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"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. |
This is a full list of Sophia Petrillo's relationships. For a list of her romances, see Sophia Petrillo/Romances.
Main[]
Dorothy Zbornak[]
Dorothy is Sophia's firstborn daughter and child, born soon after she and her husband immigrated to America. Throughout the series, the two show they have a very strong relationship and are there for each other during crucial events.
However, Sophia has a tendency to take advantage of their familial relationship as she regularly steals money from Dorothy or tries to set her up with a date Dorothy does not want. Even when Dorothy seeks some support from her mother, Sophia will provide it but usually follows with a harsh criticism about Dorothy's personality or appearance. She also tends to ignore Dorothy's warnings about being responsible as Sophia is usually more concerned about her own situation and having fun or having bragging rights.
When trying to improve Dorothy's love life by her own means, Sophia usually does this without Dorothy's knowledge or consent which at times causes a rift between them. One such example is when Sophia supported her daughter Gloria dating the now wealthy Stan and completely disregarded Dorothy's feelings in the situation until her brother got her to see she was somewhat favoring one child over the other.
Other times, Sophia will use emotional manipulation to get Dorothy to do what she wants; usually by using extreme guilt that greatly affects Dorothy and makes her do things she normally would not agree to.
Despite their sometimes troubled moments, Sophia truly loves Dorothy and has been able to depend on her when she had no one else. She has been stated by Gloria to actually favor Dorothy over all her children because of how responsible and dependable she is.
Rose Nylund[]
Sophia states at different points that she is not very fond of Rose for different reasons. Mainly she does not like how Rose is rather naive and seemingly not very intelligent. Despite this, the two get along rather well and occasionally team up during certain situations.
Blanche Devereaux[]
Blanche sees Sophia as both a mother figure and as a mean old lady, while Sophia sees her as one of her daughters and, very vocally, a streetwalker. For example, in the very first episode of the series, Sophia had bluntly told Blanche "You look like a prostitute".[1]
In the Season 4 premiere, Sophia and Blanche became rivals for the affections of an elderly Cuban gentleman named Fidel Santiago. The two women traded particularly nasty insults with each other, with Sophia calling Blanche a "fifty year-old mattress," and Blanche calling Sophia a "raisin in sneakers." and "a crow". The rivalry came to an abrupt end when Fidel died suddenly -- and as it turned out, Fidel was even more promiscuous than Blanche. The congregation at his funeral consisted entirely of women he had been romancing, with exception for Dorothy and Rose. After Sophia gave a particularly-heartfelt but rather cutting eulogy for Fidel, Blanche was extremely touched and told Sophia that if she could do everything over, she would have stepped back and let Sophia have Fidel to herself. Sophia's reaction to this was rather tepid, as she immediately began ranting about how Blanche would have "given her" a corpse.[2]
Chuy Castillos[]
To be added.
Roland Wilson[]
To be added
Immediate Family[]
Parents[]
Don Angelo Grisanti, Sr.[]
To be added.
Eleanor Grisanti[]
Sophia inherited her penchant for storytelling from her mother, with the two of them sharing the same segue.[3]
Siblings[]
Angela Vecchio[]
Angela is one of Sophia's sisters, though whether she's older or younger isn't made clear. Angela moved to Brooklyn around 1925, and Sophia was good friends and neighbors with her and her husband Carmine.
Though it seems that Angela and Sophia had a good relationship, a Christmas party in 1959 would change the course of their relationship for the next thirty years. At Francesca Regguso's Christmas bash, Sophia was sexually assaulted by a man at the party and told Angela what had happened. Though Angela swore herself to secrecy, the entire party began talking about what had happened to Sophia. Enraged, Sophia dragged Angela into a closet and accused her of betraying her, while Angela accused her of the same after seeing a woman wearing Sophia's shawl kiss Angela's then-husband Carmine.[4] Sophia denied it, and the sisters didn't speak again until the late 1980s. Angela later moved back to Sicily, presumably after her husband died.
