Till Death Do We Volley

 was the nineteenth episode of Season 4 of The Golden Girls, and the 95th overall episode of the series.

Summary
Dorothy's high school classmate and friend Trudy is visiting in time for their high school reunion, and their fierce rivalry and penchant for playing practical jokes on each other is reignited. As the two compete on the tennis court, an accident shakes up the upcoming high school reunion that night.

Plot
The episode begins as Dorothy excitedly breaks the news that her old high school friend Trudy is coming to town early to visit before the high school reunion party is to be held in their house. Dorothy reminisces about her friendship with Trudy built on rivalry being in the tennis team and playing practical jokes on each other.

When Trudy arrives at the house with her husband, Jack, Dorothy and Trudy are happy to reunite, and trade quips and increasingly personal jabs at each other that seem to worry the other girls. Despite it all, the two seem to get along and are excited to continue their rivalry by agreeing to play tennis the next day, before the reunion party.

The next day, Dorothy is being soundly beaten by Trudy in tennis as the other girls watch. Suddenly, they see Trudy seemingly trip and fall on the court, and remark that she wasn't getting back up. They rush to check on Trudy. However, the next scene shows the girls back in their home, devastated by the news that Trudy has died. Dorothy is especially heartbroken about her friend, and feels guilty for her death from having asked Trudy to play tennis with her. The girls all attempt to cheer up Dorothy and assuage her guilt, but none of them seem to be successful.

When the party begins later that night, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia do their best to field questions about Dorothy and Trudy's absence without giving away the news, as they are expecting Dorothy to tell their fellow classmates about it. They eventually convince Dorothy to stop hiding in her room, and she comes out to make the announcement. However, her composure breaks in the end while delivering the news to everyone, still seemingly feeling guilt over Trudy's death, and she retreats back into her room. Soon after, the doorbell rings and Blanche answers the door, where she is shocked to see an alive Trudy standing. Trudy happily explains that she faked her death as a practical joke for Dorothy, but the girls are upset at the boundaries she has pushed for this. They demand Trudy find Dorothy to apologize immediately, and they proceed to Dorothy's room. Trudy, however, is shocked herself when they enter Dorothy's room to find both Dorothy and Trudy's husband Jack under the covers together. Furious at this discovery, she angrily berates the two of them for sleeping together so soon after the news of her supposed death. At this, Dorothy throws the covers open to show she and Jack are fully clothed, and reveals she enlisted Jack's help to play a practical joke back at Trudy when she had suspicions about Trudy's "death" and asked Jack about it. Dorothy and Trudy then both praise each other for their successful practical jokes, and Trudy heads back to the party. Blanche and Rose, however, are still upset that Dorothy did not let them in on her side of the practical joke, and admonish Dorothy for making them grieve alongside her. They storm away angrily, saying what she did was unforgivable, and Dorothy seems crushed. Blanche, however, returns shortly with a smile and tells Dorothy "Gotcha," but finds that Rose is not with her and might have been sincere in being upset with Dorothy.

Guest Cast

 * Trudy McCann - Anne Francis

Trivia

 * The necklace for Blanche changes during the reunion party between shots as a production goof.