Golden Girls: 10 Best Stanley Zbornak Moments, Ranked

The Golden Girls may have revolved around the lives of the four main characters but if there was ever an honorary fifth, it would have to be Dorothy’s ex-husband, Stanley Zbornak. Played by actor Herb Edelman, Stanley is the character who appeared most in the series outside the four principal leads.

This loathsome but loveable loser earned the ire of Dorothy for unceremoniously dumping her after 38 years of marriage, and quickly got under the rest of the Girls’ skin with his leech-like behavior. But Stan wasn’t always an oafish layabout- sometimes his more admirable qualities shone through and revealed him to be a decent human being.

10 Potato Proposal

Considering the way Dorothy told Stan off after their daughter Kate’s wedding in Season 1, it was doubtful that the two would ever see each other again, much less rekindle any of their old romantic feelings. However, Dorothy and Stan often flirt with the idea of reconciliation, and in Season 6, actually began dating again.

Eventually, Stan decided to propose to his ex-wife. A sucker for symbolism, Stan put the wedding ring in a baked potato, a spud that was directly involved with Stan’s newfound financial success and confident personality. Granted, it burned Dorothy’s finger, but it was a well-intentioned if not well-thought-out gesture.

9 Good-Natured Punching Bag

In many ways, Stan was a slave to his baser desires, oftentimes knowing what the right choice in his life was but consciously doing the opposite because it was pleasurable or easy. It’s led him to multiple failed marriages and questionable business decisions and earned him a reputation amongst the Girls as a major yutz.

In many ways, that reputation was deserved, and watching the Girls, especially Dorothy and Sophia, lay into Stan with some soul-crushing barbs was highly entertaining. Not a Stan-centric episode went by without Sophia remarking that his toupee “looked like a monkey’s behind” or Dorothy noting what a cheap, “horse’s ass” he was, which was hilarious to watch.

8 Stan-ding Up For Himself

Stan may have been a reluctant–if not a good-natured–lightning rod for all the Girls’ insults and snide remarks over the years, but even he had his breaking point. After inventing the “Zbornie,” a baked potato peeler, Stan suddenly found himself a financial success, greatly increasing his self-esteem and decisiveness.

Looking to make amends with those he felt he wronged in the past through gifts, Dorothy remained the one person unmoved by his overtures. Sick of being rebuffed, Stan uncharacteristically stood up for himself and stormed out of the Girls’ home, not returning after a few minutes as Dorothy anticipated and leaving her befuddled.

7 Kitchen Courting

When Stanley decided to divorce Dorothy, he did so in order to marry Chrissy, a flight attendant many years his junior. However, when Chrissy left him, he fell back into Dorothy’s arms. Mistaking their one-evening tryst with a rekindling of their relationship, Stan began courting Dorothy with flowers.

In an emotional scene in the Girls’ kitchen, Stan began discussing all the future plans he and Dorothy once shared that they could now complete, such as opening up an antique store. Finishing off with a sincere proclamation of his love, the scene reminded both Dorothy and the audience of how articulate Stan could be.

6 Daddy Dearest

Although it may be hard to believe, Stan was actually a doting father to his children, especially to his daughter, Kate. He braved being in the same room with Dorothy to watch his little girl get married, and was there for her at the drop of a hat when she needed support after her husband cheated on her.

Despite no one taking him seriously when he threatened to beat up his son-in-law, Stan stood by Dorothy when she decided to confront him about his infidelity. Working as a team, they resolved the issue.

5 Papa Bear

Sitcoms naturally lend themselves to farcical intrigues and outlandish happenings. After all, it’s hard to have the “comedy” without a “situation.” The Golden Girls was no stranger to this phenomenon, as evident when Sophia asked Stan and Dorothy to continue to pose as a married couple to fool her visiting priest brother, Angelo.

What followed was a comedy of errors that saw “Papa Bear” Stan and “Mama Bear” Dorothy at some of their antagonist best. When all was said and done, however, the two shared a special moment as they once again realized that despite their antagonism, there were residual feelings of love at the core of their relationship.

4 Tax-Evasion Ring

Stan was never a very good businessman, frequently facing bankruptcy for his novelty company. Part of the reason for his financial woes was probably due to his half-assed attempts at tax evasion, which got him and Dorothy in trouble with the I.R.S. once. Following the audit, they were both liable for two-thousand, five hundred dollars each for back taxes.

Livid, Dorothy sold the one thing that Stan gave her that meant anything to her- a diamond ring- in order to pay her share. Not wanting Dorothy to give up that precious symbol of their 38 years of marriage, he sold his corvette to pay off the I.R.S. in total and buy back Dorothy’s ring.

3 Stan-ta Clause

Like most sitcoms, Golden Girls had holiday-themed episodes. One Christmas, the Girls decided to volunteer at a local soup kitchen after they exchanged gifts. As Dorothy was giving out food, she was surprised to learn that the department store Santa in line was actually her ex-husband, Stan.

Having been thrown out of the house by his wife and suffering from a serious cash-flow problem, Stan spent the evening bemoaning his state. Frustrated with his attitude, Dorothy lent him some money and sent him away. Rather than spend the money on himself, he bought gifts for all the kids in the shelter, showing how selfless and compassionate he could be.

2 Take Charge Kinda Guy

It’s no secret that Dorothy and Sophia shared a close relationship, but it was surprising to learn that Stan held such strong positive feelings for his former mother-in-law, especially when considering the decades she’d spent insulting him. But when Sophia got hospitalized with a severe bout of pneumonia, Stan rose to the occasion and took care of the situation.

He not only looked after Dorothy, making sure she had food and keeping her company, but he assertively ensured Sophia had the best care and that they were informed of her condition on the hour.

1 Wedding Gift

During Golden Girls’ seven-year run, Stan and Dorothy’s storied relationship went from mutual loathing to comfortable contempt to nearly married and everything in between. By the time the series ended, Dorothy and Stan had nearly been remarried, worked through their residual issues, and settled into a distant friendship.

When Dorothy met Lucas Hollingsworth and decided to get married, Stan seemingly abducted her in a limousine. In actuality, Stan only wanted to wish his ex-wife the best on her wedding day and led her to the church in style. This was arguably Stan’s most selfless and heartfelt act in the series.

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