The Pope’s Ring S7E13

Synopsis: The Pope is visiting Miami and Sophia insists on trying to get him to visit her sick friend in the hospital; meanwhile Blanche hires a detective to follow Miles for Rose’s birthday.

80s Flashback

Sophia: “No. This is his ring. Look.”

Dorothy: “My God, Ma. This looks.. real!”

Sophia: “It is real. You think he'd wear his fakes in public like Zsa Zsa?”

…Until the Buffalo Pooped

Sophia: “Coming through. The Pope's in town and I've got a bus to catch. Let's see, I've got my binoculars, my lucky rosary. Uh-oh, I forgot my whoopee cushion. Eh, who am I kidding? Everyone on that bus will be over 80. It'd be like getting a dog to bark in a kennel.”

Rose, to Sophia in the bathroom: “Sophia, you won't believe it! You know who's here? The Pope is here! Sophia! The Pope!”

Sophia: “All my life I've been waiting for this!”

Rose: “Oh okay, I won't disturb you.”

That’s What She Said

Sophia: “How good would you consider the Pope's ring?”

Dorothy: “Okay Ma, squirt me in the eye and get it over with.”

Picture It

Sophia: “Picture it. The papal mass. A few hours ago. I wanna cop a blessing for Agnes, so I sneak into the crippled and lame section.”

Dorothy: “Oh Ma, how could you?”

Sophia: “With a pronounced limp. The Pope finally arrives, I bend down to kiss his ring. Just then, security comes and whisks him away. He leaves the ring behind as a memento.”

Dorothy: “Ma, you stole the Pope's ring?”

Sophia: “It slipped off. You know, for God's representative on Earth, he sure has sweaty palms.”

Dorothy: “You're gonna take it right back.”

Sophia: “Dorothy, this is a sign. Maybe I'm supposed to make a miracle. Hey, maybe this is my shot at getting into the Bible.”

Dorothy: “Ma, the Bible is a done deal. Now, you can't keep it. We're talking about a millenniums-old symbol of the Pope's authority. Something so steeped in history and tradition that it makes even you seem middle-aged.”

Zbornak Zingers

Blanche: “Besides I can't take it back. I paid in advance.”

Dorothy: “Can't you get a refund?”

Blanche: “Well, no. I paid with nature's credit card.”

Dorothy: “You never leave home without it.”

Insult Watch

Blanche: “Excuse me, Rose, you're about to make a grave mistake. You come to me if you want advice on men. You go to Dorothy if there's grammar you want help with.”

Dorothy: “You ended that sentence with a preposition just to bait me.”

Sophia: “I called the diocese like you told me, Dorothy. The Pope will be here any minute to pick up the ring.”

Blanche: “The Pope's comin' here? This is horrible. What will I wear? I don't believe I have a thing that doesn't call attention to my bosom.”

Sophia: “Try not wearing makeup.”

Tales from the Old South

Blanche: “Look, I know how to settle this. Let me tell you a story of the steamy South. A tale of deception and tragedy.”

Sophia: “Just a second, Uncle Remus. Give me the ring and I'll tell the Pope to give you a blessing too.”

Dorothy: “Ma, Blanche is telling a story!”

Sophia: “Oh, sorry. Go on.”

Blanche: “I was 19.”

Sophia: “Fine. He might have a blessing that gets men.”

Dorothy: “Ma!”

Sophia: “What? I thought she was finished.”

Dorothy: “She just said she was 19.”

Sophia: “Well look at her now. You don't call that a tragedy?”

Dorothy: “Ma, it is going back and that's final. Go ahead, Blanche.”

Blanche: “No! The mood has been ruined. Suffice it to say, it involved a men's club, a vine rope, and a large bottle of Absorbine Jr.”

Back in St. Olaf

Miles: “Hey, I got an idea. I'm-- I'm feeling a little frisky. Did you ever make love in the out-of-doors?”

Rose: “Miles, no. Well, just once. Charlie and I went to St. Olaf's most romantic outdoor trysting place.

Mount Pushover. But that place was sacred.”

Sweet, Single-Digit-IQ Rose

Miles: “Do you have any idea what it's like working on a college campus?”

Rose: “Well, I've never worked on one, but I was the subject of a lab experiment once.”

