Guess Who's Coming to the Wedding is the second episode of the first season of The Golden Girls and the second episode overall. Directed by Paul Bogart and written by Susan Harris and Winifred Hervey, the episode premiered on NBC-TV on September 21st, 1985.
Summary[]
When Dorothy's daughter Kate gets married, Dorothy must confront her ex-husband Stanley, who walked out on their thirty-eight-year marriage for a younger woman.
Plot[]
Dorothy eagerly awaits the arrival of her daughter Kate, who is coming to Miami to deliver some important news. Dorothy snaps at Blanche and Rose a few times before admitting that she's nervous about meeting Dennis, the man that Kate's bringing over. When Blanche asks about the man's background, she is elated to hear that Kate's boyfriend is a doctor and asks if Dorothy knows how much doctors make in this day and age. Dorothy insists that she only cares about whether or not Kate is in a loving relationship, but as the doorbell rings, she mentions that if Kate and her beau get married, she'll shout from the rooftops that her son in law is a doctor.
"Don't tell me! Don't tell me, it's Dennis. Oh, my god, he's beautiful!"
Dorothy answers the door and excitedly greets Kate before asking where her boyfriend is. Kate says that Dennis is at a seminar, and greets Sophia before saying that she wants to make a big announcement. Kate tells the ladies, to their elation, that the day after tomorrow, she and Dennis are flying to the Bahamas to get married. The ladies are ecstatic at the news, but Dorothy's excitement quickly turns at the realization that Kate is getting married in the Bahamas. She insists that Kate and Dennis can get married here at the house, and Rose and Blanche insist that they can help take care of the catering and reception, respectively. Kate agrees on the stipulation that her father Stanley be invited to the wedding, which further sours Dorothy's mood. However, Dorothy agrees, and calls Stanley in Maui to invite him to the wedding, being somewhat relieved that his new wife Chrissy will not be attending due to a tanning machine incident. After passing the phone to Kate, Rose and Blanche ask Dorothy how she was able to get through the conversation. Dorothy says that she was reminding herself that once Stanley arrives, he'll be "close enough to kill".
The next day, Sophia and Dorothy help Blanche make bundles of rice for the wedding reception when Rose pulls Blanche and Dorothy aside. She tells them that Sophia has been stealing the cheese balls that she's making for the wedding, as she now has under half the amount that she'd made that morning. Kate then arrives with Dennis, and the ladies learn that he's a podiatrist. As they seem initially put off by the notion, Dennis assures them that he loves Kate dearly, and will make sure that she doesn't want for anything. Dorothy wishes the couple all the happiness in the world, and Sophia agrees, exclaiming that maybe one of their children will be a "real" doctor.
The day of the wedding, Stanley shows up at the house wearing a fresh new toupee, and Dorothy slams the door in his face before begrudgingly allowing him inside. She introduces him to Blanche and Rose. and Sophia is less than happy to see him. Kate then enters in her wedding dress, bringing tears to Dorothy's eyes at how beautiful she looks. Kate is happy that Stanley showed up, and Stanley tells Kate to thank Dorothy for inviting him rather than thanking him for coming to the wedding, as not many women would be able to do what she did after how he treated her. He tells Dorothy that she's absolutely awesome, much to her own anger. Kate takes Stanley and Sophia to ride to the church with her, and Blanche and Rose try to calm Dorothy down. Dorothy refuses to go to the wedding as she worries she'll cause a scene and ruin the event. While initially unassuaged despite her friends' insistence that they'll help her keep her cool, Dorothy is forced out of the hose by Blanche, who orders her to be there for her daughter on her wedding day.
Talk about Poligrip!
