The Golden Girls (1985–1992): Season 1, Episode 23 - Blind Ambitions - full transcript

♪ Thank you for bein' a friend

♪ Traveled down the
road and back again

♪ Your heart is true

♪ You're a pal and a confidante

♪ And if you threw a party

♪ Invited everyone you knew

♪ You would see the
biggest gift would be from me

♪ And the card
attached would say

♪ "Thank you for
bein' a friend" ♪

Oh, Lily, honey, how
do you like your steak?

Oh, medium's fine.



Why are we cooking outdoors?

Ma, we're having a barbecue.

Do you know what they call cooking
meat over an open fire in Sicily?

No. What? Poverty.

Gee, those steaks smell good.

What do you know, Rose?

You thought you could go out in
the ocean and catch fish sticks.

Oh, I just love barbecues.

We used to have the most
wonderful ones back home.

I can remember sitting
out under a big ol' tree

with the Darcy triplets
Hank, Beau and Dove,

eating and talking and laughing.

And then long towards
the end of the meal,

why, the boys
always got into a fight



over who was gonna get to lick the
barbecue sauce from my fingertips

and kiss away the
little droplet of butter

that always drizzled
down my chin.

Oh, has it gotten
awful hot out here?

I'll go get the lemonade.

Oh, we used to cook outdoors
all the time when we were kids.

Remember our
camping trips, Lily?

Oh, I sure do.

During the summer,

our father would
take the whole family

on camping trips
into the wilderness.

Of course, it wasn't
really the wilderness.

He'd drive in circles
for about 20 minutes

and then end up in the
woods just beyond the barn.

It was years before all the
kids caught on to Dad's trick.

What do you mean,
"just beyond the barn"?

Here we are...

a nice, fresh pitcher
of ice cold lemonade.

Pour me a cup, would you?

I'm sweating like a horse.

Here, Sophia, let
me get it for you.

That's OK, honey. I'll do it.

No. Now, Rose, please, I
told you when I first arrived

I didn't want any
special treatment.

I'm sorry.

It's been nearly six months
now since I lost my sight,

and I've learned to cope
with just about anything.

When I was in college,
I taught school part time

at one of those
schools for the blind.

It is really amazing what
they can accomplish.

I went to one of those
schools for a little while.

It's just a lot of talking
and handholding.

Never been so bored in my life.

I think I'm just
the kind of person

that likes to get
out there and do it.

Did you know that my sister Lily

still holds the record at our high
school for the 100-yard dash?

She served three
terms on the city council

and she was the first
woman in St. Olaf's

to ever have a pilot's license.

Oh, really? Well, we have
something in common, Lily.

I was the first woman
in my hometown

ever to have a pilot.

Blanche's bed is
next to the X-15

at the Space and
Aviation Museum.

Would you be interested in going
to an outdoor concert tonight?

Oh, you couldn't drag me
out of this house tonight.

St. Elsewhere's on.

That's my favorite
program. I never miss it.

You still watch television?

Well, I don't really watch it.

I just pretend it's radio.

We don't exactly
watch it, either.

With our crummy TV, we
get two channels at once.

For a while there,

I thought Benson was
having an affair with Miss Ellie.

Listen, Mom, we
cannot afford a new TV.

We're using the household money

to repair the roof and
repave the driveway.

Great. And what
am I supposed to do

while every other old lady on
the block is watching Cosby?

Well, you can sit
in the new driveway

and hope that an amusing
black family drops by.

Maybe we could sell our old TV

and use the money towards
one of those new stereo models.

Sell it? Honey, I don't
think we could give it away.

Oh, you'd be amazed at
the things people will buy.

When I moved from my
house into the apartment,

I had a garage sale,
and I made a lot of money.

'Course, I probably would
have made a lot more

if I could tell a one from a 20.

Oh, girls, let's do that.

Let's have a garage sale.

Well, can we get in trouble,
having a garage sale?

I mean, we're not
actually selling a garage.

If it's a choice between
the two of them,

let the blind one make change.

Isn't it amazing that three people
could accumulate so much stuff?

Will you look at this.

I got this doll on
my tenth birthday.

Oh, I can't believe I've
kept her all these years.

Her hair's falling out,
her clothes are all worn,

she smells of mothballs.

Hey, I may not be Ann-Margret,
but I'm still your mother.

Girls, look at
this! Isn't this...?

You know, I remember
wearing this outfit

the night George
took me to Woodstock.

Oh, what a night. I
will never forget it.

Listening to the music of
Mr. Richie Havens and Mr. Bob Dylan

and then making love in the mud.

You went to Woodstock?

Well, actually,
it was the movie,

but afterwards we did go
home and make love in the mud.

I guess the '60s were a
confusing time for all of us, Blanche.

Oh, gee, I'd forgotten

I had these candlesticks.

They were Mother's.

