History TearJerker / TheGoldenGirls

--->'''Martha''': No, I want to go. Lydia looked so peaceful. ''[takes hold of the pills]''
--->'''Sophia''': ''[immediately grabs the pills]'' We're not in this life for peace!
--->'''Martha''': You're crying.
--->'''Sophia''': No, I'm not, I don't cry.
--->'''Martha''': I can see your tears!
--->'''Sophia''': And I can see yours, you know what that tells me?
--->'''Martha''': [voice breaking] What?
--->'''Sophia''': You're not as ready to die as you think you are. You still wanna live, kid!
--->'''Martha''': Some kid! I don't know what to do.
--->'''Sophia''': That's the point. If you're not sure, then you can't change your mind tomorrow. You wanted me to be there for your death. How about letting me be here for your life?
--->'''Martha''': Like a friend?
--->'''Sophia''': Like a best friend.

-->'''Rose''': You mocked my relationship with Charlie, and you nearly ruined my relationship with Miles! How can you be so cruel?!

--->'''Dorothy:''' You took away my choices, Ma. How am I ever supposed to forgive you?

* In "It's A Miserable Life", Rose bursting into tears when no one comes to Freida Claxton's funeral. No matter how nasty she was, Rose is genuinely upset that there's no one to mourn her. Considering how DyingAlone is a significant fear, it's understandable.

* "Clinton Avenue Memoirs". Sophia, fretting over memories of Salvatore, wants to go back to their old home to show Dorothy a heart that Sal had carved into the door of the kitchen pantry, displaying 'Sal Loves Sophia'. Dorothy says there was no such heart, recalling a height chart instead. After a lot of debates and pleading their way in, Sophia confidently walks up to the kitchen, stating that the heart was one of the sweetest things Sal ever did for hers. And when she opens the pantry door...nothing. There's a blank moment of silence before she weakly insists the new owners must have covered it up, only for Dorothy to reveal the height chart under a layer of paint. Sophia is stunned and it's clear she feels like a fool. Really makes you feel for her--until the reversal when it turns out the heart was real after all, and she just misremembered the location; it was actually the bedroom closet door!

'''Angela''': ''(moving to embrace Sophia)'' What he was, Sophia, was a good man.\\
'''Sophia''': ''(completely breaking down)'' My baby is gone...

--->'''Martha''': No, I want to go. Lydia looked so peaceful. [takes hold of the pills]
--->'''Sophia''': [immediately grabs the pills] We're not in this life for peace!

--> '''Blanche:''' You were there?
--> '''Mammy:''' I stood in the back by the caterers, so nobody would see me. You have no idea how much I wanted to just hug you. I just had to see my dumpling on her wedding day.

---> ''(The man hurries away, and Dorothy takes Sophia by the arm. They slowly leave the boardwalk, both looking back at the now-empty bench.)''

'''Rose''': And... he told me he loved me... and... then it was over. And I put a pair of gray flannel pants on him. And a blue shirt... and a striped tie. ''(Voice breaking)'' And he was all dressed when the paramedics got there. [[note]]It has been suggested that Creator/BettyWhite broke character when her voice broke and she was talking instead about her beloved husband Allen Ludden.[[/note]]

'''Jake:''' ''(Deflated)'' Well... that wasn't my question, but you answered it for me anyway.\\

--->'''Jake:''' Blanche, knowing you has been one of the greatest things I have ever had in my whole life. Remember that. ''(kisses her)'' Goodbye, Blanche.

-->'''Rose:''' ''(breaking down crying)'' I know, I know it's over, I know they're gone. But not for me! For me, in my mind, they'll always be here!

---> '''Dorothy:''' You will always be my sisters. Always.

* In Transplant, Blanche's sister Virginia arrives for a visit, despite her describing their childhood as negative because of her. Virginia is surprisingly polite, however, and the truth is she's there because she needs Blanche's help: she needs a kidney transplant. Blanche is unsure what to do, but on her last visit Virginia gives Blanche a deep emotional hug goodbye, and Blanche visibly realises she needs to help her sister. However, Blanche returns early as they couldn't use her kidney, but found a suitable donor.

