Enough Wicker: Intellectualizing the Golden Girls  artwork

Enough Wicker: Intellectualizing the Golden Girls

187 episodes - English - Latest episode: 24 days ago -

Longtime Golden Girls superfans Sarah Royal and Lauren Kelly rewatch the series from beginning to end from a "scholarly" perspective, analyzing cultural themes, storylines, and why so many people still love the show decades after its finale originally aired.

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Episodes

Episode 179 & 180: You're Angels, All of You

April 07, 2024 01:00 - 1 hour - 64.9 MB

We made it! We break down the very satisfying, very funny, very sad finale of the greatest television of all time, The Golden Girls. Thank you for being our friend and sticking with us! You've inspired us more than you'll never know <3

A Very Special Episode: The Scholarly Process

March 24, 2024 01:00 - 2 hours - 114 MB

Before we get to the final episode of the greatest television of all time, we chat about our process and pull highlights from our copious notes.

Episode 177 & 178: WE'RE HEADS!!

February 25, 2024 02:00 - 57 minutes - 53.5 MB

The Girls crash a local high school reunion with assumed identities such as the ever-popular prom queen Cindy Lou Peeples and the class B Susan Armstrong. While it seems like a load of fun, things quickly take a turn when Rose is rushed to the hospital with a cardiac emergency. Kierstan, who apparently lives in Miami now (?) comes by, Blanche finds Jesus while entertaining her daughter and granddaughter, and Sophia does the best Scandinavian accent we've heard yet. A wild ride fitting for th...

Episode 176: Rose is Exposed and Dorothy Gives Up a Big Pile of Money

February 18, 2024 02:00 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MB

Blanche convinces Rose that Miles has the wandering eye, and that the only way to quell it is with a nudie photoshoot. Dorothy bumps into a former student who offers her a cushy job with a big salary, but she simply cannot part with the driver's ed cones.

Episodes 174 & 175: Moonlight Madness!

February 04, 2024 02:00 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MB

In the final cross over with Empty Nest and Nurses, officially called Full Moon over Miami, all hell has broken loose at Blanche's moonlight madness party. Men are totally ignoring her, except for Derek ah...sumpin, they're all over Dorothy, Miles and Rose might get married, and Sophia is out here trippin rabbis. A wild romp that ends with everyone just accepting that the moon makes people crazy sometimes.

Episode 173: Off to the Rusty Anchor

January 21, 2024 02:00 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MB

Dorothy is perfectly content watching Amazing Discoveries (it just shucks it off!) but Blanche insists she come down to The Rusty Anchor and meet some men. Dorothy ends up bringing the house down with a 'little ditty' that sends Blanche into a green with envy (or maybe magenta with envy?) tailspin. Meanwhile, Sophia, Blanche and Rose plan Sophia's live wake.

Episode 172: The Big Mean Bug Lady

January 14, 2024 02:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MB

Angelo and Rose accidentally get Dorothy and Stan into some hot water regarding their rental property. Meanwhile, Mama needs a new pair of shoes!

Episode 171: What Is Juicy Fruit?

January 07, 2024 02:00 - 21 minutes - 20.2 MB

Dorothy and Blanche audition for Jeopardy, but Blanche doesn't know where the Ural Mountains are and Dorothy has studied everything under the sun, including the St. Olaf High Yearbook. Meanwhile, in one of the teariest tearjerkers of all time, the girls get Rose a dog to raise her spirits, which she gifts to a widower who lost his wife not hours before.

Episode 170: Now That Was Music

December 31, 2023 02:00 - 38 minutes - 35.3 MB

Dorothy finally beds a Beatle. Or, at least an incredible simulation. Meanwhile, Blanche aggressively pursues a very very tall gentleman.

Episode 169: Four Image Consultants, Harold Goldstein, and a Plagiarist Walk into a Bar

December 03, 2023 02:00 - 48 minutes - 44.6 MB

Hello, Mr. Gordon! In an all-time fav, Dorothy's high school teacher, whom she had a massive crush on, is in Miami. She hopes to impress him by sharing her views on women's issues on a local TV Show booked by A+ TV producer Rose, aka Harold Goldstein.

Episode 168: No Lemonade for Thor Anderson

November 26, 2023 02:00 - 38 minutes - 35.3 MB

Creepy Thor Anderson is here from St. Olaf after saving up for the bus fare and maybe low-key stalking Rose. Meanwhile, Sophia answers a personal ad, thinks she's caught up in sex games, but is actually witnessing the heartbreaking reality of a wife trying to prepare her husband for her imminent death. What a load of fun!