The sisters were forced to interact again in the late 1980s, when Dorothy brought Angela to the States as a birthday present for Sophia. The sisters immediately began to fight over the old wounds, and refused to make up despite Blanche, Dorothy, and Rose's intervention.[4]
Angelo Grisanti, Jr.[]
Sophia's brother. Although they have not seen each other for a while, they are very close. Like many others, Sophia had been under the impression that Angelo was a priest but learned during a visit that he was not a priest. When he began living in Miami, their sibling bond grew stronger and Angelo has gotten Sophia to realize a few ways she treats Dorothy.
Regina Grisanti[]
To be added.
Vito Grisanti[]
To be added.
Spouses[]
Salvadore Petrillo[]
In a flashback, the couple's car is being repaired and Sophia's father complains about Sal; when Sophia's father goes to the restroom, Sal reveals that he has Sophia's favorite chocolates. In another, after Sal reveals Sophia's true age and they fight, Sal ends it by telling her that she is always beautiful to him.
It's clear that Sal and Sophia had a healthy sex life. When Dorothy and Sophia share a bed, Dorothy's elbow reminds Sophia of Sal. When Sophia got annoyed at the time dinner guests took, she reveals that in half the time Sal could eat, read the paper, make love, and do his nails without leaving the table. Sophia admitted that Sal did things without telling her -- for example, she couldn't remember conceiving Phil.[5] While she was pregnant with Phil, Sal nearly cheated on her, but he found the woman birdlike and annoying and decided he preferred his wife.
Max Weinstock[]
Sophia's second husband. After Max's wife had passed, it is revealed that Sophia held a great grudge against Max for claiming he was the one who gambled the money away from the business he and Sal owned. When Max revealed the truth about the business, Sophia apologized and the two mended their broken relationship so quickly they mistook the friendship for love and married quickly.
However, it wouldn't be long after they married that they realized they married too quickly due to mixed emotions. But because Sophia is Catholic, she did not want to divorce and suggested the two be separated. Even though they remained legally married, Sophia did technically commit adultery when she slept with another man.
Children[]
Gloria Petrillo-Harker[]
Sophia's youngest daughter and child. She is thought to favor Gloria as an adult due to Gloria marrying an incredibly wealthy man. During the two occasions Gloria was in Miami, Sophia did appear to show more attention toward Gloria, during her later visit after losing her money that she pushed Gloria to get together with Stan since he was now wealthy. However, Gloria acknowledges that Sophia does not depend on her in the same way Sophia does with Dorothy.
Phillip Petrillo[]
- “I did love him. He was my son. My little boy. But every time I saw him, I always wondered what I did, what I said. When was the day that I did whatever I did to make him the way he was. ... My baby is gone!”
- — Sophia finally lets her feelings about Phil be known, "Ebbtide's Revenge" (1990)
Sophia's youngest child and her only son. Sophia went into labor with Phil while Sal was called away to work and ended up giving birth on the way to the hospital, even needing the cabby to perform a C-section. When Phil was a baby, Sophia dressed him in hand-me-downs from Dorothy and Gloria as the Petrillos couldn't afford new clothes.[6] She allegedly nursed him well into his preteens, and only stopped when he wanted to come home from school at lunchtime.[7]
When Phil became engaged to a woman named Angela, Sophia and Sal met with the woman's father, who promised them a check for two-million lire in exchange for Phil's hand in marriage. Sophia and Sal took the check, but the check bounced when they tried to cash it. Later at Phil's wedding, Sophia was shocked to see that Angela and her family not only allowed Phil to wear a wedding dress, but encouraged him to do so. This only deepened her shame of his crossdressing, but she would blame her hatred for Angela on the bounced check.[8] After Phil got married, Sophia rarely came to see him, only calling him on occasion and eventually using codenames to trick him into calling her on Mother's Day.[9] Phil, however, never reached out or wrote to her as he knew how she felt about his lifestyle, though he did send her a cheddar cheese nativity scene every Christmas.[7]
