Dorothy Zbornak, née Petrillo, is The Golden Girls' resident level-headed logician. A good friend, good listener, and great adviser, Dorothy is the glue that holds the girls together. Dorothy is also the sassy, witty one, a trait obviously inherited from her mother. The part-time teacher takes good care of her aging mother, and good care of her friends.
The Golden Girls tells the story of this divorcee with great humor, but with occasional inconsistencies. Some of these, of course, can be explained away by the simple fact that Golden Girls tended to ignore continuity in favor of whatever worked for each episode, but they are still leaving fans wondering.
What Happened With Dorothy's Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Season Five begins with a two-part episode concerning Dorothy's health. She visits many doctors and psychiatrists who gaslight her into thinking that she is fine, and tell her that she is imagining her symptoms, as she is old and lonely. Sophia believes her daughter, however, and they eventually find a doctor who diagnoses her with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
The episode takes a serious look at how doctors refuse to take women's pain seriously, but by the next episode, Dorothy is feeling great once again, and back to her old self, even though the illness is supposedly a long-term one.
What Happened To Dorothy's Money?
Living on a tight budget throughout her time on the show, Dorothy is always complaining about being broke. She shouldn't be broke, realistically, because she got the house after the divorce from Stanley. She has never mentioned giving the house to any of her children, and she has a regular job. Since she has a house in her name and never mentions it, the only explanation is that she sold it. Ergo, she should not be broke, unless she gave the money to her children, a tidbit which she also never mentions.
How Did She Afford Shady Pines?
Dorothy is taking care of two people on an individual's salary. In fact, Sophia reveals that she has been saving the money that her other children, Phil and Gloria, have sent her over the years, choosing to rely on Dorothy's money alone. Dorothy is livid, because she has gone without over the years to take care of her mother. Sending a parent to a retirement home is also very expensive - perhaps more expensive than keeping her at home. So how could Dorothy afford Shady Pines if she is so broke?
Who Was Her Date For Prom?
Apparently, Dorothy took her brother, Phil, to senior prom. But Sophia tells a story about how she never actually went to prom, and how she spent the night dancing with a broom in the basement, pretending it was the coolest boy in school.
More to the point, how then did she get pregnant with her date on prom night, if she originally didn't go, or went with Phil? Dorothy has also told the story about how Stan, her prom date, convinced her to sleep with him, resulting in their marriage.
Was She A Loner In High School?
Sophia makes fun of the three girls constantly. She loves to make cracks about the number of men that Blanche sees, Rose's tendency to tell naive and strange stories, and Dorothy's height and earlier 'nerdiness' in life. One of her many famous insults involves a story of a teenaged Dorothy lying that she was going to prom with the most popular boy in school, or how Dorothy was a rejected loner at school who was desperate for her peers' approval. In a later episode, however, the coolest boy in high school calls her to ask her on a date. He had asked her out when they were in school, and had apparently showed up to take her out. This disproves the theory that Dorothy was unpopular and alone in high school.
Dorothy's Addiction
A sudden revelation on the show revolves around Dorothy's gambling addiction. Sophia explains that Dorothy almost lost her and Stan's house once when her gambling spiraled out of control. Dorothy began gambling again in Miami, relinquishing her responsibilities to chase her next gambling high. After she loses out on a great career opportunity, Sophia begs her to stop once again, and Dorothy promises. It is implied that Dorothy was able to just give up her addiction with no professional help at all, just because she promised her mother.
What Happened To Michael's Baby?
Michael brought home his fiancée, Lorraine, to much controversy in the golden girls home. She is much older than him, twenty-one-years older, to be accurate, and Dorothy cannot accept their upcoming marriage. Conversely, Lorraine's family refuses to accept Michael, because he is white. The two families put aside their strife, once they find out that Lorraine is pregnant, not wanting to miss out on the birth of the new baby. Later on, Michael moves back in with Dorothy, explaining that Lorraine threw him out, but he does not bring up the baby at all. Neither does Dorothy nor Sophia. He later tells his mother that he is leaving town for a new job opportunity, and again does not bring up the baby. The rest of the series never acknowledges the baby either.
Why Is Her High School Reunion In Miami?
Dorothy went to high school in New York, but when her high school reunion comes around, it takes place in Miami. Even more bizarre, the reunion is held in Dorothy's house. This makes no sense, because every one of her classmates would have had to reside in Miami after graduation for this to be possible.
Of course, if the high school reunion took place in New York as is customary, it would have just taken place at the actual high school. This plot hole also means that alumni still living in New York would have had to make extra travels to Miami for the reunion.
When Does Stan Move To Miami?
In season one of The Golden Girls, Dorothy mentions that Stanley lives in Maui with his new wife. Of course, she soon leaves Stanley, and Stanley comes to visit Dorothy. It becomes apparent that Stan has moved back to Miami, because he visits Dorothy regularly. Except, neither Dorothy nor Stan mention the fact that Stan decided to move to Miami. Dorothy and Stan lived their married lives together in New York, so it would make more sense for Stan to move back to New York.