Miles: “Wait a minute, you never told me that.”

Rose: “They doubled my IQ. For three days, I was another Einstein. Then they pulled out the IV.”

Miles: “What was in that IV?”

Rose: “Smart juice, I guess.”

From Feud to Food

Sophia: “The Pope came to the hospital and blessed Agnes. He answered my prayers! He answered me! Oh, ye of little faith.”

Blanche: “Oh you must feel special, Sophia. You must feel blessed.”

Sophia: “And hungry. Come on, Rose, let's go into the kitchen and whip up some loaves and fishes.”

Dorothy Zbornak is My Spirit Animal

Blanche: “You hate me 'cause I'm beautiful, don't you?”

Dorothy: “There's a man leaving in 10 minutes. Be under him.”

The Boob Tube

Dorothy: “Honey, before you do anything else I want you to open my gift. I think you're gonna like it.”

Rose: “Oh, isn't that pretty. Oh, Dorothy! Oh, a second-hand sweatshirt with my name misspelled on it. Oh, you're right, Dorothy, I love it!”

Dorothy: “Rose, that is the original Mickey Mouse Club sweatshirt that Roy wore! I got it at an auction.

Rose: “Oh, my God. I loved Roy. Oh, there was something about him. Woof!”

Golden Quotes

Blanche: “Good mornin'.”

Dorothy: “Oh, how was your date last night?”

Blanche: “Oh it's too soon to tell. I'll let you know when I send him home.”

Blanche: “Look at the ducky wrappin' paper. And the little stick-on bow. Did you get her a Ziggy card?”

Dorothy: “No.”

Blanche: “Oh, my. Not Snoopy?”

Dorothy, ripping up her card: “I didn't get her a card.”

Dorothy: “Oh, the Pope is saying a mass on his stopover here. Ma got two tickets. We're going together.

Oh, a papal mass is something people wait a lifetime for.”

Sophia: “Whoops.”

Dorothy: “‘Whoops?’ Is that Pope-related, or just another bark in the kennel?”

Sophia: “The Pope. I traded our two bad tickets way in the back for one good ticket way up front.”

Dorothy: “Well, Ma, what about me?”

Sophia: “Um, I thought about that. This is the plan. We'll get one of those really long overcoats, I'll stand on your shoulders, and-”

Dorothy: “And what? Blend in with the circus folk??”

Blanche: “Rose, before I give you mine, I just want to ask you one question. It may seem a little odd, but it has a lot to do with your gift. Has Miles started wearing bikini underwear lately?”

Dorothy: “Blanche, please, the Pope is in town.”

Blanche: “I'm serious.”

Rose: “Actually, Miles did buy some bikinis. But just the bottoms.”

Sophia: “Miles, big news!”

Miles: “Later.”

Sophia: “Rose, I've got-”

Rose: “I'm busy, Sophia.”

Sophia: “Dorothy, I can't breathe!”

Dorothy: “Not now, Ma. Okay, but this better be good.”

Sophia: “You're right. I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me. I'll bring it back…. WINE! Worth a shot.”

Dorothy: “Now, take it easy, Ma. Let's retrace your steps. What did you do when you first got home?”

Sophia: “Who knows? Nap on the couch, nap on the bed, nap on the lanai. I do so much, it's all a blur.”

Dorothy: “Then we just have to search room by room.”

Sophia: “It's hopeless. We'll never find it. I say we just wait and pray it turns up, say in the next day or two. What??”

Dorothy: “Those are the exact words you used when my gold bracelet was missing.”

Sophia: “So?”

Dorothy: “So two days later you came back from the dentist saying, ‘Are these fillings or are these fillings??’”

Rose: “Oh he had the most beautiful blue eyes.”

Sophia: “Yeah. All the cute guys are either married or popes.”