Early on in the series, Sophia would make jokes about Phil ("I love all my children...except Phil.").[7] She would go to visit Phil a handful of times in the series -- for his son Harvey's attempted graduation from pet grooming school,[10] for his daughter's wedding,[11] and she even considered moving in with Phil after Angela walked out after they had a fight.[12][13] However, while Sophia rarely visited, there were problems whenever she did, as she always picked fights with Angela. According to Angela, Phil was also upset that Sophia never visited him, and knew that she didn't because she was ashamed of him.[8]
In "Ebbtide's Revenge", Sophia revealed that the reason she never came to visit Phil was because Angela's father's dowry check bounced. However, through the counselling expertise of Rose, the truth gradually came out -- Sophia never visited because she was ashamed of Phil's crossdressing, and she resented Angela for not doing anything to stop it. Rose makes a point to establish that Phil was a decent father and husband, and a good provider -- and that there was nothing wrong with Angela loving Phil for who he was. Sophia admitted that she did love Phil, but she always wondered what she did to make him the way he was. As Angela tells her that Phil was a good man, Sophia breaks down crying and exclaims "My baby is gone!".[8]
After the airing of "Ebbtide's Revenge", it was revealed that the original script had Sophia making a lot more crossdresser jokes at Phil's wake and funeral. However, Estelle Getty personally requested for those lines to be taken out, as even though Sophia was ashamed of Phil, she didn't feel it would be right for a mother to make fun of her deceased child.
Grandchildren[]
Kate Zbornak-Griffiths[]
To be added.
Michael Zbornak[]
Dorothy's son. As his grandmother, Sophia typically spoils Michael although at the same time criticizes how he does not act like a proper adult and handle his responsibilities properly.
Descendants[]
Robby Zbornak[]
To be added.
Extended Family[]
Uncle Aldo[]
To be added.
Angela Zbornak[]
- “The dress thing. Why didn't she stop the dress thing?”
- — Sophia referring to Angela and Phil's wedding; "Ebbtide's Revenge" (1991)
The daughter-in-law of Sophia and the widow of Sophia's son Phil. Sophia made it apparent that she didn't like Angela, calling her "Big Sally" because she knew Angela hated the nickname and refusing to visit Phil due to her hatred of her. She even treated Angela poorly and insulted her at Phil's funeral. Days later, when Dorothy forced Angela and Sophia to confront each other, Sophia revealed she hated Angela because the two-million lire dowry check Angela's father wrote bounced. Despite Angela cutting her a check for the amount -- $47 USD -- Sophia was still snide with her and refused to accept it as an apology.
Thanks to the counselling training of Rose, however, it was revealed that the true reason Sophia resented Angela was because Angela did nothing to stop Phil from crossdressing.[8]
Dennis Griffiths[]
To be added.
Friends[]
Harry Weston[]
For a time, Sophia's great-nephew and Harry's daughter Barbara became an item until he dumped her.
Carol Weston[]
To be added.
Lillian[]
A close friend of Sophia's who wanted to take her own life. In the episode, Sophia was shown to be very disturbed and troubled that her friend wanted to do such a thing and did everything she could to successfully prevent this from happening, which she did.
Mildred[]
To be added.
Martha[]
To be added.
Esther Weinstock[]
A woman Sophia was close friends with but grew estranged when Sophia grew resentful of Max Weinstock. Sophia was shown in a flashback to get along very well with Esther and took the news of her death very hard.
Sister Agnes[]
A friend of Sophia's who was a Catholic nun. Although their relationship is not shown, they are implied to have been close to the point that Sophia wanted to become a nun to honor her memory.
Neutral[]
Stanley Zbornak[]
- “Stan: Come on, Sophia. It'll be fun. We can catch up with old times.
