Cheers 5:16: “Never Love a Goalie, Part 1”

Airdate: 1/29/87

Eddie LeBee, hockey goalie for the Boston Bruins, drops by Cheers to all themen’s delight, and Carla’s schoolgirl infatuation. He gives her two tickets for that night’s game (she gives the other to down-in-the-mouth Frasier, who winds up getting arrested after a brawl with a man he had asked to remove his hat), and she’s over the moon – even more so when Edde returns and kisses her. But Carla can’t help but be pessimistic about the future of their coupleship; after all, isn’t she just “a barmaid with six kids and a mortgage up to her neck”? Well, a girl can dream, can’t she, although it’s a bit hard when your true love misses a shot and winds up losing a big game for his team.

Subplot: Diane can’t hold her tongue about the details of an attempted murder trial for which she’s serving as a juror.

Part one of a classic relationship-gone-sour storyline for a Cheers supporting character (remember Coach’s short-lived engagement) is not necessarily hilarious but still full of fine subtle humor, abetted notably by veteran character actor Jay Thomas as Eddie. We know there’s heartbreak in store, foreshadowed by the big loss at the end of the episode, and something tells me that with Carla involved, it won’ be pretty. But for my money, Kelsey Grammar as Frasier yet again steals the show with his opening dourness over hearing of the loss of a famous test chimp in psychological experiments!

Cold open: Cliff and Norm, after 17 hours, have to leave the bar because it’s closing time – until they realize that it’s daylight savings time and they still have an hour left!