Golden Girls Wiki
Advertisement
Golden Girls Wiki
Synopsis
Transcript
Gallery
Betty White as Rose Nylund
"It's like we say in St. Olaf, Christmas without fruitcake is like St. Sigmund's Day without the headless boy."

This article is incomplete. You can help the Golden Girls Wiki by expanding it.

Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself is the fifth episode of the third season of The Golden Girls and the fifty-sixth episode overall. Directed by Terry Hughes and written by Christopher Lloyd, it premiered on NBC-TV on October 24th, 1987.

Summary[]

Rose's aunt's funeral provides an opportunity for her, Dorothy, and Blanche to cope with some of their phobias.

Plot[]

Sophia has entered a cooking contest, she tries the food on Blanche and Dorothy, despite their reaction it's not good enough, Rose enters in tears her Aunt Gretchen died and the family expects Rose to deliver a eulogy but she's afraid of public speaking. Rose reveals that her fear started after she froze during her High School Graduation Speech, Dorothy then helps her by admitting she had a fear of flying, she had to go to Gloria's wedding in LA and so she saw someone to help her. Blanche reveals she has a recurring nightmare about hearing the voice of God while she was in a space with Bald Men.

After Rose freezes again in a test she reveals she can't do without Blanche and Dorothy there. They agree only for Blanche to reveal that they will be flying to the Bahamas where the funeral is being held, Dorothy while speaking to Sophia about her fear reveals she's still afraid. Just before they go, Dorothy tries to get out of it saying that Sophia was ill at the competition only for her to enter saying she's fine and forgot her wine. It's clear that Dorothy trying to back out but after Blanche gives them a sharp talk they go to the Airport. On the plane Dorothy is scared to death, however Blanche discovers the plane is filled with bald men and that her dream is in a plane and they fly into the ocean with the Captain's name being Lord the final piece.

As the journey goes on the girls share a nice memory but Dorothy realises nothing has happened and they all are being silly, however the plane has to go back as a storm threatens the route, Blanche reveals that wasn't in her dream meaning it broken and they will be fine. Rose however hasn't conquered her fears, so Blanche tells her to do it on the plane, she uses the intercom to talk about her aunt who use to scare her but as she thinks about it she did it to make her unafraid of the world and thanks her in death for it. They return to Sophia revealing the day's event, the bald men were former Mr Cleans and that they faced their fears. Sophia reveals she originally drew against a 103 year old who died of shock, the funeral is on Saturday and Rose has been volunteered by Sophia to deliver the eulogy.[1]

Tall Tales[]

Back in St. Olaf...[]

To be added.

Picture It...[]

To be added.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

  • Meg Wyllie as Candy
  • Paul Ross as the voice of Captain Lord

Notes[]

Cultural references[]

  • The title reference comes from the First Inaugural Address of Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 4th, 1933: "So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear... is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror..."
    • This is the second time the address was referenced in the show, as Sophia quoted it to Rose in "Break-In".[2]

Continuity[]

  • In "The Operation", Dorothy reveals she has a fear of hospitals and Blanche admits she has a fear of flying.[3]

Goofs[]

  • When Sophia tells Dorothy and Blanche to taste the food she cooked, she said her husband had the look of total, instant pleasure on her face once in their fifty-two years of marriage. in "Joust Between Friends", she said she was married for forty-five years.[4]
  • When Sophia is letting the ladies taste her lasagna, the kitchen towel moves between shots.
  • Rose says she was valedictorian of her graduating class. In another episode, Rose says she missed her high-school graduation due to having mono.[5]

Site Navigation[]