Oh, they'd be perfect
for the alcove table.

Oh, let me do it.
Oh, no, no, wait, wait.

Now, Rose, I'm fine.

No, I'm just going to get your
cane. No, I don't need that.

Last night I memorized the
layout for the whole house.

Now, please stop treating
me as if I'm totally helpless.

I'm sorry. You know how I
am. I guess I'm overprotective.

Who invited Gidget
to the garage sale?

Girls, I'm feeling
a little chilly.

I think I'll go and
get my sweater.

Oh, no, I'll get that.
I'll get that for you.

Oh, Rose, for heaven's
sakes. I can find my own way.

I know you're trying to help,

but if I could pilot my own plane
cross-country during a storm,

I can certainly find my
way across the room.

There. Now, do you see that
I don't need anybody's help?

Oh, my God! Rose?

Rose!

Rose, help!

Oh, wait. Don't get
over there, darling.

Come over here. Stand back.

What was it? Just calm down.

It's all right, it's all right.

She's putting it out.

There we go. It's all right.

Is everyone all right?

Oh, everyone's fine. We
just had a little accident.

Well, we didn't
have a little accident.

Lily had a little accident.
Blanche, please.

I'm sorry, I... I guess I'm
not used to your stove.

Maybe you shouldn't have
been cooking on it, darling.

Well, somebody
could have gotten hurt.

I said I was sorry.
It was an accident.

Let's be fair.

It could have happened
to any one of you.

Rose, Lily can't
go on like this.

You have to do something.

Well, I think you
girls are overreacting.

It was just a little grease
fire. No harm done.

This time! What if
nobody'd been home?

Rose, it's not just the fire.

What do you expect me to do?

There's nothing
you can do, Rose.

She has to learn to
do things for herself.

Honey, maybe she ought
to go back to that school.

Well, you heard
her. It's not for her.

She's a very independent person.

No, she's not, Rose,

not till she learns to be
independent as a blind person.

I'll-I'll talk to her.

Rose?

Yes. Lily, I just...

I know. You just wanted
to see if I was all right.

Rose, really, I'm fine.

I've been having accidents
since I was two years old.

This is not a major crisis. You
don't have to worry about me.

It's hard for me not to.

I know. That's because
you're a worrier.

I remember when
you were six years old

and Dad got you that
puppy for your birthday.

You worried because you
thought her paws were too big

and that the other
dogs would laugh at her.

Well, they did! They used
to bark and point at her!

Everybody pointed at her.

You made her wear a
bonnet and matching booties.

Don't change the
subject on me, Lily.

Honey, I'm worried about you.

Oh, Rose, you'd be worried if you
couldn't find anything to worry about!

And stop pouting.
I was only teasing.

How did you know I was pouting?

You always pout
when I tease you.

Always? Always.

You're a pouter, Rose,
a pouter and a worrier.

Well, maybe you're right,

but I think I have a good
reason to be worried this time.

Lily, I think you're trying
to do too much by yourself.

I've never been one to
depend on other people, Rose.

You know that.

But this is different.

You're not trying out for
the track team in high school.

You're trying to learn to cope
with daily life as a blind person.

Do you see this dress,
Rose? It's my favorite.

It's awfully pretty.

It's my favorite

because it's the only one
I can clearly remember.

I remember what it looks like,

and I remember what
it looks like on me,

and because of that,
I wear it all the time.

You'll adjust, Lily.

I don't want to adjust!

I want to be the
person that I used to be!

But you have to face the truth.

You need help!

Now, you can deal with it, but
you can't do it all by yourself.

Rose, all my life I've done
everything I wanted to do.

Nothing's ever stood
in my way before.

For the past six months,

that's how I've been trying
to deal with everything.

I thought that I could
overcome this thing by myself.

I guess that deep down inside,

I thought I could
make it go away.

But I can't.

Every morning when I
wake up, it's still there,

and that terrifies me.

Rose, I do need your help.

That's why I came to Miami...

to ask you to come home with me.

Oh, Rose, please
come home with me.

I can't make it by myself!

Oh, honey.

So I think the best thing for me to do
is move back to Lily's place in Chicago.

It'll be a lot easier
for me to get used to

new surroundings
than it would be for her.

You think you moving to Chicago
is gonna solve Lily's problems?

I want to help her.

I don't think you're helping her

by offering to be a nursemaid.

Lily is not an invalid.

You don't understand.

All our lives, Lily was the one
who always took care of me.

It doesn't matter what
I think is best for her.

If Lily wants me to take
care of her, I can't refuse.

Well, seems to me

that part of the reason
you're doing this is out of guilt.

Maybe you're right.

Oh, honey, it's a terrible thing

to do something out of guilt.

Believe me, I know.

Just about the time that George
and I were getting serious,

he was shipped off to Korea.

