Airdate:
12/13/84
Norm gets news: bad news: his doctor found a spot on his
chest X-ray, and he enters Cheers as white as the ghost he fears he will
become. A call from his wife informs him that the X-ray was wrong, but a new
life-leased Norm plans to change his life – by sailing to an island off Bora
Bora and living the rest of his life in a carefree paradise. The gang at Cheers
as aghast, especially best buddy-less Cliff, but when Sam retreats to his
office he discovers the would-be castaway living in the beer pantry, too
chicken to fulfill his crazy dream and too ashamed to show everyone that he was.
Everyone tries to coax him out, but no one is successful except Cliff, whose
disclosure of his own dream – flying as a trapeze artist for the circus – makes
Norm realize that his own dream is not quite so howlingly ludicrous.
Setup in which
our favorite portly pint-swiller gets a reminder of his own mortality is a
classic TV trope – the rest of the plot usually involves his change of life and
the attempts by close friends to anchor him back to reality. But Cheers twists the trope a bit, having
Norm back out of his ambitious transformation, and then suffer the
repercussions of his cowardice. Makes sense that the only other one more
pathetic, Cliff, would remind his that he’s just a regular guy, one who
couldn’t possibly live up to a Thoreauvian ideal, even if it seems reasonable
at the time.
Subplot: Diane
challenges Carla to a better waitress contest, and wins. Carla’s ego is
crushed, and only recovers when she gets Diane to lie and admit she cheated. Of
course, Carla gets everyone at the bar to believe it, leaving Diane to disclaim
her statement to everyone at the bar.
Cold open: The aforementioned contest is
set up, with a confused Coach volunteering to judge.
Norm’s opener:
Not technically his opener, as he doesn’t say anything, but his funniest entrance
yet:
Crowd: (as Norm
enters white as a ghost) “Norm?”
Sam: “Why don’t
you sit down?”
Norm sets on the
steps, still pale.
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