Amidst the white wicker, pastel interior design, and cheesecake, the most important component of The Golden Girls was friendship. But even best friends like Dorothy, Blanche, Sophia, and Rose could get into nasty fights. Their arguments often propelled timely issues to the forefront of audience consciousness, and through their discussions they came to new and enlightened understandings about one another, even going so far as to change their whole worldviews, on occasion.

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Sometimes the fights would be caused by a simple barbarous word from Dorothy, a dig at Blanche's sex life, or miscommunication from Rose. More often than not they involved topical themes like gay rights, women's rights, and relationships between parents and their children. No matter how big the arguments got, it was always comforting to know that they would never stop being friends.

When Blanche Couldn't Handle Her Brother Marrying A Man

Blanche's gay brother and his husband in Golden Girls

The girls might be considered very open-minded for their ages, but they always had room to improve their worldly perspectives on the show. When Blanche's brother Clayton came to stay with her, one of the best relatives seen on the show, and brought along his boyfriend, Doug, she had to accept the reality of his homosexuality, and in turn, confront her own latent homophobia.

When Clayton announced that he and Doug were getting married, Blanche refused to be a part of the festivities, whatsoever. It took the girls persuading her to reconsider her stance, and a true desire for her brother to be happy to change her mind.

When Everyone Wanted To Date The Sculptor

Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche arguing over who gets to date sculptor Laszlo Glagorian

After Blanche agreed to pose nude for a sophisticated European sculptor, her friends wanted to be immortalized by a famous artist as well, and soon were competing to attract his attention. Soon they weren't just trying to win a few hours in his studio, but in his bed, as well, and they began to turn on one another, one of the many times the girls were at each other's throats, to see who he might choose to date.

He eventually chose all of them to sculpt -- which didn't make them any happier -- and in the end, their bickering with each other was for naught. He would never have dated any of them anyway because he ended up being only interested in men.

When Rose Booked A Nudist Colony For The Girls' Vacation

Dorothy Blanche and Rose holding paper hearts over their bodies at a nude resort for their Valentine's Day vacation

Most of the time, the Golden Girls had no lack of major relationships or romantic interest on Valentine's Day, but one year, Rose decided to book a vacation for them to kick back, relax, and pamper themselves instead of relying on dates. Unfortunately, after they arrived at the resort they came to the shocking realization that it was a nudist camp.

Dorothy's wrath was instantaneous, while Blanche was slightly more amiable to the idea of spending a week at a resort with potentially attractive men in nothing but the buff. Eventually, they gave the vacation a try by doffing their clothes and heading down to the dining room, not realizing that the patrons always dressed for dinner, leaving them naked and humiliated.

When Dorothy Thought Stan Had Finally Reformed

Stan and Dorothy confront one another

Stan began the series a louse, and try as he might, he never could redeem himself in Dorothy's eyes. After cheating on her with a stewardess, their marriage dissolved, and Stan only darkened Dorothy's doorway when he needed emotional support or money.

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Towards the end of the series, Dorothy thought Stan had changed, and they were going to give their marriage another try. Everyone was against the two re-marrying, Sophia most of all, until it turned out she had nothing to fear -- Stan was the same fraud he always was and hurt Dorothy even deeper when he betrayed her the second time around.

When Blanche's Daughter Wanted To Have A Baby On Her Own

Blanche upset at Rebecca wanted to have a baby on her own

Blanche was ecstatic when her daughter Rebecca told her she wanted to have a baby, but joy turned to judgment when Rebecca declared she would have it by herself with the help of a sperm donor. Rebecca came to Miami looking for some maternal support, but she received nothing but rejection and Blanche's Southern temper, in one of The Golden Girls' most questionable parenting choices.

Ultimately, despite Blanche's difference of opinion about Becky's "New Age ideals," she was right there alongside Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia when her daughter eventually gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Aurora.

When Sophia's Sister Made A Surprise Visit From Italy

Sophia and her sister from Italy in The Golden Girls

Dorothy thought it would be a great surprise to fly Sophia's sister Angela over from Italy for her birthday party, not knowing that the two siblings had been engaged in a decades-long feud. No sooner had Angela arrived than she and Sophia were back at each other's throats, and Sophia declared that Dorothy made it the worst birthday of her life.

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Though the two bickered nonstop, when pressed, neither of them could discern exactly what their feud was about. It had been so long that they'd held onto their hatred without remembering its source.

When Rose And Blanche Argued Over How Many Boyfriends They'd Had

Rose and Blanche arguing in the kitchen

The Golden Girls broke many barriers, but the most titanic of all was depicting senior women as happily sexually active. In one memorable scene in the kitchen, Dorothy held court over Rose and Blanche as they argued over who had the most boyfriends. Blanche's romantic reputation in the household was at stake, and while she was often slut-shamed by the other girls, in this case, they were fierce competitors.

Blanche was appalled to discover that with 56 boyfriends, Rose might have actually beaten her personal best. Dorothy crowned Rose the winner -- much to a fuming Blanche's chagrin -- but the real validation came from Sophia asking Rose for sex advice instead of Blanche.

When Dorothy's Son Wanted To Marry A Woman Twice His Age

Blanche, Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia have cheese cake in the kitchen with Lorraine's family

When Dorothy's son, Michael, announced that he was getting engaged to his bandmate Lorraine, his mother was overjoyed, until she discovered that the woman was twice his age. When Lorraine's family came to visit and met Michael's family, they were shocked to find out he and Dorothy were white. Rose and Blanche made matters worse by being racist, one of the flaws of Golden Girls that fans chose to ignore.

Both families weren't in favor of the marriage proceeding for different reasons, forcing the two lovebirds to elope instead. When the two groups saw how much anguish they'd caused, they raced to the chapel to be a part of the ceremony. They put their differences aside to support the union, and it was just as well because now they could be included in the life of Lorraine and Michael's surprise unborn child.

When Dorothy's Sister Slept With Stan

Dorothy furious when she finds her sister Gloria in bed with Stan

The last season of the series was full of a lot of upheavals and changes for the girls, and one involved Dorothy's sister flying to Miami to stay for a while after losing all her money. The visit went well for a while until Dorothy discovered Gloria in bed with Stan, in one of Stan's worst moments in Golden Girls, and was furious.

Eventually, it came to light that it was Sophia who pushed Gloria and Stan together, which only made Dorothy more upset, and the ensuing argument she had with her mother drove Sophia out into a terrible hurricane. All is forgiven when both sisters realize they could have lost their mother.

When Blanche Refused To Go To Her Father's Funeral

Blanche's sister Virginia at dinner before Virginia asks for Blanche's kidney

Blanche had grudges against both her sisters, but for very different reasons. With Charmaine, she was mildly upset about being made a character in her steamy romance novel, but with Virginia, their rivalry almost prevented Blanche from attending her father's funeral.

When Blanche arrived at her childhood home for the sad affair, her sister accused her of abandoning her family and always thinking about herself. Blanche almost refused to attend Big Daddy's memorial, until she realized her sister's words were said out of grief, not hate.

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