Worst of Golden Girls: Your Least Favorite Moments

[Snow Apple]

I never understood the fat jokes either, especially from Rose. I thought their bodies looked the same type and size.

[BlancheDevoreaux]

I thought Rose looked bigger and doughier than Blanche, actually.  

[link417]

5 hours ago, BlancheDevoreaux said:

I thought Rose looked bigger and doughier than Blanche I did, actually.  

[MoistestCake]

There are only 3 types of insults available: stupid, ugly and fat (and variations on these). Rose was called stupid, Dorothy ugly, so Blanche was left with being fat. 

[BlancheDevoreaux]

12 hours ago, link417 said:

 

Touche!

[Blakeston]

On 10/23/2018 at 11:27 PM, aquarian1 said:

Blanche also got the fat jokes, which also made no sense.

The only justification for it would be that Blanche liked to talk about how lithe and trim she was.

Not that it mattered to the writers, of course. Fat jokes about thin people are a huge staple of sitcoms - like Jack constantly mocking Will for his alleged fatness on Will & Grace. It allows the writers to get in easy fat jokes, without having to put an actual plus-size person onscreen, which Hollywood seems to consider a fate worse than death.

[link417]

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

The only justification for it would be that Blanche liked to talk about how lithe and trim she was.

Not that it mattered to the writers, of course. Fat jokes about thin people are a huge staple of sitcoms - like Jack constantly mocking Will for his alleged fatness on Will & Grace. It allows the writers to get in easy fat jokes, without having to put an actual plus-size person onscreen, which Hollywood seems to consider a fate worse than death.

This, plus (to me) using fat jokes on an actual fat actor/character would be a bit cruel. It would cross over from funny-mean to just plain mean, in my opinion.

[BigBingerBro]

6 hours ago, link417 said:

This, plus (to me) using fat jokes on an actual fat actor/character would be a bit cruel. It would cross over from funny-mean to just plain mean, in my opinion.

Yeah well, GG had no problem with this.....  think about the episode with Blanche's daughter Rebecca, she was definitely an overweight actress and the fat jokes were cringeworthy.  Another one was the Ham Lushbaum episode.  "What does ham stand for?"  "My guess is Ham and Potatoes"  and then Blanche's final line - "Beat it Tubbo!".   Pretty rough stuff considering.

[Mabinogia]

23 hours ago, BigBingerBro said:

Another one was the Ham Lushbaum episode.  "What does ham stand for?"  "My guess is Ham and Potatoes"  and then Blanche's final line - "Beat it Tubbo!".   Pretty rough stuff considering.

It's always been acceptable to make fun of overweight men. As to Rebecca, yeah, that was pretty cringeworthy. Fat jokes in general, no matter the size of the butt of the joke, are pretty cringeworthy. One of my least favorite types of comedy. 

[Ria]

2 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

It's always been acceptable to make fun of overweight men. As to Rebecca, yeah, that was pretty cringeworthy. Fat jokes in general, no matter the size of the butt of the joke, are pretty cringeworthy. One of my least favorite types of comedy. 

There was another episode which started with their guests leaving the house after a dinner party. The girls spend the next five minutes making fun of how much an overweight woman ate. I’m always struck by how rude that is: inviting people over for dinner, Sophia cooking a sumptuous spread of food for them, then criticizing someone for enjoying it. And as it turns out, skinny Sophia ate so much of it she had a gallbladder attack from overeating. 

[FormerMod-a1]

The smoke alarm thing bugged me for another reason. Who calls 911 when the smoke alarm is going off if you don't see smoke or fire or smell anything?  I can't be the only one whose smoke alarm goes off when there's nothing wrong, right?  I mean sometimes preheating the oven sets it off, and it's clean so there's no smoke; or same with using the fry pan. 

