The 25 Best Golden Girls Episodes

"The Golden Girls" has a way of exploring important issues through a perfect balance of humor and thoughtfulness. Look no further than "Brother, Can You Spare That Jacket?" in which Dorothy learns a tough lesson about homelessness. Upon discovering they've just won $10,000 in the lottery, the girls tuck the winning ticket inside Blanche's jacket 一 only for Sophia to unwittingly place it inside a box of old clothes going to charity. The jacket soon lands in the hands of Michael Jackson, goes up for auction, and eventually finds its way to a local homeless shelter.

Hoping to locate the missing ticket, the girls decide to pose as homeless women and spend the night in the shelter. Several encounters and conversations give the girls a greater understanding of (and empathy for) the homeless. Blanche befriends a young man who, upon finishing his graduate thesis, couldn't find a job and turned to alcohol, and Rose chats up a gentleman her own age. Sophia also recognizes an old friend from Shady Pines who ran out of money and was forced into the streets. With the song "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" playing in the background, the camera pans across the room to reveal the diversity of the homeless population. When morning finally breaks, the girls decide to donate their winning ticket to the shelter. This season four episode is among the show's most heartfelt.

In "Ladies of the Evening," Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche are planning a night out to attend a post-premiere movie party with Burt Reynolds. Unfortunately, Blanche learns her house is riddled with termites and needs to be fumigated. The girls then decide to have a weekend getaway and rent a hotel room right on the beach. Blanche only has three tickets for the party, so Sophia is sidelined and spends the evening alone. Before hailing a taxi, Blanche suggests they grab a quick drink at the bar, but as luck would have it, the hotel is raided by the cops. The girls get caught up in the commotion and are wrongfully arrested for being illegal sex workers.

Later that night, Sophia comes to bail them out. "Which one of you isn't going?" she asks through the bars. Since she came to their rescue, Sophia says she deserves to see Burt Reynolds up close and personal. But they still won't let her go. Sophia yanks the tickets out of Blanche's hand, cackles, and shuffles off to the party. The following afternoon, Burt Reynolds arrives to take Sophia out to lunch. From its sharp comedic writing to Estelle Getty's hilarious performance, "Ladies of the Evening" is one of the best episodes.

In "A Little Romance," Rose is madly in love with Dr. Jonathan Newman (Brent Collins), who she met through her work at the grief crisis center. She suspects things may be barreling straight for marriage, but she has concerns about their relationship. Jonathan is a little person, and his inclusion on the show came at a time when short jokes and dehumanizing slurs were commonplace in many sitcoms. Unbeknownst to her, Blanche invites Jonathan to dinner one evening after speaking with him over the phone.

"A Little Romance," which Betty White said was her favorite episode, utilizes stale short jokes to teach a lesson. Blanche (being Blanche) thinks it's all a goof when Jonathan shows up all decked out in an elegant suit and tie, and assumes Rose hired someone to play a prank on her. Jonathan takes it all in stride, though, and Brent Collins' performance is one of compassion and an invitation for the viewer to see him as a warm, funny, and charming human being. In the end, their relationship doesn't last since Jonathan comes from a deeply religious family — and Rose isn't Jewish.

Blanche and her daughter Rebecca (Shawn Schepps) have been estranged for four years. Once a model in Paris, Rebecca returns with a considerably different image. She's also engaged to Jeremy (Joe Regalbuto), a misogynistic, verbally-abusive man. He constantly berates and belittles Rebecca in front of her family. After years of gaslighting, she believes she is not worthy of anything better. Blanche and the girls immediately pick up on the abuse and try to convince her that the relationship is not healthy.

Before Rebecca hops on a plane to elope with Jeremy, Blanche confronts her daughter about Jeremy's treatment of her and asks her why she is settling for "that lump of nothing out there." In resignation, Rebecca responds, "I want a husband. I want a family, and Jeremy may be my last chance." She's willing to set aside her self-worth for the illusion of a perfect domestic life. Blanche asserts that Jeremy's abuse has her thinking mixed up, but Rebecca storms off. Later, she returns to apologize and to confess she finally dumped Jeremy for good, having needed that extra push to stand up for herself. "Blanche's Little Girl" explores issues of body image and domestic abuse with sharply written dialogue, humor, and real emotion.

In "Grab that Dough," Sophia wins tickets to appear on a hit game show. After giving producers her former address in Italy, she receives the tickets the night before they're expected to arrive. On a whim, the girls decide to take the red-eye, get a hotel, and sleep for a few hours.

