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If you wanted to run one single episode of Golden Girls to a person who had never seen it before, which one would you choose?

Tell you why I ask.

Years ago, I have a happy memory of my next door neighbour here in London a very sweet old gurl of about 78. She came over for coffee and Golden Girls was on the TV and she'd never seen it before. She was laughing so hard. It was so sweet to see. She was a rather sad widow and it was so nice to see her laugh like that. Turns out, she had a totally perverse sense of humour. It was the episode in which Dorothy's brother dies and they decide to dress him in a dress for the wake. I think it must have been an especially funny episode to start her on. Made me wonder as someone who doesn't know the show well if it was a particularly stand out episode.. That's a question.

It's also made want to ask people on here the question in the title.

by Anonymousreply 43August 6, 2022 8:01 AM

Dorothy gets a part time job at the museum where Blanche works at.

by Anonymousreply 1July 23, 2022 2:16 AM

The Case of the Libertine Belle

"My my, Mr. Officer, I do declare. Your sweet words could charm the morning dew right off the honeysuckle."

by Anonymousreply 2July 23, 2022 2:23 AM

8/10

by Anonymousreply 3July 23, 2022 2:38 AM

"Isn't it Romantic," where Dorothy's lesbian friend Jean develops feelings for Rose.

by Anonymousreply 4July 23, 2022 2:41 AM

I'm going to go with "Not Another Monday," the episode with Sophia's suicidal friend. On the one hand, it's a very special episode, but I like Estelle Getty's performance and you get the great moment of the girls singing "Mr. Sandman" to try putting Baby Frank to sleep.

by Anonymousreply 5July 23, 2022 2:41 AM

Poor Estelle got the Very Special Episodes disproportionately.

by Anonymousreply 6July 23, 2022 2:47 AM

R4 And Blanche confused "lesbian" with "Lebanese"!

by Anonymousreply 7July 23, 2022 2:59 AM

I'd probably make it a double feature with

"My Brother, My Father" - Season 3, Episode 17

and

"The Libertine Bell" The Case of the Libertine Belle - Season 7, Episode 2

by Anonymousreply 8July 23, 2022 3:16 AM

All episodes are fucking stupid.

by Anonymousreply 9July 23, 2022 3:27 AM

^ Thank you, Frieda Claxton

Listen Frieda, I've had all I'm gonna take from you! Now if you don't have the common decency to treat people like human beings, well then I'm sure as hell not going to waste my time kissing your fanny!

Now if you don't like it Mrs. Claxton, you just sit there and shut up while we have our say! And if you don't like it, [bold]just drop dead!

by Anonymousreply 10July 23, 2022 4:13 AM

"Love Me Tender"...Sophia pays a computer dating service to find a date for Dorothy and it spits out a very mild looking , small, nerdy guy. He has a surprise in store for Dorothy. All of the ladies hit it out of the park comedy wise. It is the episode that has Blanche warning Dorothy that the earrings she has borrowed were meant for petite ears. Dorothy's response will knock you out!

Rose: "All that and cappuccino too?"

by Anonymousreply 11July 23, 2022 5:26 AM

Grab That Dough!

by Anonymousreply 12July 23, 2022 5:27 AM

I'll always enjoy the episode where Dorothy's friend Jean...

fondled Rose's big breasts while Rose was sleeping...or sedated from a dental procedure...

Anyhoo, it was all very sensual....

by Anonymousreply 13July 23, 2022 5:40 AM

^ That's nothing, what about the time that slut Blanche put a live mink up Mel Bushman's ass?

(I think some of the stuff that woman does in her bedroom do is illegal. I'm looking into it.)

by Anonymousreply 14July 23, 2022 5:42 AM

The Frieda Claxton episode is one of the best. I'll never forget being a young pre-teen gayling watching it during the the original run. Rose's uncharacteristic outburst killing Claxton is a series highlight.

by Anonymousreply 15July 23, 2022 3:04 PM

That one where they ate the cheesecake.

by Anonymousreply 16July 23, 2022 3:08 PM

It seems inconceivable that Blanche would have trouble understanding the word lesbian.

by Anonymousreply 17July 23, 2022 3:14 PM

The one that served as the aborted pilot for a Rita Moreno spin-off.

by Anonymousreply 18July 23, 2022 3:24 PM

It's like choosing one child over another:

Murder mystery weekend, arrested for prostitution, Sophia/Blanche/Fidel Santiago, Frieda Claxton, Mr. Gordon, Grab That Dough, Barbara Thorndyke, Dr. Jonathan Newman. The list goes on.

by Anonymousreply 19July 23, 2022 4:05 PM

R15 My thoughts exactly, because not only was there Freida, but Mr. P-pfeiffer as well.

by Anonymousreply 20July 23, 2022 4:34 PM

"I'll punch you in your p-face!"

by Anonymousreply 21July 23, 2022 4:51 PM

R19 Love all those. And Marguerite, Sophia gets a nurse, they join a gym, nudist camp, get shipwrecked, the Rusty Anchor, piano playing chicken, Rose sees a ufo, Blanche wants plastic surgery, Jasper DeKimmel, Dorothy foot surgery, Rose eats Life, They all see a therapist, Blanche menopause, They need a new roof, They install a toilet, Mr. HaHa's Hot Dog Hacienda, Patrick Vaughn, Laszlo, Gloria runs out of money, Dorothy befriends a shut-in, Rose gets a gun. Any of these would be great for someone who never saw it.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 22July 23, 2022 7:16 PM

Fidel Santiago is my favorite episode of GG, I love Sophia and Blanche trading insults. “Beat it you 50 year old mattress!”

by Anonymousreply 23July 23, 2022 7:21 PM

Probably "Isn't it Romantic," but "The Artist" (with Laszlo), "The Actor" (with Lloyd Bochner) and "Joust Between Friends" (Dorothy works at the museum) would be close contenders. Anything where they insult each other even more than usual has a special kind of comedic energy.

by Anonymousreply 24July 23, 2022 7:42 PM

No one's picking the one I mentioned?

by Anonymousreply 25July 23, 2022 7:55 PM

“Empty Nests!”

