Just watched Sick and Tired (Golden Girls s5, episodes 1 & 2) and aside from the obviously great work these episodes did in highlighting just how awful it can be to be diagnosed with a chronic illness, I had to take a minute to appreciate Rose. Because she's genuinely amazing here.

We're in these episodes where obviously, Dorothy isn't at her best. She's not there to be the voice of reason, to make sure everything runs smoothly — and usually you'd think Sophia would turn into the anchor then, because she seems to have most of her wits about her. But rather than Sophia, or even Blanche, it's Rose who steps up and keeps some semblance of order around the house.

Rose goes to New York with Dorothy because she's comforting, because she's sweet and understanding and unlike Blanche, she's able to take Dorothy seriously without considering her own problems. Rose takes care of Blanche during her... writer's high? If that's what we can call it? And it's just. She displays so much emotional intelligence in these episodes, and she keeps it all together for the four of them when all the others are falling apart. I love the rare episodes where we get to see how important Rose is; how much there really is going on underneath the surface.