A political candidate for whom the ladies are campaigning says that he and Blanche had an affair. Blanche protests her innocence but the girls do not believe her.
Tropes:
- Blame the Paramour: When Blanche delivers some paperwork to the politician's house late at night, the press accuses the politician of cheating on his wife with her. The other girls are furious with Blanche for the affair, ignoring her pleas of innocence, while treating the politician like an unfortunate victim of Blanche's lust. The public response similarly demonizes Blanche while actually improving the politician's image, since he'd previously been seen as a milquetoast bore who wouldn't take risks.
- Comically Missing the Point: When looking at the picture in the newspaper, Dorothy, Rose, and Sofia note that the woman photographed going into the politician's house is wearing Blanche's red dress, shoes, and earrings. The first words out of Rose's mouth?:Rose: That little floozy stole Blanche's clothes!
- Foreshadowing: The other housemates should have realized that Blanche was telling the truth because she didn't immediately own up to sleeping with the politician. Past and future episodes showed that Blanche was never shy about sharing stories about previous partners. The fact that she doesn't admit to being with the politician hints that she's innocent.
- Not Me This Time: Blanche is known for her rich love life and will often tell stories about some of her escapades or famous people she'd (allegedly) been with. But this time, she actually did not spend the night with the politician.
- Ripped from the Headlines: Gary Hart was a Democratic Senator from Colorado who was considered a front-runner to get his party's nomination for the 1988 Presidential election, until Miami Herald reporters, trying to get dirt on him, noticed an aspiring actress and formerly beauty queen named Donna Rice entering his house one evening, and the story spread (hotly denied by both Hart and Rice) that the two had had an affair. Replace the names "Gary Hart" and "Donna Rice" with "Gil Kessler" and "Blanche Devereaux", change a few other details, and you have this episode's plot.
- You Have to Believe Me!: When Gil Kessler, a candidate for city council, announces that he had an affair with Blanche, Dorothy and Rose don't believe Blanche when she insists she's innocent, due to Blanche's past and the fact that Blanche was photographed going into Kessler's house (for a perfectly innocent reason). Kessler finally admits he was lying, and while Blanche forgives Dorothy and Rose, she admits she's partly to blame because of all her bluster about men she's slept with.
