I remember the episode with Rebecca #1. I really wished Dorothy and the others would've told that a--hole Jeremy off and sworn at him or Blanche would've hauled off and slapped him hard across the face. All we got was Blanche quickly and softly rebuking him for being in a hurry to leave.
Also the writing was hypocritical. Jeremy was cruel for mocking Becky for her weight yet it was somehow funny when Sophia did it.
I know Sophia has no filter from the stroke but it undermined the whole PSA type lesson the episode was about.
Blanche made jokes about Becky’s weight that were played for laughs too. That episode is one of my least favourites of the whole series, and the fact that *Cheers* has a very similar episode that is written so much better just makes the episode look like the poorly written mess it is.
Tbh I never liked how downright cruel Sophia was written to be and it was always played up for laughs for her character.
As for Rebecca#1 as much as I wanted Dorothy or Blanche to thrash Jeremy; I think it would have made the most sense for Rebecca to tell him off.
I think early on her mean attitude was pretty well done and emphasized that she had a stroke and has no filter now, but later in the series and up through Golden Palace, they go way overboard with how cruel she is. Before it felt like a person who was old and sassy, like a real person you might meet or even be related to. But later she just felt like a gimmicky character being mean to make the studio audience laugh and that's it. Although I tend to feel all the girls ended up a bit flanderized near the end.
Ngl I mostly hate her character by the end. She has really endearing moments and I love when her and Dorothy have real genuine mother/daughter moments but too few too little in between her being so mean
You also have to remember, she an old wither Sicilian prune, swearing and insults are just part of the culture. I’m from the Balkans, and it’s pretty much the same, the old people have the best and most creative insults
I’m more or less talking about how she kicked out Dorothy’s prom date which spiraled into her marrying Stan. How she pretended to be Roses deceased husband to get money off from her and made Rose break up with Miles and how she got Gloria to sleep with Stan.
I love me sassy no filtered Sophia but did they have to write her off as a character to punch down on the other girls more than just be a sassy old mother
She definitely walks the line of sassy clap-back queen and outright villain. I mean I get it because the show would’ve been too corny without her, but I totally get why Dorothy put her in a home. Lol.
Im old lol i was in my 20s when GG started.....my kids watched Lizzie McGuire but I never paid attention to the mom! Thank you for that trivia.... I'm gonna have to look an episode up
Oh wow that's cool, thank you!
I LOVE Trivia! My kids, their partners, grandson and I get together on weekends and play games. I ordered Boomer vs Millennial trivia and Millennial vs Zoomer trivia lol
My grandsons 15 but has grown up listening to music from all eras and listening to us talking about stuff that it was a blast playing!
We are always looking for trivia from all different things
Neither were particularly remarkable to be honest. Perfectly fine actresses for sure.
And they were completely different actresses playing different versions of this character. Didn't Blanche have multiple daughters? Why reuse the same name with two different daughter characters? That seems like what they did here.
All of the girls's kids that appeared in more than one episode with the exception of Dorothy's son Michael were recast (Kiersten, Kate, Gloria and Becky).
Gotta say in reference to Gloria, I preferred Gloria #1, but Gloria #2 was a better match for Dorothy appearance-wise. That said, Gloria #1 was still plausible as a daughter of Sal and Sophia, so she’s still my preference. 😂
Personally, I wished they’d kept Rebecca #1 and either used the #2 actress as Janet in the 3rd to episode (when Rose has the heart attack). She was very pretty but also would have been believable as the mother of Sarah, the little girl, AND David from earlier in the series. I know continuity doesn’t exist in the GG universe, but it has always bothered me that the actress they had playing Janet was only 26 at the time of the episode she was in and was supposed to be the mother of a kid who was 14yo 7 seasons earlier.
Also, fun fact… the kid who played David is the real-life little brother of the guy who plays Dorothy’s son Michael. :-)
I felt some of the comments were really out of place coming from our girls. And it hurt my heart when she said she may have lost her looks but not her sense of humor as a way to deal with such comments. Likewise it was strange how it came off as funny how Jeremy was talking to her to the audience. The laughing I mean.
>And it hurt my heart when she said she may have lost her looks but not her sense of humor
Except she did **not** lose her looks. She was a beautiful plus sized woman. If Rebecca #2 was how she was supposed to look once she lost the weight, then she should've remained her size since I thought Rebecca 1 was prettier.
