Fashion and the Flu (S.1 E. 21)

S.1 E. 21

Flu Attack

Written By: James Berg, Stan Zimmerman

Directed By: Terry Hughes

Aired: 3/1/86

Knuckle Bite™/Drip Dry. 

Make sure you wash your hands before you bite your knuckle and don't drip dry in the winter, or you too could wind up with the flu. That's your health tip of the day. 

We open with Dorothy standing around in one of those classic heavily draped gowns that gives her absolutely no shape whatsoever. Sophia's doing her best to hem it, but, in my opinion, it could really use some kind of waist cincher. Also, it's Florida, and that fabric looks so heavy it would give you the all over sweats in about a minute and a half, and then you'd be trying to take it off at the end of the night and you'd have that same situation Ross had on Friends when his leather pants got all stuck. Not good. 

Anyway - Everyone's getting ready to go to the big banquet. These girls do love a good banquet. I mean, who wouldn't? Blanche has gotten herself a brand new dress for it, since her dress from the year before can't be repeated due to it's stunning shade of green, and/or flesh tone, depending on who you ask. Neither Sophia or Blanche have dates yet. You read that right - Blanche doesn't have a date yet. Seems that her and Sophia both want to find just the right guy to bring with them to the social event of the season. Understandable. 

Rose comes in looking for some aspirin. Time released sounds good. She's feeling a little achy. Head achy? Stomach achy? Back Achy? What achy, you ask? Well, Dorothy asks the same questions, because she's a hypochondriac. Blanche, on the other hand, isn't worried at all about getting sick. Why? 

Blanche: I treat my body like a temple.

Sophia: Yeah, open to everyone. Day or night. 

Naturally, we cut to the next scene, and all three girls are just as sick as sick can be. But, as sick as they are, they'd never miss out on a classic "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" sight gag. 

The girls feel terrible. Especially Rose, who has a side order of guilt to go along with the sniffles. Blanche is amazed at how great she looks no matter what her glands feel like, and Dorothy is as charming as you'd expect her to be in this scenario. Sophia is the only one hanging tough. (Shout out to the New Kids on the Block)

Dr. Richmond, Lady MD shows up at the door and throws the girls for a loop. Remember, this was 1986, when if you were expecting a doctor, you were expecting a man. Good for you, Lady MD. She asks for the girls symptoms, which include all the usual stuff, except for the part where Rose hallucinates that she's being chased by a bottle of Listerine. (For Dorothy, it's Scope). Blanche has never been examined by a Lady MD and it's all a little strange to her. Well, Lady MD gets off a solid joke at this point by telling her not to worry, because she used to be a man. Excellent way to lighten the mood, Lady MD. 

The verdict is in - They've all got the flu. This doesn't bode well for any of the ladies making it to the big charity banquet. Nothing they can do except rest, drink fluids, and irritate the crap out of each other. 

Sophia wants to try some home remedies. Sometimes those truly are the best. Like back in her village when Salvatore, the village idiot took some ear salve and put it on his linguine by mistake. Turns out it tasted great. But, as we all know, "Linguine with Ear Salve" doesn't look great on a menu. But, "Linguine with Pesto Sauce?" That's a million dollar idea. Salvatore hit it big and never looked back. Jury's still out as to whether or not his ear infection ever cleared up.*

*Note: This anecdote might not be factual, but, old ladies have a right and obligation to be colorful, so, it remains on the record.

The flu is in full swing now. And so is the battle for the heating pad. Dorothy needs to warm her chest, but Blanche feels her chest is far more deserving. Rose is the only one trying to keep her proverbial chin up during this saga. She's found her folk medicine book and is sure she can get everyone through this siege with a smile on their face and a song in their heart. Despite the fact that Blanche would not have a problem with stringing her up from a tree. Harsh. 

The secret to Rose's positive demeanor? A hot toddy recipe from her folk medicine book. Translation? She's drunk. 

Dorothy and Blanche almost come to blows over Another World. Understandable. Linda Dano could be very polarizing!

