Season One Ep 8 Truce or Consequences
Coach: How's it goin' Norm?
Norm: Daddy's rich and mama's good lookin'!
Remember when Sam used to lay down the law? He got goofier as the show went on, but here we get a no-nonsense Malone. Sam's had enough of the bickering between his two waitresses, so he orders Carla and Diane to simmer down or else he'll consider making "some personnel changes around here". William Devane came close to snagging the part, and gruff Sammy brings to mind what I think Devane might have brought to the role. We also get a string of some classic nicknames Carla's used for Diane, including pencil neck, whitey, and what sounds like 'gossel-head' instead of her usual 'gooseneck'. Creative! So the ladies hunker down to settle their difference after closing time. Diane's game--even more chipper than usual--but Carla needs some liquid courage, so she mixes up a family cocktail recipe called Leap Into An Early Grave which has a list of ingredients longer than the drink's name.
Diane deems the devil drink delish, and it only takes a few sips before she works up a nice buzz. With their third Cheers script, Ken Levine and David Isaacs nail the Carla/Diane dynamic, and the way the way they write a real-time rapport developing between the two over maybe five minutes is a mini-master class in sitcom writing! Shelley Long's a hoot as drunk Diane, and Rhea Perlman's a pro at playing up the pathos when she wants, which she does here, pranking Diane into thinking Sam's the biological father of her son, Gino. More than a prank, it's also a test of Diane's promise to keep the secret, and Diane lives down to Carla's expectations ("you hold your secrets like you hold your booze.") by blabbing in no time at all. Coach quickly sets her straight with his usual clueless clarity, and Diane's furious about Carla's ruse until Sam pulls them both into the office to settle the manner. There's a great quick moment where Cliff runs off to notify Sam of the altercation like a kid might scamper off to fetch the sheriff at high noon. Nothing much gets hashed out, but all's forgiven when Carla shows Diane a picture of little Gino. They leave it to our imaginations, but poor Gino must be one strange looking child, as all three burst into laughter so raucous their guts ache. The laughs get more manic when Carla shows them a pic of Gino's dad several episodes before Cala's ex, Nick, appears for the first time. Gino finally shows up for the first time way later in season 9 all grown up. And, as portrayed by Josh Lozoff, he must have grown into his features.
That Gino's gotta be one odd lookin' kid...
...but he turned out alright!
Stray Thoughts
- I wonder if it's advancements in film and makeup or just a better awareness of the dangers of UV radiation, but everyone looked way more tan on these early episodes. Danson's almost swarthy, and even Ratzenberger's bronzed.
- Remember getting driven home without a seat belt by a tipsy parent? Most people of a certain vintage--say, anyone born before the late '70s--might have similar recollections. In fact, no formal designated driver program was introduced in North America until '86, and Cheers did its part, hanging a Designated Driver poster prominently in later seasons, and making it a featured plot point in the Season 8 episode, Loverboyd, where Norm pulls DD duty for the night. But Cheers was drinking responsibly way before any formal initiative as we see here in the cold open when Coach reveals he can't actually find his way home without dropping off drunks en route.
"Drop me off at Kenmore Square. I can catch a cab from there to take me back here to my car."
'83 PSA. And I'll jump at any chance to share this classic Canuck ode to partying sober:
Kim's right--soda really IS better than both slander and lies!
Norm: Daddy's rich and mama's good lookin'!
Remember when Sam used to lay down the law? He got goofier as the show went on, but here we get a no-nonsense Malone. Sam's had enough of the bickering between his two waitresses, so he orders Carla and Diane to simmer down or else he'll consider making "some personnel changes around here". William Devane came close to snagging the part, and gruff Sammy brings to mind what I think Devane might have brought to the role. We also get a string of some classic nicknames Carla's used for Diane, including pencil neck, whitey, and what sounds like 'gossel-head' instead of her usual 'gooseneck'. Creative! So the ladies hunker down to settle their difference after closing time. Diane's game--even more chipper than usual--but Carla needs some liquid courage, so she mixes up a family cocktail recipe called Leap Into An Early Grave which has a list of ingredients longer than the drink's name.
Diane deems the devil drink delish, and it only takes a few sips before she works up a nice buzz. With their third Cheers script, Ken Levine and David Isaacs nail the Carla/Diane dynamic, and the way the way they write a real-time rapport developing between the two over maybe five minutes is a mini-master class in sitcom writing! Shelley Long's a hoot as drunk Diane, and Rhea Perlman's a pro at playing up the pathos when she wants, which she does here, pranking Diane into thinking Sam's the biological father of her son, Gino. More than a prank, it's also a test of Diane's promise to keep the secret, and Diane lives down to Carla's expectations ("you hold your secrets like you hold your booze.") by blabbing in no time at all. Coach quickly sets her straight with his usual clueless clarity, and Diane's furious about Carla's ruse until Sam pulls them both into the office to settle the manner. There's a great quick moment where Cliff runs off to notify Sam of the altercation like a kid might scamper off to fetch the sheriff at high noon. Nothing much gets hashed out, but all's forgiven when Carla shows Diane a picture of little Gino. They leave it to our imaginations, but poor Gino must be one strange looking child, as all three burst into laughter so raucous their guts ache. The laughs get more manic when Carla shows them a pic of Gino's dad several episodes before Cala's ex, Nick, appears for the first time. Gino finally shows up for the first time way later in season 9 all grown up. And, as portrayed by Josh Lozoff, he must have grown into his features.
That Gino's gotta be one odd lookin' kid...
...but he turned out alright!
Stray Thoughts
- I wonder if it's advancements in film and makeup or just a better awareness of the dangers of UV radiation, but everyone looked way more tan on these early episodes. Danson's almost swarthy, and even Ratzenberger's bronzed.
- Remember getting driven home without a seat belt by a tipsy parent? Most people of a certain vintage--say, anyone born before the late '70s--might have similar recollections. In fact, no formal designated driver program was introduced in North America until '86, and Cheers did its part, hanging a Designated Driver poster prominently in later seasons, and making it a featured plot point in the Season 8 episode, Loverboyd, where Norm pulls DD duty for the night. But Cheers was drinking responsibly way before any formal initiative as we see here in the cold open when Coach reveals he can't actually find his way home without dropping off drunks en route.
"Drop me off at Kenmore Square. I can catch a cab from there to take me back here to my car."
'83 PSA. And I'll jump at any chance to share this classic Canuck ode to partying sober:
Kim's right--soda really IS better than both slander and lies!
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