The Golden Girls – The Complete Fifth Season
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Episodes: B-
The Golden Girls - The Complete Fifth Season from
1989-90 (26 more half-hour shows; some two-parters) are as strong as the
previous seasons, but the show was starting to show some wear. This is where the talents of the cast,
writers and creator Susan Harris really show, a rare grouping of superior
talents with so much to offer that a fifth season can be almost as fresh as the
first few because those involved are working on a high new level
If you have not seen the show,
Dorothy is the occurrently unhappy divorcee trying to get through life no
matter what dysfunction comes her way, Getty is Dorothy’s mother, who has a
brain issue that does not allow her to hold back what is on her mind, White is
the lovable airhead Rose Nylund, and McClanahan is Blanche Devereaux, who still
likes to sleep around after all these years.
Though this would have worn thin in other hands, it stays funny here
like the best situation comedies.
Dick Van Dyke makes a memorable
appearance worthy of his comic legacy, but other guest stars worth catching
include Bib Besch, Jeffrey Tambor, Mel Stewart (Love Under The Big Top
with Van Dyke), Richard Mulligan (from spin-off Empty Nest), Sheree North, Robert
Mandan, Robert Culp, Barbara Babcock, Marian Mercer, Jerry Orbach, Howard Duff,
Jack Gilford, Pat McCormick, Kevin McCarthy and Quentin Tarantino once again in
a small role. The great guest casts and
having people working on the show who know the value of such talent is the most
under-recognized reason this show also holds up.
The 1.33 X 1 image has good color, but the analog
professional NTSC tapings were a little clearer that the versions presented
here with digititis issues. You may
find this a bit annoying, while this critic would like to know how it happened
in the first place again. The Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo has poor surrounds and should only be played back in its
original configuration. Extras are
better this time than on the first and fourth sets, with audio commentaries on
six of the episodes, which is how it should have been in the first place. Arthur, McClanahan and White offer some
valuable insight on the show that is long overdue and that helps make this
fifth set as strong as the earlier season.
- Nicholas Sheffo
