INTELLECTUALIZING THE GOLDEN GIRLS

1

Enough Wicker debuts with Lauren and Sarah taking a scholarly view at the pilot and why we have such a strong attachment to this show.

s1/e1

 27 MIN 

5

Dorothy's housecall-making doctor boyfriend makes a pass at Blanche that might end in heartbreak and a ruined coming-out party.

s1/e5

 26 MIN 

9

Blanche has a young chippie, but we're more captivated by the B story, Mrs. Lindstrom's visit and Rose's struggle to treat her as an adult.

s1/e9

 26 MIN 

12

Sophia contemplates leaving her life with a slut and a moron to join her daughter in her mansion in Burt Convy's neighborhood. 

s1/e12

 27 MIN 

16

Rose has a tough conversation with her daughter Kirsten's hard-to-place accent, & we explain what a dickie is and advocate for more girls to go to Space Camp for themselves!

s1/e16

 26 MIN 

20

Blanche shows courage and determination as she deals with handling an environment that values a man's word over a woman's, and Dorothy shows the same qualities while she tries to secure Frank Sinatra tickets.

s1/e20

 22 MIN 

24

B.D. Hollingsworth is in town with his antebellum lexicon and a gee-tar, as  he sold the entire estate in order to pursue a country music singing career. Meanwhile, Dorothy and Sophia deal with "Mouth" and his complete disregard of neighborly responsibility through both civic involvement and the old stand-by, a Sicilian curse.  

s1/e24

 20 MIN 

2

An emotional confrontation where Bea Arthur shows off her acting chops and a cheeseball-hating holy man. What more could you want?

s1/e2

18 MIN 

6

Blanche's disrespectful grandson David visits Miami and learns important lessons about chores, discipline, and handicapped animals.

s1/e6

 27 MIN 

10

Blanche steps in as logical decision maker, Rose and Dorothy share vulnerability, and 1980s Miami doctors are still making house calls.

s1/e10

 23 MIN 

13

Dorothy and Blanche stumble through dinner with Rose's new squeeze -- an esteemed doctor who also happens to be a little person.  

s1/e13

 23 MIN 

17

Blanche's niece Lucy arrives with a bang. The girls become concerned with Lucy's promiscuity, and Rose finally finds a friend who appreciates her brain, if only for the vast amounts of useless Miami Vice knowledge it holds.

s1/e17

 27 MIN 

21

The girls are at each other's throats over the misplacement of a NyQuil cup and a stolen heating pad. They force their recovery, however, when Sophia reveals a rumor that one of them is winning the big award at the banquet.

s1/e21

 22 MIN 

25

In the final episode of the first season, the girls revisit how they met. Mr. Peepers, Madame Zelda, and Rose’s tactic for finding the perfect melon all emerge as unsung heroes in this hilarious wrap-up.

s1/e25

 24 MIN 

3

Lauren and Sarah relive an agonizing third-place Golden Girls trivia finish and take a scholarly look at complicated sex.

s1/e3

 23 MIN 

7

Rose takes bowling too seriously, Blanche just wants to look cute in her outfit, and Dorothy and Sophia make what seems to be a uneven wager.

s1/e7

 23 MIN 

11

With Stan in Dorothy's nightgown, we break down how satisfying it is for Dorothy to finally choose to walk away on her own terms.

s1/e11

 26 MIN 

14

We examine Dorothy's love affair with the first Glen O'Brien and the complicated nature of infidelity. Plus Blanche tries to scam Rose!

s1/e14

 27 MIN 

18

We validate Dorothy's fears of seeking help in a healthcare system that is barely functioning, celebrate her roommate, Bonnie, and emphatically endorse old ladies drinking sherry in the park.

s1/e18

 19 MIN 

22

Rose starts a pro bono 24-hour counseling service out of her home without telling anyone else that lives there. Dorothy and Blanche step in to help their defeated friend in what turns out to be a very tender moment. 

s1/e22

 22 MIN 

4

Blanche's sister Virginia comes with a big ask: she needs Blanche's kidney. The other three girls care for a baby in one of the lazier B-stories.

s1/e4

 21 MIN 

8

The girls' home is broken into. Rose uses this moment to exploit Florida's lax gun laws, almost to the detriment of Lester! 

s1/e8

 22 MIN 

★

Talking about the Girls and the Gays, why the show is so pervasive in gay culture today, and appreciating that the actresses walked the walk IRL.