But, it's not only that. The girls have been cooped up with each other for three days, and they can't take another minute of Dorothy's bad disposition, Rose's cheerful (drunk) disposition, and Blanche's snappy disposition. They trade insults and Girl Scout pledges and vow never to speak to one another again. They storm out of the living room just as Sophia enters to tell them that she's found herself a date to the banquet!! No one cares. Sorry, Sophia. I care. I really do. I'm here for ya, Sophia. 

The next day, the battles continue, from orange juice to Vicks Vap-o-rub, to pre-measured Nyquil caps. The ladies just can't get right. The one thing that Blanche and Dorothy agree on is that being mean to Rose makes them feel better. It gets particularly vulgar when Rose says "H-E-double hockey sticks" and Blanche lashes out and calls her an, "A1, first class, all around nerd." BLANCHE HATH GONE TOO FAR! Rose cries, Blanche cries, and everyone just feels rotten. 

Sophia pops in, from what I can only assume is a busy day, to let the ladies know that group hugs can give the neighbors the wrong idea, and also, she canceled their reservations for the banquet. Which is a real shame, because Harriett (Lady Banquet Organizer) implied that one of the girls might have won the big award. You know the one, The Best Friend of the Friends of Good Health Award" - a little clumsy as a title, but I'm sure their intentions are good. 

Who could've won it? Well, any of them, really. Rose has participated in every "thon" that they've had. Blanche volunteered to be the CPR dummy. Dorothy sold 49 cases of peanut brittle. All noble causes. Which one is the most noble? Well, we are not the ones to judge, but, the girls get into, yet another, bickering match over which lady will triumph at the awards ceremony. Rose, possibly seeking revenge for the last three days of abuse she's taken, and possibly coming out of her drunken hot toddy induced stupor, gets in a solid jab that it won't be Dorothy because not enough people like her. Especially if they add in a swimsuit competition. (That last part was Sophia piling on, as she's been known to do.)

What a great episode this is from a costume standpoint. They spend 3/4 of the show in the worlds best pajamas and robes, and then they get to wear evening gowns. That's the dream, right? Night gowns, and evening gowns. The only two things that should really ever be worn. The world would be a better place. Like in sci-fi movies when everyone is wearing a uniform in the future? It should just be evening gowns in the evening, and night gowns at all other times. Perfection. 

Anyway, the ladies have all arrived at the banquet. Glittering, glamorous, and hacking their lungs into the salad. Sophia used her winnings from the dog track to land herself a hot, young dude. Raoul. He feels that it's a pleasure to be here. And Blanche used $25 from her purse to try to pass off one of the waiters as her hot, young dude. Tommy. She had an elaborate story and everything. Didn't work. Embarrassing for Blanche. As embarrassing as having to admit that her actual date took one look at her and said he'd rather die than be seen with her in public? Probably not. But, no matter. She still looks better than all of you! (Not you, reader. Dorothy and Rose, natch.) 

The awards ceremony is about to get underway. And not a moment too soon! No one wants to listen to another minute of Dorothy's date talking about his stomach tattoo. Right? Ok, well, here's the moment of truth. Who will win out? Peanut Brittle? CPR Dummy? Thon Girl? We'll soon find out. But, first, some bad news. Don Johnson was supposed to present the award, but he's now unable to attend! However, the producers of the show did send over the clothes he was going to wear! And really, that's JUST as exciting! Or, at least it seems to be to Dorothy, whom you can hear oohing and aahing over the rest of the crowd. It's been a rough week. She deserves a little joy. 

And the winner is ... Sophia Petrillo! Well, of course it is! Sophia deserves all of the awards forever and ever! I'm excited. The audience is excited. Dorothy is even more excited than she was about Don Johnson's Pastel Suit Collection Special. Sophia cops a few lip smackers from her young, hot dude, and then collects her giant, well deserved trophy. She then makes a perfect speech about the blessings she has in this world. Friends. She's a lucky woman. She has friends... and a hot date. Who could ask for anything more? 