Critique: Wow has it really been nearly two months since I last posted? Sorry, I got my heel caught in the carpet. Moving on. Let me just say that I absolutleh love this episode because it’s all about faith and the Pope and yet they still manage to squeeze in lots of jokes about farts and poop. Speaking of Popes… the actor (Eugene Greytak) who briefly plays Pope John Paul II literally made an entire career out of playing the Pope. He appeared in everything from The Naked Gun 33 1/3 to Sister Act. He’s a much better celebrity lookalike than Dorothy and Sophia were when they dressed as Cheech and Chong, but I digress. This episode’s story fits right into the wacky season seven antics. What I wouldn’t give to see Sophia on Dorothy’s shoulders in a long overcoat (or vice versa). Rose’s B story about the detective feels sort of shoehorned in and is really just an excuse to get Sophia to the hospital to meet the Pope but it all culminates with one of my favorite moments when Rose informs that the Pope is there and she thinks Sophia is excited because she just took the crap of a lifetime. Good times! GRADE: A-

From Here to the Pharmacy S7E12

Synopsis: A soldier who Blanche had “dated” returns from the Persian Gulf and she can’t remember him; Rose helps Sophia write her will.

90s Flashback

Sophia: “You try to do right by your kids and you end up as the lead story on Hard Copy.”

Zbornak Zingers

Blanche: “Dorothy, tonight, when I was dancing in his arms, it hit me. One minute I was worried about my hair, the next I was in love. Bill is the most romantic man I've ever known.”

Dorothy: “She always says that when they give her a hat.”

Product Placement

Bill: “I used to put the Haley's M-O on the bottom, nothing. Then I put it eye level. The public went nuts. It was walking out of the store. People will bend for aspirins. They won't bend for laxatives.”

Blanche: “Isn't that fascinating, Bill.”

Sophia: “So, Bill, what's on sale?”

Bill: “Breast pumps.”

Sophia: “What else?”

Bill: “Afro Sheen.”

Sophia: “Movin’ on.”

Bill: “Preparation H.”

Sophia: “Hot damn.”

Sassy Sophia

Sophia: “I, Sophia Petrillo, being of sound mind and body, do hereby leave my daughter, Dorothy Zbornak, nothing!”

Rose: “Sophia!”

Sophia: “It's a joke. I'm kidding. Like when I said ‘sound mind and body.’”

Back in St. Olaf

Rose: “Sophia, wills are no joking matter. Charlie tried to be funny with his and left everything to Henrietta, our prized cow. Well, some lawyer got a hold of the will and represented Henrietta on contingency. There I was presenting my side to a jury of her peers. It took over six months to get the farm back.”

Sophia: “What a terrible story. I mean it. It's a terrible story. But you must have been relieved when you won.”

Rose: “Oh yeah. We celebrated. With a big, thick steak.”

…

Rose: “I hated that cow. I still don't think she should have been awarded the car. Not that she got to use it.”

Best of B.E.D.

Bill: “I know we said we wouldn't even look at anybody else. But the first night the sirens went off, I got scared. And there was this nurse that I talked to.”

Blanche: “Oh, how could you, Ben, Bob, uh, Bill?”

Bill: “I swear, it didn't mean a thing.”

Blanche: “Was she beautiful?”

Bill: “Not as beautiful as you.”

Blanche: “Well, I--I, too, have a confession to make. I got scared too. Three, four times a week.”

From Feud to Food

Dorothy: “Rose, it's late. What are you doing up?”

Rose: “I'm just cleaning up some things on your mother's will.”
Dorothy: “Oh you mean the legal language?”

Rose: “No. I spilled some sauce.”

Dorothy Zbornak is My Spirit Animal

Sophia: “As you know, my child, I'm getting on in years and I've decided it's time for me to settle my estate.”

Dorothy: “What estate? Your loofah sponge and bus pass?”

Dorothy: “I was up all night thinking of how Ma's been hoarding all those checks from Phil and Gloria, while I've had to go without.”

Blanche: “Well now Dorothy, you really can't blame Sophia for your sex life.”

Dorothy: “That's not what I'm talking about, but since you brought it up, yes, I can. If I'd had the money, I could have been living in a swinging condo, instead of with - I better not say anything till I've had my coffee - A SLUT AND A MORON. I'm sorry, it must be decaf.”

What, We Can’t Learn From History?

Bill: “Blanche, I have a confession to make. It's not easy. But something happened over there and I think you should know about it.”

Blanche: “Well, I did keep pretty well up with what went on over there. I saw Schwarzkopf on the Bob Hope special.”

The Boob Tube

Sophia: “Dorothy, Rose is helping me make out an ironclad will.”