VSE/1

 36 MIN 

15

Rose wakes up to find the second man dead in her bed from having sex with her. Plus Sophia invents normcore and Rose dresses like a pilgrim.

s1/e15

 24 MIN 

19

A bathroom redo in the name of feminism, and an old, rich man who uses racial slurs aboard his private jet. Plus, an homage to the Rue la Rue cafe and an emphatic celebration of Sarah's husband's carpentry skills! 

s1/e19

 22 MIN 

23

Turn on Channel 5, Lily burned the house down! The rest of the girls prep for the first of many garage sales. The two stories allow the audience to bear witness to two equally difficult struggles: adjusting to life as a blind person and parting with a hockey stick once used by Bobby Hull.

s1/e23

 20 MIN 

While the B-story of breeding minks is wacky, the A-story of Blanche confronting menopause and all that comes with it makes for a wildly progressive (and hilarious) episode.

26

s2/e1

 28 MIN 

There's nothing like civic participation! The girls have a formidable opponent in Freida Claxton, a crotchety peeping tom of a neighbor who insists the county get rid of an oak tree, and when Freida pushes Rose too pfar, she is forced to take matters into her own hands. 

29

s2/e4

 30 MIN 

Ok now everybody SHUT THE HELL UP. We're talking about Vacation, arguably the goofiest episode of the first season. Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose go on a vacation that starts with a skeezy motel and ends with the three of them shipwrecked on a deserted island thanks to the subpar sailing skills of their new friends.

33

s2/e8

 23 MIN 

I'd like to write a description here but I hate your mother. Kidding! 

Dorothy recruits Blanche and Rose (reluctantly) to help her surprise Sophia with what she thinks is a great birthday gift--a surprise visit from her sister Angela. The two women haven't seen each other in decades, and it turns out, there's a reason for the distance. Nancy Walker guest stars in this hilarious episode. 

37

s2/e12

 23 MIN 

Sophia enters a walkathon and the other girls decide to babysit the children of the race participants, with two notable guests: a little punk named Norman (whose father is played by Family Feud's Ray Combs!) and baby Emily. Emily serves as a way for the audience to really get to hear about Blanche's regrets around motherhood and wow is it a heartbreaker. Despite the heavy throughline of Blanche's regret and a lowkey neglectful child services agency, this one is full of laugh out loud lines.

41

s2/e16

 28 MIN 

Angela has decided to move from Sicily to Miami (with only a single piece of luggage) and overstays her welcome with the girls as her apartment search becomes more and more complicated; none of these places have enough room for a goat! Sophia grows impatient and everything boils over when it looks like Angela has slaughtered and deep-fried the show biz chicken Rose is caring for. 

44

s2/e19

 20 MIN 

The girls are putting together a charity banquet for a local hospital and Blanche falls for the hunky, yet unrefined caterer. Why we need to hold fundraisers for medical expenses in America is a topic for another time. The class divide between Blanche and Jake, who pushes his food with his fingers and wears white after labor day, seems to be the major problem here, but actually, when we dig a little deeper, it's really just a matter of the SPARK. Plus, this one features a jazz band made up entirely of drag queens. 

