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Friday, July 13, 2012

Cheers 1.14: Let Me Count the Ways


Airdate: 1/13/83

Marshall, a computer whiz and MIT professor, knows with absolute certainty that the Celtics will lose their next game; Sam and Coach are in a quandary as to whether they should bet against Boston’s beloved basketball team. “We’ll be hated for the rest of our lives,” Coach exclaims, then concludes, “Of course we’re not going to live forever!”

Meanwhile, Diane’s cat, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, has died, and her anguish surprises everyone. One by one, Sam and the rest try to console her, but don’t truly understand the meaning the pet had on her until she explains how it saved her live during the turmoil of her parents’ separation. Sam embraces her, then tries to kiss her, when she pushes him away, accusing him of not knowing how to be close to a woman without involving sex (despite her similar inclinations).

Anachronistic humor at the start of the show regarding Marshall’s computer know-how; funny to see the 1982 conception of computers as instant “do-all” machines. So little of Cheers is dated that it’s fun to see the aspects that are.

Some pretty heavy acting from Long, particularly when she hears the news about her cat. Another show continuing the as-yet unrealized sexual chemistry between Sam and Diane;

Cold open: Diane announces her “euphoria” over an Indian film festival; Coach thinks she means cowboy flicks, and when Carla and the gang join in, the conversation goes downhill fast, causing Diane to scream

Norm’s opener: (Coach: What’s doing, Norm?) Well, science is seeking a cure for thirst, and I happen to be the guinea pig.

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