Dorothy blames herself when her friend and former classmate Trudy dies suddenly while playing tennis.
Tropes:
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Broken Aesop:- Trudy: Come on, it was just a practical joke like we did in high school!Blanche: Well, some of the things we did in high school aren't necessarily appropriate when we're adults! Like staying out all night, carousing around, dating every other man you meet... [pauses as Rose puts a hand on her shoulder] ...I'm losing credibility here, aren't I? [Rose nods]
- Cannot Keep a Secret: Dorothy's reason for not telling Sophia about her counter prank.
- Dorothy: Ma, you have a big mouth.
Sophia: Me? You think if I had a big mouth your one-night stand with the bug man would still be a secret?
- Distracted by the Sexy: Combined with Comically Missing the Point:
- Trudy: [to Dorothy, after beating her in a wrist-wrestling contest] Well, that's that. How does it feel to have your butt whipped?Blanche: Well, sometimes I find it strangely titillating, but... [notices everyone looking at her strangely] Oh. You were talking to her.
- Faking the Dead: Trudy pretended to collapse and die on the tennis court as some twisted joke on Dorothy. She must've been really convincing as no one bothered to check Trudy's pulse or call an ambulance. Though later on Dorothy reveals she suspected this was a prank and just went along with it to stage some payback.
- I Have Just One Thing to Say: Invoked by name after Dorothy pulls a prank on her friend Trudy by pretending to sleep with her husband:"Dorothy Zbornak, this is the most underhanded, sneaky practical joke anyone's ever played and I have just one thing to say: boy, have I missed you!"
- Locked Out of the Loop: Blanche and Rose are outraged when Dorothy reveals she knew Trudy faked her death and pretended to be distraught over it, thinking Dorothy jerked them around into believing she was traumatized. Blanche then reveals she was joking when she called Dorothy out. Rose wasn't.
- Not What It Looks Like: Spoken word for word when Trudy catches Dorothy in bed with Trudy's husband, Jack:
- Jack: Now honey, it's not what it looks like!
Trudy: Obviously! Dorothy thought I was dead, tried to comfort you, and the two of you got carried away!
Dorothy: Okay, it is what it looks like.
- Preemptive "Shut Up": After Dorothy reveals her and Jack's counter prank.
- Jack: So I got in bed with Dorothy. It was a joke.
Dorothy: Don't even think it, Ma.
- Shamed by a Mob: Dorothy has to reveal to her class reunion that Trudy died while they were playing tennis before ultimately breaking down in tears over her belief she pushed Trudy too far. Once Dorothy runs out of the room, who shows up to the house but none other than Trudy who reveals she faked dying as a joke on Dorothy. Everyone in the room is disgusted and the girls call Trudy out for the anguish she caused Dorothy. Thankfully, it turns out Dorothy was able to get Trudy's husband to tell her the truth before the reunion began, and had him help stage a prank of her own as revenge, meaning her whole breakdown was a setup. This trope still applies since no one at the reunion knew Dorothy was acting, too.
