Blanche & The Younger Man

Dirk and Blanche

If you know anything about me, you know that this episode will be a favorite of mine just based on the title alone. ;) I apologize for the lack of deliberation on my part in keeping these postings updated. I really will try to be more proactive in getting them up! I wouldn't want to disappoint all of my adoring fans! Haha!




Anyway, I know it's kind of cheesy, but I just get a warm, calming feeling every time I hear the theme song for this show. I can be in the crabbbiest of moods, but when I hear, "Thank you for being a friend..." I just start to feel happy and relaxed. This brings me to a sad note, Andrew Gold passed away this week. He wrote the theme song featured on the show. It got me to thinking, though, that I truly hope that someday when I'm gone, I will have left behind something that is a source of happiness to someone else in the way that his song is for me. How perfect is it that his last name is Gold, by the way? Interesting coincidence, I think.

This episode is titled after Blanche's subplot, but I actually think the subplot with Rose and her mother stands out as the central plot for this episode. If you've been following my posts at all, you know that I prefer to start with the darker themes and then get into the lighthearted, funny stuff so that we can end on a happy note (as nearly all of the episodes end on a happy note, it only seems appropriate!). Ergo, we'll take a look at the issue with Rose and her mother and then get into Blanche and her cougar-happy ways!

Rose and her mother (Alma)

If I ever have a daughter that treats me the way Rose is treating her mother...Lord help her! I was annoyed for Alma (Rose's mom) within the first few moments of her visit. Alma is perfectly capable of taking care of herself and Rose insists on babying her to death. Of course, Rose's intentions are good (when are they anything less?), but I feel embarrassed for elderly people when other adults speak to them as if they are children. Granted, sometimes elderly people believe themselves to be more capable than they really are and they require assistance to get through the day. This is perfectly understandable and I would imagine that it would be very difficult to have to tell someone (especially someone you love) that they are simply not able to live as independently as they have been accustomed. Ideally, adult children would have the ability to discern to what extent their elderly parents are capable of living without assistance and react accordingly.

Actually, this represents yet another reason why I love this show so much. I spend very little time thinking of my parents' and my twilight years, but that time will someday come and it is better to be preparing yourself for what may lie ahead. Golden Girls gets me thinking about how I would react in their situations, and I don't believe that I would spend much time contemplating my life after 50 and beyond if it weren't for some of the themes I see on the show.

I enjoy looking at the mother-daughter relationship from the "later in life" angle. Mother-daughter relationships are often depicted when the daughter is a teen, but seeing it from the perspective of two older women is definitely more rare. I also like how Rose and Alma's relationship is contrasted with Dorothy and Sophia's. I think the writers did a good job demonstrating the differences and similarities here: the desire to protect one another versus the inclination to be overprotective, for example. Rose and Dorothy's attitudes towards their mothers are actually very appropriate given their characters. Rose is more nurturing and as such it is more understandable that she would become overly protective of her mother. Dorothy is more practical. She sees that her mother needs assistance in some ways, but is generally quite independent and Dorothy gives Sophia adequate freedom and space. The conversation that ultimately remedies the friction between Rose and her mother is so touching! I think we all dread the day that our parents will someday leave us. It can be a haunting thought and it is no wonder that Rose can't even bring herself to think about it.

Stop! Cougar time!

The entire subplot with Blanche and Dirk (the cougar bait) is perfect from beginning to end! To start with, it creates a perfect comedic counterbalance for the graver Rose and Alma subplot. Additionally, it is an easy way to work in one-liners that allow the girls to slam Blanche for her vanity. Finally, hearing Dirk tell Blanche, "You remind me of my mother," toward the end of the episode just wraps it up perfectly! I like that Alma had a 3 year relationship with a younger man, too. It gives the 2 subplots some overlap and allows the episode a bit more uniformity/solidarity. I think the best part of all of it, though, has to be how relentless Dorothy is when she teases Blanche about Dirk.

Blanche: A man [Dirk's] age is used to a trim body with good tone.
Dorothy: So buy him a princess phone.

You can't beat that stuff!

***Cheesecake count: 1...still...

St. Olaf vs. Sicily: 0 to1

References:
Andy Griffith, John Cameron Swayze, and Walt Disney

Quote of the day:

Blanche: Dirk is nearly 5 years younger than I am.
Dorothy: In what, Blanche? Dog years?
Blanche: However, I have decided to overlook that minor detail and succumb to the Vesuvius of passion that is about to erupt from me. 
Sophia: Stand back. We're going to get something on us!