[BigBingerBro]

The whole Max Weinstock storyline rubbed me the wrong way.  Did Max just walk away from his life in Brooklyn to get married and leave everything in tact, home, etc, so that when they separated he could just go back like nothing ever happened?  We know they were planning to live in Miami.  Didn't Max have any kids?  The pizza/knish stand concept really wasn't that far-fetched, but they certainly could have hired people to run and manage it.  What's hard to believe is that two semi-frail octogenarians managed to get it all set up and running basically themselves.  Also, I know Dorothy didn't approve of the marriage initially and up to the moments before the ceremony, but Rose, Blanche and Dorothy were dressed pretty casually at the wedding,   Finally, Dorothy was a pretty careless smoker if she actually thought she might have actually started the fire that burnt down the pizza stand.   Did Bea Aurthur smoke IRL?

[MoistestCake]

The Max double episode is one of my least favourite too. I'd rather skip it. But I like the bit when Dorothy gets thrown out of the Elvis club... 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, MoistestCake said:

The Max double episode is one of my least favourite too. I'd rather skip it. But I like the bit when Dorothy gets thrown out of the Elvis club... 

Same here - the Sophia/Max storyline is one of my least favorite, yet the Elvis fan club storyline contains a line that is not to be missed.  At least it comes fairly early in part one, so I can watch that and then skip the rest.

"Maybe you ought to join an organization that is a little less fanatical in its devotion."
"Like what, Blanche? The PLO?"

[Snow Apple]

I like the Elvis story too and wait for the part about the pork chop. I also like the wedding caterer in that episode. But yeah, I'm not a fan of the Max storyline and usually skip part 2.

[MoistestCake]

12 hours ago, Bastet said:

Maybe you ought to join an organization that is a little less fanatical in its devotion."

"Like what, Blanche? The PLO?"

I love that line too. 

[mmecorday]

Also, I love it when the wedding planner calls Dorothy "Stretch."

[ShadowSixx]

On 12/27/2018 at 7:55 AM, Snow Apple said:

I never thought Kristin expected Rose to leave her money but was just stunned that she thought Rose blew hundreds of thousands of dollars with nothing to show for it. Rose should have her own house with enough to live out her years, instead of scrounging for a living at her age . That's what Kristin was mad about.

What really bugged me is that one of the first things out of her mouth is that she had to rush right over to Miami cause Rose wanted to discuss the Will. Like damn woman, couldn't you just want to come over to see your mother, a Will just gave her the boost to rush over to visit.  In that episode I wanted to see Dorothy burn that maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, molasses rice krispies log. 

I didn't understand why Blanche was so hung up on Jerry. Just because he didn't touch her in five dates. Writers showed him having no personality whatsoever. I would think John Quinn or Jake would make her feel more like a lady.

What I didn't like is how Dorothy didn't want to date Det. Al because she didn't want to risk dating an officer but while sleeping with Glenn in the first season she told Glenn that the risks shouldn't matter or something along those lines. So she should've taken the risk with Al.

Rose talking about having sex everyday with Charlie during their whole marriage made no sense cause he was a traveling salesman and she talked about being alone at times while he was away. I highly doubt they did because before menopause and Rose had her periods so.....yuck.

[MoistestCake]

On 01/02/2019 at 11:18 AM, ShadowSixx said:

I didn't like is how Dorothy didn't want to date Det. Al because she didn't want to risk dating an officer

And no disrespect to Al he was nearer retirement or moving to a less physically demanding role in the police force. 

[BigBingerBro]

I was just reminded of another episode i really dislike, actually it's a two-parter where Dorothy starts dating Stan again and accepts his proposal for marriage, but ends up dumping him after he asks her to sign a pre-nup minutes before the wedding.  

The lengths Dorothy goes through to hide her dating Stan from Sophia are ridiculous.  Why is she so damn afraid of that old woman??  Meanwhile Blanche and Rose do nothing but encourage her to continue seeing him and are overjoyed when they find out he proposed.  WTF??  They ALL hated him continuously before this.   I get that Dorothy always had lingering feelings for Stan after being married for so long, but Sophia is the only one thinking clearly in this situation.

'Then there's the b plot.  Why was Blanche in a damn hurry to get a new roommate so fast?  She can't be that dirt poor.  At least wait til Dorothy's gone before allowing the new person to move in.  I sort of like Debbie Reynolds, but I think they could have written it differently, like let's say she's an old friend of Dorothy's coming to the wedding and coincidentally she's moving to Miami and needs a place to live.   How crappy was it that she had to move in and out in the span of a few days?