The girls see how petty they've been, and make a toast to friendship. And with one final synchronized sneeze, we go to a freeze frame and the closing credits. Now, everyone get some rest. 

Guest Stars: Sharon Spelman - Dr. Richmond 

                       Marcelo Tubert - Raoul

                       Tony Carreiro - Tommy Cochran

Fun Facts: First and most obvious, Dr. Richmond shares her last name with the street the girls live on. And the actress that played her, Sharon Spelman has had an extensive career in television. But, my favorite credit has to be that she played Margaret Kanisky on Gimme a Break - a flashback episode where she was the deceased mother of the girls. She went from one set of girls to another. And now I want to live in an alternate universe where Nell Carter could've made a guest appearance on Golden Girls. Ahhhh, if only. 

Fashion Report: Well, as I said earlier, I love the clothes in this episode. I love all of their pajamas, and I looooove their gowns! Especially Sophia's. That one should've been brought back in future episodes. But, it's too hard to pick my favorite. So, this week, I'm giving the top fashion slot to, Don Johnson's Pastel Suit Collection Special! A hanger never looked so good!

Everything Old Is Ewwwww Again (S.1 E.20)

S.1 E. 20

Adult Education

Written By: James Berg, Stan Zimmerman

Directed By: Jack Shea 

Aired: 2/22/86

Knuckle Bite™/Drip Dry. Sinatra is alive again! Oh glorious day! Sigh.... wouldn't it be nice? 

Yes, it would. But, he's not. But, for the next 22 minutes or so we can pretend he is as we journey back to 1986 when Dorothy tries for the third time in her life to see Ol' Blue Eyes live in concert. On her first attempt she got all the way to the Palladium and then had to spend the evening in the ladies room reviving an overcome Sophia. The second time, her tickets were a gift from Stan. But, then he also gave her the gift of divorce proceedings - during which she was skunked out of the tickets and ended up with the house and the kids instead. So, this is her shot! 

Unfortunately, after a lengthy amount of time spent on hold, Dorothy is informed that the concert is sold out. So, as it turns out - NO! NO! SHE WILL NOT HAVE A NICE DAY! But, she will start looking in the yellow pages for ticket brokers. Sophia offers to use her connections, but Dorothy scoffs. Yes, she scoffs! 

Blanche isn't having a nice day either. Despite being dressed like sherbet, she's unhappy, because she has failed her psychology test. Ya see, Blanche is going for her degree in order to get a promotion at the museum. She gets some encouragement from Rose (who is also dressed like sherbet), but things are not looking good. 

Well, the tickets brokers have not worked out. So, Dorothy is taking things to the next level. She's going to find herself a scalper. But, that's illegal, you say! Funny, Rose said the same thing. But, once it's been revealed that Rose is already a criminal who steals grapes at the local Piggly Wiggly, it's settled. Blanche, however, will not be taking part in the great ticket caper. Her final exam is that night. She's convinced she's going to fail. Studying is just not her thing. She tries to ditch out of it and head over to Wally's Bar but, is admonished by Dorothy and Rose. They both encourage her to see her teacher if she needs extra help. She's hesitant. Dorothy understands the hesitation. After all, she used to be intimidated by her teacher in grade school. Lil' Dot had a lil' lisp and was afraid to speak up and ask for help. But, once she eventually did, she was thrilled with the results. Her teacher was the one who inspired her to go into education. And because of that, Dorothy might someday be able to follow in the foot steps of Mrs. Lenoff and open a bed and breakfast on Whode Island. 

Bolstered by what would normally be excellent advice, Blanche is finally able to approach her teacher and ask for some extra help to pass his course. And I think it's fairly obvious to everyone that this guy screams "creeper" from the word go. And, a creeper he is. Completely ignoring the fact that Blanche is in the market for actual help, he does the standard creeper lean in, and gives her his "private number" and tells her that she'll use it if she wants to pass. Blech! Now I'm not even in the mood for sherbet anymore. 