Naturally, the trip doesn't go according to plan. In fact, it's a total wreck. The airline loses their luggage, their hotel room is given to someone else, and they're forced to sleep in the lobby. When morning breaks, they realize their purses have been stolen. Fortunately, Sophia tucked the tickets into her bra. Groggy and sleep-deprived, the girls trudge off to the studio where Blanche and Dorothy decide to split off to another team, claiming they have better odds of winning. The showdown includes one of the show's best jokes. When asked to fill in the missing word in the phrase "Better late than ...," Blanche smashes her buzzer and shouts, "Pregnant!" To which the game show host replies, "That's incorrect, but certainly not untrue."

Ultimately, even Dorothy and Blanche's winnings are not what they expected 一 a lifetime supply of canned soup. "Grab That Dough" brims with comedic genius, as one of the best episodes of "The Golden Girls" ever.

Rose desperately wants her new co-worker Roger (Oliver Clark) to like her. She goes as far as buying him a cat — which eats his pet bird. She talks to him incessantly at work and bakes him a traditional St. Olaf friendship cake. There are no lengths to which she won't go to prove her loyalty. In a heartfelt story, she tells the girls that her obsession to be liked probably stems from spending part of her childhood in an orphanage and learning that the "nice kids" were adopted.

Roger eventually persuades Rose that true friends respect each other's boundaries and that her behavior isn't very friend-like. "What if I say I am your friend?" he asks. "Then, I'd have to do it. I'd be your friend!" He then kindly but firmly asks her to leave him alone. She obliges, beaming from ear to ear. "See you, buddy!" she shouts. It's a hilarious bit of comedy that just works.

"Comedy of Errors" also includes a storyline about Dorothy doing stand-up comedy. The glimpse we see of Dorothy's routine is an amusing, self-aware handful of jokes about aging, living with roommates, and dating. Meanwhile, Blanche is audited by the IRS. When an agent arrives, Blanche dresses up in her most risqué nightgown 一 but the agent turns out to be a woman. "Comedy of Errors" is a bit disjointed, but the humor and performances are still top-notch.

Blanche's traditional way of thinking frequently supplies the show with both commentary and comedy. In "The Accurate Conception," her daughter Becky (Debra Engle) reveals that she wants to get pregnant through artificial insemination. Well, Blanche just doesn't believe that to be natural and urges her to find a man first. "Mama, I'm gonna do this whether you like it or not," Becky explains, standing her ground. In the 1980s, the discussion of sex was still a taboo topic, especially coming from four older women. But that's what makes this episode such a delight.

A side-story with Sophia needing a physical is a little pointless, but Estelle Getty's line readings are priceless. For many reasons, this Season 5 standout was a turning point for the show. New writers were brought in, and director Terry Hughes would depart at the end of the season. Fortunately, the quality of writing and performances didn't suffer from such a huge behind-the-scenes shift.

In "Not Another Monday," "The Golden Girls" tackles the darkest issue in the show's history: assisted suicide. Its theme is grim and borderline depressing. Sophia's friend Martha (Geraldine Fitzgerald) reaches out to her with an unusual request. She needs help ending her life and pleads with Sophia to be there when it happens. Martha is terminally ill and believes suicide is her only option. However, Sophia reminds her that there is more life to be lived, more experiences to be had, and more friendships to forge. She makes a vow to be her best friend.

In the spirit of the show, the episode is counterbalanced with a far more lighthearted storyline. Blanche, Rose, and Dorothy babysit the Lillestrand family's newborn baby Francis while they go on a camping trip for the weekend. When the infant develops a high temperature, Dorothy calls the pediatrician to make a house call. Naturally, Blanche lays it on hot and heavy, endlessly flirting with him. Later that night, the girls have trouble getting Francis to sleep, and they launch into an a cappella version of "Mr. Sandman." With its serious treatment of a sensitive subject, "Not Another Monday" may be the most important episode of "The Golden Girls"

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

After a Madonna concert, the girls arrive home to discover they have been robbed. Dorothy's mink stole is missing, and Blanche believes her mother's jewels, which she had hidden in a canister of flour, have been snatched. Sophia also claims the robbers carted off her entire wardrobe. This all leads them to have a security system installed, and Rose adopts a dog from the pound for good measure.

However, Rose still doesn't feel safe. She is pretty shaken and begins struggling in her everyday life. Without the other girls knowing, she buys a handgun, but that still doesn't do the trick. When Blanche arrives home with Lester (Robert Rothwell) after a date, Rose thinks the intruders are back and fires her weapon, destroying Blanche's Chinese vase. Rose believes she may be permanently scarred from the incident, but when she subdues a parking lot attendant she confuses for a predator, she understands that she is more than capable of handling herself. She is finally at peace.

In "Break In," "The Golden Girls" uses its classic formula of comedy and thoughtfulness to explore Rose's trauma. It also features some of the show's best lines, including this one from Sophia after the gun accident: "I manage to live 80, 81 years. I've had pneumonia, two operations, a stroke. One morning, I'll belch, and Stable Mable here will blow my head off."