Edited February 9, 2019 by BigBingerBro

[MoistestCake]

Absolutely. They were all too happy about Stan being back in Dorothy's life. But I guess once Dorothy made her mind up to see and marry Stan they could either be supportive or disapproving, and really the choice is Dorothy's and the best friends just wanted to be supportive. At least she didn't make the same mistake again. 

[Ria]

When Blanche is all upset that Dorothy wants to use her cabana beach towel to soak up some water from a leaking roof, and Dorothy says she can replace it and Blanche says it’s not replaceable, am I the only one thinking  “can’t you just throw it in the washing machine with some detergent and fabric softener”? 

[BigBingerBro]

1 minute ago, Ria said:

When Blanche is all upset that Dorothy wants to use her cabana beach towel to soak up some water from a leaking roof, and Dorothy says she can replace it and Blanche says it’s not replaceable, am I the only one thinking  “can’t you just throw it in the washing machine with some detergent and fabric softener”? 

That always bothered me too.  I rationalize it by thinking that perhaps the roof water is asbestos and/or chemical -laden  which would stain or destroy the towel. 

[Not4Me]

Whenever a Rose story was on, I would mostly skip it—she works better as a B plot or when she inserted side puns. I generally avoid the boring Rose and Miles storylines. 

The worst of Rose’s storylines was when she was dating Mr. Terrific. It was a bad episode  and we’re subjected to this out of shape paunchy old guy wearing a spandex superhero suit. He looked mental running around in that. 

[BookThief]

13 hours ago, Ria said:

When Blanche is all upset that Dorothy wants to use her cabana beach towel to soak up some water from a leaking roof, and Dorothy says she can replace it and Blanche says it’s not replaceable, am I the only one thinking  “can’t you just throw it in the washing machine with some detergent and fabric softener”? 

Yes, that annoyed me as well. Though! You shouldn't use fabric softener on your towels--it lowers their absorbancy over time. And when your roof leaks, you want your towels to be at full absorbancy. Even the cabana towel.

[Goldenfan85]

How can you not like the yard sale subplot? “Isn”t that right Fernando?” “Yes it is Rose” “PLEASE!!!”

[Goldenfan85]

On 2/11/2019 at 8:23 AM, MoistestCake said:

Absolutely. They were all too happy about Stan being back in Dorothy's life. But I guess once Dorothy made her mind up to see and marry Stan they could either be supportive or disapproving, and really the choice is Dorothy's and the best friends just wanted to be supportive. At least she didn't make the same mistake again. 

Stan had just won big on his baked potato thing and had showed himself in a different light to all 4 of the girls(even Sophia) by standing up to Dorothy and in that episode I thought he was justified to do so. Dorothy had been falling for him and his new charm/maturity(that probably just came from him being a business man) and must have told Blanche and Rose that so they obviously believed her and thought he was a changed man.

[Ria]

If Blanche wants to attract rich men, why advertise she has a Mercedes for sale for a very low price? Wouldn’t that attract men who couldn’t normally afford even a used Mercedes at market value?  Such as the teacher who asked Dorothy out? And why schedule the appointments so close together? I hate it when characters are dumbed down for a plot. 

[Madding crowd]

I hate the ending to that one where Blanche tells Dorothy she can use the Mercedes and then calls the police to report the car stolen. Having your friend arrested is funny?

[MoistestCake]

They've been arrested so often it's no big deal any more. They know the cops, judges, lawyers and the whole procedure. 

I never registered that flawed logic with the cheap Mercedes, well observed. 

[Snow Apple]

5 hours ago, MoistestCake said:

They've been arrested so often it's no big deal any more. They know the cops, judges, lawyers and the whole procedure. 

Ha yeah. In the hurricane episode, the cop made it sound like only the rookies don't know Blanche.

[CousinOliver]

29 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

Ha yeah. In the hurricane episode, the cop made it sound like only the rookies don't know Blanche.