--->'''Sophia''': I did love him. He was my son... my little boy. But every time I saw him, I always asked myself... what I did, what I said, when was the day I did whatever I did to make him the way he was.
--->'''Angela''': ''(moving to embrace Sophia)'' What he was, Sophia, was a good man.
--->'''Sophia''': ''(completely breaking down)'' My baby is gone...

** One particularly painful moment shows up when Rose loses her temper at Blanche and tells her that, of all people, she shouldn't have to deal with AIDS, because she's a "good person." Given that, when the episode was filmed, a large subset of the U.S. population ''genuinely believed'' that HIV and AIDS were a kind of "divine judgment" on groups like gay men, promiscuous individuals, and people of color, hearing Rose--usually the sweetest character--parrot such harmful views stings deeply. Thankfully, Blanche puts her in her place in a [[Awesome/TheGoldenGirls Moment of Awesome]]: "AIDS is not a ''bad'' person's disease, Rose. It is not God punishing people for their sins."

-->'''Dorothy''': And...?
-->'''Rose''': And... he told me he loved me... and... then it was over. And I put a pair of gray flannel pants on him. And a blue shirt... and a striped tie. ''(Voice breaking)'' And he was all dressed when the paramedics got there. [[note]]It has been suggested that Creator/BettyWhite broke character when her voice broke and she was talking instead about her beloved husband Allen Ludden.[[/note]]

-->'''Blanche:''' [...] But we do come from two different worlds, you know, and our relationship can only go so far. And that's why I can't go to the banquet with you.
-->'''Jake:''' ''(Deflated)'' Well... that wasn't my question, but you answered it for me anyway.
-->'''Blanche:''' What? I don't understand.
-->'''Jake:''' [[WhamLine I was going to ask you to marry me.]]

-->'''Jake:''' Blanche, knowing you has been one of the greatest things I have ever had in my whole life. Remember that. ''(kisses her)'' Goodbye, Blanche.

** She regularly talks about she had maids and nannies to care for them and didn't realize she pushed them away until it was too late and they were full-grown adults. She admits how badly she wishes she made the usual mother/child memories Dorothy and Rose often talk about with their own kids.

** In fact, most of her children have cut ties with her or only speak to her if they have to.

* In "In a Bed of Rose's," Rose and her new boyfriend Al finally have sex...and Al [[OutWithABang dies during the act.]] She goes to tell Lucille, Al's sister and roommate, only to discover that he was actually her ''husband.'' Lucille is surprisingly nonchalant about it, as Al was a serial cheater who slept with everyone who came his way (apparently, the first time he ever had sex with another woman was [[UpToEleven on his and Lucille's honeymoon]]). She assumes that Rose is only there to reveal the philandering as an act of revenge, but when Rose actually tells her what happened, she's stunned and goes into denial.

* Rose's observations on a local homeless woman in "Rose Fights Back", and her fears that she could end up like that woman if she can't find a job after losing Charlie's pension. She explains that, after assuming that woman was just lazy or stupid for getting herself into a bad situation, she's finally noticed that the lady is actually [[NotSoDifferent the exact same age as she is.]] Rose's line at the end of the monologue--"What am I going to ''do?''"--hits hard, as she realizes that she, and countless others, are just as close to desperation as the bag lady.

* In Transplant, Blanche's sister Virginia arrives for a visit, despite her describing their childhood as negative because of her, Virginia is surprisingly polite, however, the truth because she needs Blanche's help. She needs a kidney transplant, Blanche is unsure what to do, but on her last visit Virginia gives Blanche a deep emotional hug goodbye, Blanche visible realises she needs to help her sister. However, Blanche returns early as they couldn't use her kidney, but found a suitable donor.
** What makes it's especially important is that Dorothy, Rose and Sophia talk about what they would do for their family. They agree that if it was for their children, they wouldn't even have to think about giving up a vital organ to save them. They'd do it without any hesitation.