At the reception, Stanley's repeated jabs at her expense threaten to make Dorothy cause a scene. Despite Rose and Blanche's efforts to help her keep the peace, Dorothy eventually goes to her bedroom after the cake cutting ceremony. Sophia comes in to talk to her at the end of the reception, asking her to come out and throw rice with everyone. Dorothy refuses, and Sophia tells her that if she's still mad at Stan, tell him once the party is over. Dorothy reveals that she's no longer angry at Stanley's infidelity, but rather the way she had to find out about it, as he never told her face-to-face that he wanted a divorce. Sophia compares anger to a piece of Shredded Wheat caught under dentures -- if you get it out, the sore will heal and you'll feel better. Dorothy is baffled by the advice, and Sophia says "You want poetry, you listen to Neil Diamond. You want good advice, you listen to your mother."
"I want to speak to the bald guy who left me!"
After Kate and Dennis leave for their honeymoon, Dorothy asks to talk to Stanley on the lanai. When they are in private, Dorothy rips off Stan's toupee, insisting that she wants to talk to the bald guy who left her. She tells Stanley off for walking out on her, and reveals that Stanley sent his attorney to his and Dorothy's home to deliver the news that he was divorcing her. She reminds Stanley of everything they experienced during their thirty-eight years together and condemns him for taking the easy way out of it. She then sends Stanley away, as she now has what he tried to cheat her out of all those years ago -- the ability to tell Stanley goodbye.
"I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about this..."
Blanche, Rose and Sophia go out to the lanai after seeing Stanley leave, and ask Dorothy if she's alright. They assure her that she'll feel a little better every day, and one day, Stanley will be out of her life for good. Dorothy remarks that there will always be a piece of him that stays with her, and Rose reassures her that she'll always have memories of the good times they had together. Dorothy reveals she wasn't talking about the good memories -- and holds up Stanley's toupee.[1]
Tall Tales[]
Tales from the Old South[]
While trying to help Dorothy control her anger, Blanche tells Dorothy about a secret she learned at Miss MacGyver's Finishing School. She tells Dorothy to squeeze her hand every time she gets angry with Stanley. Dorothy expresses some disinterest at the secret, and Blanche tells her that the big secret was that Miss MacGyver and another female teacher were sharing a one-bedroom apartment off campus.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak
- Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux
- Betty White as Rose Nylund
- Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo
Guest List[]
- Herb Edelman as Stanley Zbornak
- Lisa Jane Persky as Kate Zbornak
- Dennis Drake as Dennis Griffiths
- Kurt Smildsin as Priest
Notes[]
- Dorothy's children, Kate and Michael, are seen several times throughout the run of the show, yet they are never seen together and neither one ever speaks of the other.
- The shots of Dorothy squeezing Blanche's hand so hard she falls to the ground and Dorothy telling Sophia she was a good mother are used in the opening.
Production[]
- The episode title is a reference to the 1967 romantic comedy-drama film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Incidentally, the film stars renowned Bahamian actor Sidney Pottier, and Kate and Dennis intended to get married in the Bahamas.
Continuity[]
- This is the first appearance of Dorothy's ex-husband Stanley Zbornak after his mention in "The Engagement".[2] Despite Stan initially being written as a one-off character, he would reappear throughout the series due to the character's positive reception.
- This episode is also the second mention of Chrissy, Stan's second wife with whom he left Dorothy for.
- It is revealed that Blanche attended Miss MacGyver's Finishing School.
Goofs[]
- When Dorothy and Stan are on the lanai and she vents her anger about him leaving her, saying "Now you're here in front of me and you can't run away," one of the cameras approaches her and gets too close, becoming visible in the scene. The camera's base rolls into the picture from the left, along with its cord.
- Dorothy ties Stanley's bow-tie, but in following scenes the clasp in his pre-made tie is clearly visible.
[]
References[]
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 1, Episode 2, "Guess Who's Coming to the Wedding". Hervey, Winifred (writer) & Bogart, Paul (director) (September 21st, 1985)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 1, Episode 1, "The Engagement". Harris, Susan (writer) & Sandrich, Jay (director) (September 14th, 1985)