Which is fine, because we've got Jell-O instead! Yes, Rose made Jell-O. Sophia is in no mood for it. 

Sophia: If God wanted peaches suspended in mid-air he would've filled them with helium. 

Understood. Side note: Last year I visited the Jell-O Museum in LeRoy, NY. Yes, it really exists. It was fun and I bought a t-shirt! Ok, so, back to Sophia cleaning out her purse. I mean, of course she is, it's Tuesday night after all. She's a little testy because she hasn't had sex in 15 years, but who wouldn't be? 

Big shot returns without any tickets. She didn't have the gumption to negotiate in a dark alley with a scalper with things moving in his hair. So, it's not looking good for the girls getting to see Frank. I mean, don't give up. We still have 14 minutes left in the show, but, for now - I'm not optimistic. 

A devastated Blanche returns to the house to inform the girls of her saga. And this is where we see how everything old is ewwww again. Dorothy points out that Blanche is being sexually harassed and that she needs to speak out to officials and fight for her rights. Sound familiar everyone? Oy. I mean, it's just been everywhere forever. Double Blech. Dorothy shares the fact that she is also a #metoo. She was harassed when she first started teaching. I mean, hers was a fairly open and shut case though, since the guy did it while wearing a corset and high heels. But still, she spoke out and he was forced to resign. (She got results?? Probably rare, back in the 80s.) Blanche is inspired and commits to speaking to the dean about her professor. 

Poor Rose is also a #metoo. Well, we think. See, she would always go to Lars Eriksons drug store and tackle shop for a sundae. Well, Nils Filander, Soda Jerk - Town Jerk - would always arrange the ice cream scoops in an obscene way. Unfortunately though, she could never prove her case.  By the time she'd take it home to show her father, the evidence had - all together now - MELTED! 

Ok, now I'm frankly not sure if I ever want sherbet again...

Blanche has her meeting with Dean Tucker. It's not a hell of a meeting though. Dean Tucker has only been Dean Tucker for a couple of days. He ain't ready for this! Blanche doesn't back down. So, the dean does the only thing he can think of - he fills out a form. It's a smidge embarrassing to ask the questions in this scenario. So, he basically asks Blanche to point out on the form which things the professor asked her to do. Turns out it's worse than we thought. It's not just #5. It's #5, 6 and 7B. Any witnesses? No. Can you hear the 'wamp waaaaaaah' music right at that moment? Blanche can. I can. Every woman on Earth can. It's the same ole, same ole. Without substantial evidence there's nothing they can do. It's her word against his. After all, a man's career is at stake! UGH! Blanche the Bad Ass points out  that her career is at stake too! Not to mention her dignity! Go, Blanche Go! This ain't over yet, folks. 

Blanche returns home ready to rip someone, anyone a new one. And understandably so! Unfortunately, the first person she runs into is Rose - who is ready to launch her own story and she's into orbit before Blanche can even start the count down. Rose won 4 tickets to the Sinatra show! How? Well, it's a long story, but, to sum up: 

Blanche: She was listening to her car radio. Big band, not all talk. There was a contest. Something about a little voice, a lucky number and a dime in the door handle, and bim bam boom she won the tickets. 

Dorothy: Take a lesson, Rose. THAT'S how you tell a story.

And Dorothy got tickets too! All she had to do was pretend she only had three weeks to live! Simple! 

Ok, now, can Blanche please tell her story??? Yes! Thank you! Wait! Not quite yet. Sophia got tickets too!!! Will the madness ever stop? Remember when Dorothy scoffed?? Well, Sophia came through. She does have connections after all. All she had to do was call Frank. Frank Caravici from the fish market. And Frank knows Frank - Tortoni, from the dry cleaners. Turns out Tortoni is third cousins with Tina - Sinatra! And bim bam boom, Sophia has tickets too. So now they have 10 tickets! What to do with the extras? Dorothy wants to scalp them. Dorothy! For shame. 