Break In

Before I get started, let me just say that I had the pleasure of watching this episode with Brittany, one of my best friends! For me, that's a huge part of what makes "The Golden Girls" so special: bonding with your best girl friends (and guy friends, too!).

Discovering that they had been robbed.

Boy, this episode hits on a bunch of issues that are truly relevant! There's intimidation of women/elderly, the presence of a man as a perceived sense of security, and finally gun safety. Of course, this is "Golden Girls", so there are plenty of fun and lighthearted moments, too! Let's talk about the dark stuff first so that we can end on a fun note, shall we?

Rose is probably the central character in this episode, but Dorothy's attitude and display of character completely steal the show in my book! She really proves that she's the strong, reasonable one of the bunch time and time again. I love how she handles herself when that creep of a salesman tries to scare the girls into buying a 10,000$ security system! His nonsense about how 1 in 4 people will be the victim of a violent crime is such an obvious ploy to squeeze money out of them. As a woman, I find it offensive and disgusting that a man would try to take advantage of a woman by making her feel afraid and vulnerable. Additionally, they are all older women and I am always sickened when I hear stories about elderly people getting scammed. Dorothy keeps the girls from making an imprudent decision, however. She tells the man that they will buy a security package from a competing security company and then kicks him out of the house!

Rose's encounter in the parking garage.

I am also interested in the girls' debate about whether or not the presence of men makes a group of women safer. Rose says that she feels safer if a man is present, but Dorothy calls it a false sense of security. Of course, Dorothy's assertion is more logical, but personally I feel safer when I am with a man, too. I think this is a social construct that is hard to escape sometimes. Girls are raised to be very cautious of strange men. In fact, sometimes I don't think men realize that a woman walking at night by herself is going to be very suspicious of a man if he approaches her abruptly or comes too close to her. I've had discussions about this very thing with my girl friends and there seems to be a consensus that when we're alone we are more suspicious of others. Walking with a boyfriend, brother, father or male friend (etc.) tends to lessen this feeling, however.

Rose is such a sweet character! It's very hard to watch her be so helplessly afraid because she's easily the gentlest spirit on the show and the one whom the audience will feel the greatest need to see protected. The idea of Rose wielding a gun is just totally disturbing. If one of them has to handle a gun, it should definitely be Dorothy! Rose is truly lucky to have such a good friend in Dorothy. Rose is able to break down in her friend's arms as she does without fear of being judged or harshly criticized. I'm glad that Rose is able to put her fear aside finally, but I wonder if she would have been able to do so if she had not had that encounter in the parking lot. I also wonder how long her fear would have crippled her if she had not had that encounter, though. It's kind of a sad prospect if you think about it in more realistic terms and outside of the context of resolving something in a 30 minute story.

"I'd rather you shot Lester!"- Blanche

Enough of the tough stuff! There are some great moments in this episode. First of all, I love that the girls were at a Madonna concert the night they were robbed. I like how they are painted as hip and trendy despite their age! Additionally, I love how Dorothy quotes Dirty Harry in order to try to intimidate the robbers! You don't even have to watch the episode! Just imagine Bea Arthur's voice quoting Clint Eastwood's most famous line from that movie. It's just too much! Oh...and Blanche maces herself in the face.

One minor thing--Blanche makes fun of Dorothy's mink stole for being out of style, but it's the same stole that Blanche borrows on her date with Harry in the very first episode. Maybe styles changed very quickly at that time?

***Cheesecake count: 1

References: Madonna...I'm not linking anything to her name. You know who she is!

St.Olaf vs. Sicily: 0 to 1

Quote of the day:
Rose: [The robbers] were probably looking for drugs!
Dorothy: We have Maalox and estrogen! How many junkies have gas and hot flashes?

The Competition

Rose and Sophia wearing Blanche's new bowling outfit! ;)

Dorothy and Blanche team up against Rose and Sophia in a bowling competition. If Sophia wins, she gets to fly to Sicily and Dorothy will buy the plane ticket! If Dorothy wins, she gets Sophia's antique silver earrings. This is the first episode to give Sophia more time in the limelight. Her character turned out to be very popular with the audience. I attribute it to her ability to get away with saying whatever she feels inclined to say whenever she feels inclined to say it. This episode also shows off what a champ Sophia is! She's a great bowler, a great cook, and she's still got enough spunk to keep the fellas chasing her! Actually, I can't blame her for finding Augustine cute! I think he's cute (as men over 80 go). The whole story between them is very sweet. I think there's something appealing about love blossoming at an advanced age. It's nice to see that the young don't have a monopoly on romance.

