It focuses on Betty White's character, Rose Nylund, and her feelings of fear after finding out she may have been given an HIV-positive blood transfusion.
Rose spends the next three days worrying and wondering about what will happen to her if her test results come back positive.
Vaczy said of the episode, "Tracy and I really loved the idea of showing what must that time be like between knowing something might be wrong and finding out what it is.
[citation needed] Variety ranked "72 Hours" within the top ten list of their best "Golden Girls" episodes ever.
[3] Sascha Cohen wrote about how the writers of the show direct shame at the behaviors of paranoia surrounding AIDS instead of toward the person being tested for the disease.
Clare Sewell wrote about how while the show eventually tied itself up in a mostly neat bow it still managed to bring light upon a controversial topic with little judgment.