47

s2/e22

 38 MIN 

We've made it to the dreaded Season 2 finale--Empty Nests! We're joined by a very special guest Mr. Matt Browning, a writer and the site runner of EmptyNestTV.com. Matt shares with us some behind-the-scenes info that might explain why this backdoor pilot was such a flop, and makes a compelling case to give the real Empty Nest series a chance. Plus, we talk about Matt's forthcoming book The Definitive Golden Girls Cultural Reference Guide, a guide to every single pop culture reference in the Golden Girls (there's a lot of them).

51

s2/e26

 53 MIN 

On their way to see Mr. Burt "monogrammed underwear" Reynolds, the girls are arrested and need Sophia to bail them out. Rose works through a nonsensical adolescent trauma, Blanche's inherent biases around class are revealed, and Dorothy rags on the public school system. 

27

s2/e2

 21 MIN 

Dorothy's friend Jean, while on a visit, finds herself IN LOVE with Rose, a woman she met three days prior. But you know what they say about the Lebanese: they bring a U-haul to the second date. This one is full of laughs, tender moments, and puts a queer character --- not the sexuality of a queer character --- at the center of the story. 

30

s2/e5

 26 MIN 

Dorothy's job hunt isn't going well, so Blanche insists she comes and works with her at the museum. It sounds great at first, but when their loser boss Mr. Allen asks Dorothy to discreetly work on something, Blanche gets territorial. Rose introduces us to the first iteration of recurring guest star, Dreyfus. Plus, Lauren and Sarah ruin two of your favorite things: surprises and dogs. 

34

s2/e9

 29 MIN 

Blanche dates twins and Stanley undergoes heart surgery. Truly, everyone in the house is doubling up on their vitamins! In this one, we take a scholarly look at the relationships between Dorothy, Stan, and Sophia, and ask ourselves why so many women find themselves bending over backward (like Doug) doing emotional labor for men who don't deserve it. 

38

s2/e13

 28 MIN 

If nothing else, this episode offers shoutouts to Lauren's stepdad, a long-time fan of chipped beef, and our rad friend and unofficial Sicily researcher Gina. Bedtime Story is a flashback episode of the Golden Girls; it's pretty out there, but there are a couple of LOL moments. We're laughing WITH the writers, not AT them as we take a look back at this Season 2 clip show. 

42

s2/e17

 26 MIN 

Rose is a burgeoning filmmaker in this one and decides her first documentary will be a day in the life of her roommates. Sophia sees it as a great opportunity for free publicity (for only $5.99 the recipe can be yours) and Dorothy is hesitant at first but eventually comes around. But Blanche provides the focus here: Seeing herself on camera, she vows to pursue a perfect body through drastic plastic surgery. This one has us in its corner right up until the end. 

45

s2/e20

 34 MIN 

Hello Mother Dorothy. Kate and Dennis come back to Richmond Street amid marital discord. Dennis cheated, and Dorothy, still reeling from Stan's habitual infidelity, is heartbroken at first, but that quickly turns to anger, confusion, and disappointment when Kate decides to stay with Dennis. Someone is projecting, hence the title of this episode. Plus, Rose and Blanche stay up all night watching I L̶i̶k̶e̶ Love Lucy, a show that Rose has never seen due to her inexplicably active sex life. 

48

s2/e23

 28 MIN 

Stanley, king of the yutzes, shows up and needs a friend and Dorothy calls in a favor from Blanche. The two hit it off platonically, but their new-found closeness still leaves Dorothy feeling a little magenta. Meanwhile, Rose and Sophia team up to muscle in on Johnny No Thumbs.

28

s2/e3

 26 MIN 

Get out your bolo tie because Big Daddy Hollingsworth is back in Miami! This time to introduce Blanche to his would-be bride, the Widow (pronounced Widdah) Spencer. Dorothy and Rose enter a songwriting contest and butt heads over whether or not an extra "Miami is Nice" hurts the music.

31

s2/e6

 25 MIN 

There is nothing worse than watching your friend suffer because their romantic life is in the garbage. Well, actually catfishing that friend by assuming the identity of one Mr. Issac Q. Newton, a citrus farmer from central Canada might be. Meanwhile, Sophia tries to fight off the advances of an English golddigger. 

