Line #15 Heartwarming/TheGoldenGirls


1	* In the episode were they first met, the moment Blanche meets Rose. She jovially jokes about having two prior roommates from Minnesota, which she thought of as "sticks in the mud". Rose proceeds to confirm she's basically the exact same kind of person, leading Blanche to instantly drop her as a potential roommate. Then a kid asks Rose if he can pet her cat Mr. Peepers, and it turns out his own cat just died, and his family's getting another one soon. Rose immediately offers him Mr. Peepers, even agreeing to change his name to Harpo. Blanche, who witnessed the gift, turns back and decides to give Rose a shot, inviting her to join as her roommate. Rose immediately accepts... [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments and then proceeds to ask for Blanche's name]].
2	* In a flashback episode Dorothy recalls a birthday where Rose took her to a SuckECheeses and she had to put up with an obnoxious clown named Mr. Ha Ha. After Dorothy was dragged along with the kids who're also celebrating their birthdays, she was set to shove her cake in Mr. Ha Ha's face, before he stated that's not very adult-like and he'd sue if she tried. Dorothy sat back down when one of the kids came up to Mr. Ha Ha, shoved ''his'' cake in the clown's face, and then wished Dorothy a happy birthday.
3	* At the end of "Blanche's Little Girl," Blanche and Rebecca reconcile, and it seems as though their relationship will finally begin to heal, a point proven in later episodes.
4	* "Mother's Day" is made of this trope. The premise is simple: the girls are planning to go to a Mother's Day brunch, but first wait for their children to call them. As they do, they have flashbacks to previous Mother's Days:
5	** Dorothy reminisces about visiting Stan's mother, who is [[ObnoxiousInLaws extremely mean and belittling to her]]. But when Stan leaves the room, Mother Zbornak confesses that she secretly likes Dorothy, and thinks that she's perfect for Stan: "You love him, but you're hard on him." When Dorothy then asks about why she's so nasty to her, Mother Zbornak reveals that she doesn't want Stan visiting, proving that she and her daughter-in-law are not so different.
6	** Blanche talks about the last Mother's Day she spent with her own mother, who at that point suffered from advanced dementia. After giving her a lace handkerchief, Blanche launches into a lengthy story about a Mother's Day on which, as a seventeen-year-old, she almost married a ''much'' older man so that she could become his daughter's (who was a schoolmate of hers) stepmother and force her to not try out for the cheerleading team. Blanche's mother corrects her--that incident didn't take place on Mother's Day, but Christmas Day. Blanche is shocked that her mother remembers an event from the past so clearly, and Mrs. Hollingsworth explains that, even though she has days when she quite literally can't remember who she is, she has ''never'' forgotten anything Blanche has done.
7	** Rose tells the story of a Mother's Day she spent in a bus station as she tried to visit St. Olaf, where her children were waiting for her. She meets an elderly woman named Anna who is also waiting for a bus, planning to spend the holiday with her daughter. The two talk, and Anna eventually reveals that her daughter is dead, and that she visits her gravestone every year to mark the occasion. But this year, Anna ran away from her nursing home to make the trip, and she's afraid that she's going to be found out. Sure enough, a police officer arrives to take her back just as the bus pulls in...only for Rose to stand up and declare that Anna is her own mother, and that they have a bus to catch (the bus station attendant even gets in on this moment by silently smiling and nodding to the two as they walk by, promising not to tell). Anna quietly thanks Rose, who simply says "Happy Mother's Day."
8	** Finally, after all of the flashbacks have been shared, the girls prepare to leave. Rose points out that Janet, Blanche's daughter (with whom she's had a very rocky relationship), has not called her, but Blanche insists, as she's done for the whole episode, that that isn't going to happen...only for the phone to ring as they stand up from the table. It's Janet, and Blanche's voice breaks with happiness as she talks to her.
9	* Many episodes have moments where the four women describe each other - and the offspring of each other - as family. They may argue, bitch, snipe, be sarcastic as is humanely possible to be... but they are, truly family.
