Lucy and Ethel try to bargain for an automatic dishwasher in each of their households, after being accepted into an exclusive Ladies' Society. Ricky says bluntly neither he nor Fred can afford one and says the women are spoiled compared to their grandmothers. Taking offense, Lucy thinks the men wouldn't live well in the 1900s. They agree to do The Bet: whoever caves after a few days of living without modern conveniences has to pay fifty dollars. Lucy and Ethel have a dilemma when the Society invites them for tea.
Tropes for this episode include:
- Hidden Depths: It's revealed that Lucy is good at math, as shown when she does large calculations on the kitchen chalkboard.
- Hypocritical Heartwarming: Lucy will make fun of Ricky for being a Large Ham and Attention Whore, but only she can do it. When the Society ladies demean her husband, Lucy gets mad and kicks them out of their apartment.
- Lethal Chef: Zigzagged. Lucy misreads the recipe for homebaked bread and puts in 13 cakes of yeast instead of three. This makes the bread huge, nearly pinning her to a cupboard when she's taking it out of the oven.
- What You Are in the Dark: The Society ladies come, do a surprise inspection, and reassure Lucy and Ethel that they passed, looking over Ricky being a showman. That means Lucy and Ethel got what they wanted. Lucy, however, takes offense; it's one thing for the ladies to look at vintage equipment and dresses for inspection, but her own husband is another matter altogether. She withdraws her application verbally and kicks the ladies out for insulting Ricky.