Friendship is the core of this essential Season 3 episode. In "Old Friends," Sophia's friendship with Alvin (Joe Seneca) is flourishing, and the two spend many afternoons sitting on a bench down by the boardwalk. After an outburst, Alvin brings Sophia a can of soda to make amends — or so she thinks. Another conversation about his wife Edna ends with Alvin in tears. When Alvin's daughter Sandra (Janet MacLachlan) meets with Dorothy, she reveals the true cause of her father's erratic behavior. He has Alzheimer's disease.

 At first, Sophia struggles with this news. Dorothy then reveals to her Alvin will be moving to New York in a few weeks to live with a nephew, so Sophia gets to finishing a scarf she's been making for him. Late one evening, Dorothy finds Sophia at their usual spot on the boardwalk. Sophia realizes Alvin is not coming back. Ultimately, she decides to mail the scarf, wanting to keep the image of Alvin sitting and chatting next to her firmly in her mind.

Rose experiences a different kind of friendship after Blanche accidentally donates Fernando, her favorite childhood teddy bear, to the Sunshine Cadets. In one of the series' funniest storylines, a cadet named Daisy (Jenny Lewis) holds the bear for ransom — first for various gifts and then for a load of cash. Rose, however, isn't about to lose her best friend. She quickly rips him from Daisy's arms, pushes her onto the stoop, and slams the door.

Sophia is having a tough go of things. Many of her friends are dying or moving away, and she's grappling with aging and overwhelming sadness. Dorothy offers to spend more time with her, including taking her along on several dates with a new boyfriend named Raymond (James Karen). One date turns into weeks of dates. Sophia has the time of her life reconnecting with her daughter, but Dorothy can't seem to muster up the courage to tell her mom that she's cramping her style.

Throughout the series, there are many conversations centered on aging and everything that it entails — from ageism to frequent trips to the doctor. "And Ma Makes Three" takes a step to address other important aspects of getting older — the inevitability of death and the loneliness everyone will eventually experience when loved ones and friends die.

The episode balances out with a lighter storyline about a competition between Rose and Blanche for fashion show chair. When Dorothy asks for advice about wearing a pearl necklace, Blanche and Rose offer up their own perspectives, resulting in one of the series' best exchanges: "Why don't I just wear a sign that says 'too ugly to live'?" barks an agitated Dorothy. Blanche responds, "Fine, but what are you going to hang it from, the chain or the pearls?" Dorothy retorts, "Neither! I'm going to spray paint it on my hump!"

Dorothy hungers for a friendship with deeper, more intellectual conversations. She meets popular local author Barbara Thorndyke (Bonnie Bartlett), and the two hit it off almost immediately. They go to the movies, to fancy restaurants with literary-themed menus, and to various other highly-cultured hotspots. On several occasions, Blanche and Rose attempt to banter with Barbara about books and men to no avail. They later express to Dorothy their feelings that her new friend looks down on others.

Soon, Dorothy learns a hard lesson about perception. Barbara makes a reservation at the incredibly exclusive Mortimer Club and pulls Dorothy aside when Sophia wants to bring her new date along. The most revealing and insightful scene in "Dorothy's New Friend" comes when Barbara displays her casually anti-Semitic ways. She tolerates the Mortimer Club's egregious restrictions against Jewish people because she loves the food and the free parking. "Boy, did I misjudge you! Blanche and Rose were right. You're not the kind of person I want as a friend," spits Dorothy in an epic takedown. As crucial as the show's comedy is, these moments of confronting dated, archaic, and racist or classist beliefs are what truly define "The Golden Girls."

With "Mixed Blessings," the show addresses the once-taboo topics of interracial marriage and age gaps in relationships. Dorothy's son Michael (Scott Jacoby) comes to visit, and he has news he's been dying to tell her. He's getting married to his bandmate Lorraine (Rosalind Cash). Initially, he only tells her that Lorrriane is a Black woman. It's not until meeting her that Dorothy learns that Lorraine is decades older than her son.

Later, Lorraine's parents stop by to meet the family and express their own reservations about the union. However, their concerns have to do with the fact Michael is white. "Mixed Blessings" came under scrutiny in 2020, and Hulu removed the episode, citing its depiction of blackface (the episode later returned to the streaming platform). However, this is simply not the case. The scene in question involves Blanche and Rose wearing mud masks. Neither their intention nor the impact is ingrained in malice. It's a teaching moment.

While initial concerns were certainly valid, the girls are not in blackface. The episode presents an important reminder of the difference between wearing a mud mask and unearthed celebrity photos depicting white people explicitly engaged in blackface. For all the controversy, "Mixed Blessings" remains one of the show's finest moments and one the most important moments in television history.