10	* The Episode where it is revealed that Dorothy ''does'' listen to Rose's St. Olaf stories; she listens enough to tell the father of a family friend one of the stories to inspire him to take back his pregnant sixteen year old daughter. The look on Rose's face when she finds out is so heartwarming that you realise ''just'' how much the women, despite everything - all the snipes, sarcasm, bitching, arguing - do listen and respect one another.
11	* When Dorothy's sister visited and offered to take Sophia to live with her, first they worked out their perceptions of Sophia's ParentalFavoritism, then when they all agreed that Sophia would stay in Miami:
12	-->'''Sophia:''' You're both good daughters. Most people my age have children trying to get rid of them. My children are fighting over who gets to keep me.
13	* In an episode where Dorothy gets her aunt Angela (Sophia's sister) to visit as a surprise for Sophia's birthday, the two women have a huge argument over a past misunderstanding. Dorothy forces them to talk out their problems where it was revealed that Angela didn't reveal a secret of Sophia's to a houseful of party guests (which Sophia had assumed) and Sophia didn't kiss Angela's husband. The reveal leads to this sweet exchange:
14	-->'''Sophia:''' So you didn't betray me?
15	-->'''Angela:''' Of course not! You're my sister!
16	* In Season 3 episode The Audit. Stan selling his corvette so Dorothy can have her ring back. Even earlier, Dorothy learning that Stan bought her the expensive ring because she deserved it after 38 years of marriage.
17	* In the finale, when Dorothy is on the way to [[spoiler: her wedding]], the driver is revealed to be Stan. It seems as though he wants to keep her from going, which is what Dorothy expects, but he tells her that he is genuinely happy for her and wants to escort her there as a final parting gift.
18	** Even more heartwarming is this; at the ceremony Stan, even though he clearly was ready to profess his love for Dorothy once more as she and Lucas exchanged their vows instead chooses not to speak. After many years of failed attempts to win her heart back, he finally puts her happiness before his own and allows her to move on with her life, giving her and her newlywed his full blessing.
19	* In a Season Six episode, Dorothy finds a list of her life goals that she wrote while she was in high school. She decides to tackle one of the items on the list--trying stand-up comedy--by signing up at a comedy club. As she prepares her act, Sophia has nothing but criticism and sarcastic remarks to offer, which eventually pushes Dorothy to the point where she claims that Sophia doesn't support her at all. When Dorothy finally gets on stage, her first jokes fall flat, and it looks like things will end badly for her...until Sophia starts some good-natured heckling from the audience. This prompts Dorothy to start making jokes about her home life, which the crowd absolutely loves. It proves that Sophia, for her all of her snark, does love Dorothy and care about her dreams.
20	* In "Have Yourself a Very Little Christmas," the girls volunteer at a homeless shelter by serving dinner to people on Christmas Day. One of those people is a man in a Santa Claus suit, who turns out to be Stan, who made a bad financial investment with novelty Santas in fire trucks; his third wife has kicked him out because of it. Stan whines about his predicament, prompting Dorothy to point out that he's surrounded by people--and especially children--who are far worse off than he is. After giving him some money and sending him on his way, the girls finish serving dinner, and the priest running the shelter prepares to end the meal...and that's when Stan, in character as Santa, arrives with a bag full of his novelty toys to give as presents to "all the good little boys and girls." The children are thrilled, and Dorothy looks at Stan with a beautiful smile to thank him for what he's done.
21	* One episode's B-plot sees Dorothy writing a letter to her deceased father Sal as a therapeutic exercise. Sophia makes jokes, until the end of the episode reveals that Dorothy changed tack while writing and actually drafted a letter to ''her.'' Dorothy explains that she doesn't want to miss out on telling Sophia that she loves her.