** In "And Then There Was One", the girls were taking care of children during the Charity Walk-A-Thon. Emily, one of the babies, is still unclaimed, and the girls believe she may have been abandoned. Blanche, despite being unmaternal, is the only that can soothe the infant and becomes attached to her. However, in the end, Emily is returned with her dad who actually ''did'' call that he would be late due to his wife going into labor with triplets, but Sophia misunderstood the message. Blanche sadly waves her off and then calls Janet asking if she can visit her; Janet refuses until she hears the feeling in Blanche's voice and relents.

* In Transplant, Blanche's sister Virginia arrives for a visit, despite her describing their childhood as negative because of her, Virginia is surprisingly polite, however the truth because she needs Blanche's help. She needs a kidney transplant, Blanche is unsure what to do, but on her last visit Virginia gives Blanche a deep emotional hug goodbye, Blanche visible realises she needs to help her sister. However Blanche returns early as they couldn't use her kidney, but found a suitable donor.
** What makes it's especially important is that Dorothy, Rose and Sophia talk about what they would do for their family, they agree that if it was for their children it would be no doubt they would give their heart if needed.
* Rose's desperation in "Job Hunt." It hits home even more now in these times, when many people over 50 find fewer and fewer companies willing to hire them.

* The entirety of "Blind Ambitions", where Rose's elder sister Lily comes for a visit while she copes with having recently become blind. Despite putting on a brave face and asserting her usual independence, Lily is shown to be distraught and frightened at her situation and no longer knows how to manage on her own. Rose tries her best to help her cope, initially in denial about how helpless her sister has become and then finds herself struggling to decide what's the best thing to help Lily get her life back. Lily eventually admits how scared she is and begs Rose to come back to Chicago with her to help her. Her tearful breakdown as Rose tries to console is truly gutwrenching to watch.

** The fact that Rose poses as the woman's daughter so that she isn't sent back to the retirement home - just long enough for her to escape the police.

** And a bit of a callback: previously, while telling the story of how the four women came to be roommates, Blanche tells the tale of how she originally met Rose after Rose had just been evicted from her apartment for refusing to give up her only companion, a cat. As Blanche watches from the background, a child comes up to Rose and asks if he can pet the cat. It turns out that the child's own cat had recently died and they had not yet replaced it. Rose selflessly offers her own cat to the child. Witnessing the display of generosity, Blanche immediately decides that Rose is the sort of person she wants living with her.
* The WholeEpisodeFlashback about celebrating birthdays. Rose's last birthday in St. Olaf was the first special occasion after the death of her husband Charlie. Talking to his empty chair, she tells him that she's decided to sell the house and move to Miami due to the Minnesota winters being hard on her health and the house being too full of memories for her to get on with her life. But as sad as she is to leave, she's excited to make new memories in Florida. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxhwuLKMhAI The scene manages to be both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time]].
* Regularly in the show Blanche is shown to have a poor relationship with her children:
** She regularly talks about she had maids and nannies to care for them and didn't realise she pushed them away until it was too late.
** In fact most of her children have cut ties with her or only speak to her if they have to.
** In "And Then There Was One", the girls were taking care of children during the Charity Walk-A-Thon, Emily one the babies is still unclaimed, Blanche despite being unmaternal is the only that can soothe the girl and she is starting to be Motherly towards the baby. However at the end Emily is returned with her Father who did call that he would be late but Sophia misheard it, Blanche sadly waves her off, she then calls Janet asking if she can visit her, Janet refuses until she hears the feeling in Blanche's voice and relents.

** The saddest moment of all, though, is the end of the episode. Sophia's relationship with Phil became strained after he married his wife Angela, and she rarely visited him--and her grandchildren--because of their feud. Sophia claims that the source of the argument was the fact that Angela's family never paid her dowry, which turns out to be all of $47; Angela writes a check to cover the amount, but Sophia still acts snide toward her. Surprisingly, Rose coaxes the real reason for Sophia's anger out of her: it turns out that she was actually deeply ashamed of her son's cross-dressing, and though she claimed to blame Angela for not putting a stop to it, she truthfully blamed ''herself'' for what she considered his "problem." Rose tells her that Phil was still a decent human being, and his cross-dressing wasn't anyone's fault, and that it's perfectly all right for Sophia to have loved Phil even though he wasn't "normal.",
--->'''Sophia''': I did love him. He was my son...my little boy. But every time I saw him, I always asked myself... what I did, what I said, when was the day I did whatever I did to make him the way he was.

