Thursday, August 29, 2013

Cheers 7.19: “The Gift of the Woodi”


Airdate: 4/6/89


Woody is suspiciously invited to his girlfriend Kelly’s birthday party by her father, who doesn’t see the attraction. The Cheers gang thinks the Woodman may be walking into a trap, being intentionally embarrassed by his lack of riches, but he goes anyway, armed not by an extravagant diamond necklace or luxury car, but a song. Kelly admires the gesture, and then wants to know where the real gift is. Crestfallen Woody considers ending the relationship based on their different economic worlds, but decides on one last-ditch effort: hocking everything to buy a diamond jewel. Kelly likes it, but thinks it’s a matter of stopping at an ATM machine to get the money for the pendant itself. Woody straightens her out – he’s got no money, just a lot of love for her. She gets the message.

The Woody/Kelly saga continues, and the two make a durn cute couple (with, of course, the requisite conflict being their have/have not status). Two subplots here: Cliff has “invented” the beetabega, a hybrid of a beet and rutabaga, but is having a tough time selling it, while Rebecca is taking lessons from Lilith on how to be a powerful businessperson by eliminating her sex appeal. I thought the latter would have a more moralistic payoff (something like you don’t have to trade femininity for power), but the show didn’t go that route.

Cold open: Cliff announces his aforementioned beetabega, and the Cheers crew enlists Norm as the truthteller of his best friend’s folly.


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