Line #9 WMG/Cheers


1	[[WMG: The kid who tries to buy beer in the first episode and the guy who gets turned away in the last episode are the same person]]
2	Thus [[BookEnds book ending]] the show. The first episode had a kid/teen who walked trying to convince Sam he was old enough to buy a beer (with a [[PhonyVeteran veteran's ID card]], no less). Now go forward eleven years to the end where some guy try to walk in, but Sam says the bar's closed for the night. What if that guy was the same kid from the first opening, now actually old enough to have a beer and finally tries to get into Cheers again?
3	* If the kid was 10 or above in the first episode, he'd be the right age in the finale.
4	** Cute idea, but the "Man Who Knocks" is credited as James Burrows, one of the show's creators. The kid in the beginning was played by John P. Navin, Jr. The actor was about 14 at the time, according to imdb.
5	** It could still be the same character, played by different actors. They did that with Gary.
6
7	[[WMG: Coach and Woody are related]]
8	In "The Last Picture Show", a former owner takes on Sam's duties for a night, and, upon meeting Woody, remarks: "This must be Coach's boy". Bearing that in mind, is it not possible that, somewhere along the line, Pantusso DNA mixed with Boyd DNA and the result is that Woody is, in some small way, Coach's boy?
9	* Consider the following: Their personalities are very similar, they are both thick as mud (bad genes perhaps), and the fact that Coach was the only person who wrote back when Woody was looking for a job may denote a correspondence between long-lost relatives.
10	** It's extremely unlikely that Woody is literally Coach's son, as Coach was totally devoted to his late wife.
11	** Except that it's outright stated that Coach's dementia is not natural but due to taking one too many baseballs to the head.
12	** Except that it is also outright stated (near the end of the 3rd season while Coach was "away") that Coach's sister suffers from a similar affliction. I doubt she took too many baseballs to the head.
13
14	[[WMG: The faux-Sam actor in Diane's play (in her ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' episode) is Lance Apollinaire, the "Greek-God-like" student she almost fell for in "Knights Of The Scimitar".]]
15	He certainly looks and sounds kinda like him -- and there's also Diane's ''exchange'' with him....
16
17	[[WMG: It all takes place on a holodeck.]]
18	* Now, stay with me. See, all the characters drink all that beer and suffer no real ill-effects. It's obviously synthehol. Norm, is of course, Morn from Deep Space Nine visiting other friends. And Captain Bateson likes to play the part of a nuerotic psychatrist. And there's that long-lived Vulcan officer who took a turn playing the hysterical human woman who 'owned' the bar.
19	** Brent Spiner appeared in an episode. Perhaps Data was taking part.
20	** Mr Atoz may have used the Atavachron to hang out there, and even Philana of the Platonians dropped by.
21	** Captain Janeway showed up a few times, too.
22	[[WMG: Sam and Diane get back together after Diane's appearance on ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', but before Woody's.]]
23	Let's consider the evidence...
24	* FIRST: Sam's vision at the end of "I Do, Adieu", after Diane leaves. The extended vision earlier in the episode shows Old Sam as very lethargic and unwilling/unable to move for too much, leaving Old Diane to basically do everything. While their marriage is happy, it isn't particularly passionate. However, in the episode's finale, we see Old Sam up and active, and dancing romantically with Old Diane.
25	** The implication: The first vision is the future stemming from Diane not having a successful career (as is pointed out in dialogue between the old couple). While their love is preserved through the years, Diane's fears from "Coachie Makes Three" of their relationship becoming "routine" and ultimately ''dull'' is realized. In the last vision, their passion lasts with their love--as when Diane finally comes back to Sam, they are both more aware of their own potential--what they have, and what they truly desire in life. Thus, Diane leaving ultimately leads to a more fulfilling marriage, in the future.
26	*** Thus, the final vision becomes a happy foreshadowing, not [[TearJerker a sad "what-might-have-been".]]
27	* SECOND: The Rebecca-era episode "Go Make" foreshadows that Sam will marry and have a son "in a few years" -- just not with Rebecca.
28	** The last time we see Sam, in his appearance on ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', he is single -- but the episode ends with a hopeful exchange between him and Frasier.
29	*** Note carefully that exchange, as Sam recovers from having broken up with his fiancee due to her having slept with Cliff, Frasier tells him flat-out that ''that'' reason was obviously an excuse. Giving Sam a pointed look, he adds, "We both know there were more compelling reasons..."
30	* THIRD: Diane's play in her own ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' episode is a [[HerCodeNameWasMarySue not-so-subtle spoof]] of ''Cheers'' -- one that emphasizes the Sam/Diane romance. Diane herself shares a passionate kiss with the "faux-Sam" actor.
31	** In the end of the episode, she notes to Frasier that she is putting the breaks on the production, and returning to Los Angeles to (she implies) basically re-think her life. It's a good bet she's been shocked by [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Frasier's earlier outburst]] into taking a hard look at herself -- and she's realised that she hasn't gotten over Sam at all, to the point of having fallen (however briefly) for a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute.
32	* FOURTH: When Woody shows up in Seattle, he gives a rundown of what the gang is up to in Boston. While he gives some detail about how the others are getting on, all he says about Sam is: "Sam's doing great!"
33	** Woody doesn't have an answer as to why Sam's doing so "great" -- he can see that his friend is happy, but he doesn't know why, and Sam's not telling.
