The Curious Case of Philip Petrillo

The unseen character was one of the queerest to ever appear in The Golden Girls.

Fans of The Golden Girls will remember that Dorothy is not Sophia’s only child. In fact, she has two younger siblings: Gloria and Phil. Gloria appears twice, first in the first season when she tries to convince Sophia to come live with her in California, and then in the seventh season when she visits after having lost all of her money. Phil, on the other hand, remains totally unseen.

Of course, Phil is just one of many sitcom characters that never appear onscreen but which nevertheless come up again and again. And, as is is usually the case, Phil has a characteristic that makes him a perfect punchline: he’s a crossdresser. Lest you make the assumption that because he dresses that way because he’s gay, that is manifestly not the case. Again and again, the series makes it clear to the viewer that he is a man happily married to a woman with several children. There is never even the intimation that’s ever had a sexual encounter with a man (except for one time, when Sophia says that they could never get him away from gladiator movies).

In fact, despite the fact that he appears offscreen, Phil is one of the most fascinating characters that the show created. In the episode “Ebb Tide’s Revenge,” we find out…