Ah, The Golden Girls. What is now a Lifetime Channel staple used to be one of the best show's on television back in the late 80's and early 90's. Solid writing and spot on performances went a long way to make this one of the most successful sitcoms in NBC's lineup. Granted it found more popularity with the females in the audience but the lines of entertainment crossed the sexes.

Lasting for seven seasons and a total of 180 episodes The Golden Girls took many Emmy and Golden Globe awards before its time had passed. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty it's easy to see why the series was so successful.

The series took place in sunny Miami and focused on the lives of four women who lived with each other. Dorothy Zbornak (Arthur) was the most sarcastic of the group. She probably became so after being knocked up and cheated on by her husband though it's fair to say that part of it comes from dealing with her mother, Sophia (Getty). Fresh out of the Shady Pines nursing home Sophia is a spitfire of an old lady who speaks her mind to everyone about everything because she figures she doesn't have much time left in the world. Her sarcasm and blunt honesty in most situations is one of the greatest examples of how The Golden Girls can get anyone to chuckle.

On the polar opposite of personalities Blanche Devereaux (McClanahan) was a southern bell who knew more about sex than Madonna. The fact that she has a different man every other night was the source of many jokes in the show. To be honest some of the best lines came from the fact that she's a slut. Not quite so easy, and not quite so bitter, Rose Nylund (White) was a country bumpkin who literally just fell off the turnip truck. Originating from St. Olaf, Minnesota Rose spent most of her camera time telling stories about the farm and embracing her incredibly low IQ.

Together these ladies provided some of the most entertaining moments in television that to this day remain poignant. The cast's chemistry and banter along with great writing were the driving forces for The Golden Girls. Further proof of that resides in this DVD release for the seventh and final season of the show.

Take for example "The Case of the Libertine Belle". This was a fun little story about the girls going out on a murder mystery weekend. What seems like harmless fun at first turns into a nightmare for Blanche when she's accused of committing a real murder. In the end it turns out to be just an elaborate prank at her expense but watching her sweat under the spotlight is part of the appeal of this episode.

Even better than that particular episode is a two-parter called "The Monkey Show". In this story Stan (Dorothy's ex) appears with a stuffed monkey at his side. It's a tool that his therapist is using to help him get over his feelings for Dorothy but becomes an amusing prop as he parades it everywhere. Later on in the episode Stan sleeps with Dorothy's sister which leads to more hilarity; especially since it takes place during a hurricane evacuation. In the meantime Blanche and Rose host a telethon to save a lighthouse but an unexpected twist pops up.

Something else to look forward to includes "Room 7". Blanche catches word that her grandmother's plantation is about to be torn down so she drives down to Atlanta to see it one last time. With the girls in tow she realizes that she doesn't want to see the plantation destroyed so she cuffs herself to a radiator. The side story revolves around Sophia and a near-death experience where she sees her dead husband, Sal. This emboldens her to live life to the fullest which includes mooning people and jumping from buildings. "Questions and Answers" was another episode that was just plain fun. When Jeopardy announces that they are having tryouts in Miami Dorothy jumps at the chance to participate. Her competitive nature gets the better of her and really gets to be a bother for everyone else.

For me "One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest Parts 1 & 2"; the show's finale, was one of the shining pieces found in the seventh season. When Blanche's uncle Lucas (Leslie Nielson) comes to town she basically dumps him off onto Dorothy. The two find out about Blanche's sneaky trick and play one of their own, pretending to fall madly in love with plans to get married. Ironically Lucas actually does propose to her and this leads up to the show's final moments. If you haven't seen it I won't divulge how it ends but let's just say that someone in the group leaves to pursue other things.

The Golden Girls truly was one of the best show's of its time. Sure each episode followed a particular pattern where a major story ran throughout the episode and a side one filled in the blanks, but the writing and acting made this structure enjoyable. Even into the show's final moments the episodes found in the seventh season are every bit as enjoyable as the prior years. If you were ever a fan of The Golden Girls this is another set that deserves to be in your collection; unless you're ok with watching reruns on Lifetime.

Like every other season of The Golden Girls the final DVD comes with a full frame presentation. It's not surprising considering the age of the show. What is surprising is that these releases continue to offer high quality transfers from the original master. I don't think that the show has ever looked this good to be quite honest.

Granted there are some problems inherent with the video due to the nature of its shooting. Some colors are overly saturated and the image lacks contrast. The result is a picture that sometimes blends together and comes across as very soft. Grain is kept somewhat minimal as well though this seemed to be more of a product of the source material rather than a digital cleanup job. Overall this is a brilliant looking image for a show of this age and is about as good as The Golden Girls is ever going to look.

Again, like the other seasons, the final release of The Golden Girls is presented with a 2.0 Dolby Digital stereo English track. The sound range is about as diverse as you'd think. Dialogue and everything else stays on the front two channels without much spread in between. The quality of the audio is, again, like you'd expect from a show at the 15 year mark. The sound is crisp with no distortion but there's not a lot of pizzazz either.

The only extra feature available on the seventh season of The Golden Girls is a featurette that takes a look at the show as a whole. Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Betty White all chime in about various subjects in regards to the show. From what it was like working with each other to character personalities they talk about personal feelings and thoughts about what made the show so great. There are plenty of personal feelings expressed here as well and at one point Bea Arthur even begins to cry when thinking back to the ending of the show. Fans will appreciate this featurette but those looking for more will be left wanting.

It's hard to deny that The Golden Girls remains one of the most popular shows of its kind. There's a certain timeless quality to the show and even after 15 years the laughs haven't diminished. This DVD release for the final seventh season wraps everything up with 26 fantastic episodes that are testament to the quality of the show. There really isn't a bad one in this bunch and because of that this set comes highly recommended.

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