Bea Arthur... gone

She was 86 years old and suffering from cancer.

But still... hearing of her loss was pretty upsetting. She didn't look well at her recent appearance at the TV Land Awards, but there is a tendency to push grave thoughts out of one's mind.

I literally grew up on the Golden Girls. I was about 11 years old when the show premiered and about to turn 19 when it ended. It aired at 9pm Saturday nights and quite frankly, I am amazed that my mom allowed us to watch it. At the time, a lot of the jokes flew completely over my head; but as I grew older and watched it in syndication or on Lifetime, I marveled at how raunchy and witty it really was. It was one of the few sitcoms that the dialogue stayed with you; usually, it was Blanche, Rose, or Sophia's. But Dorothy was all about the delivery and timing.

Last year, the Golden Girls was the perfect comfort food for me. I was laid off from my job and feeling really down, especially when my job search went from weeks to months. That show was worth getting up for; it was even worth staying up after 1 a.m. I heard that Lifetime gave up their rights to show GGs; therefore I caught as many episodes when I could and fortunately, my local video store has the DVDs.

As for my favorite Dorothy episodes, it's very tough because Dorothy had fantastic moments in nearly every episode. Whether she was preventing Sophia from saying something embarrassing, enduring another one of Rose's St. Olaf stories, or dealing with Blanche's incessant bouts of vanity, Bea Arthur made the most of her screen time. But any episode involving Stan, or Dorothy and Sophia sharing a room, or the girls having a late night pow-wow over cheesecake were favorites. But I have to say that the following stuck out:

• Love Me Tender, the episode when Dorothy discovers the joy of 'sport nookie', as Sophia characterized it, with a plain looking, but utterly irresistible man
• Sick and Tired, when Dorothy is diagnosed with a chronic fatigue syndrome
• The Accurate Conception, which isn't a Dorothy episode, but had some great Dorothy moments, especially when Sophia revealed that Dorothy was conceived behind a sausage and pepper stand during a festival
• Mrs. George Devereaux, when Dorothy was pursued by Sonny Bono and Lyle Waggoner
• What a Difference a Date Makes, when Dorothy learns that Sophia made a fateful decision which resulted in Stan
• Goodbye, Mr. Gordon, when Dorothy falls victim to her long ago crush on her high school teacher
• Journey to the Center of Attention, when Blanche became threatened by Dorothy's hold over the male patrons of the Rusty Anchor
• The Commitments, when Dorothy pawns off a blind date on Blanche, and ends up with 'George' from a Beatlemania group
• One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest, when Dorothy finally got regular, fantastic 'so good they named it' sex and a new husband.

So many great lines; so much sadness because their ranks are thinning.

Stan - gone.
Sophia - gone.
And now, Dorothy.