for the Allison/BJ years -- didn't watch those). She started out as this kind of shy, mousy doormat, and then by the last season before the cast change, she had evolved into a pretty self confident person. She seemed much more comfortable with herself.

[Bastet]

I found Charlene and Bill treacly, so I went into the "Charlene goes to meet Bill's family" storyline figuring I'd be suffering through those scenes while waiting for the show to get back to the others, but I wound up getting a huge kick out of it.  I love Charlene in that episode.

 

I also love Charlene buried up to her elbows in thousand island dressing.

[Bastet]

I also feel like I need to get something off my chest: I know it's usually picked as a "Fan Favorite" episode, but I hate "Dash Goff: The Writer". I find it unbearably boring.

 

I'm not taken by that one, either.  When I listen to anyone read Dash's work, instead of sitting there captivated, I shrug and think, "No wonder his writing career is floundering."

[Maherjunkie]

Is she the only person to pronounce it "SHAR-lene?"

[Shannon L.]

 

I found Charlene and Bill treacly, so I went into the "Charlene goes to meet Bill's family" storyline figuring I'd be suffering through those scenes while waiting for the show to get back to the others, but I wound up getting a huge kick out of it.  I love Charlene in that episode.

Isn't that the one where Julia goes to a keg party?  I loved their phone conversation--especially when Julia said she had to go because someone was going to drink out of a funnel. 

 

I liked Charlene and Bill.  The scene that really touched me, though, was when Julia was talking to Bill about Charlene having enough room in her heart for him and Nancy. 

[ms.o]

I grew up in Poplar Bluff. Anytime she mentioned PB I would just think it was coolest thing ever. I'll never forget the episode where Monette is listing her clientele and she says my dad and uncle's names. Of course i didn't realize what she was taking about because I was 6, but by god it was amazing.

[TampaBeeAtch]

Can you belles help a gal out? What Season/Episode was it that the Ladies of Sugarbaker's tackled the Newsweek article about it being more likely to get killed by a terrorist as a woman over 40 than to get married? Google is not being friendly. I own seasons 1-4 and want to watch that one.

[WhoaWhoKnew]

"Manhunt" from season 4 comes to mind, but I'm not positive.

[TampaBeeAtch]

WhoaWhoKnew? THANK YOU!!!! That was it! You're better than Google.

[manlt01]

Oh, my, how I love this show. 

 

So many great episodes mentioned, but I always love the one where Charlene gives birth. It's NYE, and they're in the hospital. Julia wanders into Effie's room, and she talks about being from Brownsville, TN. My mom's family is from Brownsville. We moved there when I was 10, and my mom and grandmother still lived there. I was probably 12, or so, when that episode aired, and I was always so carried away about the mention of my tiny hometown. 

 

Also, the Sugarbaker house is actually in Little Rock. It was my college roommate's mom's office. 

[BindsTheTuna]

 

Also, the Sugarbaker house is actually in Little Rock. It was my college roommate's mom's office.

It's a wedding venue now. http://www.thevillamarre.com/ 

[ShellSeeker]

I was so sorry to hear about Jan Hooks yesterday. I loved her on SNL, and even though I was not a huge fan of DW after Charlene and Suzanne left, I thought that Jan Hooks was the best of the new characters, and did the best with what she had to work with.

 

RIP.

[Lois Sandborne]

Oh no!  Jan Hooks was so good; she could always elevate even mediocre material.  Even though DW dropped off when she joined, I knew it was just an unfortunate coincidence.  I loved Carlene as a character.  I still sometimes celebrate moments of triumph in my personal life with her theme song.  "Doing it the best I can; giving it the best I go-o-ooot! Flying on the wings of my dreams; doing it the best I can!"  It's such sad news.

[Kev]

She was so funny on SNL plus she's an Atlanta girl. 

[WhoaWhoKnew]

Carlene's Apartment is my favorite episode of the series. RIP Jan.

[prican58]

LOGO is playing  the show now until 5 pm EST. They are showing episode of seasons 5 ad 6. Original cast still in tact.

 

Let me correct...Julia Duffy and Jan Hooks starred in 6 and ep 1 is on now.

Edited December 26, 2014 by prican58

[Kev]

The Reunion Special from 2003

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBnl4UxgjNc

 

Pretty good!

[Miss Chevious]

I liked her too, you definitely knew where you stood with her. The one rant of hers that sticks out in my mind was her explaining about "The night the lights went out in Georgia". Julia was definitely someone you'd want in your corner!

[auntlada]

I don't remember any quotes from it, but I liked the one where she called some northern reporter (possibly at the New York Times) about an article about southerners eating dirt.

[Swansong]

My favourite rant of hers is probably the one in The Candidate when she has the debate with Wilson Brickett and finally loses her cool. Also the one when she ends up having to do jury duty and loses it with her fellow jurors because she's desperate to get out so she can go and have dinner with the Carters and the vote keeps stalling. "Are you intending to mime your vote?"

[Primetimer]

The answer is in Morgan Cline's latest Markerpiece.

Read the story

[Bill C.]

As a longtime fan of this show, this may simultaneously be the most brilliant and the most brilliantly fucked up thing I've ever seen with regard to it.

[sugarbaker design]

I'll certainly second the fucked up part. What did Meshach Taylor ever do to deserve this?