22	* In "Heart Attack," Sophia, fearing that she's going to die, tells Dorothy that [[PlatonicDeclarationOfLove she truly loves her "very, very much."]] Later, as Dorothy breaks down in Sophia's room over her fears of losing her mother, Blanche stands at her side and assures her: "We're your family, Dorothy. We may not be blood, but we're here."
23	* In "Isn't It Romantic," Dorothy's friend Jean, a lesbian, comes to visit, and begins to fall in love with Rose. This prompts a few heartwarming moments:
24	** At one point, Dorothy asks Sophia what she would do if one of her children was gay. After some initial confusion--Sophia insists that Dorothy should "stick with what she knows" at this point--she assures her: "If one of my kids was gay, I wouldn't love him one bit less. I would wish him all of the happiness in the world." In a world where most family members reject their loved ones for their sexuality, it's nice to hear that Sophia is so accepting. It's also worth noting that this episode aired in 1986, when the AIDS crisis was at its peak and misinformation about homosexuality was rampant.
25	** When Jean eventually confesses her feelings, she and Rose have a talk the next day. Rose admits that she doesn't fully understand homosexuality, but admits that if she was gay, she'd she'd be flattered that Jean thought so highly of her. She then offers Jean her friendship, and the two embrace.
26	* In "Sister of the Bride," Blanche's gay brother Clayton announces his plans to marry Doug, his boyfriend. At first, Blanche is extremely reluctant to accept this. This leads to the episode's first heartwarmer: Sophia pointing out that Clayton's love for Doug is no different than Blanche's love for George, her late husband, and making a simple yet profound argument: "Everyone wants someone to grow old with, and doesn't Clayton deserve that, too?"
27	** An ever sweeter moment comes later, when Blanche enters Clayton and Doug's room. She says she has an important question, and Clayton remarks that he doesn't want to talk to her--only for Blanche to say that the question is for Doug: "Do you love him?" She explains the Clayton is her baby brother, and she has to take care of him. The three finally come to an understanding and hug.
28	* In one episode, Sophia's friend Lillian is transferred from Shady Pines to Sunny Pastures, the worst nursing home in all of Miami. Sophia breaks Lillian out and brings her to stay with the girls; unfortunately, Lillian is genuinely senile (and possibly suffering from a disease like dementia or Alzheimer's), and they're not able to give her the care she needs. The episode's subplot appears as simple comic relief: Blanche gets a big bonus at work and decides to use it to have her breasts enlarged, which leads to plenty of jokes. But the plotlines cross when, at the end of the episode, Rose reveals that she found another, better nursing home for Lillian. It seems as though the girls can't afford it...until Blanche selflessly gives up her bonus to cover for Lillian's initial treatment. At this point in the series, Blanche's {{Flanderization}} into a totally selfish individual was just beginning, so it's nice to see her willingly give up something she truly wants to help a woman she barely knows.
29	* Like the Mother's Day episode above, the Valentine's Day episode that appeared later in the series offers a few sweet moments.
30	** Sophia has a flashback to when she, Sal, and her father were on a cross-country road trip and ended up stranded in Chicago. Sophia's father takes her to task for marrying someone like Sal, and she admits that there's plenty wrong with him--but he still has a special quality that she can't explain. Sal proves that true when he reveals that he bought his wife a big box of Valentine's Day chocolates early in the trip and kept it hidden, quietly keeping track of the days so he could give it to her on the holiday itself. D'awww.
31	** In Blanche's flashback, she reveals that George (her late husband) proposed to her in a particular bar on Valentine's Day; the two made it a tradition to go back every year, and she's kept it up even after his death. As Blanche tells the bartender about why she's ordering two glasses of champagne, a young man overhears and reveals that he too is planning to propose, but can't work up the courage to actually pop the question. Blanche then sits with the young man and goes over every detail of that night; the simple beauty of the story is a nice contrast to the wild tales about her sex life, and proves that she and George really did love each other. What makes it even better is that at the end of the story, the young man decides that he's ready to propose, too--at which point he calls out to his ''boyfriend'' as he walks into the bar. It's a funny moment, but also showcases the LGBT-positive nature of the program.