35

s2/e10

 23 MIN 

Merry Christmas waterliles! Our gift to you is this LOL-filled episode featuring Mr. Patrick Vaughn, the hunkiest hunk that ever hunked! The Actor is in town to join the cast of what we always thought was a local production of Our Town, but is actually a parody of the Paul Newman show, Picnic. The girls each vie for his affection, though Blanche inflates her efforts (da-da-ching). Meanwhile, Sophia gets a job at a pirate-themed restaurant. 

39

s2/e14

 21 MIN 

Dorothy's romantic escapades are the center of this one. Laying the groundwork for Fleabag, Dorothy develops a crush on a hip teacher but he turns out to be a priest. Blanche insists she go for it anyway, Rose is distracted by the tushie of love, and Sophia, in between writing letters to Hugh Downs about her Bingo game, warns of hellfire. This one is full of laughs and particularly amazing outfits. 

43

s2/e18

 35 MIN 

Mario Lopez guest stars in this problematic episode. The A-story features Dorothy tutoring Mario, played by Mario Lopez, a gifted young writer (despite his trouble spelling 'February'). Mario is undocumented and facing deportation, and that's where the 'rah-rah America' of the Reagan-era seeps through, with Dorothy encouraging him to "come back and do it the right way." In the B story, Rose attempts to reconcile with Blanche by serving as her vedenfreugen, or PERSONAL SLAVE, so yeah, there are some issues in this one. 

46

s2/e21

 31 MIN 

A young and hunky George Clooney and his gruff but handsome partner Al are a couple of unconventional (and unethical, seemingly untrained) detectives using the Girls' house for a stakeout location, just like real cops on TV. You could cut the tension between Al and Dorothy with a knife from the very beginning, and this episode invites discussions of love/hate romances, knowing yourself enough to know what you want, and how much information you can get by tailing a criminal around the grocery store.

49

s2/e24

 31 MIN 

Deborah A. Macey talks to us about her paper, Ancient Archetypes in Modern Media: A Comparative Analysis of Golden Girls, Living Single, and Sex & The City, & regales us with how she went about assigning each of the girls to their designated archetype, a challenge considering how much "slippage" there is between the fab four. 

★

VSE/2

 68 MIN 

When Dorothy's son Michael and Rose's daughter Bridget visit at the same time, the two share a night of so-so sex (too much wine) in Blanche's bed. Because this is a sitcom, all four of the women walk in on them, and the awkwardness makes for a really awkward and icky confrontation between Dorothy and Rose. 

32

s2/e7

 26 MIN 

What the hell is this, The Waltons?! Blanche tries to bong a mall Santa, Rose offers counseling to her clients right in the waiting room, a would-be armed robber takes Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose hostage until Sophia saves the day, and our favorite ladies spend Christmas Eve watching a diner. Plus, the men of Blanche's boudoir actually turn about to be the men of the Golden Girls crew. 

36

s2/e11

 20 MIN 

Anyone who knows the kind and gentle Rose Nylund knows she would do anything for a friend, even if that included making two wedding cakes. This attitude gets Rose in the hospital with what thankfully turns out to just be an esophageal spasm. After what she interprets as a near-death experience, Rhonda (oops, Rose!) embraces a lifestyle that would seemingly go against the doctor's orders of staying out all night and partying with her new beach friends.

40

s2/e15

 22 MIN 

We're joined by Dr. Kate Browne, a culture writer and essayist who wrote The Golden Girls edition of the TV Milestone Series. In this episode, we go chapter by chapter with an in-depth look at Kate's book. You'll laugh, you'll learn, you might even slam down a few boilermakers during this one.