I just assumed Blanche had dated extensively in the precinct, rather like she did with the hospitals in the area (argument against Rebecca having her baby in Miami.)

[Snow Apple]

1 hour ago, CousinOliver said:

I just assumed Blanche had dated extensively in the precinct, rather like she did with the hospitals in the area (argument against Rebecca having her baby in Miami.)

Yes, that's what I mean. Blanche knows most of the police enough, through dating, that none the girls will actually get in trouble if Blanche eventually explain the car wasn't really stolen.

[MoistestCake]

On 2/12/2019 at 2:34 AM, Ria said:

When Blanche is all upset that Dorothy wants to use her cabana beach towel to soak up some water from a leaking roof, and Dorothy says she can replace it and Blanche says it’s not replaceable, am I the only one thinking  “can’t you just throw it in the washing machine with some detergent and fabric softener”? 

That's what I've always wondered... Maybe they don't have a washing machine? Have we ever seen it? There's reference to doing the washing now and then, but does that mean they have a machine? 

[BigBingerBro]

I'm pretty sure the laundry facilities are in the back door area from the kitchen (where Dorothy was smoking) as I seem to recall Rose coming out of there with a laundry basket.

[CousinOliver]

1 hour ago, BigBingerBro said:

I'm pretty sure the laundry facilities are in the back door area from the kitchen (where Dorothy was smoking) as I seem to recall Rose coming out of there with a laundry basket.

As did Blanche once, when she noted they needed Blee-ock.  😆

[schnauzergirl]

I've wondered about that, too, especially when on her second visit to The Rusty Anchor (Journey to the Center of Attention), Dorothy says she's on her way to the laundromat and decided to stop in.

[Ria]

11 hours ago, schnauzergirl said:

I've wondered about that, too, especially when on her second visit to The Rusty Anchor (Journey to the Center of Attention), Dorothy says she's on her way to the laundromat and decided to stop in.

It’s hard to believe four women living in a 4 bedroom multi bath house wouldn’t have a washer/dryer. Perhaps they took large items like comforters and bed spreads to the laundromat because it wouldn’t fit in their machine? Although I doubt Dorothy was actually on her way to the laundromat that night but just made up an excuse. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I didn't think Dorothy was actually on her way to the laundromat.  I thought she just used that as an (lame) excuse to drop in.  Why am I here?  well, I just on my way to whatever and figured why not?  No, she was on her way to the Rusty Anchor.  

[Bastet]

The Triangle was on last night, and I'd forgotten just how awful Dorothy is in it.  I absolutely cannot stand when women are told by a friend that the guy they're dating is a louse and believe the guy over the friend (especially when they're just newly dating).  So that alone would have aggravated me, but been a typical sitcom plot.  But she turns absolutely vicious on a dime.

Yes, Blanche came onto him when she first saw him - as Blanche does - but when Dorothy did the "I saw him first" routine (how old are we, ladies?), she said okay, fair is fair, just let her know if he has a friend who makes house calls.  And, yes, this is very early in the series and I don't remember how long they'd been living together when the show opened, but whatever the length of time, Blanche is her friend and this guy is someone she has been dating A WEEK.

Dorothy thinking Blanche is jealous that a handsome doctor didn't fall at her feet, but instead drooled a little and then continued dating Dorothy is natural, given the characters.  But thinking Blanche lied about him making a pass - especially when she was so uncomfortable saying it, something she waited up to tell her, not something she snapped off like an insult in the middle of an argument or anything - and saying it's because she's "a slut ... an amoral, back-backstabbing, self-centered Jezebel"?!  We'd have been done right then and there.  (Blanche would laugh at the same exact words in another context, but the way they were hurled at her here, no.)

When Dorothy confronted him about Blanche's accusation, he lied, she believed him, and Blanche said she'd been a very good friend to Dorothy and she won't stand for her taking some stranger's word over hers in her own house, so get out, I disturbed the cat by cheering - and then groaning because I knew it would soon all be swept under the rug.  She apologizes for not believing her, as she damn well should, but all the rest just gets a "there's no excuse for my behavior" and the next thing you know there's a group hug.