Episode 167: Bikini Bottoms & Foam Fingers

November 19, 2023 02:00 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MB

The Pope is in Miami and Sophia is hellbent on getting a papal blessing for her sick friend, Agnes. So hellbent, in fact, that she steals a jewel-encrusted ring steeped in history to make her point. Meanwhile, Blanche gives Roes the gift of suspicion with a detective in the bushes.

Episode 165: Welcome Home, Solider

November 12, 2023 02:00 - 34 minutes - 32.1 MB

B̶e̶n̶,̶ ̶B̶o̶b̶,̶ Bill! Bill is back from the war and really looking to get back on track with his serious relationship. The problem is, Blanche, whom he's been pining for the whole time he's deployed, doesn't remember him. Meanwhile, Sophia uses Rose as an estate attorney and is hoarding more than just gold teeth.

Episode 164: Two Bottles of Beer on the Wall, featuring very special guest Sarah Armstrong

October 29, 2023 01:00 - 41 minutes - 38.6 MB

It's spooky season and what better way to celebrate than some Grammy-haunted windchimes! The girls help Blanche say goodbye to her [definitely racist] Grammy's plantation outside Atlanta. Meanwhile, Sophia dies for a minute and comes back with a life wish.

Episode 163: Recorded Live at the Uncle Cluck's Outpost in Palermo

October 22, 2023 01:00 - 24 minutes - 23 MB

We're back on track and discussing Mile$ and his frickin frugality! Meanwhile, Dorothy leaves Sophia in Blanche's care as she goes on a romantic cruise for 3 days--just enough time to make it to a remote village in Sicily and get back to Miami.

Hey, Maybe This is Our Shot at Getting into The Bible: A Very Special Episode with Jim Colucci

October 15, 2023 01:00 - 1 hour - 75 MB

What better way to celebrate the anniversary of the Golden Girls Premier than a conversation with pop culture author, TV expert, and all-around pal & confidante, Jim Colucci! We talk to Jim about his own connection to the show, the process of writing Golden Girls Forever, which has become a must-have for any fan of the show, and his appreciation for the art of sitcom. Plus, we hear about Jim's new book that focuses on another classic TV show, The Love Boat, and a conversation he and Sarah ha...

I Like Lucy: Sarah's New Book and a Chat with Two Superfans

October 08, 2023 01:00 - 1 hour - 75.9 MB

If you've been a Scandinavian knit-wit living in a closet and haven't heard, Sarah wrote a book! A.K.A. Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball is out on October 10. We discuss the tie-ins of I Love Lucy and Lucille Ball & The Golden Girls with Jim Negri, a Lucy & GG expert, and Charlie Cizek, better known as the genius behind the hilarious Instagram account, ShadyPinesMa85.

Episode 162: We're Out of M-O-N-E-Y

September 10, 2023 01:00 - 57 minutes - 53.6 MB

There's a hurricane a-coming! Specifically, Hurricane Saturday, NBC's epic crossover event. This episode features the McKinley Lighthouse (RIP), poor Gloria (literally), Stan and FiFi, Bea Arthur's real-life son, and so much more. You'll love it, or our names aren't Dan and Morothy.

Episode 161: We Just Swing the Wind Blows

August 06, 2023 01:00 - 34 minutes - 32.4 MB

We're back!! In this one, Rose goes out with a jerk who dates men and women, Blanche tries to deflower a priest, and we see young Dorothy, young Stan, and a red-headed Sophia! Not a top-tier episode, but lots to discuss! 

Episode 160: Wherever There's News, We'll be Here

June 18, 2023 01:00 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MB

In the last episode before our summer hiatus, we explore a clown-fearing mama's boy and Stan's transference of his mother's love and rejection to Sophia. Enjoy it with a cake that's sweetened with natural fruit juices & some moist tea!

Episode 159: This Plot Is Full Of...Fruit Salad

June 11, 2023 01:00 - 40 minutes - 37.9 MB

Sophia eats some cantaloupe and pretends to be possessed by Charlie in a mean joke that really damages Rose's relationship with Miles (who, btw, is back from Amish Country and still going by Miles). Meanwhile, Blanche coaches Stevie, a baseball player with some unconventional methods, and Dorothy writes a letter to her dead father. PS. It's pride month! Support your local drag queen (and their baseball team)!