32	** The girls were all despondent about their dates cancelling on at them at the beginning of the episodes. Their dates show up at the house at the end to reveal it was all so they could surprise them with a rented limo and reservations for dinner and dancing. What's more, Sophia was in on the ruse because she wanted the girls to have a romantic night.
33	** The end of the episode has some behind-the-scenes heartwarming. Sophia is revealed to have a date with none other than Julio Iglesias, who actually appears in the episode. Initially, the producers wanted Iglesias to sing his famous rendition of "Begin the Beguine" to close out the show, but when the time came to film, he was reluctant about his voice not being up to par that evening and said he wouldn't do it. As the showrunners fretted, Estelle Getty herself came to the rescue--she too suffered from bad stage fright (even after the show had become popular) and knew what it felt like. In rehearsal, Getty took Iglesias's arm and started singing the song to him herself; this relaxed him enough to turn the number into a duet, which they perform as they walk out the door for a night on the town.
34	* This adorable exchange between Sal and Sophia, during a flashback to Brooklyn, 1957, in "One for the Money".
35	--> '''Sal:''' Will you wait up for me?
36	--> '''Sophia:''' Don't I always?
37	--> '''Sal:''' ''[affectionately]'' I love you.
38	--> '''Sophia:''' I love you too.
39	--> '''Dorothy:''' ''[looks at her mother with a knowing smirk]''
40	--> '''Sophia:''' ''[shrugs]'' I look at him, I see Errol Flynn.
41	* Dorothy and Sophia make a bet over a bowling competition. If Sophia wins, Dorothy will pay for a trip to Italy with an old boyfriend that she disapproved of. If Dorothy wins, Sophia will give her a pair of treasured antique earrings. Near the end of the competition, Dorothy sees how happy Sophia is reminiscing with Augustine and purposely takes a dive so Sophia wins the bet. Sophia in turn gives Dorothy the earrings anyway, knowing her daughter well enough that she could have easily made that winning shot.
42	* In the episode "Foreign Exchange" the Bascos, friends of Sophia's from Sicily, come to visit with a shocking possibility - [[SwitchedAtBirth their daughter Gina and Dorothy were possibly mixed up at birth, meaning Sophia isn't really Dorothy's mother.]] Dorothy agonizes over this for the entirety of the episode, especially when she sees Sophia growing closer to Gina. Sophia goes to have a blood test to solve the whole issue once and for all, and while they're waiting for the results, Sophia tells Dorothy the story of her first day of school - Dorothy began crying and calling out for Sophia, but the teacher told Sophia to leave so they could get Dorothy calmed down. Throughout the rest of the day, Dorothy was bullied by another girl every time the teacher had her back turned. Sophia was afraid the incident would put Dorothy off school forever, but when she picks Dorothy up, she learns Dorothy had a fantastic time and can't wait to go back. Dorothy realizes the only way Sophia could have known about all that is if she'd been watching, which Sophia confirms: "I stood at the window for four hours. In case you needed me."
43	** Followed immediately by the doctor bringing in the results of Sophia's blood test. She thanks him, promptly rips it up, tosses it aside, and turns to Dorothy, saying, "Let's roll." Sophia couldn't care at all what some blood test says. Dorothy is her daughter, and she loves her with all her heart.
44	** The Bascos come to the same realization, deciding to let the matter drop and go back to Sicily with Gina. Philomena apologizes to Dorothy for putting her through all this, and says, "You would have been a wonderful daughter. But then, you already have, for ''your'' mother."