NOW can we hear Blanche's story? No. Now you all have wasted so much time, she's not going to tell it. She has realized that only she can help herself. And that's what she's going to do. She's going to study her butt off and pass the course on her own. As soon as she makes herself an ice cream sundae... and gets a little saucy with the chopped nuts. 

The Creeper is back in town. Blech. Blech. Blech. Blanche is the only student left in the classroom at the end of her final exam. And this jerk is really seeing an opportunity for himself. But, not so fast. Ms. Blanche Devereaux is a lady. And she tells off this jagweed with beauty and style. She's confident that she aced the test. And even if she hadn't her self respect is more important than passing his damn course. She exits with a classic - 

Blanche: You sir, can kiss my A.

Do. Not. Mess. With Badass Blanche! She is a force to be reckoned with. 

It's 2AM and the ladies are just returning from the Sinatra concert. Well, not exactly. Big Shot Dorothy made the mistake of scalping her extra tickets to an undercover cop. Whoooops! So, they spent the night in jail. As it turns out Dorothy was not meant to see Sinatra live. Sad. But, it's ok Dot. Neither was I. 

Once again, the ladies are rude and don't ask Blanche about how her night at school went. But, she tells them that everything went well and best of all she was able to tell off The Creeper. The only negative is that she won't be getting the promotion at work. The position went to Sally Folgerson. Instead of getting a degree, Sally got a tummy tuck and a butt lift. Arrrrrrggghhhh! And once again we cry - Everything old is Ewwwwww again!

Guest Stars: Jerry Hardin - Professor Cooper

                      James Staley - Dean Tucker

Fun Facts: James Staley did a ton of TV work in the 70s and 80s including episodes of Silver Spoons, The Love Boat, Punky Brewster and Remington Steele - just to name a few! Jerry Hardin has a huge resume including episodes of Miami Vice, Melrose Place and Who's the Boss. And, both guest actors this week will return to The Golden Girls in three years to play other roles. See you soon, fellas! 

Fashion Report: Were they all going to the same concert? I truly question that. 

In Lieu Of Lou In Our Loo...(S.1 E.19)

S.1 E. 19

Second Motherhood

Written By: Christopher Lloyd

Directed By: Gary Shimokowa 

Aired: 2/15/86

Knuckle Bite™/Drip Dry. Speaking of drips... there are bathroom issues on Richmond Street. 

The girls are getting an estimate from a jerky plumber. And, as jerky plumbers are known to do (#notallplumbers -  just the jerky ones) he is giving the girls a bloated estimate on what the repair job would cost. Well, Dorothy Zbornak has no patience for this guy. So, before he can even throw her some plumbers platitudes, she shoves him out the door with a Stan Zbornak Slam. Sweet, industrious Rose happens to have some plumbing knowledge and thinks the girls might be able to do their own repairs and save a toilet full of money. What could possibly go wrong? 

Nothing. Not when Blanche is wearing purple satin pants. Nothing can go wrong on Purple Satin Pants Day. 

Blanche is in a quandary though. She has another date with Richard tonight and she never knows what to wear for dates with Richard because she never knows where they'll end up. Well, first off - as Dorothy says - even the paper boy knows where they'll end up. But, secondly - Blanche is wearing purple satin pants. And I don't want to overstate the obvious, but, purple satin pants are appropriate for literally any occasion. ANY ONE. There are zero occasions where purple satin pants are not the correct attire. Plus her mirror ball purple top? Despite her misgivings, I believe Blanche has things well in hand. 

I should also note that the reason Blanche doesn't know where she'll end up on her dates with Richard is because Richard is totally loaded and can take her anywhere. Speaking of that...