Edited March 1, 2019 by Bastet

[Ria]

It’s always bothered me how quick the girls were to turn on each other. And Blanche seems to get it the worst. In this episode, in the double exposure where she and Charlie appear to be in bed together, in the politician episode where she is snapped at his home, she is always blamed. Its as if the girls think just because she enjoys sex she must also be a liar and untrustworthy. 

Although Blanche hating Rose when Clayton lies about sleeping with her is the stupidest. He was divorced, who cares. But really, what sort of man lies like that? And then all is forgiven? Rose and Blanche should have been furious with him.

Edited February 28, 2019 by Ria

[ShadowSixx]

It's always odd when they don't believe each other when they're trying to tell one another about someone.

Blanche and Dorothy didn't want to believe Holly was a terrible person just because Holly was being nice to them and refuse to believe that Holly would treat Rose like crap even though there was clear signs that Holly wasn't being nice to Rose.

Dorothy didn't want to believe Rose & Blanche when they tried telling her that Stan was using her after his heart surgery. Dorothy didn't want to believe Rose & Blanche when they tried telling her about snooty Barbara Thorndyke.

It's like they didn't want to believe it until last minute or think that one of them is jealous or trying to sabotage friendships/relationships in some way.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, ShadowSixx said:

Blanche and Dorothy didn't want to believe Holly was a terrible person just because Holly was being nice to them and refuse to believe that Holly would treat Rose like crap even though there was clear signs that Holly wasn't being nice to Rose.

And that's another one where it's not only refusing to believe the friend, but being so damn mean about it -- they get mad at Rose like she's "falsely" accusing their kids, not her own sister whom they just met, of something.

[Miranda]

On 5/14/2017 at 10:27 PM, legaleagle53 said:

Very true.  I was born in February 1961 and my brother was born in October 1962, which means that he would have been conceived only eleven months after I was born.

I think they call them Irish twins!!:)

[Miranda]

On 2/16/2019 at 4:02 PM, CousinOliver said:

I just assumed Blanche had dated extensively in the precinct, rather like she did with the hospitals in the area (argument against Rebecca having her baby in Miami.)

That so annoyed me that supposedly Blanche dated EVERY available doctor in EVERY hospital in the area! Not even close to possible for someone that truley was gorgeous! There were alot if stupid things said at times!!

[Miranda]

On 9/21/2018 at 12:27 PM, BlancheDevoreaux said:

And then there was Candy, the "flight hostess" when the girls were going to Rose's aunt's funeral in the bahamas.  Hubba hubba!

She was funny but what did she say she lost? I could never make that out other than she said it fell off the beverage cart! I loved that episode!!

[Miranda]

On 2/28/2019 at 2:49 PM, Ria said:

It’s always bothered me how quick the girls were to turn on each other. And Blanche seems to get it the worst. In this episode, in the double exposure where she and Charlie appear to be in bed together, in the politician episode where she is snapped at his home, she is always blamed. Its as if the girls think just because she enjoys sex she must also be a liar and untrustworthy. 

Although Blanche hating Rose when Clayton lies about sleeping with her is the stupidest. He was divorced, who cares. But really, what sort of man lies like that? And then all is forgiven? Rose and Blanche should have been furious with him.

I totally agree with that! Just because Clayton didn't like the women Blanche set him up with, so what if he had actually slept with Rose! They were teo unmarried adults!

 

On 2/11/2019 at 8:52 PM, Not4Me said:

Whenever a Rose story was on, I would mostly skip it—she works better as a B plot or when she inserted side puns. I generally avoid the boring Rose and Miles storylines. 

The worst of Rose’s storylines was when she was dating Mr. Terrific. It was a bad episode  and we’re subjected to this out of shape paunchy old guy wearing a spandex superhero suit. He looked mental running around in that. 

I hate that episode as well. He was far far from a superhero and pretty damn ugly as well!!!

 

10 hours ago, ShadowSixx said:

It's always odd when they don't believe each other when they're trying to tell one another about someone.