Episode 158: It's Not in Yet, Don

June 04, 2023 01:00 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MB

Dorothy is putting together a family history for her grandkids and learns, despite Sophia's best efforts, that her mother was betrothed to a man named Guido! Huge reveal! Meanwhile, good two shoes Rose calls the City on Blanche when she plans to install a hot tub. 

Episode 157: NurseyNurseNurse

May 28, 2023 01:00 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MB

Sophia sneezed and blew herself off a stool, resulting in two sprained ankles! Dorothy hires a nurse, and while she resists at first, Sophia becomes quite fond of her (not in that way). Meanwhile, Blanche parades her grandaughter around at a child beauty pageant where not a one kid seems to be having fun and one might actually set herself on fire.

Episode 156: The Case of The Wildly Popular Episode

May 21, 2023 01:00 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MB

The Girls head to the Maltese Falcon Club to participate in a Murder Mystery Weekend. Blanche is competing against Posey McGlinn for a promotion, and also maybe a romantic relationship with her boss? Sophia cops an entire place set, Dorothy solves the mystery, and Rose not only figures out what a maître d' is, but also gets back at Blanche for stealing her earrings! What a load of fun! 

Episode 155: Skips a Generation, yahoooo!

May 14, 2023 01:00 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MB

We're back and we're entering the final season! Dorothy needs a hearing aid, Sophia might be a Jew for Jesus, and Charlie may have slept with Blanche Elizabeth Devereaux while he was visiting Miami.

Episode 154: 🎶 We Must Try & Try To Warn the King...that the 6th season is over! 🎶

April 30, 2023 01:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MB

The sky is falling and we're closing out Season 6 on top! Rose, Dorothy, and Blanche, 68 (and dead!) star in an elementary school production of Henny Penny narrated by a Robin Hood-clad Sophia. Meanwhile, Blanche tries to get Chugger Dietz to print a retraction on an obituary that does not result in the outpouring of grief one would expect. 

Episode 152 & 153: Anyone for S'mores?

April 23, 2023 01:00 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MB

Nyquill shooters & a hotplate, a recipe for disaster! Sophia is under arrest when a deathbed confession implicates her in the Shady Pines fire. The rest of the girls reminisce while trying to work through an impossible situation.

Episode 151: Thank You For Listening to This Episode on a Night When our Hang Gliders are in the Shop, Congress is in Recess, and the Lepers are on Geraldo.

April 16, 2023 01:00 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MB

Blanche Devereaux's going on a diet....again. The girls participate in a bachelorette auction, the crown jewel of 90s sitcom plots. Uncle Angelo is back in town, and thanks to the timely death of Stan's own uncle, Dorothy is able to offer him an apartment in his hour of need. The place leaves something to be desired on the hide-and-seek front, but is apparently large enough for a formal party with a long guest list that doesn't include the Big Mean Bug Lady. 

Episode 150: Somebody Here Doesn't Remember Prom Night, 1946

April 09, 2023 01:00 - 45 minutes - 42.3 MB

Hi Dorothy, Bye Dorothy. Blanche Devereaxu's goin on a diet. Blanche purges the kitchen of all sweet and salty treats as she tries to fit back into her wedding dress. Rose and Sophia, in different ways, make this all the more difficult. Meanwhile, Certified Golden Girls Hunk™, John Noretti is in Miami and he and Dorothy share an enchanted evening and rehash old memories.

Episode 149: Our Highest Rate EVAH--EVAH!

April 02, 2023 01:00 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MB

A rabbi, a mobster, and a copy in a dress walk into a house... In this one, Rose is dating the Cheeseman! Miles comes back as an Amish windmill maker, and Blanche tries her yankee-doodle-dandiest to get into a club full of racist old white ladies. It's a hilarious, whacky ride.

Episode 148: We're the Brightest Kids In Brooklyn™!

March 19, 2023 01:00 - 38 minutes - 35.7 MB

When Dorothy struggles to connect with the kids in her honors progrum, Sophia tells her she was the brightest kid in Brooklyn™ growing up and it goes straight to her head. Speaking of State Fairs, Blanche's ego inflates until its bursts when a young actor mistakes her for Aurora's mother. It's grand..just grand. 

Episode 147: Bushmania & Sensationalist News

March 12, 2023 02:00 - 34 minutes - 32.1 MB

Cat show? Dog show.  Rose pursues a new career as a news reporter, but she's better with a hairbrush. Meanwhile, Blanche's perfect arrangement with Mel Bushman gets shaken up when she fears the Zipper King has died, finds out he hasn’t, and then seeks to complicate their “relationship.”

