The People Are All the Same?
I am rewatching Cheers on Netflix . . . I started with the pilot and I've made it to episode ten, "Endless Slumper"; the one when Sammy loans out his good luck charm, a bottle cap that keeps him from hitting the bottle, and consequently has a streak of bad luck; it's an especially moving episode with a dramatic conclusion-- it appears that Sam is going to start drinking again, but instead he simply produces a new good luck charm, and I vividly remember watching this episode 33 years ago (when I was twelve) and it was equally moving back then, but I had such a different view of the show: I thought Sam was the best, Norm and Coach were hysterical, Carla both scared me and grossed me out, I thought Cliff was a total nerd (the irony!) and I was annoyed by Diane's pretentiousness . . . but now I realize that Diane is both the funniest person in the bar and the funniest person on the show, Norm is a sad clown, Cliff actually knows quite a bit, Sam is incredibly cheesy . . . the only one I understood was Carla . . . she really is scary and gross.
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6 comments:
I still view Sam as a role model. And Norm as my reality.
And feel free to judge those characters in the context of condescending mature adulthood, but it's still my favorite show of all time and makes me laugh/smile.
i am loving it and even used a clip today in class-- when coach falls down the stairs to gain the pity/attention of a girl that even sammy couldn't woo. just like 12th night . . .
Have you gotten to the episode The Boys in the Bar? Up your alley.
Actually it's a great episode and demonstrated why Cheers was successful and so many shows fail: humor with heart. Lots of teleplay writers can ink snarky digs and pratfalls, but characters you give a damn about who show heart and a mix of cutting and soft-hearted humor is an excellent recipe.
Like Game of Thrones, for example.
i think i'm going to plug through all of them-- at least the diane ones-- the show really makes me appreciate the park pub (which is the exact opposite of game of thrones).
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