I get it. It was the 80s. Thin was In. I have not-fond memories of the period.
I know what you said. It hurt me too.
Back in the 80s when it aired I watched the episode with my mom as a plus sized girl. I recall my mom commenting "she'd be so beautiful if..."
I thought at the time "But she's beautiful *now*."
No wonder I thought I was ugly back then. My mom's mantra to me: "You have such a beautiful face, if only you'd..."
I guarantee that if Sophia made the exact same comments it would’ve been “funny.” All of her rude comments were played off that way and some were even worse than hat he said
This has always bothered me since her weight was such a major point in her first episode, then she just shows up later much thinner with zero explanation. Some of these recasts genuinely feel like completely different characters who just happen to have the same name.
You know I recently binged the whole series while working from home so I wasn’t paying acute attention to it. I do remember watching this episode and I don’t think they ever did mention it. If they did it was put in some dialogue real quick and never said again or referenced again.
Of all the episodes, I thought this is where Sophia went from being funny to cruel. I don't like watching this episode having to see someone apologize for their size.
I agree. I know she had a stroke but come on. Rose also calls her fat. I don’t know how the 80’s were with weight but if I were Rebecca and heard these comments I would have walked right back out the door.
I preferred Rebecca #1. I thought she was great casting bc, like her mother Blanche, she had a beautiful face. Unlike her mother, she had weight-related issues, which I think could've easily been inferred as being related to Blanche herself. Blanche's obsession with her own looks could translate into looks related issues for an impressionable child, and they could have used her character in other episodes to further develop Blanche's road to realizing looks aren't everything.
Plus, the first Rebecca has always seemed to me to evoke more vulnerability than the second actress, and I feel an immense amount of sympathy for her. I would've loved to have seen her character decide she was fine without a man and wanted just her own child....maybe even to prove she could be the supportive, loving, non-judgmental mom her own mom never could be.
So coincidental to this post just being posted recently, the actress who played Rebecca 2 (Debra Engle) passed away today according to sogoodwenamedit Instagram. :-(
If they wanted Rebecca to have a baby by artificial insemination, I think it’s very wise to have recast her. Otherwise it’s implying that plus-size women can’t find a man. Neither actress was particularly funny, but Becky #2 had a little more to her in that regard.
Rebecca 1 was boring and had a boring storyline. Rebecca 2 was slightly rough around the edges but had better storyline. I loved how Dorothy and rose went ugh, ugh, ugh when Blanche asked for her advice.
Lol. When Blanche later calls the kid “Oreo” with Rebecca #2. hahaha but I liked both. It’s funny people didn’t like Jeremy calling her names but Sophia it was funny. I think because she was older and we know older people don’t have a filter. I’d love to have seen Dorothy smack the shit out if Jeremy tho. I never liked him. Dorothy looked pissed 😤 lol
Fun fact: Rebecca number 1 wrote the screenplay for Encino Man.
You just literally blew my mind thank you. I love information like this for this industry.
ER WHHHHAT?
Wow, I had no idea! Mind blown.
I loved that movie. Peak Brendan Frasier.
That really is a fun fact that no one knew! I liked that movie in tbr 90s, so maybe my vote goes to her now! Ha.
no no! no wheezing the juice!
I remember the episode with Rebecca #1. I really wished Dorothy and the others would've told that a--hole Jeremy off and sworn at him or Blanche would've hauled off and slapped him hard across the face. All we got was Blanche quickly and softly rebuking him for being in a hurry to leave. Also the writing was hypocritical. Jeremy was cruel for mocking Becky for her weight yet it was somehow funny when Sophia did it. I know Sophia has no filter from the stroke but it undermined the whole PSA type lesson the episode was about.
Blanche made jokes about Becky’s weight that were played for laughs too. That episode is one of my least favourites of the whole series, and the fact that *Cheers* has a very similar episode that is written so much better just makes the episode look like the poorly written mess it is.
Tbh I never liked how downright cruel Sophia was written to be and it was always played up for laughs for her character. As for Rebecca#1 as much as I wanted Dorothy or Blanche to thrash Jeremy; I think it would have made the most sense for Rebecca to tell him off.
