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 35: How DO you spell 'Saskatchewan'?
November 29, 2020 02:00 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBThere is nothing worse than watching your friend suffer because their romantic life is in the garbage. Well, actually catfishing that friend by assuming the identity of one Mr. Issac Q. Newton, a citrus farmer from central Canada might be. Blanche and Dorothy have their hearts in the right place, but no one knows where the hell their brains are when they try to trick Rose out of her dating slump. Meanwhile, Sophia tries to fight off the advances of an English golddigger.
Episode 34: Gaugins?! What Are You, A Pervert?!
November 22, 2020 02:00 - 29 minutes - 27 MBDorothy's job hunt isn't going well, so Blanche insists she comes and works with her at the museum. It sounds great at first, but when their loser boss Mr. Allen asks Dorothy to discreetly work on something, Blanche gets territorial. Specifically, she tells Dorothy to 'eat dirt and die, trash,' so things get a little tense at home and in the office. All the while Rose introduces us to the first iteration of recurring guest star, Dreyfus. Plus, Lauren and Sarah ruin two of your favorite thi...
Episode 33: When the Revolution Comes, You'll Be Glad You Don't Got a View
November 15, 2020 02:00 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBOk now everybody SHUT THE HELL UP. We're talking about Vacation, arguably the goofiest episode of the first season. Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose go on a vacation that starts with a skeezy motel and ends with the three of them shipwrecked on a deserted island thanks to the subpar sailing skills of their new friends. Meanwhile, Sophia tries to woo the gardener, which is mostly cute to watch, though her tactics involve quite a few microaggressions.
Episode 32: Michael and Bridget Share More Than A Cab
November 08, 2020 02:00 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBWhen Dorothy's son Michael and Rose's daughter Bridget visit at the same time, the seemingly inevitable happens, and the two share a night of so-so sex (too much wine) in Blanche's bed. Because this is a sitcom, all four of the women walk in on them, and the awkwardness makes for a really awkward and icky confrontation between Dorothy and Rose.
Episode 31: The Widdah Spencer is Cuter than an Intrauterine
November 01, 2020 01:00 - 24 minutes - 22.9 MBHappy Halloween! It is the perfect time to get out your bolo tie because Big Daddy Hollingsworth is back in Miami! This time to introduce Blanche to his would-be bride, Margaret Spencer, aka the Widow (pronounced Widdah) Spencer. Excited at first, Blanche's enthusiasm quickly deflates when she realizes Margaret is barely 40, or as Blanche puts it, "practically my age." Meanwhile, Dorothy and Rose enter a songwriting contest and butt heads over whether or not an extra "Miami is Nice" hurts t...
Episode 30: Isn't Danny Thomas One?
October 25, 2020 01:00 - 25 minutes - 24 MBDorothy's college roommate and all-around lovely person Jean is in town for a visit. Though she lives her life out and proud, Rose's fascination with ice cream sundaes and Blanche's immediate insistence that she go out with a man from the discard pile inspires Jean to keep the lesbian thing her hat. But you know what they say about the Lebanese--they bring a u-haul to the second date. Jean finds herself IN LOVE with Rose, a woman she met three days prior. This one is full of laughs, tender m...
Episode 29: RIP Pfreida Claxton
October 18, 2020 01:00 - 29 minutes - 27.5 MBThere is nothing like civic participation. In this episode, we see all four ladies rally together to save an old Oak tree on Richmond Street. While their petitioning tactics vary (and are sometimes questionable), it is admirable to see how seriously they take environmental and historical conservation. The girls have a formidable opponent in Freida Claxton, a crotchety peeping tom of a neighbor who insists the county get rid of the tree, and when Freida pushes Rose to pfar, she is forced to...
A Very Special Episode with Very Special Guest Debbie Macey!
October 14, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBWe sat down with the lovely and brilliant Deborah A. Macey, a communications scholar currently teaching at the University of Portland, to talk about her paper, Ancient Archetypes in Modern Media: A Comparative Analysis of Golden Girls, Living Single, and Sex & The City. In this interview, our new pal Debbie regales us with how she came up with her dissertation topic and how she went about assigning each of the girls to their designated archetype, a challenge considering how much "slippage" ...
