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Saturday, August 17, 2013

Cheers 6.20: “The Sam in the Gray Flannel Suit”


Airdate: 3/3/88

Ethan Drake promotes Sam to an executive sales position, a job with a lot of prestige but nothing much to do. The reason soon becomes clear to Rebecca, when she watches the company softball team return from a game victorious – with Sam as the new pitcher. She lets Sam in on the news that he’s being used as a ringer, and that come the end of softball season he’ll be gone. After interrupting a sales meeting and finding out the truth from the VP himself, he goes back to Cheers – a not quite so shattered man, but making Rebecca believe s has yet another bedding opportunity. Also, Carla makes some cash by letting her twins take part in science studies.

More Evan/Sam/Rebecca hijinks, but the best scenes here come from Sam alone in the office with nothing to do but play with his electric pencil sharpener. A couple semi-serious moments involving his new job do leave me pining for earlier seasons when there was an evener blend of gravitas and guffaws – now, it’s much more consistently wisecracks and straight comedy. But it’s certainly a clever enough concept, and a pretty classic TV trope at that.

Incidentally, this is the second time Rebecca consents to sleep with Sam, and the second time Sam declines because she’s not really into it.

Cold open: Carla’s bitching about getting docked for lateness; Rebecca imparts some advice involving setting your watch ahead to avoid the problem, so it’s actually Carla’s lunchtime! Woody was wondering why he was so hungry.




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