Sophia: No, we can't. I had a stroke. Luckily, my memories of you were wiped out!” - — Sophia wisecracking Stan; "Guess Who's Coming to the Wedding" (1895)
Sophia's son-in-law, divorced from Dorothy. Since Dorothy began dating Stan, Sophia made it clear that she did not like Stan and referred to him as a "Yutz". Although Stan provided for his family over the years, Sophia never truly respected him as a novelty salesman and this only got worse when learning Stan had an affair and divorced Dorothy to marry a young stewardess. Sophia regularly insulted Stan for his appearance, actions, and attempts to get back with Dorothy. However, when Stan appeared to have a sure way to earn/scam a quick fortune they could split, Sophia usually did not hesitate to join in. During a moment when Sophia had been tricked to join in a therapy session with Stan and Dorothy, she made it clear to Stan how she felt about his unfaithful ways but did admit they had plenty of good moments that she did love him for.
Mother Zbornak[]
The extent of Sophia's relationship with Yolanda isn't known, but Sophia didn't appear to be fond of her. She insisted that Yolanda "wasn't human" and believes she ate mice.[14]
Enemies[]
Mama Celeste[]
According to "The Triangle", Sophia was once friends with the then-unknown Mama Celeste, and the two had shared a pizza recipe together. One day, a fast-talking pepperoni salesman came into town and began dating the women off each other, which eventually led to the destruction of their business. After the women parted for America, Mama Celeste became famous with the pizza recipe she and Sophia created together. While it is likely that this is just another of Sophia's tall tales, Sophia seems particularly incensed when she sees anything or hears any praise relating to Mama Celeste and her product. Most notably, she held a blind contest between her own pizza recipe and some of Mama Celeste's pizza, and became enraged when Blanche, Rose, and Dorothy picked Mama Celeste's pizza over hers.[15]
Leonard Barton[]
To be added.
Frieda Claxton[]
Like many others, Sophia did not like Frieda and her unpleasant attitude. When Frieda passed, she decided it would be good for herself and the girls to make the arrangements for her funeral.
Muffin[]
To be added.
[]
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References[]
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 1, Episode 1, "The Engagement". Harris, Susan (writer) & Sandrich, Jay (director) (September 14th, 1985)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 4, Episode 1, "Yes, We Have No Havanas". Fanaro, Barry and Nathan, Mort (writers) & Hughes, Terry (director) (October 8th, 1988)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 3, Episode 25, "Mother's Day". Speer, Kathy and Grossman, Terry (writers) & Hughes, Terry (director) (May 7th, 1988)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Golden Girls, Season 2, Episode 12, "The Sisters". Lloyd, Christopher (writer) & Hughes, Terry (director) (January 3rd, 1987)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 3, Episode 10, “The Audit”. Hervey, Winifred (writer) & Hughes, Terry (director) (November 28th, 1987)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 5, Episode 16, "Clinton Avenue Memoirs". Gamble, Tracy and Vaczy, Richard (writers) & Drake, Jim (director) (February 3rd, 1990)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The Golden Girls, Season 1, Episode 4, "Transplant". Harris, Susan (writer) & Bogart, Paul (director) (October 5th, 1985)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 The Golden Girls, Season 6, Episodes 12, "Ebbtide's Revenge". Sotkin, Marc (writer) & Diamond, Matthew (director) (December 15th, 1990)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 3, Episode 25, "Mother's Day". Speer, Kathy and Grossman, Terry (writers) & Hughes, Terry (director) (May 7th, 1988)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 1, Episode 13, “A Little Romance”. Fanaro, Barry and Nathan, Mort (writers) & Hughes, Terry (director) (December 14th, 1885)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 3, Episode 4, “The Housekeeper”. Hervey, Winifred (writer) & Hughes, Terry (director) (October 17th, 1987)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 3, Episode 18, "Golden Moments, Part 1". Grossman, Terry and Speer, Kathy (writers) & Hughes, Terry (director) (February 13th, 1985)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 3, Episode 19, "Golden Moments, Part 2". Grossman, Terry and Speer, Kathy (writers) & Hughes, Terry (director) (February 13th, 1985)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 3, Episode 25, "Mother's Day". Lloyd, Christopher (writer) & Hughes, Terry (director) (May 7th, 1988)
- ↑ The Golden Girls, Season 1, Episode 5, "The Triangle". Hervey, Winifred (writer) & Drake, Jim (director) (October 19th, 1985)