Episode 28: Feeling Magenta? Eat a BLP!
October 11, 2020 01:00 - 25 minutes - 23.8 MBStanley, king of the yutzes, shows up and needs a friend. Since Dorothy is busy with her new naval officer boyfriend, she calls in a favor from Blanche. The two hit it off platonically, but their new-found closeness still leaves Dorothy feeling a little jealous, confused, angry--magenta--all of which becomes exacerbated by the end of her own relationship. Meanwhile, Rose and Sophia team up to muscle in on Johnny No Thumbs by selling sandwiches at a construction site, a standard business vent...
Episode 27: Burt, Butter, and Payback
October 04, 2020 01:00 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBIn what can only be described as a classic, the girls win three tickets to see Mr. Burt Reynolds (who really appears in this episode and apparently wears monogrammed underwear) at a star-studded event. Ever the Tonto of the group, Sophia is left out and while Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose feel bad for a moment, they mostly think 'WHO CARES!" The tables turn, however, when the girls are arrested and need Sophia to bail them out. During their time in the slammer, Rose works through a nonsensical ...
Episode 26: Minks, Menopause, and Stuff in a Garage
September 27, 2020 01:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBIn the first episode of the second season, Dorothy and Rose are doing something completely out of character--breeding minks in their garage! While the B-story is whacky, the A-story of Blanche confronting menopause and all that comes with it makes for a wildly progressive (and hilarious) episode.
Episode 25: Golden Origins
September 20, 2020 01:00 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBIn the final episode of the first season, the girls revisit how they met. Mr. Peepers, Madame Zelda, and Rose’s tactic for finding the perfect melon all emerge as unsung heroes in this hilarious wrap-up.
E24: Get Out the Boots, He's Back!
September 13, 2020 01:00 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MBBig Daddy Hollingsworth is in town with his antebellum lexicon and a gee-tar, as he informs Blanche that he sold the entire estate in order to pursue a country music singing career. Meanwhile, Dorothy and Sophia deal with Mr. Barton, aka "Mouth" and his complete disregard of neighborly responsibility through both civic involvement and the old stand-by, a Sicilian curse. PS. Go to EnougWicker.com to check out the Golden Girls Starter Kit you heard about at the beginning of this episode and...
Episode 23: Flying Blind
September 06, 2020 01:00 - 19 minutes - 18.4 MBTurn on Channel 5, Lily burned the house down! Well, almost. Rose’s sister Lily, who recently lost her sight, comes for a visit, and the rest of the girls prep for the first of many garage sales at 6151 Richmond. The two stories allow the audience to bear witness to two equally difficult struggles: adjusting to life as a blind person and parting with a hockey stick once used by Bobby Hull.
Episode 22: Pretty Jumpy About Rose's Career Prospects
August 30, 2020 01:00 - 21 minutes - 20 MBWhen Rose is laid off from her job as a grief counselor, she does what anyone would do---starts a pro bono 24-hour counseling service out of her home without telling anyone else that lives there. When that gets out of hand (pretty much right way, if you can believe it), Dorothy and Blanche step in to help their defeated friend in what turns out to be a very tender moment.
Episode 21: The Girls Get The Flu and We Get Our First Vibrator Joke
August 23, 2020 01:00 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBThe flu knocks out Blanche, Dorothy, and Rose just in time for the charity event of the season. The girls, sick and irritable, are at each other's throats over the misplacement of a Nyquil cup and a stolen heating pad. They force their recovery, however, when Sophia reveals a rumor that one of them is winning the big award at the banquet.
Episode 20: Bim, Bam, Boom, Sexual Harassment is Still a Huge Problem
August 16, 2020 01:00 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBIn this one, Blanche is pursuing a [deleted by authority of the Governor] degree at a local community college, and is sexually harassed by the ultra-creepy Professor Cooper. She shows courage and determination as she deals with handling this is an environment that values a man's word over a woman's, and Dorothy shows the same qualities while she tries to secure Frank Sinatra tickets.
