"Not Another Monday" is an episode in the fifth season of The Golden Girls.
Martha Lamont, one of Sophia's close friends, is tired of the physical pain and suffering in her life and wants to kill herself. Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose take care of a sick baby.
Tropes:
- Babysitting Episode: The baby in question, Frank, is that of a couple from Rose's church, and the girls are sitting overnight. The baby develops a fever while they're caring for him, and their pediatrician neighbor, Dr. Harry Weston, comes to examine him, with Blanche naturally taking advantage of the chance to flirt. Later, they memorably sing "Mr. Sandman" in three-part harmony to get him to sleep.
- Cool and Unusual Punishment: As Sophia considers helping Martha commit suicide, Dorothy encourages Rose to tell a story, and then after the story is over, she turns to Sophia and says, "You see that, Ma? You kill someone, you end up being a Rose story."
- Driven to Suicide / Suicide by Pills: Martha decides to commit suicide by overdosing on pills after the death of her friend Lydia, and asks Sophia to sit with her when she does it. Sophia is able to talk her out of it and the two cry together.
- Getting the Baby to Sleep: Blanche, Rose, and Dorothy can't get baby Frank to stop crying and sleep, so Rose suggests singing "Mr. Sandman" which was how she got her children to fall sleep. The three decide to try it, and turns out it works on Frank, too.
- Interrupted Suicide: Sophia prevents her dear friend from killing herself.
- Go Mad from the Isolation: The episode examines Martha's motives for suicide in depth, and shows that she has gone past mere loneliness.Martha: You live with friends and family. Holidays and warmth. I hear the silence.
- Talking Down the Suicidal: How Sophia manages to prevent Martha from going through Suicide by Pills.
- Tinkle in the Eye: How the girls, who all have at least one son each, figure out whether Francis is Francie or Frank. The stream reaches their eye level.Dorothy, Rose, and Blanch: Frank.
- Very Special Episode: Sophia talks a friend out of committing suicide.
- Wham Line: After Martha attends the funeral of a friend, she and Sophia go out to dinner, with an invitation to come over to Martha's house the next night. Sophia is confused, until Martha explains why:Martha: I want you to be there when I kill myself.
