"THE GOLDEN GIRLS: SEASON FOUR"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) STARRING Beatrice Arthur as DOROTHY Rue McClanahan as BLANCHE Betty White as ROSE Estelle Getty as SOPHIA Rated TV-PG Studio: ABC Created by: Susan Harris Back to DVD Review Home |  |
Like the actresses who originally starred in the hit television show “The Golden Girls,” I’m in a race against time. It’s not too long before season five is going to hit the streets, necessitating another ten hours of “Golden Girls” viewing.
I dragged my heels on season three. It was a busy fall, and I took too long to actually watch the shows. By the time I did and wrote my review, I had only a few weeks of rest before season four showed up on my doorstep.
Now, it became important to me to get through this season before I get season five, which will be released in May. It’s scary to think that by the end of next year, I’ll be one of the few guys I know who can claim to have watched every single episode of this series.
However, there is some good news. Either as a result of acquiescence, numbness or sheer exhaustion, the shows seem to be getting better. And it only took them four years to do this.
My theory is that the actors and writers had become very comfortable with the characters by the fourth year. Also, the outrageous and naughty factor of old women talking sex had been accepted by television audiences. Add a few Emmys to the show’s shelf, and it could be more daring.
The characters of Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Rose (Betty White) and Sophia (Estelle Getty) had fallen into caricatures of themselves by the middle of the third season. Sometimes this can kill a show, but more often it makes a sit-com as popular as ever. Other examples of this success include “Seinfeld,” “Married... With Children” and “Family Matters.”
Guest stars were bringing more credibility to the show. Some were inadvertent – like a non-speaking bit part in one episode by a then-unknown Quentin Tarantino. Others were planned accordingly – like Julio Iglesias and Bob Hope. Even when Dorothy’s ex, Stanley Zbornak (Herb Edelman), showed up, his stories had a little more humor and pizzazz.
Speaking of guest stars, the only special feature to speak of on this three-disc set is a spotlight on those in season four. “The Top Ten Guest Stars of Season 4” panders a bit to the show’s current fans, and it’s not all that exciting to watch. However, at least it’s not Joan and Melissa Rivers yapping again.
I was relieved to see a newfound creativity in the writing of the fourth season. The first few years had only a handful of basic stories. Either someone was getting married, someone thought they were dying or someone had a relative come from out of town. Sure, those plots rear their heads in season four, but for the most part, the girls were given more things to do.
One thing that may have contributed to the breath of fresh air found in season four was a less hands-on approach by series creator Susan Harris. By this time, she was working on the spin-off “Empty Nest” with much of the story duties being handled by Christopher Lloyd (not THE Christopher Lloyd of “Taxi” fame). Whatever the case, I found myself pleased with the fourth season of “The Golden Girls.” I just hope that the next three seasons will follow suit.
Specifications: Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Full frame (1.33:1). English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