We cut to the image of a jet in flight, and who is inside this perfectly loooooovely jet? Why, Blanche. And she's trying to get the hang of all the modern conveniences that modern private jets have. (Side note - she accidentally turns on the stereo, and it begins playing Glenn Miller's Moonlight Serenade. Which is a song that will prove popular on this show in years to come.) But, she's interrupted by Richard. Richard is very impressed that Blanche seems very unimpressed with his wealth. She's a cool cucumber, Ms. Devereaux. Well, she is until she sits in a recliner that she didn't realize was a recliner. As Richard fixes drinks and tells us his life's story, Blanche is giving us some fabulous physical comedy, trying to get herself back to an upright position. She finally gets herself vertical again, and Richard tells Blanche that despite all his wealth and experience, the one thing he's still missing is someone to share it with. Music to Blanche's ears. 

Back in one of the biggest bathrooms I've ever seen, Rose is doing some preliminary research for the necessary repairs. She's tap, tap tappin' on the walls and talking about tank sweat. Blanche is tap, tap tappin' in her heels, arriving to talk about her date with Richard. And Sophia is, well, Sophia just needs them to all get out so she can use the toilet. But, before we let Sophia get down to business it should be mentioned - while Blanche was getting her peaches glazed on her date tonight, Richard told her that he wanted her to meet his family. Well, we all know what that means. Could a proposal be far behind? I doubt it. And also, once again - is this bathroom not huge?? I mean, this picture doesn't do it justice. 

Well, it's Saturday night and there's a snake in the house. No, Stan hasn't come for a visit. Dorothy and Rose are making progress in their bathroom escapades. All that's left to do is wait for the delivery of their brand new toilet. Are you on the edge of your seat? I'm on the edge of my seat. And speaking of seats - there's the doorbell now. Classic Dorothy moment coming up here:

Lou: Plumber

Dorothy: Can I see some identification, please?

Beautiful. And Dorothy knows it too. She hath cracked herself up. Well, Lou (look at his name tag carefully, Dot) has come to deliver their new Dolman Standard Low Boy. Funny - I just got a new toilet myself and got "comfort height" - I'm surprised the ladies would go for a low boy. But, maybe they have better knees than I do. Anyway - (look at the tag again) Lou is ready to install this showpiece of a throne. But, once Dorothy explains that she and Rose are planning to handle the installation themselves, the mood gets very dark. Lou claims one must be a trained man in order to handle a toilet installation. Dorothy and Rose don't take kindly to that (mis)information. So, Lou decides to leave the toilet right where it is in the living room, claiming that if they want to install it, they can move it too. That really doesn't go over well. I mean, Dorothy hides it well, but, her screaming "FINE!!! FINE!!! WE WILL!" might have been a bit of a giveaway that she was ticked. 

Sophia runs after Lou, because who the hell lets a plumber get away? The girls run into trouble immediately. The toilet is heavy! After making some "Ugh, ugh, grunt" noises Dorothy and Rose figure out that without 20,000 Hebrews, there's a slim chance they'll be able to move the toilet themselves. So, there she stays. As does Rose. She sits on the toilet to think. And that's just in time for Blanche to open the door and, almost, bring Richard in to meet the girls. But, the whole toilet in the living room thing makes her quickly shut the door and bid Richard farewell for the moment. 

When she returns inside we find out that it's happened. The big "it." Richard proposed. And Blanche accepted. One hitch though - Blanche met Richard's family - which consisted of two children, ages seven and nine. Well, Blanche Devereaux has the energy to do a lot of things, but, raise two more kids is not one of them. 

Are you all feeling hungry? Let's go to the kitchen. 

The girls transfer to the kitchen for a classic cheesecake scene. No cheesecake in this particular one, but, you get the idea. They're gonna talk it all out. Well, in surprise moves - Rose says she would definitely marry Richard, and Dorothy says she definitely wouldn't. Dorothy is not longing to be a mother again, but, Rose, our sweet Rose, would, of course love to be a mother again. The girls debate the good, bad and ugly of raising kids, going head to head on positives and negatives. Then they discuss being grandparents. But, Rose would still love to be a mother more. Her Mother's Days on the farm  - which included buttermilk and a live performance of the sock puppet show Elf Kingdom - were really something to remember. Bottom line is - Blanche isn't ready to make a decision. So, it's decided that she'll spend a few days with Richard and his children and see how it all goes. 

