When The Golden Girls made its debut back in the 1980s, audiences tuned in to glimpse its female leads' many hijinks and romances. It didn’t make its leading ladies into stars, as the veteran actresses were already quite successful. There was Dorothy Zbornak played by Bea Arthur (Maude) and her mother Sophia Petrillo played by Estelle Getty (Torch Song Trilogy). They shared a Miami house with Betty White’s Rose Nylund (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Blanche Devereaux played by Rue McClanahan (Maude). Together, the foursome proved to be a tour de force.
Among the four, you could always rely on Rose to tell an outrageous story from her hometown of St. Olaf, such as her childhood aspirations of being the "Small Curd Cottage Cheese Queen." Out of the show’s 180 episodes, the following showed off Betty White's comedic timing, the bittersweet aspects to growing older, often all at once. In honor of the late Betty White, travel down the road and back again with these Rose Nylund highlights.
Season 1 - “In A Bed Of Rose’s”
One night, Rose brings home a man named Al and she’s quite nervous. She hasn’t done something like this before. But when Al doesn’t wake up the next morning, each of the women is reluctant to find out if he’s just a deep sleeper or if he might actually be dead. The answer ends up being the latter and Rose has to face the consequences when he is also revealed to have been married.
This was the episode that won White an Emmy, and for good reason. It gave her character a rather over-the-top story and she took in all the comedic beats she was given. Upon learning that her fling is very much deceased, Rose handles it the only way her character can. “Poor Al," she laments, "and he just got a hair transplant.”
Season 2 - “It’s A Miserable Life”
A special old tree on the ladies' street is threatened with being uprooted and replaced with a slab of cement. Although not on purpose, Rose causes yet another death. This time around, the fate befalls selfish and irate neighbor Frieda Claxton, on whose property the tree sits. Frustrated at Claxton’s lack of caring for the tree, Rose unleashes her feelings and a final zinger (“Just drop dead!”). It proves too much and Claxton actually does die. Rose feels even worse when no one wants to give the deceased a burial.
The sudden burst of rage from the usually timid St. Olafian is a breath of fresh air. The girls don’t give Rose a break from her guilt. The comedy runs high when the ladies visit a funeral home to purchase the cheapest casket. Then it reaches a peak at Claxton’s funeral where it’s revealed she really didn’t have any loved ones. But in the closing minutes, Rose figures out both the best way to say goodbye to a lousy neighbor and save the old tree.
Season 3 - “Letter to Gorbachev”
Rose writes to the U.S. President and Soviet Premier, expressing her worries about nuclear war. When the letter gets a response, it’s because they think a child wrote it, not a middle-aged woman. But as the leader of a Sunshine Cadets, Rose is left out of the mix as Dorothy and Blanche try to use one of the girls as “little Rose.” A mix of fantasy and reality blend as Rose dreams of attending an event in Moscow.
This episode aired in 1987, as the Cold War was coming to a close, but relations between Russia and the U.S. were still tense. There was a greater threat of nuclear war between the countries. And when the show’s writers decided to bring up concerns of the time, they used the innocence of Rose to do just that.
Season 4 - “High Anxiety”
Dorothy and Sophia prepare to film a pizza commercial. But then the commercial is hindered by the shock that Rose is hooked on painkillers. At first she denies it but her arguments don’t hold up. After all, she’s been on the pills for decades. Together with her friends, Rose tries to cut the addiction. Everyone resolves to stay up one whole night but it's not an easy road.
As to how Rose got dependent on the pills, the backstory works because of the tonal balance that The Golden Girls is expert at striking. Back in her outlandish town of St. Olaf, Rose hurt her back when she pitched in to help on the farm after poor old Bessie, who pulled the farm equipment for over 17 years, finally got worn out. When Dorothy wonders why the town didn’t just bring in another mule, Rose is perplexed. “Old Bessie wasn’t a mule. She was a big, fat lady who pulled farm plows.” And when Blanche wonders why tractors weren’t used, Rose once again has an answer to that. “Come on, Blanche. If she was too old to pull a plow, how could she ever pull a tractor?”
Season 5 - “72 Hours”
A blood transfusion might have infected Rose with HIV and while she waits 72 hours for test results, her worries explode. On the first morning, Rose chooses to drive all the way out of state to focus on something else. It doesn’t work and as time slowly ticks on, Rose gets more frustrated. Like the show in general, everything comes to a neat conclusion but this episode’s key message has remained relevant.
Airing at the height of the AIDS epidemic, The Golden Girls writers were delicate in handling the tone for this episode. Placing White’s character at the center of the health crisis was an important move. The show used this focus to communicate that the virus was affecting everyone, that the stigma around HIV/AIDS targeting only the LGBT community and minorities was ignorant. It was one episode out of so many others that showed how well executed The Golden Girls was and why people gravitated towards it.
Season 6 - “The Bloom is Off the Rose”
Seeking more adventure with her long-term boyfriend Miles (Harold Gould), Rose decides the two should go skydiving. After all, her deceased husband Charlie never made her feel bored in their relationship. Miles tries to get out of it but Rose is persistent. She really wants to experience descending toward a pasture with cows. "Couldn't I just run toward you yelling, 'Moo?'" Miles asks. Elsewhere, Blanche finds herself with a verbally abusive lover and however much Dorothy tries to talk sense into her, Blanche ignores the signs.
Miles ends up being the most frequent of Rose’s boyfriends throughout the show and the two work well together. Both are widowers and both enjoy each other’s quirks. But a favorite theme of The Golden Girls pops up here, that growing old doesn’t mean romance ends. As the ladies continue exploring their love lives, they also struggle with romantic conflicts. Blanche finds support in Dorothy with her abusive relationship, whether she wants it or not. Rose reminisces about her deceased husband while also recognizing Miles as his own person.
Season 7 - “One Flew Out Of The Cuckoo’s Nest”
In the series finale, a ploy by Blance causes the dominoes to fall, ultimately leading to Dorothy getting married. Always the one to be made fun of for her lack of male lovers, Dorothy gets the last laugh. This isn’t the absolute last time all four women are together (The Golden Palace was a short-lived spin-off) but it’s a closing chapter nonetheless. During the big wedding, audiences get a peek into each character's POV via voiceover. When it comes to Rose--there isn't much going on there.
It was Bea Arthur’s decision to leave the show, ultimately bringing the series to its end. But each of the four veteran actresses contributed tremendously to the success of the show and Rose and the girls are each given moments to shine. The sendoff in the final minutes to all four ladies of Miami is bittersweet. After watching it, and to avoid a full-blown emotional breakdown, it's best to just restart the series again.