The bowling competition definitely brings out the competitor in Rose. It's so funny that this sweet, cheerful little Minnesota farm girl is so cut-throat and relentlessly competitive, but I think it makes her a more well-rounded character. Not to mention that it's just hilarious to watch her go from docile and complacent to absolutely fierce when something turns into a contest. Her competitiveness becomes a running joke throughout the series.

A little trash talk before the big game!

Comedically, there were a few things that really stood out in this episode: Sophia's inexplicable knack for bowling, the relentless trash talking that goes on between the two teams of girls throughout the episode (Blanche and Drothy on one team versus Sophia and Rose on the other), and the cheap tricks that Sophia and Rose use to distract Blanche and Dorothy during the bowling match. It's appropriate that Rose and Sophia play dirty to increase their chances of winning. Rose is totally out for blood and Sophia wants to win to prove to Dorothy that she is not a feeble old woman (and she wants Dorothy to fund her plane ticket to Sicily, of course, per the terms of the bet). Plus, Sophia is not above cheating anyway. Like I said, she can get away with it somehow!

Sophia gives Dorothy the earrings after all.

There aren't any inconsistencies to report and all of the characters adhere to their general ways, so there's not much to be said about this episode in that respect. I would say, however, that if I were Dorothy, I would not have lost intentionally. I know she did it so that her mother could go to Italy, but I guess I just relate to Rose's competitiveness! If I were Dorothy, I would have gone for the win and talked nonstop trash. I would still buy my mom's ticket to Italy, though. That way I could give her what she really wants and still have walked away with the win! ;)



***Cheesecake count: Still 1. They are guzzling coffee and tea like crazy, though! I never noticed how much coffee and tea they drink, I guess

References: None stood out

St.Olaf vs. Sicily: 0 to 1

Quote of the day:

Sophia: How do I look?
Dorothy: Like a widow in mourning.
Sophia: Perfect! He'll know I'm available!

On Golden Girls

Before I get started, let me inform you that I am spending my Friday night updating my Golden Girls blog. I'm feeling like Dorothy tonight! Haha!

Who wouldn't want to start the day sharing breakfast with their best friends?

Of course, Blanche hits on the cop as soon as she gets the chance! ;)

OK, on with the show (pun completely intended). This is a very cut and dry Golden Girls episode. The girls are really on a roll making fun of each other nonstop and there's one basic plot focus: the ungrateful punk of a teenage grandson coming to visit and disrupting the usual ebb and flow of the girls' daily routine. Actually, he really gets on my nerves. Even after finding out that he (Blanche's grandson David) has been struggling with a difficult situation at home, it's hard for me to be all that sympathetic. I mean, how can anyone be so disrespectful when speaking to his grandmother? It's just bad manners. Nevertheless, I think the girls handle the situation beautifully and Dorothy does an especially good job of challenging David to think outside of himself/beyond his present situation. Sophia's method for handling David's attitude is not half bad, either! Also, my heart goes out to Blanche in this episode when she blames herself for David's troubles.

My favorite scene features Dorothy and Sophia trying to share a bed in order to give David a room to himself. The banter here is classic, but they also bond and reminisce about the last time they had to share a bed. I crack up when Sophia makes her voice deeper and says, "Mommy, I'm having a bed dream!" as she imitates Dorothy as a small child! All humor aside, I think their relationship is very special.

Blanche with her grandson (David)

Now, let's talk inconsistencies! Blanche claims to have a number of children. Off the top of my head, I know that she claims to have children named Janet, Rebecca, Matthew, Biff, Doug, and Skippy. However, we never once meet one of Blanche's sons. Rebecca is the daughter that makes the greatest number of appearances on the show. We only meet Janet at the tail end of the series and she does not look remotely old enough to be David's mother. We're talking maybe a 10 year difference. Actually, I just looked it up on IMDB and the actress who played Janet (Jessica Lundy) is only 3 years older than the actor who played David (Billy Jayne). Anyway, you would think something like the number of children a character has would be easy for the writers to keep consistent. 


***
Cheesecake count: 1


References: Sly Stalone and Cary Grant


St. Olaf v. Sicily: 0 to 1. Now let me be specific! We hear about Rose's farm life and about life in Sicily in this episode, but I will not add these references to the count because it has to start with "Back in St.Olaf" for Rose or "Picture it: Sicily, 19XX" for Sophia (or some variation of those story openings) to count in my tally.


