tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post4830337312609713035..comments2024-03-26T19:08:32.544-04:00Comments on That's alls I know: The 10 Best "Designing Women" EpisodesTommy Kraskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-51263694826291482492020-08-28T13:48:51.164-04:002020-08-28T13:48:51.164-04:00Thanks for stopping by, and for leaving a comment,...Thanks for stopping by, and for leaving a comment, and I so apologize if you’re someone I know, and I’m just not recognizing the user name. Blogger has been devilishly hard to log into recently (even for me), and it seems to be changing longtime commenters’ user names. Yes, indeed, Designing Women was *so* hard to whittle down to a top 20. I will confess that “Stranded” was one of the ones I watched again just before writing this entry, specifically because I love it and thought it might well make my list. I love it for the reasons you do, and I think if I had reservations about it, it’s simply because I don’t love the parts with Julia and Mary Jo and Charlene; I’m not a big fan of the “lead characters take a trip, but they get too sick to enjoy it” plotline. (Somewhere on this blog, I have an entry called “3 Things I Never Want to See Again on TV,” where I talk about that particular trope.) And similarly, “Julia and Mary Jo Get Stuck Under a Bed” just missed my list as well. I too love “jellies of the world” — my husband and I still say that phrase a lot. And Julia’s “We would have to book two seats on the space shuttle” and “like it’s the first time every time” — so many memorable lines.<br /><br />It’s funny: I need to watch “This is Art” again. You’re quite right: it’s a highlight of Season 5, and I think I didn’t include it (or at least acknowledge it) only because, for some reason, I forgot about it. Oops! :)Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-27101673783234392582020-08-24T21:17:12.583-04:002020-08-24T21:17:12.583-04:00This was a lovely read, and I'm so grateful yo...This was a lovely read, and I'm so grateful you took the time and attention to thoughtfully dissect the episodes, as well as the writers and performers. DW has been my favorite show since I started watching it in reruns with my grandmother when I was a child in the early 90s.<br /><br />Many of my favorites are on this list, but as you mentioned above, it's hard to get down to just a top few.<br /><br />My favorites that aren't here include:<br />-"Stranded" because it's the first time we really see the complicated Suzanne/Anthony relationship develop--and it's done in a more plausible way than in the later "Foreign Affairs."<br /><br />-"Julia Gets Her Head Stuck in the Fence" for the reasons you outline above about humiliating the central character, but also because we get to see Suzanne take down the "two-bit usherette" and really know that the tirade gene runs in both Sugarbaker sisters.<br /><br />-"This Is Art?" because it so neatly and unexpectedly combines the storylines of Julia's questionable fame as an artist and of Mary Jo denting Charlene's car. Plus, we get to see Delta Burke be outrageous as Suzanne with mostly physical comedy.<br /><br />-"Julia and Mary Jo Get Stuck under a Bed," mostly because as outlandish as it is, we get such a strong focus on Mary Jo and Julia. Also, something about "jellies of the world" sends me into howling fits of laughter.jawhite21https://www.blogger.com/profile/12539513093342125946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-91507451070844611552020-08-12T15:23:04.294-04:002020-08-12T15:23:04.294-04:00Always great to hear from you, Jayson. As I think ...Always great to hear from you, Jayson. As I think I mentioned in one of the comments above, I did this particular blog entry just a few weeks after completing my 10 Best Mary Tyler Moore Show episodes; it had been fairly easy to zero in on my top MTM episodes, so I fully expected (foolishly, as it turned out) that Designing Women would be equally simple. Man, was I wrong! It was devilishly hard to trim Designing Women to a top 10 — or even a top 20. “How Great Thou Art” just barely missed my list, and although I remember the reasons I decided to omit it, it could just as easily have replaced one of my runners up; it was one of the episodes that most impressed me when it originally aired, and it still gets to me. And yes, I too love “Carlene’s Apartment” — just Carlene’s “TV theme song” at the top made it a strong contender. Although I still think that the best Season 6 episode was the second, Pam Norris’s “Toe in the Water,” and that nothing again (with the exception of “Clarence and Anita”) quite measures up, I quite like all the scripts that Norris and/or her then-husband Paul Clay wrote that season: in addition to Clay’s “Carlene’s Apartment,” I’m thinking about “LA Story,” “Dwayne’s World” (I always love listening to Allison’s lament at the restaurant: “I think I’m attractive, but I don’t have a boyfriend, I don’t have a best friend, and for some reason, none of the women in the office want to marry me”), and “Tales Out of School.” I wish they’d had the time to write more. <br /><br />I confess, I need to watch “Julia Drives Over the FIrst Amendment” again. I confess, I haven’t seen it since it first aired, and at that time, it seemed emblematic of some of the issues I had with Norris’s early scripts: hitting the laughs a little hard, and lacking the easy inevitability I preferred in Bloodworth-Thomason‘s scripts. But as noted, I ultimately became a huge Norris fan, and realized her style was just different, not “worse.” I need to watch that one again.Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-33720446930018697632020-08-09T22:04:37.963-04:002020-08-09T22:04:37.963-04:00I loved 'how great thou art' because Berni...I loved 'how great thou art' because Berniece was used effectively as someone of logic instead of comic relief, Charlene standing up to her minister,and her pop talk to Julia. Wonderful moments.<br /><br />Reservations for 12 is a fav because of Suzanne taking care of business:)<br /><br />And Julia driving over the 1st amendment is another fav because of Charlene/Suzanne's tag team of the magazine owner, while Mary Jo was in grade A quality as the Greek chorus.<br /><br />Carlene's apartment..best episode of season 6..imho :)JCJCJC79https://www.blogger.com/profile/15905367504732048954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-31971516586040280322020-02-05T18:07:51.755-05:002020-02-05T18:07:51.755-05:00You're too funny! As noted, I just don't f...You're too funny! As noted, I just don't feel comfortable recommending that folks view readily available series on YouTube. But given that Designing Women is available neither on DVD nor on streaming services in the UK, I am fully prepared to give you my (completely unnecessary) blessing. As Julia Sugarbaker once said, "Go for it. Hang from the chandeliers. Put on some costumes. Order up some whipped cream. Just don't give me any more of your good reasons." (She was advising another character about having sex, but I think it works for YouTube as well...)Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-33943845700977794562020-02-05T17:29:23.923-05:002020-02-05T17:29:23.923-05:00Conflicted now! Do I have your blessing to watch t...Conflicted now! Do I have your blessing to watch the episode on YouTube, or not?Child of the 70shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15045667514712502457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-17904806787471747002020-02-05T16:12:59.355-05:002020-02-05T16:12:59.355-05:00I'm delighted you stopped by! I regret not bei...I'm delighted you stopped by! I regret not being on Facebook, as I so welcome the chance to engage with other fans. There was no way I wasn't going to mention "Reservations for Eight"; it may not be one of my ten favorites, but I remember being absolutely floored by the audacity and eloquence of that final, wordless scene in 1988, and it packs no less of a punch when I rewatch now. You're so right: it's brilliant conceived, but the chemistry between Carter & Holbrook and Burke & McRaney lifts it that much higher. It's one of those sequences -- like the one at the end of "The First Day of the Last Decade of the Entire Twentieth Century" -- that I can watch over and over again.Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-12708352323385220482020-02-05T13:52:02.514-05:002020-02-05T13:52:02.514-05:00My favorite, 'Reservations for Eight' is s...My favorite, 'Reservations for Eight' is such simply because of the on-screen/off-screen chemistry between Dixie and Hal, and Delta and Mac during the episode but during the final scene in particular. [I am in the Designing Women group on Facebook]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-13786921496590794452020-02-04T11:25:46.897-05:002020-02-04T11:25:46.897-05:00Interesting. I see they just went up a few months ...Interesting. I see they just went up a few months ago, and I suspect Sony will demand they be taken down soon enough, as indeed they should: since the full series is available on DVD, folks shouldn't be posting it on YouTube. As I note above, I can't get behind copyright infringement, because in the recording industry, I battle it daily. The only (slightly hypocritical) exception I make is when studios haven't bothered to make shows available at all on DVD or for streaming. Then, honestly, I'm grateful to folks who locate and post them, and generally annoyed when the studios demand they come down. I always think, "Just make the shows available then..." Some kind soul uploads Knots Landing (all 344 episodes) every few months, then Warner Bros demands they be taken down -- even though they won't issue 12 of the 14 seasons on DVD. Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-19314303188198709652020-02-04T11:19:22.961-05:002020-02-04T11:19:22.961-05:00So glad you enjoyed. For some reason, it was much ...So glad you enjoyed. For some reason, it was much harder to pick a top 10 (plus 10 additional episodes) for 'Designing Women' than it was for 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show.' I feel like I spent a month settling on a top 10 before I even got around to writing! I suspect there were just so many episodes that, for different reasons, I wanted to acknowledge and/or praise.Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-8263823220658653822020-02-03T09:10:39.087-05:002020-02-03T09:10:39.087-05:00A wonderful essay on a fantastic show! Thanks for...A wonderful essay on a fantastic show! Thanks for highlighting some of the amazing efforts and episodes by the cast and crew. I cant wait to rewatch the series in it's entirety again! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15844912153672879342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-42362900292859739082020-02-02T16:18:46.226-05:002020-02-02T16:18:46.226-05:00Loads of them, including the episode you recommend...Loads of them, including the episode you recommend, are on YouTube. Child of the 70shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15045667514712502457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-9034433976519711702020-02-02T09:50:44.225-05:002020-02-02T09:50:44.225-05:00OK, will try to track down an episode!OK, will try to track down an episode!Child of the 70shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15045667514712502457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-64021355027258990152020-02-01T09:07:23.269-05:002020-02-01T09:07:23.269-05:00Oh, Terry, that's so funny! I have no idea if ...Oh, Terry, that's so funny! I have no idea if Designing Women made its way to the UK, but it was a very big hit over here. It ran from 1986 to 1993, and during its two highest rated seasons (5 and 6), it was among the top-10 shows on television. It premiered two years before Roseanne and Murphy Brown (perhaps shows you know better), and as such, ushered in a great period for women on television. Its creator, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, had a distinct and passionate voice (during its second season, she was so committed to seeing the show reach its potential that she wrote all 22 episodes, which was unheard of at the time), and the four women at the heart of the series -- who ran a design firm (thus the title) -- were beautifully characterized and played. It was never honored by the Television Academy as it should have been, but it was a much-loved and groundbreaking show over here -- grounded by four marvelous actresses, splendid writing, and a willingness to tackle social issues other shows shied away from. If you care to sample a few at Daily Motion (I mention to Bob, above, how best to find them), "Killing All the Right People" represents the show at its boldest, "Full Moon" at its most irreverent. <br /><br />"Shows where women were designed"?!? I'll definitely have to let you tackle that one at your own blog. :)<br />Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-40369062366115332432020-02-01T04:35:27.859-05:002020-02-01T04:35:27.859-05:00OMG! When I read the title, I literally thought th...OMG! When I read the title, I literally thought this post would be about shows/films where women were designed like in Weird Science or Deux Machina!! Never heard of this show - did it make it over the pond?Child of the 70shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15045667514712502457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-75011675457540004342020-01-31T08:51:59.473-05:002020-01-31T08:51:59.473-05:00So glad you enjoyed, Steven -- this essay was, as ...So glad you enjoyed, Steven -- this essay was, as you can imagine, an absolute pleasure for me to write. Always fun to look back on -- and dissect -- the shows that have meant the most to me. Alas, as I note above, something like Designing Women would never be produced now on network television, which has become so timid. But that's a reason to cherish the series all the more...Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-61739142946606433002020-01-31T08:47:06.849-05:002020-01-31T08:47:06.849-05:00Nothing I could write about Designing Women could ...Nothing I could write about Designing Women could be as fascinating as learning that you were named -- even in part -- after Anthony Bouvier. It made me wonder if in 1990 and 1991, when the show was at the peak of its popularity, there was a rise in the number of baby girls being named Julia, Suzanne, Mary Jo and even Charlene. Alas, I did some quick online research, and found no evidence of that...Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-80790308153009350662020-01-30T16:58:53.753-05:002020-01-30T16:58:53.753-05:00I àgree on all counts Tommy - and how I miss the l...I àgree on all counts Tommy - and how I miss the likes of Julia Sugarbaker to comment on our world situation today!Unemployment Blueshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01044249240047660705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-58983297959964946252020-01-30T16:13:12.279-05:002020-01-30T16:13:12.279-05:00That is fascinating, but I suppose it isn't su...That is fascinating, but I suppose it isn't surprising, that people would be so harshly divided over material such as this...especially considering the topic at hand that they had to find a reason to bash the show.