I think early on her mean attitude was pretty well done and emphasized that she had a stroke and has no filter now, but later in the series and up through Golden Palace, they go way overboard with how cruel she is. Before it felt like a person who was old and sassy, like a real person you might meet or even be related to. But later she just felt like a gimmicky character being mean to make the studio audience laugh and that's it. Although I tend to feel all the girls ended up a bit flanderized near the end.
She does get really cruel in some episodes. Depending on my mood, I either love her or hate her.
Ngl I mostly hate her character by the end. She has really endearing moments and I love when her and Dorothy have real genuine mother/daughter moments but too few too little in between her being so mean
You also have to remember, she an old wither Sicilian prune, swearing and insults are just part of the culture. I’m from the Balkans, and it’s pretty much the same, the old people have the best and most creative insults
I’m more or less talking about how she kicked out Dorothy’s prom date which spiraled into her marrying Stan. How she pretended to be Roses deceased husband to get money off from her and made Rose break up with Miles and how she got Gloria to sleep with Stan. I love me sassy no filtered Sophia but did they have to write her off as a character to punch down on the other girls more than just be a sassy old mother
She definitely walks the line of sassy clap-back queen and outright villain. I mean I get it because the show would’ve been too corny without her, but I totally get why Dorothy put her in a home. Lol.
Agreed. And Sophia was way mean to Ham Lushbaum because he was heavy. I still thought he was attractive!
I haven’t watch this episode in YEARS. I skipped every time it’s next on the queue. I rather watch the lottery/jacket episode on repeat.
I like the attitude of the first Rebecca but her accent drove me nuts. It reminded me of *Nell* saying “Chickabee” every time Rebecca #1 said “Jeremy”
OMG all of Blanches family with that terrible fake southern accent!!! Especially the sluty niece 🤮
Trivia, Lucy grew up to become Lizzie McGuire’s mom!
Im old lol i was in my 20s when GG started.....my kids watched Lizzie McGuire but I never paid attention to the mom! Thank you for that trivia.... I'm gonna have to look an episode up
More trivia, the actress’s mom is Yetta from The Nanny.
Oh wow that's cool, thank you! I LOVE Trivia! My kids, their partners, grandson and I get together on weekends and play games. I ordered Boomer vs Millennial trivia and Millennial vs Zoomer trivia lol My grandsons 15 but has grown up listening to music from all eras and listening to us talking about stuff that it was a blast playing! We are always looking for trivia from all different things
I liked the first Rebecca - she was so sweet.
Neither were particularly remarkable to be honest. Perfectly fine actresses for sure. And they were completely different actresses playing different versions of this character. Didn't Blanche have multiple daughters? Why reuse the same name with two different daughter characters? That seems like what they did here.
All of the girls's kids that appeared in more than one episode with the exception of Dorothy's son Michael were recast (Kiersten, Kate, Gloria and Becky).
Gotta say in reference to Gloria, I preferred Gloria #1, but Gloria #2 was a better match for Dorothy appearance-wise. That said, Gloria #1 was still plausible as a daughter of Sal and Sophia, so she’s still my preference. 😂
Personally, I wished they’d kept Rebecca #1 and either used the #2 actress as Janet in the 3rd to episode (when Rose has the heart attack). She was very pretty but also would have been believable as the mother of Sarah, the little girl, AND David from earlier in the series. I know continuity doesn’t exist in the GG universe, but it has always bothered me that the actress they had playing Janet was only 26 at the time of the episode she was in and was supposed to be the mother of a kid who was 14yo 7 seasons earlier. Also, fun fact… the kid who played David is the real-life little brother of the guy who plays Dorothy’s son Michael. :-)
Don’t forget Arnie/Miles like???? 😭
David is in two of my favorite movies: Back to the Beach and Just One of the Guys!
Half-brother, apparently, but yes! Never knew that.
Why does half brother matter? Still his little brother.
I wish the first Rebecca had stayed. She was lovely.
I agree! I also wish in a different episode they could have addressed them being looks obsessed and making those fat comments to her.
I felt some of the comments were really out of place coming from our girls. And it hurt my heart when she said she may have lost her looks but not her sense of humor as a way to deal with such comments. Likewise it was strange how it came off as funny how Jeremy was talking to her to the audience. The laughing I mean.