Sophia then drops in to hand deliver my favorite part of the entire episode. She owes Dorothy an apology for criticizing her handy man skills. 

Sophia: I walk into the living room and there's a toilet in front of the television set. It's an old ladies dream come true!

And, with that she exits. Perfection. 

Back in the bathroom, things are not going well. Again, though - look at the size of this bathroom!

I don't really know what the actual plumbing problem was that they were initially having, but, the wall being ripped out, two toilets, and the shower turning on when you try to wash your hands says to me - things are not going well. And just to make things worse - Here comes Lou! Yes, Sophia found Lou and brought him back to save the day. But, since Lou is still committed to being a sexist jerk, Dorothy forcefully escorts (check the nametag one more time) Lou right back out of the house with a final Stan Slam. Is Lou right? Will he be back? Spoiler alert - he will not. At least, not as a plumber. Although the girls may run into him years later at one of Dorothy's birthday parties. But, that's a story for another day.  

Today's story is that Blanche has just returned from a trip to Bermuda where Little Richard buried Fats Domino in the sand. She also spent the day with Richard's children. They got along great, so, no problems there. But, she's noticed that she hardly ever sees Richard since he's so busy with his work. And she wonders if the only reason he wants to marry her is to have a mother for his children...

Back on Richard's private jet, while he makes plans for their honeymoon, Blanche tries to muster up the courage to have a heart to heart about their relationship.  

She has come to a few conclusions. Blanche is third in Richard's life - behind his work and his kids. And that's not the kind of marriage that Blanche Devereaux is looking for. Not only that, but, she feels that Richard is missing out on his kids lives by focusing on too many things. So, with that, she lets him down easy and leaves the door open to possibly getting back together once he's free to focus more on a relationship. She let's him down easy, but, still looking sexy as hell in this backless number! (She also tries to dramatically exit, and then realizes she's 30,000 feet in the air. Oops.)

Well, some time has passed and things have improved around the house. Blanche is finally getting over Richard. And, more importantly - the bathroom is working again! Yes, our ladies have managed to put things back together. And now, they can run all the water they want without fear of having the worlds largest flood in the worlds largest bathroom. Sounds like a good day to me. And since Dorothy and Rose are so excited in this final scene (Dorothy is actually making other worldly noises that I love) - why not end this post with an old school style sitcom action shot freeze frame to capture that excitement?! 

Guest Stars: Kevin McCarthy - Richard

                      Alan Blumenfeld - Lou

                      Terry Willis - Plumber

Fun Facts: This week has fun guest stars - as per usual. But, my favorite connection is one that might not mean much to other folks. Unless you're a fan of other smart shows built around smart, funny women. Alan Blumenfeld has an extensive IMDB page and remains a sought after actor. He's been in a million things (including a later episode of Golden Girls). But, it wasn't until just now that I realized that he played the Rabbi on several episodes of Gilmore Girls! Another one of my favorite shows, and I had never made the connection. And now I'll think of this episode every time I see him in Luke's Diner. And Kevin McCarthy also has a huge resume which includes performing on tons of live theatrical presentations in the 50's and also starring in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Not too shabby. 

This episode was written by Christopher Lloyd. Not the actor, but, the writer/producer. Talk about another extensive career. Jeez. He wrote 11 Golden Girls episodes in all. He was an executive producer/writer on Frasier, a producer/writer on Wings, co-creator/executive producer/writer on Modern Family among many others. But, most importantly - he was the executive producer of... Golden Palace. Long live Christopher Lloyd!

Fashion Report: First off, Backless Blanche is amazing. Second - Rose wears a headband when doing plumbing work - which I enjoy. Is she afraid her hair is going to get in the way? Because it moves so much? I mean... come on... 

And then there's Blanche Devereaux and her total commitment to color. #Bravery.