45	* In "Stan Takes a Wife," Stan plans on marrying a woman named Katherine. Dorothy's thrilled at the prospect of him not barging in on her life any more--but then a cold Sophia has caught turns into a bad case of pneumonia, and Stan comes to wait with Dorothy at the hospital, bringing her takeout and bravely demanding that the uncaring doctors provide hourly updates on Sophia (which is itself a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming for Stan, as it shows he still cares not only about Dorothy, but his former mother-in-law as well). Stan's show of kindness makes Dorothy realize that she's still in love with him, and she plans to interrupt the wedding to tell him how she feels. Blanche and Rose are able to keep them apart long enough to prevent Dorothy from blabbing, and she heads off to the wedding location's bar to drown her misery in popcorn. As she sits stewing, a middle-aged woman enters, looking nervous. She explains that she's about to get married, but is terrified that she won't be able to measure up to her new husband's ex-wife, who he apparently praises all the time ("She's Superwoman! Cooked, cleaned, raised two kids, had a career, and has never looked better!"). Dorothy quickly realizes that the woman is Katherine, though she doesn't reveal her own identity. Katherine then goes on to say that this will be her first-ever marriage, as she's dedicated most of her life to her career, and that she's totally, completely in love with Stan. Dorothy then remarks that [[IHaveThisFriend if Stan's ex-wife]] ''was'' to hear all this, she might temporarily have some old feelings, but then see how happy he and his new bride were, realize her own selfishness, and give them her blessing. Encouraged, Katherine heads off to the wedding; Dorothy comes with her, remarking that she has a feeling they'll be seeing each other again very soon...
46	* The end of the 2nd part of "Sophia's Wedding". During the two parter, Sophia reconciles with her and Salvador's old friend Max and ends up marrying him (to Dorothy's chagrin). After the two of them open up a pizza stand on the beach and it accidentally burns down, they realize that they love each other but things aren't the same without their deceased spouses to complete their group. The couple decides to separate rather than divorce and dance to a song dedicated to the four of them.
47	* The ending of "What a Difference a Date Makes". To wit, the episode had Dorothy getting back into contact with the guy who stood her up for her prom. While Sophia believes that it would be a bad idea, she does so anyway and on their date, it's learned that Sophia had turned him away that day because of his lousy outfit and attitude to match. After Dorothy confronts her and tells her how her actions caused her to lose all of her confidence and self-respect, settle for a guy like Stan, become pregnant by him and end up getting married, she then implies that she'll never forgive her for it. On their second date, a school dance where she's a chaperone, he then thanks Sophia on her putting him in his place over what a {{Jerkass}} he was back then and how it lead him to begin to grow up and treat others with respect. Upon learning this, she forgives her mother and takes responsibility for her actions and as she then tells her about her night [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments (after a false start of Sophia asking Dorothy to sit on her lap)]], she then holds and kisses her daughter as she happily recalls the date for her.
48	* Doubling as a TearJerker, in "Questions and Answers," Rose brings her new dog in to care for her hospital patients, particularly one sick woman who brightens up every day when she plays with him. Sadly, the woman dies, but Rose decides to give her dog to her husband as a comfort.
49	* In "Big Daddy's Little Lady," Blanche's old-fashioned father "Big Daddy" Hollingsworth announces his plans to marry Margaret Spencer, a widow who turns out to be [[MayDecemberRomance in her thirties]]. Blanche is understandably shocked and at first outright says that Margaret is nothing but a GoldDigger, infuriating her father to the point where he [[IHaveNoSon threatens to cut himself off from her entirely]]. After a conversation with the girls, Blanche has a heart-to-heart with Big Daddy, makes peace with the idea, and wholeheartedly welcomes Margaret into the family, as they have a lot in common--they both love Big Daddy and want him to be happy above all else.
50	** Big Daddy gets a small one during the ending conversation, too--he reveals that he brought Margaret to meet Blanche because he wants his daughter's blessing on the union. For someone as old-fashioned (and admittedly stubborn) as him, that's a major sign of respect for Blanche.
51	** What brought Big Daddy and Margaret together in the first place is that Margaret's first husband died in much the same way as Blanche's mother. Big Daddy and Margaret came together because they were capable of understanding what the other had gone through watching the loves of their lives spend their last years in agony.