<br /><br />I do think it is a crime that Dixie Carter never got nominated for an Emmy for this role. She was even my favorite as a child when I didn't even fully understand the show (my mother was a fan...and in fact, part of the reason I was named Anthony was...oddly enough..because of THIS Anthony)Anthonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02567408801608124474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-80972892986012021502020-01-30T15:52:29.633-05:002020-01-30T15:52:29.633-05:00I remember I was in LA on business when "Kill...I remember I was in LA on business when "Killing All the Right People" aired. The morning that episode was to air, I got two newspapers at the hotel, and both had early reviews of the episode. One was glowing -- noting as you do how astounding it was that an episode about AIDS could be so funny, without any in way diminishing the horror of what was happening; the other was a pan, not just about the episode, but about the whole series. It found the episode typical of the series, which -- according to this writer -- basically modeled its four women on characters in a brothel: Julia, the madam; Suzanne, the expert; Mary Jo, the novice; and Charlene, the hooker with the heart of gold. I couldn't imagine -- still can't imagine -- a less appropriate time to put forth this (ridiculous) observation than when a network sitcom (in 1987, no less) is daring to do an episode about a gay man dying of AIDS. It's related to what I said above in my review of "Big Haas and Little Falsie" -- for some reason, critics were always eager to malign and misrepresent Designing Women. I do think it had something to do with what Annie Potts notes: that these young, outspoken women were very threatening to the patriarchy, and had to be put in their place. I think it also explains why the four actresses were ignored by the Television Academy year after year, until Delta Burke did an episode expressing embarrassment over her weight gain -- and only then was she deemed Emmy-nomination worthy.Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-74566591032215703032020-01-30T15:50:18.994-05:002020-01-30T15:50:18.994-05:00Always appreciate your dropping by, Bob (especiall...Always appreciate your dropping by, Bob (especially given that these essays keep getting longer and longer!), and doubly appreciate your leaving a comment. If you do decide to check out a few choice episodes, most of Seasons 2-4 are up at Daily Motion (at least, for the time being); just search under name of show, season and number, and episode and number. (And you can find the episode numbers easily at epguides.com.) I don't usually direct folks to unauthorized streaming sites (especially since, in my day job, I'm constantly battling them), but it somehow seems *more* of a crime when the streaming services that are actually licensed to air these series (as with Hulu here) cut them to shreds.Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-41145514220006022152020-01-30T14:07:20.910-05:002020-01-30T14:07:20.910-05:00As I have said, I have always been more of a GOLDE...As I have said, I have always been more of a GOLDEN GIRLS fan rather than a DESIGNING WOMEN fan...and my knowledge of the latter is very spotty at best.<br /><br />However, I have always acknowledged the fire and drive of this ensemble not to mention the writing of Bloodworth-Thomason and Norris.<br /><br />I do have to single out "Killing All The Right People" for its audacity and for how she was able to make a topic such as AIDS (especially at that time) laughs in a way that wasn't demeaning...and it was certainly a bigger success than GOLDEN GIRLS' AIDS episode which actually did go the blood transfusion route similar to Bloodworth-Thomason's mother.<br /><br />There is one moment I really loved in that episode which is when the great Dixie Carter is lecturing the character of Imogene, and this will probably be a paraphrase:<br /><br />"If God gave out Sexually Transmitted Diseases to people who were sinning, then YOU would be at the free clinic ALL THE TIME!!"<br /><br />Then there's a pause while the audience applauds and then she adds: "And so would the rest of us!".<br /><br />It's a subtle but genius addition because it sort of goes into the whole "They go low, we go how" motif that Michelle Obama always preached. Julia Sugarbaker puts her in her place but let's it be known that she is also not one to throw stones.<br />Anthonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02567408801608124474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-14644217006421380302020-01-30T13:37:40.220-05:002020-01-30T13:37:40.220-05:00Hi Tommy. Full disclosure -- I never really watche...Hi Tommy. Full disclosure -- I never really watched the Designing Women, and the only episode I have any memory of in your list is Full Moon.<br /><br />But as always, your analysis and commentary is a pleasure to read, and I'm glad to have spent my lunch break reading this piece. I may even dig into the Daily Motion to track these episodes down. Thanks for posting this!Bob Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08064350802590956177noreply@blogger.com