Quote of the day:


"Personally, I like to lay into a kid with a melon baller. It's got a nice weight, good balance in the hand, and it's portable." -Sophia Petrillo 

The Triangle

Blanche hits Elliot when he tries to make a move on her.

This scenario is very relatable. It's understood that when your best friend calls "shotgun" on a man, you back off (even if you're attracted to him, too)! In this case, Blanche was a good friend and backed off of Elliot for Dorothy's sake. I was surprised, however, that Elliot chose to hit on Blanche in spite of his blossoming relationship with Dorothy. Does he seriously think that getting involved with two women is a good idea when those women are roommates? Not that I condone infidelity, mind you, but if you're going to be unfaithful you ought to at least be stealthy about it!

Blanche tells Dorothy the truth about Elliot.

My heart really goes out to Blanche in this episode. I would find it very difficult to have a close friend put her trust in a man she hardly knew rather than put her trust in me. Moreover, Dorothy calls Blanche some very cruel names when Blanche was only trying to be a caring, honest friend. I am especially bothered by Elliot's ability to lie to Dorothy's face! The idea of asking someone a question flat out and having them look you in the eye and lie to you just makes my blood boil! It means that you are more concerned with your own self-interest than the interest of someone that you're supposed to care about. Not only that, but you are completely taking advantage of the other person's complete trust for you! Ugh! Liars just irk me!

I have to hand it to Rose for helping to get the truth out of Elliot. People may think that Rose is just a big dummy, but she can be very smart when it counts. Actually, for a woman who is often naive, she was very crafty! Blanche is so quick to forgive Dorothy's cruelty toward her, and I think that is a strong testament to the solidity of their friendship. Blanche is often depicted as overly proud, but she puts her pride aside effortlessly to renew her friendship with Dorothy.

Making up! 

Apart from the central plot, I do not have much else to add. I will only say that I can hardly believe that Mama Celeste makes better pizza than Sophia! Also, this episode features Sophia's first story about Sicily! I wonder who tells more stories about their hometown between Sophia and Rose? So far it's Sophia 1 and Rose 0, but there is plenty of time for that to change! Maybe I'll keep score of that, too.

Cheese cake count: Still 1

References: Jerry Vale and John Forsythe

Rose stories v. Sophia stories (St.Olaf and Sicily respectively): 0 to 1

Quote of the day:

"I know I look square, but I'm like my father's tractor. I take a while to warm up, but once I get going I can turn your topsoil until the cows come home." -Rose Nylund

Transplant

One surprising thing about the girls is that not one of them speaks glowingly about any of her sisters. You would think that out of four women, at least one of them would have a sister to whom they were very close, but that is simply not the case. I find it hard to really relate to this aspect of the show because I have a very good relationship with my sister. Frankly, such discord between sisters looks miserable!

The girls comforting Blanche.

We meet Blanche's sister (Virginia) in this episode. Blanche has another sister named Charmaine, but she never makes an appearance on the show. Interestingly, Blanche never mentions having a brother and when she speaks of her childhood you only hear of her two sisters, but in later seasons we discover that she has a younger brother named Clayton whom she adores. That is not the only plot inconsistency in this episode. Rose asks Blanche, "She's your sister. How can you hate your sister?" However, in later seasons we learn that Rose has a sister (Holly) whom she also claims to hate.

Regardless, this episode is especially grave because Blanche is struggling to decide whether or not she will donate a kidney to Virginia whom she has disliked for her entire life and toward whom she harbors much resentment (and who will die without a transplant). To me, this seems like an absolute no-brainer, but I suppose that decisions like these are a lot easier to make when the situation is only hypothetical. I also think that this episode challenges the viewer to ponder their own relationships--"Who would get your kidney?" It's almost impossible not to ask yourself the same question. I like that Blanche and Virginia are able to resolve some of their hostility. It adds perspective to the situation.

Virginia and Blanche

 The following points are almost completely irrelevant, but in the scene where the girls are in the back room babysitting an infant and Rose is going through the baby's things, she picks up a brown stuffed dog. I had the same dog growing up! His name was Samuel Spaniel. Also, it bothers me that Dorothy never supports the baby's head when she's holding him! I understand that they're not using a real baby, but the woman raised two children! She should know how to hold a baby!

Cheese cake count: 1! We finally see cheese cake 16 minutes into the 4th episode!

Quote of the day:

Rose: [My dog Fluffy] was loving, he was loyal, he was fun, he never left my side!
Dorothy: I wish my ex had been like Fluffy. It would have solved a lot of problems.
Sophia: You could've had him fixed.

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