Thank you for being a friend: A review of The Golden Girls

Sidney Martin (G8)

Published Issue 4 Opinion/Entertainment

2021-2022

Picture it: Miami - 1985. Four women over 50 live in the same house and talk about their problems such as sex and what kind of cheesecake they are going to have when they are talking about their problems. These ladies are The Golden Girls and they will make you laugh so hard you can hear it in St. Olaf, Minnesota.

The four main characters in the show include Rose, a loving, unsophisticated, and curious lady who never understood the two meanings of a sentence and usually gets burned with a sarcastic comeback. Dorothy is introspective, compassionate, and the most sarcastic Golden Girl. Blanche is fun-loving, outgoing, and promiscuous. Blanche takes a lot of advantage of the nightlife where she goes out to clubs and always ends up leaving with a man. And last but not least there is Sofia. Sofia is an 80-year-old woman and the mother of Dorothy. She is loud-mouthed, kooky, and quick to complain, but also very kind-hearted to the ones she really loves.

This show barely allows you to catch your breath; all the way from Rose’s ongoing stories back in St. Olaf to Sofia’s stories about Sicily and her more than laugh-worthy comebacks. Every line these ladies delivered were knocked out of the park. If you have not experienced this show, forget about school and homework, forget about putting away the dirty dishes you hide under your desk, and go watch The Golden Girls. The first episode of this series is the perfect pilot with snarky comebacks and a wonderful friendship between the fictional roommates, I can’t even describe it. GO AND WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!

Blanche always includes flirtatious comments even when she is not talking to a man. When she is telling her roommates she includes every last detail from the first bite to the kiss goodnight. “How can you say I look younger and more beautiful over the phone? [pause]No, it’s true, I just wondered how you knew over the telephone.” Rose is always good at telling a story…if you like a story that goes on for about as long as it takes to bake a cake, so around 45 minutes. "I've known some real disappointment too, believe me. I wanted to be Butter Queen. Butter Queen was our town's (St. Olaf’s) highest honour… I've kept these bitter butter memories too long." Dorothy can always give an amazing sarcastic comeback, especially to Rose’s ‘Back in St. Olaf’ stories. She has a quick knack for whatever one of her roommates (or mom) says.

“Blanche: ‘Dorothy, can I borrow your mink stole?’

Dorothy: ‘It’s Miami in June – only cats are wearing fur!’

Rose: ‘Are you going out?’

Dorothy: ‘No, she’s going to sit here where it's 112 degrees and eat enchiladas.’

My personal favourite is Sofia. She is really the coolest old lady ever. She is what you want your grandma to be like and what you want to be like as an old lady. No matter the circumstance she has a response for everything and is quite wise with a touch of kooky.

(This is for a Dirty Dancing Competition)

“Dorothy: ‘Oh, no! I can’t see myself swinging my hips and wildly gyrating my pelvis. I am not interested.’

Sofia: And the world takes a collective sigh of relief.’”

As I said, she is very wise with her advice. “No matter how bad things get, remember these sage words: you’re old, you sag, get over it.”

I hope this review helps you know what you are going to binge next.

Thank you for being a reader (or a friend)!