Episode 19: Plumbers, Private Jets, and Misogyny
August 09, 2020 01:00 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MBIn this one, uh, Lou, Dorothy and Rose attempt to re-do their bathroom in the name of feminism, and Blanche contemplates marrying an old, rich man who uses racial slurs aboard his private jet. Plus, an homage to the late, great Rue la Rue cafe and an emphatic celebration of Sarah's husband's carpentry skills!
Episode 18: A Case of Morton's Neuroma and the Perils of the American Healthcare System
August 02, 2020 01:00 - 18 minutes - 17.4 MBDorothy's dreams of appearing on stage with her tap team, Rose and Blanche, are dashed when she discovers she has a small tumor that needs to be removed. We validate Dorothy's fears of seeking help in a healthcare system that is barely functioning, celebrate her roommate and under-appreciated guest star, Bonnie (played by the late, great Anne Haney) and emphatically endorse old ladies drinking sherry in the park.
Episode 17: Lucy, Crockett, and Tubbs
July 26, 2020 01:00 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBBlanche's niece Lucy is in town and arrives with a bang (literally). The girls become concerned with Lucy's promiscuity, all while debating how to handle a field mouse who has taken up residency in their kitchen. Eventually, Blanche is able to offer Lucy some powerful words on self-respect and knowing your worth, and Rose finally finds a friend who appreciates her brain, if only for the vast amounts of useless Miami Vice knowledge it holds.
Episode 16: Estate Papers, Dickies, and A Snack You Can Panel Your Den With
July 19, 2020 01:00 - 25 minutes - 24 MBIn this episode, we break down the 16th episode of The Golden Girls, The Truth Will Out. Rose is forced to have a tough conversation with her daughter Kirsten about her will, which is made more difficult by Kirsten's hard-to-place accent. Plus, we explain what a dickie is and advocate for more girls to go to Space Camp for themselves!
Episode 15: Rose, the Killer
July 12, 2020 01:00 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBRose wakes up to find Al Beatty dead in her bed, the second time a man has died while having sex with her. The girls help her work up the courage to tell Mrs. Beatty, who experiences all five stages of grief right before our eyes. Plus Sophia invents normcore and Rose dresses like a pilgrim. All a day in the life at 6151 Richmond!
Episode 14: Exploring the Morals of Dating a Married Man and Selling Your Friend a Lemon
July 05, 2020 01:00 - 26 minutes - 24.5 MBWe examine Dorothy's love affair with the first (and lesser, in our opinion) Glen O'Brien and the complicated nature of infidelity. Plus Blanche tries to scam Rose and reminds us that you can take the girl of the Antellbeum, but...
Episode 13: Shrimp, Short-ribs and a Psychic to the Stars
June 28, 2020 01:00 - 24 minutes - 22.9 MBIn our 13th episode, we take a look at a great love story that never was--Rose Nylund and Dr. Jonathan Newman. Dorothy and Blanche stumble through dinner with this esteemed doctor who also happens to be a little person.
Episode 12: If Everybody Wants You, Why Isn't Anybody Callin?
June 21, 2020 01:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBWe take a look at the 12th episode of the Golden Girls, which has us exploring the complexity of sibling rivalry and relationships as Gloria swoops into town. After a minor spat with Dorothy over her lack of social life, Sophia contemplates leaving her life with a slut and a moron to join her daughter who visits once a year in her mansion in Burt Convy's neighborhood.
Bonus! The Golden Girls & Gay Pride: A Very Special Episode
June 14, 2020 23:01 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBWe are talking about the Girls and the Gays in our first Very Special Episode! In a lot of ways, the show was leaps and bounds ahead of mainstream American pop culture in regard to the LGBTQ community. From Jean to Clayton to Rambo the Caterer, we reminisce about our favorite queer-centric moments, examine why the show is still so pervasive in gay culture today, and express our deep appreciation that all four actresses walked the walk when it came to fighting for equal rights.
