The Engagement

Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Rose (Betty White), and Blanche (Rue McClanahan) are three seniors who share a house in Miami. The main through line of this pilot is that Blanche has been proposed to by a man (Frank Aletter) who has only known her for a week. Rose has a negative gut feeling about the guy, but Dorothy doesn't want her to spoil Blanches' happiness. Meanwhile, Dorothy's mother Sophia (Estelle Getty) comes to stay after her retirement home burns down.

Four very talented ladies make the most of this script by Susan Harris that does a superb job of balancing some hilarious comedy with some poignancy. Indeed, there's something to be said here about the need to appreciate friends & family, as well as the need to remember all the good things in life. At her age, Blanche is worried that she won't have many more chances to be truly happy. But, as the theme song for this series so succinctly puts it, true friends will always be there for us, through the ups and the downs.

The dynamic between the characters is so well set up here, with Getty especially funny as the feisty 80 year old Sophia. Both she and Arthur have a real flair for delivering one-liners. In fact, Getty proved to be so popular with test audiences that she was quickly graduated from recurring guest star to full-fledged co-star, with the cook character Coco (Charles Levin) dropped from the series.

Good fun for classic sitcom fans, with a brief appearance from Meshach Taylor (as a cop), who subsequently went on to fame on the sitcom 'Designing Women'.

Eight out of 10.

The most brilliant comedy series in history, The Golden Girls, starts off with an impressive and hilarious first episode.

The very first episode deals with Blanche, and her engagement to a suspicious man. However, it's really Dorothy, Rose, and the introduction of Sophia that steal the episode.

This first episode is crucial, because it makes us realize who these women are. Dorothy is intelligent and sarcastic, Rose is dimwitted, Blanche is sexy, and Sophia is grumpy. All are explored in this classic first episode.

The only complaint is Coco, who thankfully was written out of the series after this episode. His character goes nowhere, and is borderline offensive.

It's 1985. Miami, Florida. 4 older women living together and sharing their lives with one another. This beginning episode introduces us to the lives of Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia. This episode is very funny and sets the stage for the rest of the series. Everyone is great here, sometimes pilot episodes aren't all that great, but this one really is both entertaining. The plot of this one centers around Blanche and her getting engaged to a man she's seeing. Things turn out not to be as they seem.... but Of course the girls are there for here as they always are. I recommend the entire show, it's one of my absolutes favorites, I thought it would be fun to review every episode of The Golden Girls. 8/10 for this very first episode. Starts things off with a bang.

This is really awesome, all actresses are so talented and lots of time I can't stop laughing. If u want to have a good laugh, this is one of the top choices I will suggest!

Pilot for one of the greatest sitcoms ever made. It comes out of the gate with a lot of laughs and a lot of heart. The girls have instant chemistry and set off the vibe for seven fantastic seasons.