Enough Wicker: Intellectualizing the Golden Girls - podcast cover

Enough Wicker: Intellectualizing the Golden Girls

Lauren Kelly and Sarah Royalwww.enoughwicker.com
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.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Episode 31: The Widdah Spencer is Cuter than an Intrauterine

Happy 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 the mu...

Nov 01, 202025 minSeason 2Ep. 6

Episode 30: Isn't Danny Thomas One?

Dorothy'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 momen...

Oct 25, 202026 minSeason 2Ep. 5

Episode 29: RIP Pfreida Claxton

There 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 take ...

Oct 18, 202030 minSeason 2Ep. 4

A Very Special Episode with Very Special Guest Debbie Macey!

We 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" ...

Oct 14, 20201 hr 8 min

Episode 28: Feeling Magenta? Eat a BLP!

Stanley, 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 venture ...

Oct 11, 202026 minSeason 2Ep. 3

Episode 27: Burt, Butter, and Payback

In 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 adol...

Oct 04, 202021 minSeason 2Ep. 2

Episode 26: Minks, Menopause, and Stuff in a Garage

In 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.

Sep 27, 202028 minSeason 2Ep. 1

Episode 25: Golden Origins

In 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.

Sep 20, 202024 minSeason 1Ep. 25

E24: Get Out the Boots, He's Back!

Big 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 get re...

Sep 13, 202020 minSeason 1Ep. 24

Episode 23: Flying Blind

Turn 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.

Sep 06, 202020 minSeason 1Ep. 23

Episode 22: Pretty Jumpy About Rose's Career Prospects

When 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.

Aug 30, 202022 minSeason 1Ep. 22

Episode 21: The Girls Get The Flu and We Get Our First Vibrator Joke

The 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.

Aug 23, 202021 minSeason 1Ep. 21

Episode 20: Bim, Bam, Boom, Sexual Harassment is Still a Huge Problem

In 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.

Aug 16, 202022 minSeason 1Ep. 20

Episode 19: Plumbers, Private Jets, and Misogyny

In 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!

Aug 09, 202022 minSeason 1Ep. 19

Episode 18: A Case of Morton's Neuroma and the Perils of the American Healthcare System

Dorothy'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.

Aug 02, 202019 minSeason 1Ep. 18

Episode 17: Lucy, Crockett, and Tubbs

Blanche'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.

Jul 26, 202026 minSeason 1Ep. 17

Episode 16: Estate Papers, Dickies, and A Snack You Can Panel Your Den With

In 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!

Jul 19, 202026 minSeason 1Ep. 16

Episode 15: Rose, the Killer

Rose 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!

Jul 12, 202024 minSeason 1Ep. 15

Episode 13: Shrimp, Short-ribs and a Psychic to the Stars

In 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.

Jun 28, 202025 minSeason 1Ep. 29

Episode 12: If Everybody Wants You, Why Isn't Anybody Callin?

We 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.

Jun 21, 202027 minSeason 1Ep. 12

Bonus! The Golden Girls & Gay Pride: A Very Special Episode

We 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.

Jun 14, 202035 minSeason 1Ep. 26

Episode 11: The Return of Stickman aka Big Stan's Return

Stanley 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.

Jun 14, 202026 minSeason 1Ep. 11

Episode 10: Scungilli Kills!

The 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.

Jun 07, 202022 minSeason 1Ep. 10

Episode 9: Rose and her Older Mother

We 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.

May 31, 202025 minSeason 1Ep. 9

Episode 8: Fudge, Yarn and Gun

We 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!

May 24, 202021 minSeason 1Ep. 8

Episode 7: Bowling with a Full Heart and Full Bosom

In 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.

May 17, 202023 minSeason 1Ep. 7

Episode 5: Ask the Towel Lady!

In 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.

May 03, 202025 minSeason 1Ep. 5

Episode 4: Organ Transplants and Water-skiing Accidents: Bigger in the 80s?

We 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.

Apr 26, 202021 minSeason 1Ep. 4
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android
Open in Metacast