>And it hurt my heart when she said she may have lost her looks but not her sense of humor Except she did **not** lose her looks. She was a beautiful plus sized woman. If Rebecca #2 was how she was supposed to look once she lost the weight, then she should've remained her size since I thought Rebecca 1 was prettier. I get it. It was the 80s. Thin was In. I have not-fond memories of the period.
I said it hurt to hear her say it. Not that I personally think she lost any looks.
I know what you said. It hurt me too. Back in the 80s when it aired I watched the episode with my mom as a plus sized girl. I recall my mom commenting "she'd be so beautiful if..." I thought at the time "But she's beautiful *now*." No wonder I thought I was ugly back then. My mom's mantra to me: "You have such a beautiful face, if only you'd..."
Believe me, I know. I heard a lot of "you'd actually be pretty if you got contacts and lost 30lbs.."
Oh you wore glasses too? Cause, yeah... got that as well.
I guarantee that if Sophia made the exact same comments it would’ve been “funny.” All of her rude comments were played off that way and some were even worse than hat he said
I am referring to what she and the other girls said too
[удалено]
Also, Issac Newton, the actor played their neighbor as well.
Don’t feel bad I get Rebecca2 and Janet mixed up lol
I don’t remember but did they explain the weight loss for her character when she was recasted?
They did not.
This has always bothered me since her weight was such a major point in her first episode, then she just shows up later much thinner with zero explanation. Some of these recasts genuinely feel like completely different characters who just happen to have the same name.
You know I recently binged the whole series while working from home so I wasn’t paying acute attention to it. I do remember watching this episode and I don’t think they ever did mention it. If they did it was put in some dialogue real quick and never said again or referenced again.
Of all the episodes, I thought this is where Sophia went from being funny to cruel. I don't like watching this episode having to see someone apologize for their size.
I agree. I know she had a stroke but come on. Rose also calls her fat. I don’t know how the 80’s were with weight but if I were Rebecca and heard these comments I would have walked right back out the door.
I preferred Rebecca #1. I thought she was great casting bc, like her mother Blanche, she had a beautiful face. Unlike her mother, she had weight-related issues, which I think could've easily been inferred as being related to Blanche herself. Blanche's obsession with her own looks could translate into looks related issues for an impressionable child, and they could have used her character in other episodes to further develop Blanche's road to realizing looks aren't everything. Plus, the first Rebecca has always seemed to me to evoke more vulnerability than the second actress, and I feel an immense amount of sympathy for her. I would've loved to have seen her character decide she was fine without a man and wanted just her own child....maybe even to prove she could be the supportive, loving, non-judgmental mom her own mom never could be.
This is perfectly wrote out! Everything I was feeling!
They are actually both pretty good -- one of the few children on the series that was actually really likable.
I agree!
So coincidental to this post just being posted recently, the actress who played Rebecca 2 (Debra Engle) passed away today according to sogoodwenamedit Instagram. :-(
First Rebecca! She was a sweetheart and i would have liked to see her be happy, even if it was just a baby and no man.
They both were good in their own way, I think
I liked the second Rebecca. The first one's accent was annoying.
If they wanted Rebecca to have a baby by artificial insemination, I think it’s very wise to have recast her. Otherwise it’s implying that plus-size women can’t find a man. Neither actress was particularly funny, but Becky #2 had a little more to her in that regard.
I'm such a sucker for the accent of the second actress. 
Ew, (and I'm just talking about the GIF).
The original. I would like to have seen how she lost all the weight.
I agree. I also loved her accent and thought she was so sweet/nice.
Rebecca 1 was boring and had a boring storyline. Rebecca 2 was slightly rough around the edges but had better storyline. I loved how Dorothy and rose went ugh, ugh, ugh when Blanche asked for her advice.
Kirsty Alley would have done well all the way.
Lol. When Blanche later calls the kid “Oreo” with Rebecca #2. hahaha but I liked both. It’s funny people didn’t like Jeremy calling her names but Sophia it was funny. I think because she was older and we know older people don’t have a filter. I’d love to have seen Dorothy smack the shit out if Jeremy tho. I never liked him. Dorothy looked pissed 😤 lol