Kate says I started re-watching Golden Girls recently, and I've found it sweetly relaxing. I put my reaction down to (1) the aging process (seriously, nobody under the age of 30 understands what it is like to hit a landmark age and to have one's body undergo a change without one's permission; I mean, geez, what is that?) and (2) my parents'--specifically my mother's--aging process. In many ways, I've found the show's themes and jokes rather comforting: so women age, so what? That's life.
I'm not sure how that explains Mike's interest, though, so I'll let him explain his point of view!
One point, however: Golden Girls has a talented class of actresses. Have I already mentioned that comedy is the real test of acting? Oh, yes, I have.
Anyway, Bea Arthur is a very good at being the straight-(wo)man; Estelle Getty has the old-woman vaudeville act down pat; Rue McClanahan has great timing (and is one of those women whose beauty is in her bones; boy, that woman aged well); and Betty White, well, Betty White is the best of the bunch. I love her Olaf stories, and I always wonder, "How does she get through that dialog without cracking a smile?" (The stories get more and more outrageous as the seasons unwind.)
The pilot, "The Engagement," is a strong episode. I agree with Mike that it already has a complete/finished feel to it. I also agree that this is due to the actresses' professionalism. The acting has the kind of gloss I usually associate with stage actresses. The writing also has that stage-feeling. Even more so than Cosby or Family Ties, everything centers on the set and the action has to take place through dialog.
The result is that, as with most sitcoms, the characters have to sustain levels of sarcasm, innuendo, and naive cluelessness more than anybody ever does in real life. But that's the nature of the short comedy, and the occasional cynicism is off-set by the overriding thesis: true friendship survives anything.
Mike says that Golden Girls is, more than ever, perhaps my favorite sitcom of all time. The theme song is almost always at the back of my mind, ready to leap forward to my mouth and shock the ladies I work with (Wait, YOU watch that? Yes, yes I do). I'm not elderly, I'm not a woman, and I'm pretty certain that I'm not gay. Yet I love those old girls. And even funnier: I always have.
Now, I was introduced to Golden Girls by my grandmother; a sleep over at her place almost always involved Golden Girls before we went to bed (followed by Empty Nest, of course), and my grandmother being a bit like Dorothy, Blanche, and Sophia all rolled into one (Rose was more like my Papa), well, it was a blast to watch then and even more so now!
I love witty, quick dialog, and I'm almost certain I gained that love from the Girls. To this day, the jokes are fast and fun, the humor outrageous, and almost no topic is off limits. It's fun, it's heartwarming, and WELL WRITTEN.
Upon sitting down to watch the pilot, I realized I had never consciously watched it before--in fact, I couldn't remember how the girls got together at all... After watching it, I realized that not only had I seen it before--it was one of my favorite episodes!
The pilot is well written, funny, an absolute riot, all the while being touching as well. The funny thing is that the layout is no different from any other episode. While there are some introductory statements and explanatory talk, it's so well written that you could easily mistake it for a mid-run episode (The only REAL difference is the gay cook... who must've disappeared by the first "real" episode!)
While I was at it, I decided to watch a flashback episode: "How We Met" or something like that. It was GOOD! and funny. And I realized that while I love serial TV, the Girls don't need it. You feel the bond of their friendship and the strength of their characters from your first viewing: you don't need to build a rapport with them, it's already there, waiting to be claimed.
Golden Girls is, I think, a product of true ensemble work. The ladies worked together to make the show and their performances the best they could be. And it really shows.
The only downside to the show, and the non-serial format, is the Final episode. While a two-parter, the end really feels rushed and comes out of no where. While still great and well written (and tear jerking!), in the end, it just didn't feel liked a planned ending.
But I'll always be thankful to these ladies for being my friends.
Friday, December 17, 2010
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Mike, I recently saw the end of Golden Girls (which I hadn't before), and I agree that it ends far too abruptly.
I thought it was insightful to have Dorothy be the one to get married. Out of all the "girls," she was the one most likely to make a complete break. However, to really make the marriage/break work, I think the audience needed to be more invested in the guy. We needed to care whether the marriage happened or not, not just for Dorothy's sake but for the sake of the guy. That is, we had to believe Dorothy leaving the girls was ultimately the best decision.
Other than the guy being Leslie Nielsen, who is admittedly awesome, there just wasn't enough of the relationship shown to make the audience care. I was left thinking, "Eh, she'll be back" (maybe that was point . . . )
Since several episodes could have come out of the relationship, I can only assume the ending was tacked on at the last moment.
St. Olaf Stories: After watching all 7 seasons, I've become very familiar with St. Olaf stories. I have to reiterate that they are some of the best comedy I've ever heard, so good in fact they almost feel like they were written by a separate writer. This one is my favorite:
Rose: Someone was actually able to deceive me once.
Sophia: Do tell, Rose.
Rose: St. Olaf's most famous OB/MAG.
Dorothy: What's that?
Rose: Obstetrician-Magician. The Amazing Shapiro. He delivered Bridget. But it was SO confusing. "It's a girl! Now it's a dove...Now it's a glass of milk." I don't know how he got her in that deck of cards, but there she was right after the King of Hearts. "Is this your baby?"
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