Cheers 7.3: “Executive Sweet” (Part 1 of 2)

Airdate: 11/10/88

Martin Teal, the new executive VP, wants to see Rebecca in his office. The main man, however, looks all of nineteen – but that doesn’t stop him from putting the moves on Rebecca. Turned off by his youth but grateful that he just promoted her to sole manager of Cheers, she finds herself in a sticky situation, one she remedies, for the time being anyway, by lying that she and Sam are together. Teal calls Sam to “size up the competition,” but sensing that he’s being used, Sam “breaks up” with Rebecca, leaving the two to date – and face harassment by the Cheers gang for their age difference. No one’s laughing, however, when Teal bestows his beloved with a perfectly sinful diamond ring – as a proposal of marriage. To be continued…

Rebecca’s on her way back to head honcho, but there’s a catch, as there always is: figuring out what to do with an ever header-honcho that’s half her age. Teal seems a bit modeled after Michael J. Fox, particularly his Alex P. Keaton character, or the one he played in The Secret of My Success. He’s good, but his scenes are handily stolen by the man playing his assistant – an older gent trying to be dignified but all too obviously a yes man, even though Teal “hates yes men.” Subplot involving Woody’s beekeeping is quite funny – best scene: Frasier frantically rips off his shirt when Carla tells him there’s a bee under it. (When will the Cheers gang ever stop listening to Carla?)

Cold open: Cliff’s new idea: a postal worker-themed amusement park, which salutes the brave and noble men and women carrying the mailbag. That’s where the real money is – not in the current dead end job he currently has!

Cheers 7.2: “Swear to God”

Airdate: 11/3/88

Sam’s old flame, Denise, wants to show him something: his son. Actually, the paternity test isn’t in just yet, but Sam makes a vow to God that if he can get out of his pickle he’ll swear off women for three months. The test comes back – he’s in the clear – but Carla holds him to his promise, and now Sammy Suave must take a metaphorical cold shower every time a buxom beauty steeps into the bar. Though he seeks help from the Catholic church for spiritual guidance, and Frasier for psychological, he learns that his best support must come from within. When a hot ski bunny returns and promises a steamy romp in the hay, he gives in, but stops short when he gets a sign – a bible ­on the hotel nightstand. In fact, there’s one in every room! Frasier almost tells him that it’s not necessary a miracle, but Carla continues the delusion, and Sam could be wearing that chastity belt just a little longer. Subplot has Woody understudying Moses; it provides the setup for a timed sight gag involving Sam’s promise to God.

Clever concept is given the Cheers treatment. Actually, the same idea was done later in the 2002 film 40 Days and 40 Nights starring Josh Hartnett (hey, remember him?), but here it’s an hour shorter and a lot funnier. Scene in the church rectory is amusing, as is Frasier’s advice to sublimate his sexual frustration into piano playing (it provides a nice coda). Interesting, Rebecca’s role here is a non-sequiter; she seems to still be a manager, still in her office. Don’t tell me she coaxed her way into getting her old job back!

Observations: Cliff’s unsolicited outpouring of worthless information is getting to be less trivial and more obviously BS. And Woody’s increased role as a part-time actor seem to be based on Harrelson’s expansive acting abilities – listen for his Moses voice; it’s pretty good!

Cold open: Woody rehearses Moses, proclaiming the entrance of the Canaanites, and a host of other “ites.” Cliff wonders about the cellulites? “They landed on Vera,” wisecracks Norm.