Episode 146: Enough Wicker Would Be Fine, Enough Wicker Doesn't Lie

March 05, 2023 02:00 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MB

Dorothy is in cahoots with the manager of Cyrpus Grove to trick Sophia into believing she's there to be something between an employee and a volunteer when really, she's a guest! Meanwhile, Rose and Blanche get a modeling gig for a penny saver that turns out to be less glamorous than they expected. We'd sue! 

Episode 143: Guess We Have To Get Used to Calling Her 'Dorothy Zbornak!'

February 26, 2023 02:00 - 58 minutes - 54 MB

Dorothy and Stan have been sneaking around and no one bothered to ask Sophia aka the Godfather. The old flames decide to get married, again, not in the presence of their children or grandchildren, but under the instruction of a no-nonsense wedding planner and famed attorney Marvin Mitchelson. Surprise, it doesn't work out! Meanwhile, Rose is stalked and harassed by Myra, whose weapon of choice is a crustacean! 

Episode 142: Oh Boy, A Totally Wacky Plotline that Goes Nowhere, Sign Me Up, Sign Me Up!

February 19, 2023 02:00 - 34 minutes - 32.3 MB

What was supposed to be an enjoyable evening of Miles reading poetry to celebrate that nose-nipper, Robert Frost, goes totally awry when news breaks that The Cheeseman, a mob boss, has been killed. Through a series of small reveals that don't make a ton of sense, Miles comes clean as Nicholas Carbone, shrimp lover and snitch in a tie. 

Episode 141: We Bend Over Backwards for Clayton's Engagement! (laughter from the crowd)

February 12, 2023 02:00 - 50 minutes - 47.1 MB

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with Clayton and Doug's engagement! Blanche struggles with accepting her brother as gay...again, but with the help of the rest of the girls, comes around eventually. Meanwhile, Rose loses an award to a dead woman. Our interview with Elliot Powell: https://www.enoughwicker.com/post/okie-dokie-daddio-sex-gender-jazz-in-the-golden-girls Alok: https://www.alokvmenon.com/ 

Episode 140: We Run Towards You Saying "Mooooo"

February 05, 2023 02:00 - 40 minutes - 37.9 MB

Rose wants Miles to jump out of an air-a-plane to prove he loves her. Blanche is dating Rex Huntington, an abusive dirtbag who treats her terribly, and Dorothy decides to intervene. It takes Blanche a minute to come around, but luckily she sees the light. Meanwhile, Dorothy and Sophia work on the famous lunar landing puzzle.  All of The Golden Girls Villains, Ranked, with illustrations from Wicker Good Memes is here: https://www.enoughwicker.com/post/all-of-the-golden-girls-villains-ranked 

Episode 139: You're the Old One, This is the Sad One

January 29, 2023 02:00 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MB

In what is arguably the saddest episode of the entire series, we mourn Phil Petrillo. Family man, poker player, and style icon. Sophia confronts Phil's wife Angela aka Big Sally about a decades-long feud and the rest of the girls try and cope with the loss. 

Episode 138: It's Show BUSINESS for God's Sake

January 22, 2023 02:00 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MB

Blanche is checkin' out everything but the books at the library and comes across Mr. Ted Tanner, who turns out to be a jerk in a wheelchair. Meanwhile, Rose tries to convince the fam to let her keep Bingo, an absolutely adorable puppy, but as Dorothy puts it, no one lucid is home during the day to care for him. 

Episode 137: We Care For You

January 15, 2023 02:00 - 31 minutes - 29.5 MB

St. Olaf is going through a drought and wants all of its one-time citizens, even those who live elsewhere, to join in the misery. Rose decides to commit to celibacy, but on the advice of Blanche, tries to use it as an opportunity to make Miles jealous, rather than tell the truth. Meanwhile, Blanche also inserts herself into Sophia's dating life, creating the infamous 65-year-old drag queen visual we know and love. 

Episode 136: Sonny Bono, Get Off My Lanai

January 08, 2023 02:00 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MB

Mrs. Blanche Devereaux considers whether or not to stay Mrs. Blanche Devereaux when George's ghost shows up in Miami! Using one of the favorite tactics of TV at the time, Blanche dreams Geroge stained his desk and has been alive this whole time. Meanwhile, Sonny Bono and Lyle Waggoner compete for Dorthy's affection.

Episode 135: The Word Says It--Nun.