★

VSE/3

 90 MIN 

The Golden Girls had a ton of celebrity guest stars, pop-cultural references, repeat guest appearances and more. To help us recall all those who are so famous they need not be mentioned in this description, we called in some help. Our friends George and Kristin who host Meanwhile at the Podcast are experts on pop culture, fandom, and comics (you'll be surprised how much Batman 66 comes up!) and they were kind enough to come on our show and go down the very long list of famous faces who made appearances on our beloved Golden Girls. 

★

VSE/4

 73 MIN 

What do Cheryl Strayed, Señor Frogs, and DZ Discovery Zone have in common? They’re all mentioned in this episode! This clip show is the penultimate episode of the second season and includes Dorothy’s birthday party at Mr. Ha-Ha’s Hotdog Hacienda, a flashback to the Petrillo home in Brooklyn, an utterly heartbreaking monologue from Betty White as a recent widow back in St. Olaf, and culminates in a conga line and finally, a successful surprise birthday party for Blanche. What a load of fun!

50

s2/e25

 28 MIN 

52

We discuss the adorable relationship between Sophia and Alvin, and reflect on what makes the diagnosis of Alzheimer's---for Alvin and anyone else affected by this awful disease---so devastating. Because the A-story is so heavy, the B-story has to be equal parts ridiculous and hilarious, and that is exactly what we get when little Daisy (aka Jenny Lewis) bearnaps Rose's beloved Fernando and holds him for ransom. 

s3/e1

 43 MIN 

55

Peak Golden Girls scholarship here! In this episode on The Housekeeper, we praise Paula Kelly's performance as Marguerite, call out a couple of the laugh-out-lines, and spend some time critiquing the use of a racist trope here. On the flip side, the writer of this episode, Winifred Hervey, deserves a nod for recognizing that the Girls' stereotyping of Marguerite could be used against them, and boy was it ever. 

s3/e4

 36 MIN 

53

Ah, yes a clip show. This is just pure, old-fashioned fun. Plot holes abound as we see the short-lived Miami Mom's Catering, which may have gone under due to their first gig being canceled or a total disregard for food safety. There's a Brooklyn flashback featuring the incomparable Lynnie Greene nailing those DZ mannerisms as always, and perhaps most famously, a dance marathon that has given us some of the greatest Golden Girls gifs of all time.

s3/e2

 23 MIN 

★

In this Very Special Episode, we talk to popular culture scholar Jared Clayton Brown about his paper Sex and the City, Platinum Edition: How The Golden Girls Altered American Situation Comedy. We talk about the popularity and the cultural impact of the show, and how the Golden Girls used the Norman Lear style of gently and indirectly presenting audiences with heavy subject-matter.  

VSE/6

 69 MIN 

★

We are joined by Dr. Elizabeth Yuko, an award-winning journalist and an adjunct professor of ethics. Yuko's 2016 Ted Talk called “Everything I Know About Bioethics I Learned from The Golden Girls" has never been more relevant. Yuko shares examples of how the Golden Girls tackled topics like generalized health, ethics of physicians, sexual health, and shares how she recently referenced Dorothy's world-famous takedown of Dr. Budd in her own real-life struggles to convince medical professionals to take her seriously. 

VSE/5

 65 MIN 

56

From public speaking at Aunt Gretchen's funeral, to a totally unheard of fear of flying, to a completely ridiculous phobia of being surrounded by bald men in an enclosed space, Rose, Dorothy, and Blanche each face their biggest fears in this episode. It's also the first of four appearances by Meg Wyllie, who delivers the best line of the entire episode with "yes, that's it--the beverage cart." Real ones know. 

s3/e5

 30 MIN 

54

WELCOME BAABYY! This is an off-the-wall episode wherein Rose inherits responsibility for her dear old uncle's pet pig (although, not that dear, since she's unclear on his offspring). The rest of the girls are initially definitive "no"s but when Baby's escort/attorney reveals that care of the pig comes with a $100K bonus, they change their tune, at least temporarily. 

s3/e3

 29 MIN