Well, I wanted to do
my part for the war effort,

so I took a job in a
factory that made canteens.

I figured that one of the
canteens that I had riveted

would somehow
find its way to George

and his lips would drink
from the galvanized spout

I had so lovingly fashioned,

thereby symbolically
reuniting us.

Oh, Blanche, that's a
beautiful reason to take that job.

Well, that wasn't
the only reason.

That factory also had a
comprehensive dental plan,

and I was in desperate need
of a bridge and two crowns.

War is hell.

So were my teeth.

Anyway, while I was
working on that assembly line,

why, I met a young man
named Andrew Beandorf.

Oh, it was just
a platonic thing.

We just went out to
the movies and dinner.

But when George came
home on leave, he was furious.

He accused me,
unjustly, of infidelity

while he was off fighting
in some foreign land,

some godforsaken land where
people didn't even believe in Jesus,

and he forbade me
ever to see Andrew again.

So, 'course I didn't.

So you lost a good friend just because
George made you feel guilty about it.

That's right.

I lost a good friend and
a wonderful companion

and an excellent lover.

An excellent lover?

Did I say excellent lover?

Oh, no, I meant
excellent riveter.

I can understand how
you could confuse the two.

Anyway, the point is,
guilt is a very bad thing.

Story over.

I was just talking to Lily.

I hear you're moving
with her back to Chicago.

That's right.

Good idea. Now you
can ruin your life and hers.

I got dibs on Rose's room.

Sophia, you just
don't understand.

Please, Rose. What I
forgot, you'll never know.

Tell her, Dorothy, how bad
off I was when I had my stroke.

You were really sick, Ma.

In the beginning,
she couldn't walk,

she couldn't talk, she
couldn't even feed herself.

All I could do was sit
and feel sorry for myself,

which is what I
did all the time.

But you got better.

Yeah, because she
stopped coddling me.

She screamed, she
hollered, day and night.

She made me do my therapy.

She forced me to rebuild my
life because she knew I could,

and for that I'll
always be grateful.

Oh, thanks, Ma.

I only have one question.

Now that I'm better, why do
you still scream and holler at me?

I'm not sure what was
best for you is best for Lily.

Look, you didn't
ask for my opinion,

but I'm old, so I'm
giving it anyway.

You want to help your
sister? Help her to help herself.

Sophia, that was a very
sweet thing for you to do.

Hey, Rose is a good
kid and I like her a lot,

but after all is said and done,

I would sell Dorothy to the
gypsies to get that bedroom.

How much?

2 bucks. Get wild.
Treat yourself.

Nah, I'll give you $1.50.

What does this
look like... Baghdad?

Get the hell out of here!

Ma, that's no
way to sell things.

Hey, go to Neiman Marcus sometime,
see if they treat you any better.

How we doing?

Honey, I don't think
we've sold a thing.

I don't get it.

I'll give you $1

for these Elvis Presley
salt and pepper shakers.

$1?!

I will have you know the day I
bought these salt and pepper shakers

at the Graceland gift shop,

I thought I saw the
King himself walk by

eating a giant
chili cheeseburger

and drinking a
36-ounce Dr. Pepper.

Turned out it was
an impersonator,

but these are still
very special mementos,

and parting with them is an
extremely painful sacrifice on my part.

Buck and a quarter.

$1.25?

Sir, if that is the
kind of respect

you have for genuine
Elvis memorabilia,

then I kindly suggest
you hand these over

and remove yourself
from my property.

Blanche!

Blanche, I can't
believe that you did that!

I mean, they're just a silly
salt and pepper shaker!

The King is gone, Dorothy,

but we must cherish
the things he left behind...

his movies, his songs...

And his seasonings.

Oh, give me that!
No, this was a mistake.

What's going on?

Oh, Mr. Longfellow
got in by mistake.

He is not for sale.

Isn't that right,
Mr. Longfellow?

Yes, it is, Rose!

Rose, in my opinion,

it is time to say bye-bye
to Mr. Longfellow and Elvis.

What's the use of
having a garage sale

if we can't part with anything?

How much for this hockey stick?

$1100.

Dorothy.

This isn't an
ordinary hockey stick.

Bobby Hull used this.
This is a piece of history.

It's a piece of junk. And
the price tag says $4.

4.50. I'll take it.

Uh, OK, but listen.

Before you go, uh, come
into the house with me.

I'll show you the kind of
wood oil that I use on it.

Wood oil? Are you buying that?

'Course not.

Everybody knows you use
paraffin wax on parched wood.

Come on.

$6! No!

I'll give you 10. I don't
want to sell it back!

I'll give you 25, and don't ever
show your face around here again!

Sold!

Uh, he didn't want it.

He said there's a nick in it.

We have to have a return policy,

Oh, girls, listen.
Let's face it.

All that so-called
junk out there

has too many fond
memories for all of us.