Dorothy: “Wait, you're using Rose as a lawyer?”

Rose: “I know what I'm doing. Every Thursday, I watch La Law.”

Dorothy: “That's L A Law.”

Rose: “I wondered why Susan Dey didn't have a French accent.”

Dorothy: “Do you have any idea what she's talking about, or do we have to up her medication?”

Rose: “I do know what she's talking about, but I can't tell you. I couldn't violate the attorney-client privilege. Especially when we're talking about a sum as large as $35,000.”

Dorothy: “$35,000??”

Rose: “And four gold teeth. Oops.”

Sophia: “Nice going, counselor. Exactly how close to the television are you sitting when you're watching La Law?

Dorothy: “From now on, I'm not paying for anything. You are on your own.”

Sophia: “You can't do this to me. You never touch the principal. That money's for my old age.”

Dorothy: “Old age? You don't leave fingerprints anymore.”

Sophia: “I'm in my twilight years.”

Dorothy: “You're in The Twilight Zone. Hopi Indians are walking around saying, ‘How does she do it?’ Ma, you're cut off.”

Golden Quotes

Sophia: “Don't forget the four gold teeth when your father worked at the funeral parlor. ‘Perks,’ he called them. That's the stock you come from.”

Dorothy: “I come from grave robbers?”

Sophia: “Grave robber, entrepreneur. Potato, potahto. We had a family to feed.”

…

Sophia: “Don't fall for it, Blanche. Sal didn't come home from World War II till 1951.”

Rose: “Where was he stationed?”

Sophia: “In the attic.”

Dorothy: “Ma, you told me he was in the arctic.”

Sophia: “The attic, the arctic. Tomato, tomahto. He had a family to feed.”

Blanche: “Well, anyway, this soldier really did go to the war, and he's gonna be here any minute, and I don't know what to do 'cause I can't remember him. All he said on the phone was that he had a great time with me the night before he left.”

Dorothy: “Oh, then it's got to be... anybody.”

[doorbell rings]

Dorothy: “Ah, there's your unknown soldier now.”

Blanche: “Oh Dorothy, would you please get the door? And find out his name.”

Rose: “Blanche, what are you so worried about? The minute you see him, you'll remember.”

Blanche: “Rose, he's gonna be standing up with his clothes on. He could be…”

Dorothy: “Anybody.”

Sophia: “Can I come?”

Dorothy: “Sure, Ma.”

Sophia: “Oh boy. We're going to the living room!”

Bill: “Hello, is Blanche here?”

Dorothy: “Yes she is. Uh, whom shall I say is calling?”

Bill: “This is kind of embarrassing. Would you mind telling her Loverboy is here? 
Dorothy: "Nothing would give me greater pleasure. Uh, Blanche! Loverboy is here!”

Bill: “Blanche!”

Blanche: “Loverboy!”

Dorothy: “Not a clue.”

Sophia: “You know about the will. You know if I die you'll be on easy street. What did you do, Dorothy, slip cyanide into my mouthwash? Ha, ha! The joke's on you, I don't use it.”

Dorothy: “Oh, Ma, come on. You're just being silly. Here, have some tea. It'll relax you.”

Sophia: “Nice try, Dorothy. Rose, you taste it.”

Dorothy: “Rose, don't! That tea was for my mommy.”

Rose: “Good morning, Dorothy.”

Dorothy: “Don't start, Rose, okay?”

Rose: “Oh, I'm sorry. That good morning crack was way outta line.”

Blanche: “My handsome soldier from last night is a pharmacist, a name-tag wearing, pill-counting, ‘Thank you, come again. Sorry, we don't validate,’ pharmacist.”

Dorothy: “Well if he doesn't validate, get rid of him.”

Dorothy: “You know, ever since we've known you, you have never once worked on having a meaningful relationship.”

Blanche: “I have had many meaningful relationships. Many, many, many meaningful relationships.”

Dorothy: “Sharing a worm from a tequila bottle is not meaningful.”

Security officer: “Uh, sir? I caught this old lady assaulting a man over the last tube of Preparation H. The tube broke and it's all over aisle 7. I detained her for scooping up the rest of the ointment and putting it in her purse.”

Blanche: “Sophia!”