52	* In "Home Again, Rose," Rose suffers a heart attack and needs quadruple bypass surgery. The girls promptly begin a vigil at the hospital, sharing stories about Rose and how much she means to all of them (Sophia even admits that she outright views Rose as her own child). When Rose's daughter Kirsten shows up, she's understandably frazzled, but also tells the women that they aren't Rose's "real" family. But then, when Kirsten finally gets a chance to see her mother before surgery, the first thing she asks is "Where are the girls?" Kirsten thinks she means her granddaughters, but Rose corrects her: "I mean ''my'' girls." At this point the women have moved beyond roommates or even friends-- they're [[FamilyOfChoice sisters.]]
53	** During the surgery, Kirsten approaches the women and tells them that the physical therapy and aftercare Rose will need is going to be extremely expensive, and their health insurance won't cover it. She begins to break down and cry--but Blanche, without a moment's hesitation, says that they'll pay for it no matter what: "That's why houses have mortgages." Kirsten is so shocked by this extreme generosity that she immediately goes to the doctors to tell them to let the girls in to see Rose: "I think my mother needs to be with her family now. ''All'' of her family."
54	* In "Old Boyfriends" Sophia finds a date in the personals, Marvin, who seems like a great catch, the only problem being that his clingy sister Sarah insists on going on all of their dates with them. Then it turns out that the Sarah is not his sister, but his ''wife.'' She is dying with only a few months left to live, and is trying to find the right woman for her husband to be with when she passes so he isn't lonely. At first Sophia is on board with the idea and agrees to it, but after seeing the couple still so much in love with each other she changes her mind. Sarah is upset that Sophia wasted their time and denied Marvin of what he wants, when Marvin finally says that he ''doesn't'' want another woman, he just wants to spend what little time they have left together.
55	-->'''Sarah:''' I feel so guilty for leaving you.
56	-->'''Marvin:''' Don't. I'll be along soon enough.
57	* In "Old Friends," Sophia has a rare moment of softness. After having a fight with her friend Alvin (unbeknownst to her, he suffers from Alzheimer's and didn't know who she was), she snaps at Rose... and then promptly apologizes, admitting that Rose didn't deserve that, and her bad mood isn't her fault. Rose then sits down with her and listens to her problems.
58	* Both parts of "Sick and Tired" are full of these:
59	** Sophia is much less snarky with Dorothy, genuinely caring and worried over her daughter's health and going with her to her doctor visits. And she's terrified that Dorothy might have a fatal disease that the doctors can't seem to find.
60	** When Dorothy goes to New York to see a referred doctor she brings Rose along with her, saying that among the four of them she is the most comforting and compassionate. After Dorothy is dismissed by the doctor, she hits the DespairEventHorizon and breaks down crying, fearing that she's going insane because no one is listening to her. Rose holds her in her arms and reassures her that she ''knows'' Dorothy is sick, giving her the comfort and empathy she severely needs.
61	** At her wit's end Dorothy goes to see her neighbor [[Series/EmptyNest Dr. Harry Weston]], a pediatrician, and for the first time she is treated with care by a physician who believes she truly is sick. He ends up referring her to an actual doctor who finally diagnoses her with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and she is grateful to him for it.
62	--->'''Child Patient:''' Has he been your doctor ever since you were little?
63	--->'''Dorothy:''' He's not my doctor... He's my friend.
64	* In season 3's "Charlie's Buddy" Rose is romanced by an old friend of Charlie's from the war. He is actually a con-man who is trying to convince her to move away with him as part of a ploy to scam her out of some money. Rose, unaware of Buddy's true nature, confesses to him that while she loved reminiscing about Charlie with him, she doesn't love Buddy. When she offers Charlie's gold watch as a memento, Buddy is so [[HeelRealization touched and humbled]] that he insists she keep it and leaves her alone, saying he took enough from her and Charlie already.

Context Heartwarming / TheGoldenGirls