December 18, 2022 02:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

A nun has died and a dork in a Duster rams into Rose's car. Amid the grief of losing a friend, Sophia decides to join the convent. Meanwhile, Blanche uses Rose's car in a reckless attempt to meet rich men. None of it works out—what a load of fun! 

Episode 134: THE NAMESAKE

December 11, 2022 02:00 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MB

Dorothy and Stan are back at it again! As though they're right back at prom night 1946, everybody's favorite divorced couple is sneaking around and carrying on like teenagers. Rose is having a problem at work with an overeager colleague that only Sophia can solve (sans dart gun). 

Episode 133: HE Wants You to Listen to this Episode

December 04, 2022 02:00 - 45 minutes - 42.3 MB

Rose confronts her scumbag of a dentist who has been groping her while she's knocked out on laughing gas. Meanwhile, Dorothy aka Atila the Sub is filling in for a long-term job at a local Catholic high school. She has to decide whether or not to fail Kevin, a charming but lazy football star who refuses to apply himself academically, amid pressure from a priest, a dumb (but also charming in his own right!) coach, an active—and potentially threatening—alumni. Tunnels, he loved to drive through...

Episode 132: Outsourcing Child Care and Matchmaking, but We Can't Get Anybody to Do Our Windows!

November 27, 2022 02:00 - 36 minutes - 34 MB

Big Daddy created a lot of problems for his family, even in death! Viola Watkins, Blanche's beloved "Mammy" shows up in Miami (after calling!) to ask for a music box she gave to Blanche's father, who we learned she loved. Blanche has to reconcile with the affair, while Sophia covertly signs Dorothy up for a matchmaker. Rose reveals her nanny was a goat and learns how to pronounce the first name of Mrs. Eisenhower. 

Episode 131: Is Mrs. Taylor the Original Q-Anon? It's Been Deleted By Authority of the Governor!

November 20, 2022 02:00 - 42 minutes - 39.7 MB

In this one, Dorothy Zbornak (Miracle Worker) tries to help Jimmy, played by the incomparable Martin Mull, confront decades of life as a shut-in. Is she qualified, you ask? Not at all! Meanwhile, Rose decides she must throw Blanche a birthday party, even as Blanche's preferred method of coping with aging comes in the form of young men and living with women who look a lot older than she does!

Episode 130: Stan and St. Olaf Come Into Some M-O-N-E-Y

November 13, 2022 02:00 - 34 minutes - 32.2 MB

With his invention, the Zbornee, Stanley is helping thousands of people open baked potatoes without burning their fingers and raking in the cash. He wants to share with his very best used-to-be (and her mother, who willfully accepts) but Dorothy is hesitant at first. Meanwhile, Rose makes sure to hold onto her I Lost My Ass in Vegas cup but somehow lets Blanche take thousands of dollars in St. Olaf war bonds. Blanche has to decide if keeping her newfound fortune is worth bankrupting the Crad...

Episode 129: We Don't Have Any, We Never Did.

November 06, 2022 01:00 - 38 minutes - 35.7 MB

We lost Sophia, but we found Rose's father (he's an earthling!). The Girls are back at the hospital because Sophia has a hernia that we're led to believe is from moving furniture at Dorothy's request, but is actually a consequence of a hilarious prank. While there, Rose, an expert candy stripper and purveyor of Traditional St. Olaf Funpacks runs into her natural father, who turns out to be a dancing monk.

Episode 128: Becky Squats in a Laura Ashley Showroom

October 30, 2022 01:00 - 41 minutes - 38.4 MB

We're officially in Season 6 and Becky is back! After visiting a birthing center where it sounds like a mommy is on fire, she decides to instead deliver her baby at a Miami hospital, without regard for what that will to do Blanche's reputation. Eventually, Blanche accepts that Becky is pursuing single motherhood and has a moment of reflection where she realizes that is actually incredibly brave. Meanwhile, hyper-competitive Rose tries to satisfy her dead parents by pursuing an ice skating ca...

Episode 127: Where Can We Get a Point of Light on a Stick?

October 23, 2022 01:00 - 44 minutes - 41.5 MB

Another two-part, clip show, season finale! Only this time, President Bush is stopping by to visit. Dorothy plans to share all of her gripes (most of which we share!) with the Prez, but freezes up in a classic "..Bush..." scene. Meanwhile, a charming Secret Service agent grills the girls to make sure it's safe for Mr. No New Taxes to stop by. Stanley brings over his greatest novelty to date, and it's a great end to Season 5!