Season One Ep 4 Sam at Eleven

Coach: "How's life treating you, Norm?"

Norm: "Like I just ran over its dog"

So many firsts in this episode! Here we get the first of six appearances by Night Court's Harry Anderson as flimflam man, Harry "The Hat" Gittes, and the first of three by Sam's old baseball/skirt-chasing colleague, Dave Richards. We also get our first Sam/Diane kiss, albeit a non-consensual one. Sam used to plant wet ones on unsuspecting women way too often, and it's only through a modern lens I'm realizing how inappropriate and unacceptable it all was! But handsome Danson's so lovable in the role, it's hard to hold it against him.

As a kid, two of my main obsessions pre-Alyssa Milano were magic and pranks, so a con man like Harry made my heart sing! Thirty-seven years later, he's probably still my favourite recurring barfly--his scarcity only lending esteem to his legend. In the cold open, Coach proves an easy mark for Harry until Sam intervenes and kicks him out, though Harry pops up twice more in this tightly-constructed episode scripted by series creators, The Charles Brothers. 

Sam's baller buddy, Dave, now working in broadcasting, stops by to ask Sam if he can do a prime-time interview. He also tries macking on Diane, to no avail. Everyone's excited for their own fifteen minutes of fame and the exposure for both Sam and the bar. Except Diane. Of course. Diane thinks Sam should celebrate who he is here and now rather than trade on past glories..."the fact of the matter is that you are an ex-jockstrap..."

                                                              "From the French--Jacques."

And she's not wrong, as it turns out Sam wasn't Dave's first, second, or even sixth choice. Sure enough, mid-interview, an entirely disinterested Dave scampers off on receiving word John McEnroe's suddenly available. While you can't blame Dave for chasing a one-on-one with the bad boy of Tennis in '82, his dismissive attitude's a huge blow to Sam's ego, and it's up to Diane to try and raise his spirits, but Sam takes her kindness for flirtation. When he goes in for the unsolicited kiss, Diane flips him on the pool table, displaying a heretofore unseen knack for judo she picked up in her 'Practical Feminism' class. Impressive! Though I still cringe when I think of that poor felt pool table top. 

We wrap up with Diane feigning interest while Sam regales her with tales of his glory days. This is easily one of my favourite episode endings as Burrows moves the camera around the bar, taking in the scene while Craig Safan's clarinet-centric score, usually used briefly for interstitial moments, gets a nice chance to breathe. Clarinet's a great choice because it can sound both whimsical and sad as hell. As evidenced by the next episode, the classic, Coach's Daughter, that mix of whimsy and sadness is a defining characteristic of the series. The final moments of this episode feel very much like late-'70s/early-'80s Woody Allen. 

Danson Hair

Perfection! Except for a brief moment (around Dave's "Everybody in this bar..." line) where the lights shine through to Danson''s carefully concealed scalp, this is one of Sam's finest follicular half-hours. The colour's less obviously dyed, and the style befits a stallion such as Danson.  

Trivia

- No Cliff! There's so much going on, you almost don't notice. To the best of my knowledge, only one of two Cliff-less episodes leaving viewers cravin' some Clavin. 

- The first time we really get the full Norm, "Take my wife...please" Vera schtick. I like to imagine Vera griping about Norm with her own social circle just to balance the karmic scales.

- The first of at least two Flintstones mentions from Sam, giving us a peek at his viewing habits. 

Guest Stars

- What more can be said about the late great Harry Anderson? You either know him and love him, or you're missing out. Given his classic sartorial sensibilities, I always thought Harry's last name was "Gittes" in tribute to Jack Nicholson's Jake Gittes in Chinatown, but it turns out that name was an homage to Nicholson's producer friend...Harry Gittes. So now I'm not so sure. 

- A post-football/pre-Hunter Fred Dryer guests as Dave. Dryer was a runner-up for the role of Sam as originally devised as a retired football player, but Danson's chemistry with Long won him the role over Dryer and William Devane. 

Stray Thought

- Damn, Diane looks great in that blue blouse matched with the long silver chain! My unrequited love for Ms. Long grows by the day.