Dorothy insists that she is seriously ill, but none of the doctors she sees believe her. She eventually learns that she has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Tropes:
- An Aesop: Doctors can often be too quick to write off a physical ailment such as chronic fatigue as being the result of a mental problem and/or depression. Not only did Dorothy not suffer from depressionnote but the frequent insistence by doctors that she did only ends up making her symptoms worse.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Dr. Bud's wife tells him to shut up when he tries to interrupt Dorothy's "The Reason You Suck" Speech, as she realizes Dorothy has a very valid reason for chewing him out over his thoughtless handling of her problems.
- Delayed Diagnosis: The doctors Dorothy sees brush off her symptoms, but she finally sees a specialist who diagnoses her with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. When Dorothy sees her first doctor at a restaurant, she chews him out for not taking her symptoms seriously. This episode was partly based off show creator Susan Harris' experiences with not being taken seriously by medical professionals (she suffered from adrenal issues, which have similar symptoms to CFS).
- Foreign Culture Fetish: Played for Laughs as Sophia proceeds, in front of Dorothy's doctor (who is Chinese-American), to list off all the reasons why she loves the Chinese:Sophia: You're a genius. All your people are. The Chinese invented pasta, you know. We Italians take credit for it, but we just added oregano.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Sophia discusses this trope, saying it wouldn't feel right to continue living after losing a child.
- Shockingly Expensive Bill: Dorothy almost gets one after she orders a high-end restaurant's "best" champagne, without actually checking which wine it is or how much it costs, which Rose points out is $430 a bottle. Sophia manages to save the day by pouring pepper into the drink and convincing the waiter it has been tainted, prompting him to comp the entire meal.
- Very Special Episode: One of the show's most notable examples. Dorothy, usually the strongest character, is diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (after a number of doctors initially dismiss it as just age or laziness) — Truth in Television, as this had happened to show creator Susan Harris, and Dorothy's speech to her doctors seems much like a Character Filibuster — but a completely understandable one.
- Writer on Board: Creator Susan Harris was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and gave it to Dorothy to raise awareness about it, and probably so she could have Dorothy ream out a doctor who said she was just "getting old."
