A Visit From Little Sven S3 E9

Synopsis: Rose’s cousin Sven comes to visit and Blanche ends up using him to make her boyfriend Floyd jealous; Sophia wants her driver’s license renewed.

80s Flashback

Dorothy, talking about Sven: “Uh Rose, could you introduce Blanche and me?”

Rose: “Oh of course, Dorothy this is Blanche, Blanche this is Dorothy! We have jokes like that around here all the time.”

Dorothy: “It’s like living in a house full of Howie Mandels.”

Let’s Get Political

Rose: “In the old country, when a woman dumps a man the man is allowed to shave the woman’s head and make her wear an itchy hat.”

Dorothy: “I hear Pakistan has the same penalty for jaywalking.”

St. Olaf Vocab

Flenderhooven – oatmeal served with crackers made of yak intestines, aka “yak snacks”

That’s What She Said

Rose: “The longer you wait, the harder it'll get!”

Lewd Ladies

Blanche: “Why, Rose Nylund! Why, that cake is in the shape of-”

Dorothy: “Blanche, we know what it is.”

Rose: “I thought it was in the shape of Florida.”

Blanche: “That reminds me, I've gotta give Charlie Milburne a call.”

Dorothy: “If this cake reminds you of Charlie Milburne, we could both give him a call.”

Zbornak Zingers

Blanche: “Rose, that's only one side of it. Look at the other side. He did get to kiss me.

Dorothy: “Big deal. More people get to kiss you than the Pope's ring.”

Insult Watch

Sophia: “Were you two the cousins who played the banjo in Deliverance?”

Tales From the Old South

Blanche: “You know, I've always had this trouble ever since high school. I was the head cheerleader and I was dating our star quarterback, Calwell Honeycutt. Well, time came to break up but I just could not tell Calwell to his face. I couldn't bear to inflict that much grief and suffering on one man. So I finally decided that the best way to handle it was just to lead my girls in a farewell cheer. Two-four-six-eight, who will Blanche no longer date? Calwell!”

Dorothy: “Did he get the message, or did the band have to spell out 'buzz off' at half-time?”

Sassy Sophia

Dorothy: “Ma, you went through the stop sign, you hit a mailbox, you almost ran over Mrs. Burlefine!”

Sophia: “Please the woman’s already in a wheelchair how much more damage could I do?”

Reel References

Blanche: “Doesn't that get confusing, having two 'Big Svens'?”

Rose: “There aren't Blanche. There’s Big Sven and Big Sven II, like Jaws and Jaws 2.”

Dorothy: “Rose, are any of your relatives named Psycho and Psycho II?!”

Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Stanley

Dorothy: “Ma, you're 81 years old. Your eyesight is weaker. Your reflexes are slower.”

Sophia: “And who are you, Magic Johnson?”

Oh Shut Up, Rose!

Dorothy: “Rose, everything okay down at the counseling center?”

Rose: “Yes, finally. We had a manic depressive overload but luckily Dr. Ferguson had heard some new knock-knock jokes and that seemed to do the trick.”

Dorothy: “Knock-knock??”

Rose: “Who's there?!”

Dorothy: “Oh shut up, Rose!”

Dorothy Zbornak is My Spirit Animal

Blanche: "I was only blessed with one talent, turning men on. I've just never known how to turn them off… You tell him, Dorothy!”

Dorothy: “I would, Blanche, but remember, we just want to turn him off, not drain the sex drive COMPLETELY OUT OF HIM!!!”

Product Placement

Blanche: “How long had you been together with this guy?”

Dorothy: “Thirty-eight years.”

Rose: “That was Stan??”

Dorothy: “And you know, to this day, he can belch out the chorus to 'Sweet Georgia Brown' on one Dr. Pepper.”

Best of B.E.D.

Blanche: “He said he had to go visit his sick mother in the hospital. Did you ever hear such a weak excuse?”

Dorothy: “And his mother isn't in the hospital.”

Blanche: “Of course she is, but he can visit her anytime. He can only see me tonight.”

Golden Quotes

Blanche: “You know, I never thought I’d say this, but I think Rose has got the brains in that family.”

and

Rose: “What’s this boat she keeps talking about?”

Dorothy: “Don’t worry Rose, you missed it.”

Critique: I know it's been a while since I've been in school but can someone explain Sven's reference to the Cape of Good Hope? It's in South Africa, so why would Sven need to sail around it to get home to Scandinavia from Florida? Or is it just one of the million jokes about him being as dumb as a box of hair? But I digress. Any episode that involves any of Rose’s weird relatives or family traditions is a winner in my book. I love the way Blanche is constantly mispronouncing Sven’s name. It’s also fun to see a person who is more naïve than Rose. But the standout moment of the episode is the brief bit with the cake from the Get It While It's Hot Erotic Bake Shop; it's a priceless, hilarious scene including Dorothy’s classic baritoned, “WHOA!” Unfortunately, Sophia’s storyline about getting her driver's license again is only an excuse to make jokes about running over people (even though they're still pretty funny). And this episode continues the writers' endless obsession with Burt Reynolds. GRADE: B+