Sophia: “Oh big deal. The other guy got away scot-free, and he wriggled in it.”

Critique:

Anyone else notice the full-on laugh orgasm the woman in the audience has when Blanche says the line “Look who I’m talkin’ to?” And then she screams again when Dorothy offers tea to Sophia. I wonder where that lady is today? But I digress. So my burning question for this episode is, will a pharmacist really just give away medicine to a woman for her son and he doesn’t even know what’s really wrong with him? He tells the lady to give her son this medicine and if it doesn’t work to see the doctor. He’s got the whole thing backwards just like Becky and her wanting to give birth in a bedroom. I digress again. I actually really like this episode even though Blanche is sort of being a dick for being disgusted by Bill’s profession. I mean, it's not like the guy is homeless or anything. Dorothy gets a lot of really funny lines here especially her “slut and a moron” crack which is a classic. There is plenty of good stuff that comes out of the B story about Sophia’s will, though to be honest, why is a woman nearing 90 years old just now writing out her will? I guess better late than pregnant! And finally, who else wants to know whether Preparation H is potent enough to shrink a purse? Paging Mr. Wizard. Note: this is the first time in the end credits scene that we get bloopers which hilariously include Sophia rambling off alternate versions of her "I, Sophia Petrillo, leave my daughter..." GRADE: A-

Room 7 S7E11

Synopsis: The girls travel to Blanche’s grammy’s plantation in Atlanta because it’s being demolished; meanwhile, Sophia has a near-death experience.

Musical Moments

Rose: “Let's try it now with Dorothy. Dorothy, Dorothy, bo-borthy/Bonana fanna fo-forthy/Fee, fi, mo-morthy-”

[Tires Screech]

Dorothy: “Get out, Rose.”

Rose: “Three bottles of beer on the wall/Three bottles of beer/Take one down, pass it around/Two bottles of beer on the wall. Well, I'm off to bed.”

Dorothy: "TWO BOTTLES OF BEER?? Rose, you get all the way to two bottles of beer and you quit?!”

Rose: “Just drives you nuts, doesn't it, Dorothy?

That’s What She Said

Sophia: “Blanche, I wanna be here when the dynamite goes off. I wanna ride the rocket with you.”

Lewd Ladies

Dorothy: “Ma, I still cannot believe what you were doing on the interstate.”

Sophia: “I was living for the day, pussycat.”

Dorothy: “You were mooning a chain gang!”

Sophia: “And did you see the smiles on their faces? They probably hadn't seen a woman in years.”

Dorothy: “I guess not. No, they kept up with us through four warning shots.”

Picture It

Sophia: “Picture it. Heaven. Two days ago. I'm holding onto Sal, telling him I'll never let go, when who shows up... Uh-oh. What is it? What's going on?

Sal: “You're not gonna believe this, Sophia, but God, Sophia. Sophia, God.”

Sophia: “Wow, now I see where Jesus got those eyes..”

...

Sal: “God says it's not your time yet. You gotta go back, Sophia.”

Sophia: “But I wanna be with you. I don't wanna go back.”

Sal: “He pretty much gets his way in these things. Besides, someone's got to take care of little spumoni-face.

Sophia: “Who?”

Sal: “Dorothy. When I worked late, I'd come home, we had our little secret ice cream club, and that was the nickname I gave her.”

Sophia: “And what was her nickname for you?”

Sal: “Favorite parent.”

Zbornak Zingers

Blanche: “Oh, Dorothy, I just talked to somebody back home, and they are doin' the most horrible thing. They are tearin' down the most important building in Blanche Devereaux's family history.”

Dorothy: “Oh my God, they're tearing down Mattress World.”

Blanche: “Even worse than that. They are tearin' down the place where I spent my happiest moments as a child.”

Dorothy: “Oh, I'm sorry, Blanche. They're tearing down Boys Town.”

Insult Watch

Blanche: “Dorothy, they are tearin' down Grammy Hollingsworth's plantation. That beautiful old place is gonna be gone forever. I used to spend my summers there, and Christmas vacations. And whenever there was a fight in the house between Big Daddy and Big Mommy...”

Dorothy: “Big Mommy. Gee, I don't think I ever knew her name before.”

