The Golden Girls (TV Series) Never Yell Fire in a Crowded Retirement Home: Part 1 (1991) User Reviews

Worst Episode Of The Series

[IcyRoses · 1/10 · 14 June 2010]

Where were the writers going with this crap? I'll try to review it: A detective shows up and says Sophia is being accused of burning down Shady Pines many, many years ago. First of all, they have absolutely no evidence, just a death bed confession. So anyone with a brain can figure out, that's not legal.

So, anyways, a lawyer comes to ask the girls questions, then we get 2 hours of absentminded clips that have already been covered in Golden Moments in Three On The Couch.

The writing is simply incredibly stupid. At one point, Sophia tells everyone she is going to run away to Sicily...cut to pointless flashback! The actors have nothing to work with, so their performances suffer.

Basically, skip this episode of this perfect series!

Sophia Petrillo, jail bird.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 23 March 2021]

It seems ridiculous that Sophia is arrested and handcuffed at the beginning of this episode where she is accused without real evidence of starting the Shady Pines fire right before the series began, having been in possession of a hot plate that caused the curtains to catch on fire. The fact that Sophia may be going to jail leads to two parts of flashbacks, although it's pretty obvious that Sophia is not going to be convicted. While they may not have intended it, the writers are being sort of cruel to old people by giving them the fear that they could be mistreated like Sophia is here, completely taken advantage of. The flashbacks are of course funny, but it really doesn't do anything to advance the story of the four ladies living together.

Never Yell Fire in a Crowded Retirement Home: Part 1 (#6.24) Part 2 (#6.25)

[ComedyFan2010 · 5/10 · 23 February 2014]

Because of a deathbed confession Sophia is accused of being responsible for burning down Shady Pines. The police takes Sophia and she has to go to court.Before that the girls and the lawyer try to make her remember what happened. Sophia also tries to flee to Sicily. At the end though she remembers that it wasn't her.

I don't really like all the flashback episode, and this one loses a lot of points for me because we get flashbacks again. Also the story is not even thought through well to be believable. But it has some funny moments and also has more original footage than flashbacks. So it is my favorite of all the other flashback episodes.