Airdate:
11/15/84
Three weeks have
passed since Coach’s proposal, and his would-be-bride is incommunicado, but
this doesn’t quash his expectation that they will be married on their wedding
date as planned. Everyone at Cheers pities the cockeyed-optimist, except Diane,
who admires his hopeful romanticism, but once she caves in and implores him to
“wake up and smell the coffee,” he starts to see reality, especially once Sam
has informed him that Irene is engaged to be married to an obscenely rich
industrial magnate. Coach finally finds closure when the phone rings, and he
answers it with the admission that she is probably better off with her new
fiancée. We never find out if it is really her on the line.
Expertly crafter
conclusion is probably better written than Part 1 – kudos to David Angell for
deftly navigating all the Cheers hallmarks:
Sam/Diane bickering (still thinking
each other carries a torch), snappy barfly commentary on the action – and
worship of the almighty character above all else - even their jokes – because
he knows that the humor will come with a well-developed character.
The Cheers two-parters have always
approached the obligatory recap at the top of Part 2 in a highly original way,
and this episode is no exception; in fact, it’s probably the best example. In a
series of slow zoom ins to the residences of Norm, Carla, Cliff, Diane and Sam,
respectively, we are apprised of all heretofore happenings and get entertained in the process. Sure beats how it used to be,
when we just get a series of clips introduced with “This is _________ (series
star). Here are some scenes from last week’s episode of _____________ (series
title).” BTW, the funniest part is Norm’s, when he recaps part of the Coach
story, we think, to his wife, Vera, but it turns out to be his dog!
Cold open: Sam
berates Carla for reading trashy tabloids (“Bigfoot Stole My Wife,” “Have Aliens
Taken Over Your Pets?”), until hearing about a common condiment that can also
be an aphrodisiac, oregano, which he furtively jots on a bar napkin.
Norm’s opener:
Sam: “Tell us what you know.” Norm: “God did his heaven, and something,
something…” Sam: “How ‘bout a beer?” Norm: “Yeah, that’s it!”
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