Episode 11: The Return of Stickman aka Big Stan's Return
June 14, 2020 01:00 - 25 minutes - 23.8 MBStanley is back in Miami in the 11th episode of the Golden Girls. He came to sell some property but somehow ended up in Dorothy's bed (and nightgown!). We break down how satisfying it is for Dorothy to finally choose to walk away on her own terms and examine the ethics of leaving your 80-year-old mother at home so you can go on vacation with your two best friends.
Episode 10: Scungilli Kills!
June 07, 2020 01:00 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBThe girls have their first brush with death when Sophia goes from having a bubble in her chest to what she believes is a heart attack. We examine the finer points of this episode, such as Blanche's willingness to step in as the logical decision maker, Rose and Dorothy's shared vulnerability during a tender moment, and once again, how so many Miami doctors are still making house calls in the late 1980s.
Episode 9: Rose and her Older Mother
May 31, 2020 01:00 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MBWe take a scholarly look at the 9th episode in the first season of The Golden Girls, Blanche and the Younger Man. As the title suggests, Blanche has a young chippie of her own, but we're more captivated by the B story, Mrs. Lindstrom's visit and Rose's struggle to treat her as an adult.
Episode 8: Fudge, Yarn and Gun
May 24, 2020 01:00 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBWe take a look at the 8th episode of The Golden Girls, The Break-In. As the title suggests, the girls' home is broken into and each is left to deal with the mental anguish. Rose, ever the sensitive one, uses this moment to exploit Florida's lax gun laws, almost to the detriment of Lester!
Episode 7: Bowling with a Full Heart and Full Bosom
May 17, 2020 01:00 - 23 minutes - 21.3 MBIn the 7th episode of the series, the girls go bowling. Rose takes it too seriously, Blanche just wants to look cute in her bowling outfit, and Dorothy and Sophia make what seems to be a uneven wager.
Episode 6: We Do For Family, We Don't For Rattails
May 10, 2020 01:00 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBBlanche's disrespectful grandson David visits Miami and learns important lessons about chores, discipline, and handicapped animals.
Episode 5: Ask the Towel Lady!
May 03, 2020 01:00 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MBIn The Triangle, Dorothy's housecall-making doctor boyfriend makes a pass at Blanche, and Blanche is put in the awkward position of having to decide whether to tell Dorothy and risk the repercussions, or watch her close friend pursue a future that will almost certainly end in heartbreak and a ruined coming out party.
Episode 4: Organ Transplants and Water-skiing Accidents: Bigger in the 80s?
April 26, 2020 01:00 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MBWe take a look at the 4th episode of The Golden Girls, Transplant. Blanche's sister Virginia makes her first appearance and comes with a big ask..she needs Blanche's kidney. A tough decision for anyone, but even tougher when you consider the bitter rivalry built growing up in Hollingsworth Manor. The other three girls care for a baby in one of the lazier B-stories.
Rose the Prude and the Great Arnie Injustice of 2017
April 20, 2020 15:25 - 22 minutes - 21.3 MBLauren and Sarah relive an agonizing third-place Golden Girls trivia finish and take a scholarly look at the third episode, Rose the Prude. Hear your favorite GG Experts examine how Betty White's Emmy-winning performance forced audiences to realize old people do actually have sex, and sometimes it can be pretty complicated.
Guess Who's Talking About The Second Episode?
April 20, 2020 13:56 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBSarah and Lauren break down the second episode of The Golden Girls entitled Guess Who's Coming to the Wedding. The episode, which originally aired in September of 1985, features the debut of Stan Zbornak, an emotional confrontation where Bea Arthur shows off her acting chops, and a cheese-ball hating holy man. What more could you want!
Pilot on a Pilot
April 15, 2020 18:27 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MBEnough Wicker debuts with Lauren and Sarah taking a scholarly view at the pilot episode of The Golden Girls. What worked, what didn't, and why the we, like so many others, have such a strong attachment to the show.