V - E - H
List of The Golden Girls episodes

Season 1 The EngagementGuess Who's Coming to the WeddingRose the PrudeTransplantThe TriangleOn Golden GirlsThe CompetitionBreak-InBlanche and the Younger ManThe Heart AttackThe Return of Dorothy's ExThe Custody BattleA Little RomanceThat Was No LadyIn a Bed of Rose'sThe Truth Will OutNice and EasyThe OperationSecond MotherhoodAdult EducationThe FluJob HuntingBlind AmbitionsBig DaddyThe Way We Met
Season 2 End of the CurseLadies of the EveningTake Him, He's MineIt's a Miserable LifeIsn't It RomanticBig Daddy's Little LadyFamily AffairVacationJoust Between FriendsLove, Rose'Twas The Nightmare Before ChristmasThe SistersThe Stan Who Came to DinnerThe ActorBefore and AfterAnd Then There Was OneBedtime StoryForgive Me, FatherLong Day's Journey into MarinaraWhose Face is This, Anyway?Dorothy's Prized PupilDiamond in the RoughSon-in-Law DearestTo Catch a NeighborA Piece of CakeEmpty Nests
Season 3 Old FriendsOne for the MoneyBringing Up BabyThe HousekeeperNothing to Fear But Fear ItselfLetter to GorbachevStrange BedfellowsBrotherly LoveA Visit from Little SvenThe AuditThree on a CouchCharlie's BuddyThe ArtistBlanche's Little GirlDorothy's New FriendGrab That DoughMy Brother, My FatherGolden Moments, Part 1Golden Moments, Part 2And Ma Makes ThreeLarceny and Old LaceRose's Big AdventureMixed BlessingsMister TerrificMother's Day
Season 4 Yes, We Have No HavanasThe Days and Nights of Sophia PetrilloThe One That Got AwayYokel HeroBang the Drum, StanleySophia's Wedding, Part 1Sophia's Wedding, Part 2Brother, Can You Spare That JacketScared StraightStan Takes a WifeThe AuctionBlind DateThe Impotence of Being ErnestLove Me TenderValentine's DayTwo Rode TogetherYou Gotta Have HopeFiddler On the RopesTill Death Do We VolleyHigh AnxietyLittle SisterSophia's ChoiceRites of SpringForeign ExchangeWe're Outta Here, Part 1We're Outta Here, Part 2
Season 5 Sick and Tired, Part 1Sick and Tired, Part 2The Accurate ConceptionRose Fights BackLove Under the Big TopDancing in the DarkNot Another MondayThat Old FeelingComedy of ErrorsAll That JazzEbb TideHave Yourself a Very Little ChristmasMary Has a Little LambTriple PlayClinton Avenue MemoirsLike the Beep Beep Beep of the Tom-TomAn Illegitimate Concern72 HoursTwice In a LifetimeSisters and Other StrangersCheatersThe Mangiacavallo Curse Makes a Lousy Wedding PresentAll Bets Are OffThe President's Coming! The President's Coming!, Part 1The President's Coming! The President's Coming!, Part 2
Season 6 Blanche DeliversOnce, In St. OlafIf At Last You Do SucceedSnap Out Of ItWham, Bam, Thank You MammyFeelingsZborn AgainHow Do You Solve a Problem Like Sophia?Mrs. George DevereauxGirls Just Wanna Have Fun... Before They DieStand By Your ManEbbtide's RevengeThe Bloom Is Off the RoseSisters of the BrideMiles to GoThere Goes the Bride, Part 1There Goes the Bride, Part 2Older and WiserMelodramaEven Grandmas Get the BluesWitnessWhat a Difference a Date MakesLove for SaleNever Yell Fire in a Crowded Retirement Home, Part 1Never Yell Fire in a Crowded Retirement Home, Part 2Henny Penny — Straight, No Chaser
Season 7 Hey, Look Me OverThe Case of the Libertine BelleBeauty and the BeastThat's For Me to KnowWhere's Charlie?Mother LoadDateline: MiamiThe Monkey Show, Part 1The Monkey Show, Part 2Ro$e Love$ Mile$Room SevenFrom Here to the PharmacyThe Pope's RingOld BoyfriendsGoodbye, Mr. GordonThe CommitmentsQuestions and AnswersEbbtide VI: The Wrath of StanJourney to the Center of AttentionA Midwinter Night's Dream, Part 1A Midwinter Night's Dream, Part 2Rose: Portrait of a WomanHome Again, Rose, Part 1Home Again, Rose, Part 2One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest, Part 1One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest, Part 2

References[]

  1. The Golden Girls, Season 3, Episode 5, "Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself". Lloyd, Christopher (writer) & Hughes, Terry (director) (October 24, 1987)
  2. The Golden Girls, Season 1, Episode 8, "Break-In". Berg, James and Zimmerman, Stan (writers) & Drake, Jim (director) (November 16th, 1985)
  3. The Golden Girls, Season 1, Episode 18, “The Operation”. Hervey, Winifred (writer) & Hughes, Terry (director) (February 8th, 1986)
  4. The Golden Girls, Season 2, Episode 9, “Joust Between Friends”. Gordon, Scott Spencer (writer) & Hughes, Terry (director) (December 6, 1986)
  5. The Golden Girls, Season 4, Episode 1, "Yes, We Have No Havanas". Fanaro, Barry and Nathan, Mort (writers) & Hughes, Terry (director) (October 8th, 1988)
Advertisement