Stan Takes a Wife

 was the tenth episode of Season 4 of The Golden Girls, and the 87th overall episode of the series.

Summary
Stan breaks the news that he is engaged to be married for the third time. At first, Dorothy is thrilled at the prospect of getting him out of her life—but after Stan stays by her side when Sophia is hospitalized with a virus, old feelings start stirring.

Plot
The episode opens with Blanche angry for having been ditched on a date. Sophia makes a quip, but Dorothy rebukes Sophia for disobeying doctor's orders while sick and being out of bed. Stanley then arrives to deliver the news that he is getting married in a week to a woman named Katherine. The girls are supportive of his engagement and his sincerity, but offer to step in to help pick out a better wedding ring.

The girls return home the next day after helping Stan, and Dorothy is once again displeased to find Sophia not resting despite being sick. Sophia quickly takes a turn for the worse, stating she cannot breathe properly, and the girls rush her to the hospital. There, a despondent Dorothy is joined by Stan after he hears of the news. The doctor states that Sophia is being treated in intensive care due to her having caught pneumonia, and suggests everyone leave for the evening as Sophia is treated overnight. Everyone eventually leaves except Dorothy, who cannot stop worrying about her mother, and decides to stay at the hospital.

At around 1 in the morning, Stan returns to the hospital, admitting he was equally worried about Sophia as Dorothy was. He brings food for Dorothy, takes initiative at demanding more updates about Sophia's condition, and comforts Dorothy through the night. When daylight comes, the doctor wakes Dorothy to deliver the news that Sophia is fine. When offered to see Sophia, Stan tells Dorothy to go on ahead without him. She takes a glowing look at Stan before leaving.

Dorothy is eventually met with Rose and Blanche in Sophia's hospital room to catch up. There, Dorothy tells the girls she realized she still loves Stan, and does not wish for him to go through with his marriage. Stunned, Rose and Blanche later confront Dorothy back at home, arguing that stopping their wedding is a bad idea and that she divorced Stan for a reason. Dorothy is unshaken, however, and declares she will tell Stan she still loves him on the day of his wedding.

When the day of the wedding arrives, Dorothy finds Stan preparing for the occasion in his hotel room. As she prepares to tell Stan her feelings, she is interrupted by Rose and Blanche arriving. They successfully steer the conversation away at every turn, and eventually lock Dorothy out of Stan's hotel room. Defeated, Dorothy finds herself at the hotel bar instead of going to the wedding. She then meets a nervous bride-to-be who sits at the bar with her, who Dorothy quickly realizes is Stan's fiancée, Katherine. Katherine explains that she is anxious at getting married to Stan, because she has heard great things about his ex-wife, and worries she cannot measure up to her. Also realizing the ex-wife is referring to herself, Dorothy reassures Katherine that she has nothing to worry about after hearing how much she loves Stan. Dorothy then refers to herself in the third person that the "ex-wife" would graciously let go of Stan and realize her time with him was over. Gaining confidence, Katherine readies herself to go to her wedding. Dorothy offers to walk with her to the wedding, as she claims she has a wedding to go to as well.

Guest cast

 * Katherine O'Connor-Zbornak - Elinor Donahue

Trivia

 * The actors for Stan and Katherine, Herb Edelman and Elinor Donahue, played husband and wife in an episode of the Love Boat #5.11 titled "He's my Brother/Zeke and Zelda/Teach Me Tonight."