We're never going to
be able to part with it.

We might just as well

call this whole garage sale off.

And kiss our new TV goodbye.

Isn't that right,
Mr. Longfellow?

Yes, it is, Rose. Please!

Listen, I have a great idea.

It's a little strange,
it's a little bizarre,

it's slightly off the wall,
but it just might work.

What is it, Dorothy?

Why don't we each take
$20 from our pockets,

make a down payment on a new TV,

and then pay the
rest off on time?

Sounds good to me.

Let's go tell everybody

that the sale's over.

You wait right there.
I'll be right back.

Rose?

Yes, Lily?

Could you help me
get to the sofa, please?

Oh, sure, honey. Here you go.

Thank you. You're not
getting tired of me yet, are you?

Oh, don't be silly.

Oh, Rose, I really appreciate
what you're doing for me.

I really do.

Don't mention it.

Could you please get
me a glass of water?

Sure.

Lily, you've been
here a week now.

You know where the kitchen is.

Well, I figured the way I've
been crashing into everything,

you'd rather get it.

Maybe you should get
your drink of water yourself.

I thought you said you'd
look after me, Rose.

Lily, if you can't even get
yourself a drink of water,

you're helpless,
and that scares me.

How do you think I feel?

Well, I think
you're scared, too,

but you won't admit
that you need help,

professional help to
get on with your life.

Oh, I've given this
a lot of thought, Lily,

and I really think
it's the best way.

Rose, you're not coming back
to Chicago with me, are you? No.

How can you turn your
back on your own sister?

I'm not turning my
back on you. I love you.

I'm just trying to do what
I think is best for you.

What you think is best? What
do you know about being blind?

Oh, Lily, this is
very painful for me.

Please don't make it any
harder than it already is.

I'm sorry, Rose.

I'm sorry.

I promise, I won't ever
ask you for anything again.

All right, I'll see
you in a week.

I'll call myself collect tonight.
You'll tell them I'm not home.

That way you'll
know I arrived safely

and you won't have to lie
to the phone company. Bye.

Bye. Ahh.

I forgot my purse!

I know I'm forgetting
something else.

I know it. I just know it.

Oh, come on, now,
Rose. Calm down.

Are you sure you want
to go through with this?

Oh, yes. Lily and I have
barely spoken since she left.

That was two months ago.

Oh, I-I can't say no
to Lily. I have to go.

I said no to her when she
asked me to come live with her,

but I can't say no when
she asks me to come visit.

I know she's gonna ask me
to come live with her again,

and I'm just gonna say no.

I think. I'm such a wreck.

You could just cancel
your reservation

and think it over one more day.

No. I think you should
go and stick to your guns.

Right. I've made my decision.
I'm going to stand by it.

No matter what happens,
I'm not going to turn back.

I forgot my raincoat! Silly.

Now what'd you forget?

I forgot to kiss
you two goodbye!

Goodbye, sweetie. Goodbye.

Come on now, come
on now, get out of here.

You come back more
times than Shirley MacLaine.

Thank you for
flying Air Florida.

Hope you enjoyed your flight.

Thank you for
flying Air Florida.

I hope you enjoyed your flight.

Oh, I certainly did, and I
want to especially thank you

for that pillow
from first class.

They're so much fluffier.

Oh, you're welcome,
but that was Julie.

I'm the one that got
you the Dramamine

and the packs of
Smokehouse Almonds.

Can I bother you one more time?

Ten packs is all I can give you.

I told you that on the plane.

Oh, I just want to know which
way to the baggage claim.

Oh. Oh, thank you.

And thanks again for the wings.

Rose? I knew that was you.

Lily! Oh, honey, what
are you doing here?

I wanted to surprise
you. Surprise!

Oh, did you come all
this way by yourself?

No, I came with Becky.

Well, Becky, how do you do?

Oh, Rose. I had to see you again

because I felt terrible
about the way we left things.

Oh, so do I.

Oh, Rose, I owe you an apology.

I was angry at the world
because I couldn't see it anymore.

That's why I wanted
you to take care of me.

I didn't think it was worth
the effort to do it myself.

But you didn't give
me any other choice.

So I went back to that school,

and once I got out there

and started
learning a few things,

I realized that the
effort is worth it.

Oh, I still have
a long way to go,

but Becky and I are doing OK.

Oh, I feel so silly.

I came out here to talk some sense
into you, and you didn't even need me.

Oh, yes, I did, Rose.

I needed you to see
that you were right.

Now, you... Excuse me, Becky.

You take my arm.
I'm gonna lead you.

Now, Rose, you always had
a terrible sense of direction.

You take my arm. I know the way.

It's 49 steps right
down this way.

And watch out for the
wad of gum on the 41st.

I'm so proud of you.

Oh, this is nothing. Wait
till you see me drive home.

Come on, Becky. 1, 2, 3...