A Little Romance

This is one of the funniest episodes of the show's first season! I love every episode (except for one...but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it!), however this is truly one of my favorites! In fact, with the exception of the dream scene, I think it's darn near perfect! I'm always impressed at the manner in which the writers are able to take humorous, even extraordinary plot lines and make them somehow relatable. In this particular instance, Rose is dating a little person. While I don't have many friends or acquaintances who have dated little people, I think the notion of being attracted to someone yet fearing judgement from others is very relatable! Height, weight, socio-economic standing, culture, intelligence, popularity--all of these characteristics can be an impediment (real or perceived) to forming a lasting relationship with another person.

Truthfully, there isn't a lot to break down about the episode in terms of plot themes. It's primarily comical in nature and the lesson is very simple: if you love someone, you accept him/her for who s/he is and you should not try to hide them. If you are ashamed of your partner, that is more of a reflection on you--and a poor one at that! Rose spent weeks hiding Jonathan from Dorothy and Blanche because she was ashamed of his size and feared other people's remarks. Of course, just when she finds the courage to date Jonathan openly he ends up dumping her for religious reasons--classic Golden Girls and a very funny way to end the episode! Additionally, Jonathan is so comfortable with himself and his size that it would be hard to imagine any woman being ashamed of him (if she were attracted to him in the first place, of course). It's hard to be ashamed of anyone who is so wonderfully confident, I think. 

I suppose the best thing for me to do is to direct you to the funniest parts of the episode so that you can keep your ears open for the best tidbits! For starters, Sophia's son (Phil) and his family are a running joke throughout the series. You never actually meet Phil, but you do meet his wife in one of the later seasons. Phil is a bit of a punchline for Sophia and you see a lot of that in this episode. Speaking of Sophia, the girls' faces when Sophia goes to introduce herself to Jonathan is easy to miss if you're not paying a lot of attention, but if you know Sophia, you know why the girls are so edgy in that moment! Haha! 

Don't expect a lot from the scene where Rose is dreaming. Jean Dixon is not a great actress as guest stars go and the little person that plays Rose's father isn't great either. The girls do their best to make the scene workable, though. It's my least favorite part of the episode, however.

Blanche is the funniest person in this episode hands down! She is so uncomfortable around Jonathan that she makes a fool of herself repeatedly. I found a clip of it for you if you would like to get a preview (or reminder as the case may be) of what to expect. Trust me...you want to see this. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1jvlIUJ2xU 

Actually, that is not even the funniest scene. All I'm going to tell you is to keep and ear out for the story of Blanche and Benjamin....

***
Cheesecake count: 1

St. Olaf v. Sicily: 0 to 1

References: Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Brooke Shields, Edward Kennedy, Jackie O.

Quote of the day:

Sophia: That guy over there. Is he a midget?

Dorothy: Yes.

Sophia: Thank God! I thought I was having another stroke!