"It's like we say in St. Olaf, Christmas without fruitcake is like St. Sigmund's Day without the headless boy."
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Charlie's Buddy is the twelfth episode of the third season of The Golden Girls, and the sixty-third episode overall. Directed by Terry Hughes and written by Terry Grossman and Kathy Speer, the episode aired on NBC-TV on December 12th, 1987.
A visitor announces he is an army buddy of Charlie, Rose's late husband. The two hit it off, to the point that Rose considers moving away with him, but Dorothy is suspicious. Meanwhile, Dorothy finds the perfect dress for an upcoming banquet, only to clash with Blanche when they end up buying the exact same dress.
Plot[]
Dorothy returns home with Sophia angry that she insulted her while trying to find a dress for a banquet vowing never to bring her again. After second opinions from Blanche and Rose, Dorothy forgives Sophia who refuses to help, then at the door was a man called Buddy Rourke he is looking for Rose and despite being all polite to him he admits they haven't met he knows her through Charlie they were in the army together and he always wanted to meet the woman that wrote letters to Charlie every week.
As the week goes on Rose and Buddy spent everyday together after sharing another silly story, Buddy confesses he had no one at home to send a letter and those letters kept him going because he fell in love with the writer. That evening Dorothy's new dress is spoiled by Blanche who has also brought it, Rose reveals that Buddy wants her to live with him in Boston, the girls are shocked but clearly they see the love Rose has for him so they accept it, Rose then reveals she won't be sharing bank details but Buddy wants her to give him money to buy their new house.
The next day Dorothy comes home with a new dress which after checking with Blanche isn't the same but she reveals that she was uncomfortable about Rose giving Buddy money, so she checked his records and found he worked in the Army Pensions Office for 45 years and has recently retired, he read Charlie's file and Rose being herself filled in the blanks. It's all a con and he's done it before. However while the girls wait for Rose's return she decides not to go with Buddy telling him that the memories were great but she could never love him so she gifts him Charlie's watch, feeling guilty Buddy refuses and leaves her.
That evening Dorothy despite Rose telling them Buddy left, is uneasy with lying to Rose, Sophia tells a story about a fling she had with Winston Churchill which is clearly a lie but she enjoyed the reaction from Dorothy if Rose is happy let her have that and Dorothy agrees with her.[1]
Buddy mentions that he is at least of Irish descent. In real life, Miles O'Shea, who plays Buddy, was born in 1926 in what is now known as Ireland. At birth, Ireland was known as the Irish Free State after having seceded from the United Kingdom. The name remained until a new constitution was ratified in 1937 which renamed the country Ireland.
Goofs[]
When Buddy takes the watch, his right hand jumps on and off it between shots.
Sophia is listening to 'La Traviata' on the radio and says it's Pavarotti live at the Met. Luciano Pavarotti did not perform in any production of La Traviata at the New York Metropolitan Opera around the time that the episode is set.
If the federal government had previously known it's not the first time Buddy had tried to scam an Army pension beneficiary, then he would have been sent to prison long before having the chance to meet Rose.
↑The Golden Girls, Season 3, Episode 12, “Charlie’s Buddy”. Speer, Kathy and Grossman, Terry (writers) & Hughes, Terry (director) (December 12th, 1987)
