Rose The Prude

Rose on the cruise ship.

This episode is chock-full of firsts for our girls! It is the first episode to feature Rose and the first episode that lacks a wedding-themed plot line. More importantly, however, it is the first episode where the characters begin to develop their respective niches--particularly Blanche. Until now, Blanche has made a few little comments here and there about men and/or sexuality, but in this episode she surpasses subtlety. The banter among all of the girls really takes off in this episode as well. Sophia and Blanche tease Dorothy about her looks and Dorothy and Sophia make cracks about Blanche's...well..."appetite." In some ways, it is arguably the first real episode of the series, namely in terms of what viewers can expect out of the show as it progresses. Granted, we have yet to encounter any stories about St.Olaf from Rose or about Sicily from Sophia (and we still have not seen a cheese cake!), but all of the basic character traits are now firmly established.

The entire episode is concerned primarily with issues related to sexuality, relationships and aging, but two scenes in particular stand out as exceptional to me. First, the scene where Rose discusses her apprehensions about becoming intimate with a man other than her late husband. Second, the scene in the kitchen where Dorothy enlightens Blanche about the difficulties of the aging process. The former is very accurate in terms of the degree to which women rely on their closest friends to help them make tough decisions--including decisions about relationships (so be extra nice to your lady's friends, fellas!)! I am also impressed by how skillfully the writers and actresses are able to balance the humor of the situation with its gravity, and this balance is even evident in the way the girls are seated; Rose caught in the middle, Blanche to her right representing humor and Dorothy to Rose's left countering that with solemnity/concern. In the latter scene, we watch Blanche as she discovers the horror of leaning over a mirror as a 50+ woman! It's very funny, of course, but one of the great things about The Golden Girls is the ability of the characters to express concern about the disenchanting aspects of aging while simultaneously laughing it off!

Rose and Arnie

There is a bit of a plot inconsistency that will become apparent in later episodes. The actor who plays Arnie Peterson (Harold Gould) later has a recurring role as Rose's boyfriend Miles Weber, whom she dates on and off for much of the series. I don't exactly know why the writers insisted on changing the name of the character, but perhaps it was to take the plot of the show in a different direction. Actually, Arnie (er...Miles, who actually has yet another name as we will see later) is my favorite of all of the girls' love interests!

The girls' reaction to Rose's news after she kisses and tells!

Cheese cake count: Yep...still 0. I am curious as to which episode will have the first slice!

References: Charles Boyer and O. Henry, both fairly recognizable figures.

Quote of the day:

"If you take a chance in life, sometimes good things happen, sometimes bad things happen. But, honey, if you don't take a chance, nothing happens!"

-Dorothy Zbornak