Blanche: “Dorothy, I just don't believe you. When you were a child, didn't you have some beautiful, fantastic place where you'd go, and it would seem just like a fairyland? Oh, that's right. You grew up in Brooklyn.”

Blanche: “The family had to sell Grand View, and it got turned into an old bed and breakfast. But at least I could visit.”

Sophia: “And have breakfast.”

Blanche: “Thank you, Sophia.”

Sophia: “Pancakes, by the looks of it.”

Blanche: “Thank you, Sophia.”

Tales from the Old South

Blanche: “I cannot tell you how many Christmases I spent in this place. Grammy's butler would bring us our eggnog by the hearth, and Grammy and I would sing carols and put out gingerbread men for St.

Nick. And, oh, and over there would be Grandpappy, drinkin' out of his jug with the X's on it, and wearin' his Santa's beard, and just screamin' at the lawn jockey to do him a little dance. Oh Rose, hold me.”

Blanche: “And my balcony. Oh, I remember as a girl of 10, I used to wander out here, and all the little boys from all around would come and serenade me: I see London, I see France I see Blanche's underpants. Rose, hold me.”

Rose: “Oh, honey.”

Dorothy: “Oh, Blanche, please. Now, honey, I know it's hard, but we've been here over an hour. And you've shown us the balcony, you've shown us the wind chimes, you've shown us the seven places you lost your virginity.”

Product Placement

Sophia: “After yesterday, I decided to take the time and stop and smell the roses.”

Dorothy: “Ah, that's nice, Ma.”

Sophia: “And you know where they have great roses? At the dog track in Lauderdale. By the way, your Bonneville shakes when you go over 65.”

Sassy Sophia

Dorothy: “Ma, are you okay?”

Sophia: “What happened?”

Dorothy: “Oh, Ma, you were choking. You passed out. Rose saved your life.”

Sophia: “But I was in heaven and with your father. I didn't wanna come back. Thanks for nothing, ya nitwit.”

Best of B.E.D.

Dorothy: “How long do you think you can stay handcuffed?”

Blanche: “My personal best is 32 hours. But of course then I had somebody to play with.”

Sweet, Single-Digit-IQ Rose

Dorothy: “Honey, you know we'd go with you if it would help, but by tomorrow, Grand View will be gone. And we'd have to drive all night and stop at a motel, and we all know how you hate to drive.”

Blanche: “Well, I found a way around that.”

Rose: “Hey, Blanche, I figured out this treasure map. It's buried somewhere outside Atlanta.”

Blanche: “Let's roll.”

From Feud to Food

Sophia: “Excuse me, sir, but I died yesterday, and it occurs to me I never experienced Southern food. So send a possum to Room 7. And, uh, tell my daughter it's chicken.”

Dorothy: “Blanche, this is ridiculous. You can't stay here all night. You're gonna have to eat sometime.”

Blanche: “Oh this is where you don't know me, Dorothy. I can go for days without food, if that's what it takes.”

Rose: “Oh come on Blanche. You've been known to debone a chicken from across the room.”

Dorothy Zbornak is My Spirit Animal

Blanche: “Dorothy, they're gonna build a cheap motel here.”

Dorothy: “You'll be back.”

Reel References

Sophia: “Oh, Sal, is that you? Could it possibly be you? Oh, Sal, please prove to me it's you.”

Sal: “You dirty rat. You killed my brother.”

Sophia: “Oh Sal, it is you! You always did such a great Cagney.”

Golden Quotes

Angel: “Sophia. Welcome to heaven.”

Sophia: “I'm in heaven?”

Angel: “That's right.”

Sophia: “Heaven heaven? I went straight to heaven? No stops? No purgatory?”

Angel: “Purgatory? [laughs] Oh, you Catholics!”

Dorothy: “Oh poor, Blanche. You know, I I actually do feel sorry for her.”

Rose: “Oh yeah, my heart goes out to her, too.”

“Hello, did I mention I died?”

Sophia: “Pussycat, what's that on your blouse? See? I laugh in the face of death.”

[laughs]

Dorothy: “Ma, stop it. I don't want to hear about this dream that is making you act reckless. The doctor says it was a lack of oxygen that made you hallucinate.”

Sophia: “All right, I won't tell you what your father said. I won't say another word.