[Halo]

Too soon. 

[Maherjunkie]

How can I read this story?  Everything I click on keeps taking me back to the main page/

[yeswedo]

How can I read this story?  Everything I click on keeps taking me back to the main page/

 

Try this link.

[Maherjunkie]

I just keep seeing Meshach in shorts but no story.

[FormerMod-a1]

There is no story, it's just a picture.  

[Maherjunkie]

Oh.  Well thank you.

[vera charles]

Someone mentioned recently how hard it is to deal with people who are bad communicators, those folks whose stories ramble and meander and never really come to a point. I said I wished I could be like Julia Sugarbaker and bark out, "Charlene! Does this story have a point?!" and got a pretty good laugh. But, geez, that would make life so much easier.

[Maherjunkie]

I know this may sound like a funny question but I can't help but wonder.  In the episode "Manhunt" Mary Jo says she feels foolish wearing eyeliner in broad daylight.  Am I the only one who never thought of eyeliner as a nighttime thing?

[ButterQueen]

I know this may sound like a funny question but I can't help but wonder.  In the episode "Manhunt" Mary Jo says she feels foolish wearing eyeliner in broad daylight.  Am I the only one who never thought of eyeliner as a nighttime thing?

Well, she did have a ten pound bag of dog food and a big ole package of Kotex in her cart. : ))

[ButterQueen]

"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY LOIS AND SHIMMY!"

I just laughed for 5 minutes.

[WhitneyWhit]

Well, she did have a ten pound bag of dog food and a big ole package of Kotex in her cart. : ))

We did learn that if you see two guys, one cart, and fresh pasta, just keep it moving.

[Bastet]

I've been watching some first season episodes lately, and I am so glad they dropped the recurring storyline where gullible Charlene does something monumentally stupid despite everyone around her pointing out she's being taken advantage of, all her friends have to help clean up the resulting mess, she declares she's never going to trust anyone again, and someone objects, giving a speech on how wonderful it is that she assumes the best of everyone.

 

The absolute worst of this era for me is the one where they all get arrested in that warehouse of stolen goods because of Charlene's latest guy.  They're in jail, and she's still babbling on about his innocence.  Then he's arrested for the same thing in Chicago with a rap sheet a mile long, they wind up with police protection because they're being threatened with death if they testify, and Charlene a) protests that, no, when she visited the guy in jail he explained that his friend making those threats is just a big ol' practical joker, so everything is okay, you see, he's just upset at the idea of their testifying because it "makes him sound guilty" and b) refuses to testify because she doesn't want to get him in trouble. 

 

I start liking her so much more in season two, and then they bring in Bill.  They're great for each other, but I hate watching sickly sweet "schmoopy" people, so I don't enjoy watching their relationship except for the humorous moments.  But on her own, I can finally enjoy Charlene's hilarious comments and musings.

[tenativelyyours]

Considering the recent headlines I feel it appropriate to bring up one of my favorite episodes when Suzanne is receiving death threats for Noelle. 

 

Charlene and Mary Jo in sotto voce tandem"

 

'Don't buy a gun"

Edited January 7, 2016 by tenativelyyours

[WhitneyWhit]

Charlene bordered on stupid in season 1. Another moment was when she neglected to tell the women that her "boyfriend" whom she invited to their New Year's Eve party was actually in prison.

[Taryn74]

I just discovered this board for the first time!  Designing Women is one of my all time favorite funny shows.  I used to watch reruns right about the time hubby would get home from work, he would get out of his truck and hear me laughing all the way up the sidewalk to the house.  Good times.

 

Mary Jo's "these things are POWER!" speech is right up there with one of the funniest things I've ever heard.

 

More favorite moments -

 

The team is hired to redecorate Monique's brothel and a man tries to "hire" Julia.  And then later one finally propositions Suzanne and she applauds one of them finally having taste as she saunters out.  LMAO.

 

Charlene threatens to tell Bill's snooty mother and aunt that HER family was on the Ark (after they rub it in that their family was on the Mayflower).

 

Julia's classmate's dying wish is to have one night with her before he dies.  Reese's response is classic:  "We're all dying."

 

Anthony and Suzanne get Consuela's green card.  "A six-foot black man dressed as Hazel" leaves me in hysterics every time.

 

Suzanne and Julia finally finding their birth certificates (to prove Suzanne's age on her birthday) and realize their mother has been changing the dates anyway.  "Mother is now a year younger than me."  hahahahaha

[Taryn74]

Ahhh, thanks everyone for making me suppress laughter to the point that it hurts.  (Hubby is already asleep.)

 

One that I didn't see mentioned but makes me laugh to the point of tears in my eyes:

 

SUZANNE:  (after learning that the milk she put in her coffee was expressed breast milk)  I certainly didn't drink it!  What do you think I am, some kind of pervert?!

[bigskygirl]

I hate the way Charlene's story line went after she married Bill. I wish she would have married Shadow instead.

[qtpye]

I did like Susanne's comment about how Charlene dated every loser on the planet, but when it came to settling down, she picked a high ranking officer from a rich family.

[Taryn74]

I did like Susanne's comment about how Charlene dated every loser on the planet, but when it came to settling down, she picked a high ranking officer from a rich family.

 

I still laugh about her grabbing out her magnifying glass to inspect Charlene's engagement ring LOL.