Cheers 7.1: “How To Recede in Business”

Airdate: 10/27/88

Confident Sam struts into Cheers, certain that this will be his lucky day with Rebecca. Initially resistant (as usual), she succumbs to his charms and agrees to a date, owing more to a broken TV and stove than anything else, but when the new corporate VP walks in, she butters him up and wants him to deliver the news that she’s been expecting – her promotion. Unfortunately, the fickle finger of fate has something else in mind; it turns out the bar was making more money under Sam’s ownership, so he’s been made the new manager, while Rebecca gets her walking papers. The date idea is a bit sour now, and Rebecca’s devastation is readily apparent in her disheveled appearance. Additionally, Sam hates his new position, as the new computerized bookkeeping system is a far cry from the old spiral notebook days., but Carla hatches an idea – as long as Sam wants to appeal for his job back, why not arrange for Rebecca to resume hers and convince her, aphrodisiacally,  it was his doing? A great plan, but once again the VP blows the date by listing the conditions she “agreed to” by returning. She leaves Sam a bit stiff J and races downstairs to Cheers, adamant she’ll never return – but then there’s that newly bought Mercedes she needs to pay for – and so she changes her mind, ready to wait tables with the best of them!

Fun twist switches the power grid a bid – as Sam now resumes his old managerial duties and Rebecca’s taking Diane’s old job (which was never filled anyway). Personally, I think she should have been busted for nearly killing Evan Drake and going nutso on him, but I guess all involved overlooked her behavior, all things considered. Of course some things never change: Sam and Rebecca come so close to hooking up, but then there’s always something!

Cold open: The beginning of the plot – Sam is convinced he’ll score with Rebecca. The scene ends once he enters his office, with the heretofore supportive bar gang now voicing their collective doubts of his success.

BTW: Opening credits are exactly the same, but this season gets a late start due to the writers’ strike over the summer (during the Seoul Olympics). As such there are only 22 episodes this season.

Cheers 6.25: “Backseat Becky, Up Front”

Airdate: 5/5/88

Evan Drake is going to oversee his business interest overseas – in Tokyo, indefinitely. Rebecca is devastated. Mourning, mooning and moping, she loses all lust for life – while Sam tries to lift her spirits. His idea: throw him a goodbye party, which will give her the opportunity to aver her undying love for him. Unfortunately one thing sidetracks their conversation after another, and it looks like she’s lost him. One last ditch effort is worth considering – detain his chauffeur, and drive her to the airport for a moment alone with him. But he has to pick someone up first, the girl he will be in Tokyo with, and she goes beserk. Sam bails her out of jail – she had smashed the limo into a 7-11, with no license. Now she’s a blubbering mess, and wants a”best friend” – Sam – to console her, but he’s not sure his hormones can play along. She summons him from the payphone downstairs to come up – and perhaps they can be platonic, for one night.

Not quite the cliffhanger of earlier seasons, but an interesting stopping place after a season in which two characters who started as strangers now clearly understand each other, for better or worse. It appears that this is the end of the Rebecca/Drake saga too, so we’ll see what that will be replaced with next season. All in all, not a bad season, on to numero siete!!!

Cold open: Cliff knows a little too much about ways Evan Drake probably manages to look younger than he actually is.

Cheers 6.24: “The Big Kiss-Off”

Airdate: 4/28/88

Rebecca calls Woody cute, and that’s all it takes for him to develop a crush on his boss. When the bar boys razz him for it, he crows that he could kiss her by days end. Sam gets pressured into countering his claim, and before long everyone at the bar’s got a bet on who can lock lips with the ice princess before 12 midnight.  Every trick in the book, from fake CPR to the old “rehearsing for love scene,” gets used, until Rebecca asks Carla, the judge, what’s going on, and decides to stage a retaliatory plan. She takes each man aside and tells him that she wants him to win, with explicit plans on how to make it happen. In the end, she gets Sam and Woody to kiss each other, and avers that she “will not be used,” just before she drives Evan Drake’s valet to the airport.

Another lightweight, college-antic style episode, this one featuring shades of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Of course, we know that Rebecca will get deliver their comeuppance, and she does in a pretty crafty way – although nowadays that male to make kiss would be a lot more graphic.

BTW: Anyone notice how Sam’s character has changed immensely? Not only does he not get ribbed for being a intellectual idiot, but he doesn’t act like one either. Did he get a degree while on that yacht?

Cold open: Norm gives Frasier his hangover cure: reminding him of what he did the night before, including insulting a burly merchant marine.