[Dorothy opens the fridge] The light! The light! I'm coming to you, Salie!”

Demolition guy: “We're gonna blow this place up in two hours. I get to push the plunger, 'cause it's my birthday.”

Rose: “Well, happy birthday!”

Blanche: “My Grammy, she's in this room.”

Sophia: “Hey, man, cool.”

Dorothy: “Oh, Blanche, come on. You only think she's here. You and Grammy spent a lot of time here, and the memories are so alive. Of course you can, you can almost feel her here. Right, Rose?”

Rose: “Well, she's not under the bed...”

Blanche: “Dorothy, I know it sounds odd, but this is the room where Grammy and I used to have all of our heart-to-hearts. I would snuggle up in one of her homemade afghans, and whatever problems I had in life, she would make right. And then after she died, she started coming to me here, and the talks didn't stop.”

Rose: “And she's not in the closet...”

Dorothy: “Blanche, this is your Grammy. Y'all get yourself out of here, you dumb peckerwood!”

Rose: “Oh, I heard it that time, too. Feets, don't fail me now!”

Blanche: “How dare you mock my Grammy!”

Dorothy: “Ma? Ma, what the hell are you doing on the roof!?”

Sophia: “Living for the day, pussycat. I never jumped into a haystack before.”

Dorothy: “Ma!”

Sophia: “Geronimo!”

Blanche: “My God! Dorothy, is she okay??”

Dorothy: “Yeah, I think so. Rose broke her fall.”

Dorothy: “Rose, are you okay?”

Rose: “Charlie? Charlie, is that you?”

Dorothy: “Great, another one who hears voices.”

Dorothy, trying to convince Blanche to come downstairs: “You're right, Blanche, these naked Southern guys sure can dance!”

Rose: ““Hey, Dorothy, have you seen this yet?”

Dorothy: “B.H.? B.H. Blanche Hollingsworth. Oh, Blanche must have written this when she was a little girl. Can you imagine Blanche as a little girl, running and skipping all through this house, so carefree? I can almost hear her laughing. You know, I, I can almost feel her spirit here. And if I can feel her spirit here, then why is it so ridiculous that Blanche feels the spirit of her grandma upstairs? And is it such a leap of faith to believe that Ma was in the white light? Why am I making it such a crusade not to believe either one of them? What am I, just an ostrich with its head in the ground? A narrow-minded ostrich, who, who only believes what she can see and feel and touch? Oh Rose. Simple Rose. Rose, you are so wise.”

Rose: “Actually, I spoke with the demolitions guy. B.H. stands for ‘Blast Here.’”

Sophia: “What do you say we throw a sheet over our heads and go scare Rose?”

Dorothy: “Right!”

Blanche: “Good night, Grammy. [sounds of wind chime] It's time to sleep, honey. Some of us are still alive and need our beauty sleep. Be quiet, Grammy! [wind chime stops] Peckerwood??”

Critique:

First of all, I wanna see the “treasure map” Blanche drew for Rose SO BAD. More importantly, this episode contains arguably the funniest piece of physical comedy in the entire series, (though Rose’s dance marathon body double is probably first actually) which is the sight of Sophia throwing herself off the roof of Grammy’s plantation. Or what appears to be Sophia: it’s obviously a dummy in Sophia cosplay complete with white wig and bamboo purse. And it absolutely HILARIOUS watching that thing fly by Dorothy. Even if it lasts .6 seconds. I’ve probably rewound and watched that shot millions of times and it never gets old. But I digress. This is a fantastic season seven episode that ranks up there as one of the most outlandish but outright funny episodes in the later part of the series. At this point we all know the characters and that’s why so many of these jokes and gags work so well. It’s even a bit touching watching Blanche feel so attached to her Grammy’s plantation. And if I’m being completely honest, I tend to get slightly choked up when Sophia tells Dorothy that her father is proud of her. But let’s get back to the funny parts. These include the sound effect of Dorothy bringing the car to a screeching halt as Rose obnoxiously belts out “The Name Game,” Rose checking under the bed and the closet for Blanche’s grandma, and imagining Sophia mooning a chain gang on the highway. I absolutleh love a good Blanche-centered episode and this one is purely dynamite. GRADE: A