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Exactly!

Addison introduces Karen:
This is Karen Richards. She is the wife of a playwright, therefore of the Theater by marriage.
Nothing in her background or breeding should have brought her
any closer to the stage than row E, center
So Karen is an outsider in the theater world, maybe without an easy feel for how it works and what really is or isn't important to theater people, or she might have confronted Margo on other ground.
But she seems to be a good enough person to know a moral dilemma when she's in one, beginning to feel remorseful about her prank after seeing Margo more clearly, even before she realizes how Eve has manipulated things.

"The bonsai: the ultimate miniature."
Will Hayward,
Twin Peaks

I've always felt that Karen was a basically someone with a good heart who was just trying to help. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Goodnight to all, and to all a goodnight.

Someone mentioned how Bette Davis did not like Celeste Holm. I read that Celeste Holm thought that Bette Davis chewed up too much of the "clippings" scene in the car.
"Two more swords and I'll be Queen of the Monkey People." Roseanne

Karen was the weakest part of the group, the rearguard, so Eve attacked there. A classic strategy!

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Karen goofed big time, but only because she was as much a victim of Eve's manipulation as everyone else. I don't think she needs to worry, I think Addison has squelched Eve's spirit for good. Besides, at this point, even if Eve did blab about what Karen did, who's going to care?

I felt a little bad for Karen. She made a dumb mistake; and she probably would have to spend her life wondering when/if Eve was going to tell Margo.

I dont know.
It seems that Karen really had good intentions, and who the h*** would put up with Margot anyway? Karen just seems like a good friend who puts up with a lot of crap from the people around her.

Karen's plan was just for Margo to miss one (just ONE) performance and let Eve have her one moment in the spotlight. She felt remorse when she learned how sad and unfulfilled Margo had been. I don't think Karen suspected that Eve would invite the press (which you would not do generally for an understudy performance; in fact even lay people often refund their tickets if they really came for the starI once considered doing that but didn't because I felt bad for the poor understudy). Karen's "harmless joke" backfired on her in tragic was but ultimately everything turned out well for Margo and Karen. Now Eve will have to deal with her own insidious little fan
"It's hard for me to watch American Idol because I have perfect pitch."
-Jenna, 30 Rock

Celeste enjoyed every minute of her misteps

The backstory video on you tube interviews Celeste Holm. She says she could laugh on cue and Bette admitted she could not. So the cued laughter at the table was an additional jab at Bette.
(I think this is where I saw it, didn't rewatch)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a98Bcu55nAM

I agree. Margo was afraid of Eve, and a control freak. And when she caught on to Eve (with Birdy's help) she couldn't articulate it. Margo was at a crossroads, but too afraid to ask or take what she wanted, love.
Karen was played by Eve, and you wonder how it happen. Why did she trust this woman? But then Karen tells you why. She wants to teach Margo a lesson. But the smarter move would have been to talk to Margo. But they has stopped talking, so Margo couldn't tell her about Eve. And then it was too late.
Margo's speech in the car took the high road in discussing Eve. Margo took the blame instead of telling Karen her perceptions of Eve. I liked that, it showed growth in Margo. They say let a person show their colors. And how long could Eve keep it up. She was so close to her goal, but couldn't wait. Eve's mistake was using her sex. There she wasn't a master. She assumed all men and in fact women were the same, in my opinion. Then there's the story, which is fantastic. It protects the protagonists and gave the antagonist her come-uppence. Addison is the only character that is a protagonist and an antagonist.
If we can save humanity, we become the caretakers of the world

There's a lovely chain reaction here: though it's true that Margo has often abused her friends, and has a come-uppance coming, so to speak, in this particular case, her extreme behavior is motivated by her realization of what kind of person Eve is, and her inability to communicate this constructively to the people around her. Watch that magnificent build-up scene with her and Bill (and the chocolate temptation!), through to the Liebestodt (sp?) scene, and buttressed by her confession of fear of age to Lloyd, and culminating in that monologue about being tucked into bed ("Eve would, wouldn't you, Eve?" "If you'd like." "I wouldn't like."). Eve, in the end, is at the bottom of her behavior that night, but of course, no one knows (not even, I believe, Eve, interestingly, though she probably catches on right quick - which may be why she asks Karen if there's a way to move on from working for Margo).
Wonderful chain of behavior from writer Mank!

Oddly enough, Bette Davis got along with Anne Baxter in real life (they remained friends until Davis's death despite their initial competition for the Lead Actress Oscar that year!) but Bette couldn't stand Celeste Holm and felt as though Karen's laughing fit at the restaurant was purposely improvised by Holm to upstage Davis's morose Margo character in the scene! She was such a jealous control freak!

Interesting points.
Uh, by the way, what color is the sky in your world? Just curious.

Agreed. Seems to me that Karen was always jealous of Margo. And yes in the beginning she was just a pawn but come on that whole fiasco was Karen's fault and Karen never owned up to it just became a better friend because of her guilt.

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Nice! I got the reference! (to Margo's line)

It's a weak thing I think. She was a path of least of resistance kind of person.

Karen is a woman of so many qualities.

It's always bothered me that Lloyd didn't further question how, or why, his car was out of gas - especially considering that he'd only filled the tank the day before. I realize this is only incidental to the plot, but I know that something like that would bother me until I got a definitive explanation.
Also, I don't know what kind of mileage cars got in 1950, but they were only 5 miles away from their destination, so Karen cut it very close when she drained the tank.