** The end of the episode also qualifies. The girls have been looking after a neighbor's baby, and just before the parents arrive to pick him up, Sophia asks for a few minutes alone with him. She picks up the child and begins talking to him, telling him that while life is going to be difficult, it's always worth living. Seeing a great-grandmother speak to a child who she mostly likely won't live to see grown up is touching, especially when you consider Estelle Getty's later coming down with dementia.

* "Where's Charlie?" was an episode that had Sophia at her worst. She plays upon Rose's belief that Charlie is trying to contact her from beyond the grave for the sake of getting money from Rose, but the end result of her joke has Rose returning the ring Miles gave her and potentially ruining their relationship. When Dorothy finds out about this, [[CallingTheOldManOut she flat out calls Sophia a horrible person and orders her to admit the truth]]. Rose may have been gullible, but she had every right to be upset with Sophia.

* In "In a Bed of Rose's," Rose and her new boyfriend Al finally have sex...and Al [[OutWithABang dies during the act.]] She goes to tell Lucille, Al's sister and roommate, only to discover that he was actually her ''husband.'' Lucille is surprisingly nonchalant about it, as Al was a serial cheater who slept with everyone who came his way (apparently, the first time he ever had sex with another woman was [[UpToEleven on his and Lucille's honeymoon.]] She assumes that Rose is only there to reveal the philandering as an act of revenge, but when Rose actually tells her what happened, she's stunned and goes into denial.

** The saddest moment of all, though, is the end of the episode. Sophia's relationship with Phil became strained after he married his wife Angela, and she rarely visited him--and her grandchildren--because of their feud. Sophia claims that the source of the argument was the fact that Angela's family never paid her dowry, which turns out to be all of $47; Angela writes a check to cover the amount, but Sophia still acts snide toward her. Surprisingly, Rose coaxes the real reason for Sophia's anger out of her: it turns out that she was actually deeply ashamed of her son's cross-dressing, and though she claimed to blame Angela for not putting a stop to it, she truthfully blamed ''herself'' for what she considered his "problem." Rose tells her that Phil's cross-dressing wasn't anyone's fault, and that it's perfectly all right for Sophia to have loved Phil even though he wasn't "normal."

* In "Diamond in the Rough", Blanche courts a very handsome and kindly caterer named Jake who seems to be everything a woman could want in a man, and he quickly wins over all the girls with his good looks and demeanor. However, Blanche starts having her doubts about him, taking issue with many minor things about his style and mannerisms like she believes he's too good to be true. Jake, however ,is a complete gentleman and so Blanche's complaints leave the other girls baffled, especially when she decides to go out with another friend to the very dinner Jake has been hired to cater. That evening, Blanche expects Jake to ask her out to the dance, and he comes in seemingly to ask that very question.

* In one episode, Sophia learns a friend from Shady Pines named Lilian has been transferred to Sunny Pastures, which Sophia explains is the bottom of the barrel for nursing homes. It turns out she's not exaggerating, although we learn this is because it doesn't have enough funding, and the guy who runs Sunny Pastures is trying to do the best he can despite the aggravating bureaucratic procedures it takes to the run the place. Sophia conspires to break Lilian out, and does, but we learn that she's genuinely senile and suffering from either dementia or Alzheimer's. Sophia runs herself ragged taking care of Lilian, until the girls manage to find a better nursing home for her. Dorothy comments that everything worked out okay... but wonders why she doesn't feel better. Blanche mentions something along the lines of "because there are places out there that are worse than Sunny Pastures and Lilian just got lucky."

-->'''Rose''': And... he told me he loved me... and... then it was over. And I put a pair of gray flannel pants on him. And a blue shirt... and a striped tie. ''(Voice breaking)'' And he was all dressed when the paramedics got there.