Blanche and Dorothy didn't want to believe Holly was a terrible person just because Holly was being nice to them and refuse to believe that Holly would treat Rose like crap even though there was clear signs that Holly wasn't being nice to Rose.

Dorothy didn't want to believe Rose & Blanche when they tried telling her that Stan was using her after his heart surgery. Dorothy didn't want to believe Rose & Blanche when they tried telling her about snooty Barbara Thorndyke.

It's like they didn't want to believe it until last minute or think that one of them is jealous or trying to sabotage friendships/relationships in some way.

I agree and that makes it seem impossible they lived together for so long and at times said they felt like family. I think the attacking each other just made for more storylines.

 

On 2/28/2019 at 2:24 PM, Bastet said:

The Triangle was on last night, and I'd forgotten just how awful Dorothy is in it.  I absolutely cannot stand when women are told by a friend that the guy they're dating is a louse and believe the guy over the friend (especially when they're just newly dating).  So that alone would have aggravated me, but been a typical sitcom plot.  But she turns absolutely vicious on a dime.

Yes, Blanche came onto him when she first saw him - as Blanche does - but when Dorothy did the "I saw him first" routine (how old are we, ladies?), she said okay, fair is fair, just let her know if he has a friend who makes house calls.  And, yes, this is very early in the series and I don't remember how long they'd been living together when the show opened, but whatever the length of time, Blanche is her friend and this guy is someone she has been dating A WEEK.

Dorothy thinking Blanche is jealous that a handsome doctor didn't fall at her feet, but instead drooled a little and then continued dating Dorothy is natural, given the characters.  But thinking Blanche lied about him making a pass - especially when she was so uncomfortable saying it, something she waited up to tell her, not something she snapped off like an insult in the middle of an argument or anything - and saying it's because she's "a slut ... an amoral, back-backstabbing, self-centered Jezebel"?!  We'd have been done right then and there.  (Blanche would laugh at the same exact words in another context, but the way they were hurled at her here, no.)

When Dorothy confronted him about Blanche's accusation, he lied, she believed him, and Blanche said she'd been a very good friend to Dorothy and she won't stand for her taking some stranger's word over hers in her own house, so get out, I disturbed the cat by cheering - and then groaning because I knew it would soon all be swept under the rug.  She apologizes for not believing her, as she damn well should, but all the rest just gets a "there's no excuse for my behavior" and the next thing you know there's a group hug.

When those chicks were horny nothing was going go get them to believe the man they were with was in the wrong!! But yes, they made up awfully fast but it's a 20 minute sitcome! 🙂

 

On 10/23/2018 at 10:27 PM, aquarian1 said:

Blanche also got the fat jokes, which also made no sense.

Those fat jokes bothered me too!! In the first few seasons she was very slim and in the end was only a bit heavier and nowhere near fat!

 

On 6/27/2018 at 11:50 AM, leFay said:

When the show first aired, I thought Sophia was hilarious. Now when I watch the repeats, I see just how cruel that woman was, especially to the only child who would take her in! There was a telling line from one of the episodes that went something like, "maybe the paperboy is right- maybe I am a mean old lady"...

And if Gloria did have a ton of money (before she lost everything), why didn't she pay for a place better than Shady Pines? And when Sophia moved in with Dorothy, why did Dorothy have to scrimp & save to help her out? What's wrong with Gloria???

I think the whole Shady Pines being horrible was just a joke on Sophia's part, especially about being put in a home. Although she did often call Gloria her GOOD daughter and that was a bit over the top! 

[BlancheDevoreaux]

12 hours ago, Miranda said:

She was funny but what did she say she lost? I could never make that out other than she said it fell off the beverage cart! I loved that episode!!

The bolt. This was after Rose said she found a big bolt and wondered where it came from.

[fleurfairy]

On 3/2/2019 at 4:57 AM, Miranda said:

I think they call them Irish twins!!:)

I think Irish twins are siblings born within the span of one year. Like a woman has a baby born in January 1955 and then the mother gets pregnant again in February — that baby is then born 9 months later in November 1955. 

[chessiegal]

My husband has a brother who is 11 months younger. Poor Mom!