Season 2, Episode 26, of course. Not that ridiculous series that ran for several seasons/170 episodes.

by Anonymousreply 26July 23, 2022 8:15 PM

Might be just me, but I'm not a big fan of the episode you mentioned, OP/R25. Just didn't make much sense for Phil's funeral to be in Miami when he grew up in Brooklyn and lived in New Jersey. Sophia's crying at the end seemed very forced and somewhat out of character.

[quote]Blanche menopause

[quote]Rose gets a gun

Two of my absolute favorites, R22, and two episodes I insisted to any friends of mine who wanted to get into the show should watch.

by Anonymousreply 27July 23, 2022 8:15 PM

2 words: Trudy McMahon.

by Anonymousreply 28July 23, 2022 8:20 PM

“A Little Romance” would be a good one. Gay midgets are always good for a chuckle.

Shrimp?

by Anonymousreply 29July 23, 2022 8:33 PM

Don't remember the whole episode, but one of my favorite scenes is when Blanche is writing a novel and doesn't sleep. Meanwhile, Rose is in the kitchen cooking something and has put a bunch of egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Sleep deprived Blanche comes in gives a hilarious speech.

by Anonymousreply 30July 23, 2022 9:01 PM

R30, the "Blanche goes bonkers trying to become a great novelist" is the comic B plot of the notorious 2-part Chronic Fatigue Syndrome episodes.

by Anonymousreply 31July 23, 2022 9:03 PM

The one where Dorothy and Sophia imitate Sonny & Cher.

by Anonymousreply 32July 23, 2022 9:11 PM

The two-part Chronic Fatigue Syndrome episodes are advanced GG watching. Do not start with those. They're the Ring Cycle of the series.

by Anonymousreply 33July 23, 2022 9:39 PM

Dorothy was right, Dr. Budd was a putz!

by Anonymousreply 34July 23, 2022 9:40 PM

I love "The Case of the Libertine Belle," but I would never show it to a first-time viewer, because so much of the humor relies on familiarity with the characters. The hilarious "St. Olaf?" runner makes no sense if you don't know that St. Olaf is the cradle of idiocy.

"Not Another Monday" is a good choice because it makes good use of all the characters so a newcomer would get a sense of who all of them are (Blanche coming on to Harry; one of the best St. Olaf stories; Dorothy's zingers), displays how the show spoke to real-life issues, and has a good balance between the laughs and emotion. "Old Friends" would also likely do the trick with the balance between the Sophia and Rose plots.

For pure laughs, I would agree with "Yes, We Have No Havanas." Blanche vs Sophia is hilarious, and a newcomer wouldn't be bothered by the lack of continuity in the Rose plot (i.e. Rose who was valedictorian of her high school class and who was in a sorority in college...suddenly never graduated from high school). "It's a Miserable Life" and "My Brother, My Father" are also good picks.

I might throw in "The Competition" too--the first great episode, or at least the first that really feels like what the show would be.

by Anonymousreply 35July 23, 2022 10:31 PM

I love love love the episodes with Aunt Angela!!

by Anonymousreply 36July 23, 2022 10:56 PM

Don't be stingy. Do a four part marathon. Actually it would have to be five parts because I'm only in part two of one of those five, and the continuity wouldn't make sense.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 37July 23, 2022 11:11 PM

Amzie Strickland kicking the empty casket at the Freida Claxton funeral is another great moment in a fabulous episode.

by Anonymousreply 38July 23, 2022 11:14 PM

Do we think the tweeter at r37 knows that Meg Wyllie did play that alien in Star Trek? Because that's a good reason why they would look alike...

by Anonymousreply 39July 23, 2022 11:18 PM

"...and rose i told you i want that filthy barnyard beast outta my house!"

by Anonymousreply 40July 23, 2022 11:40 PM

I think I'd go with "Break-in," which has several of the most memorable comedic lines in the whole series.

ROSE: They were probably looking for drugs. DOROTHY: We have Maalox and estrogen. Now how many junkies have gas and hot flashes?

Blanche's whole bit about accidentally macing herself at the police station.

SOPHIA: I manage to live 80, 81 years. I've had pneumonia, two operations, a stroke. One night I'll belch and Stable Mable here will blow my head off.

by Anonymousreply 41July 24, 2022 12:05 AM

I just rewatched "Long Day's Journey into Marinara," and had to throw in a vote for it. Great episode that doesn't need any advance knowledge to catch all the jokes; the plot holds together and actually makes sense (unlike others--"And Then There Was One" was just a few episodes before) and it's just really funny from start to finish. Good Sophia showcase, Rose and the chicken, Blanche stealing Virginia's boyfriend like Virginia took her saddle shoes, Dorothy as the rock in the middle of it all. I think it would be a great sample of the series.

by Anonymousreply 42August 6, 2022 7:50 AM

The Sound Of Music, uncle Angelo episode. A classic.

by Anonymousreply 43August 6, 2022 8:01 AM
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