The Golden Girls: Season 5

Great show that never gets old

I've already reviewed seasons 1,2,3 and 4 so take a look when you get a chance. Here are two of my season 5 favorite episodes. First is "Not another Monday". Its about Martha (Geraldine Fitzgerald), a friend of Sophia's. She is elderly and has many ailments and confides in Sophia and tells her she wants to commit suicide and most of all wants Sophia to be with her when she goes through with it. Having had work experience in Geriatrics, this subject hit home with me. It's understandable when someone who is painfully lonely and burdened with many debilitating illnesses is tired of living. You'd do anything to comfort them and plead with them to fight that feeling. Sophia does just that in this episode. It reminded me then and now to cherish life for however long it may be and to be there for those who are in need as that character was. My other favorite episode is "Clinton avenue memoirs." In it Sophia is having episodes of forgetfulness. She is worried that her memory is failing her. She especially worries she'll lose her cherished memories of her late husband. She and Dorothy decide to take a trip back to New York and visit the old neighborhood apartment in hopes that that visit would help to stimulate her memory. Sophia is certain that her late husband had carved the words "Sal Loves Sophia" on the kitchen door but she and Dorothy instead discover height measurements from decades earlier. I can't tell you how much I want to tell the ending but I don't want to spoil it except to say that it brought tears to my eyes. I love this series and you will too !!

After watching these 5 seasons again on DVD, the one thing that strikes me is just how wonderful these actresses were. The shows were well written obviously -albeit ocassionally somewhat too preachy and sentimental for my taste- but it's the spot-on delivery and comic timing of these very funny women that made this show sparkle. As Bea Arthur herself has said, being funny sometimes means being very, very serious, and nobody does deadpan quite like her, with directors on the show making the most of every dumb thing Rose says by switching instantly to Dorothy for a reaction shot that could stop a charging bull. Betty White's merits are also very apparant, her natural charm en doe-eyed sincerity making Rose believable and endearing, quite a feat for a character that could just as easily have become simply stupid and annoying. As for Rue McClanahan, she is never less than sensational, stealing scenes in almost every episode, bringing life and nuance to every word she speaks. I have to say she is my favourite on this show, the richness of her acting really mind-boggling at times. For instance, when a sordid secret about her sex life is exposed, you can sense her shame at getting caught, you see her struggling to find a way out, perhaps thinking of some cover-up lie, then deciding it's no use and she's going to face the music with dignity, regardless. It's all there in her face, and it is extremely tragic and hilariously funny at the same time. A truly great actress. I have always felt that Estelle Getty was the least convincing of the foursome, despite some of the best lines going to her to round off a scene. Her acting often seems to lack a natural flow, it sounds like she's simply reading the script out loud sometimes. Although she seems to get more and more into her character in later seasons, especially season five where she is a lot more convincing and appears to be enjoying her role. The episodes in season five are among the very best and are like comfort food for your DVD player. The audio-commentaries are a good addition, although I'd hoped for some more Golden Girls-trivia from the Girls themselves. Let's be thankful for the medium of DVD so great television like this can live on for ever.

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Season Five of The Golden Girls is my favorite and with the passing of Rue McClanahan last week, I've been watching seasons for hours a day. Season five begins with the two part Sick and Tired where Dorothy is diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and is frustrated by an endless maze of unsympathetic doctors who brand her as crazy or tell her to go see a hair dresser. These episodes stuck out because of difficulties my mother has had with doctors over the years. The laughs pick up in other gems like The Accurate Conception where Blanches daughter decides to get artificially inseminated sending Blanche into hysterics. Another great one was "Love Under The Big Top" with guest star Dick Van Dyke where Dorothy's lawyer boyfriend decides to become a clown leading to a hilarious scene in the courtroom after the girls are arrested during a protest of fishing practices. As usual the Golden Girls used the comedic pulpit to tackle several controversial issues of the day. Golden Girls was the first show to my knowledge to tackle the topic of artificial insemination. They also produced quite a moving episode entitled "Not Another Monday" where Sophia's friend Martha wants to kill herself because she can no longer handle the pain of life and does not want to die alone. Another example is 72 Hours the show's second episode dealing with AIDS as Rose is tested for the disease following a blood transfusion during an operation. The episode Mary had a Little Lamb stands out because it deals with teenage pregnancy beyond Sophia reminding Dorothy of her accident with Stan as the girls care for a teenaged neighbor who has been thrown out by her father.

It was fantastic!!

C'était le dernier DVD qui me manquait. Je me passe régulièrement la série pour me distraire c'est tellement drôle, intelligent.

The golden girls are the best! It does not matter what age group u r (except little children) you will laugh and the best part is that there always seems to have a moral issue and also educational value. I have been watching the Golden Girls since my late 30's and this year I turned 60 and they are just as great now as they were then. When the Golden Girls first came out my sister who is 3 years older would go to my Mom's house, and myself and the 3 of us would make a day of it, with the highlight being the Golden Girls. That show brought us together once a week for over 3 years and then my sister moved out of state. We still all watched but had to phone each other afterword. You can't go wrong with this series. Feeling blue, sad, mad, blah, depressed or just not sure what to do or watch---Golden Girls is the perfect pick me up!

I loved watching this series. I saw it first time around many, many years ago, so these DVDs have brought back a lot of memories.If you have seen the original, these are well worth having to see the ‘girls’ again and if you are too young, then watch and see what brilliant comedy , as well as comedy timing, should be. I highly recommend these disks.

Es una serie que me trae gratos recuerdos. Algunos capítulos tienen mensajes muy interesantes y te conmueven definitivamente es un must para las personas que vivimos en la época de los 80's. Humor ácido situaciones cómicas y todo lo bueno de una serie bien escrita y actuada personalmente la recomiendo ampliamente por el simple hecho de desconectarse un poco de la rutina

Absolutely love the Golden Girls. I have all 7 seasons box set. I am still on season 4, so I can't review season 5 yet which I purchased through Amazon to complete my set. This has been the perfect collection which my daughter gave me for Christmas. To break the cold winter boredom, I love to spend my evenings making myself a nice hot cup of tea, snuggle up with a nice cozy soft blanket sitting up in my bed and watching a few episodes of the Golden Girls. They play so many characters, witty, slutty, insulting, joking, compationate, caring, sometimes ruthless, othertimes very sensitive and serious episodes, but most are just down right hillarious. The camaraderie between these 4 so different mixed personality women makes an interesting comedy show. I highly recommend it, it is a collection I always look forward to watching and will watch them over and over again the following years and laugh all over again. I'm addicted, and what a fun addiction.