34	*** Or perhaps Woody has figured it out and is cleverly able to keep a secret, revealing some HiddenDepths in the usually slow-witted Woody.
35	* Put it all together, and...
36	** After her visit to Seattle, Diane reaches out to Sam, who responds positively. They reconnect and embark on a long-distance relationship that the Cheers gang knows nothing about, involving Sam using various excuses to cover for occasional visits to Los Angeles ... and Diane. The long-distance thing means they don't wind each other up so much, and the secrecy's part of the thrill. It stays a secret until they agree that it's time to ''actually'' tie the knot -- which they do, ''after'' Woody visits Frasier in Seattle (which is why Woody can see that Sam's "doing great", but doesn't know why).
37	*** Actually, this fits quite well with the ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' Season Seven episode "Hot Pursuit", which has Frasier just returned from a visit to Boston ... and suddenly reflecting on the fact that he's alone, and currently without much of a love life. In hindsight, FridgeBrilliance: In addition to visiting Frederick, he was in Boston for Sam and Diane's wedding!
38
39	[[WMG: Most of the episodes take place on Fridays]]
40	Many people of pointed out how inconceivable that a bar that's open 120+ hours a week can consist of a staff of only four people. Simple answer...Cheers has plenty of other waitresses and bartenders, and Diane, Carla, and Coach/Woody are simply the Friday night shift. This works on a number of levels.
41	** It makes it more believable why Cheers is always so crowded, as a Friday night happy hour would probably draw the biggest crowds.
42	** It also carries a lot less UnfortunateImplications this way, as the gang getting together for beers on Friday nights is far less depressing than the idea that these people are sitting in the bar all day, every day.
43	** Coach is elderly and retired, Diane is a graduate student, and Carla has a huge family of kids to raise. It stands to reason that these people would be desirous of a job where they only had to work a couple days a week. Two 18-hour shifts per week would qualify them for full-time status and benefits while also providing them with plenty of free time.
44	** Norm gets a huge greeting every time he comes in, which makes more sense if these people only see him once a week as opposed to every day.
45
46	[[WMG: God sent Woody dressed as Moses into the bar AT THAT EXACT MOMENT to scare Sam straight in "Swear To God"]]
47	Of course God wasn't going to "reach down and snatch [Sam] up" for breaking his vow of abstinence but the Almighty has other ways of getting his point across. And it worked! Sam realized he was treading dangerous ground and went to consult a priest. Mysterious ways, indeed.
48	** Cheers is a veritable hotbed of theodicy (read that in Sumner Sloan’s voice). as far back as Coach’s sudden decision to get the player piano fixed in “One For The Books” through to a lot of mostly Carla-related weirdness in the later seasons, there’s a sense of God intervening in Cheers affairs. One can debate God’s existence in our universe, but Cheers definitely has a watchful (and vengeful) God.
49
50	[[WMG: Rebecca's chronic bad luck is what caused Sam's hair to fall out.]]
51	In "It's Lonely on the Top", Sam states that it was on [[HeroicBSoD August 12, 1989]] that he looked in the sink and saw [[note]]we ASSUME this since it's never stated implicitly WHAT Sam saw[[/note]] that his hair was falling out. Since Sam was meticulous about his grooming and hair care up until that moment, to the point of obsession, it seems unlikely that such hair loss could happen so abruptly short of chemotherapy or alopecia areata. However, in the episode "The Art of the Steal" (airdate: 11/30/89) Sam and Rebecca end up trapped overnight in Robin Colcord's security-fortified penthouse. At one point, Rebecca takes advantage of the fact that Sam is asleep (since [[BerserkButton Sam is ADAMANT about people NOT touching his hair for any reason]] aside from a specialist like his personal barber/hairdresser) to examine his hair, commenting on his surprising lack of split ends and running her fingers through it at the exact spot Sam begins balding. Given Rebecca's constant disasters and horrible luck, perhaps she was the one who cost Sam the one thing he loved more than [[OneTrueLove his bar]] (which Rebecca burns down with a carelessly tossed cigarette) and [[CompanionCube his Corvette]] (which he was forced to sell to pay to repair the bar after Rebecca burns it down).
52
53	[[WMG: Norm is drinking Near Beer, or watered-down beer, most of the time]]
54	It would explain why he's rarely drunk, and indeed not dead.
55	* Early in the series Sam explains to Diane that people can drink at home but they go to bars to BS to people. Norm goes to Cheers because everybody knows his name.
56	* Norm seems to have a distaste for other forms of alcohol.
57	* Norm has a history of deception (disparaging Vera, claiming to be gay, inventing a "mean" partner) but he confides in Sam. Sam for his part is also very good at knowing people's limits and will water down drinks as he sees fit — and he has been doing this to Norm for years. Which might explain why he never demands that Norm pay his tab, as this would mean that his watering-down of the beer might be revealed.
58
59	[[WMG: Darryl Mead — the Red Sox player (played by Kevin Conroy) who flirts with Carla — is the Angel Of Death]]
60	He first appears right before Carla finds out about Eddie's death, and later appears when Carla is haunted by Eddie's ghost. He's also too good to br true. Either he's a symbol of Carla's guilt or a literal agent of the Grim Reaper.
61
62	[[WMG: Norm is a Beer Vampire]]
63	As in, a vampire whose resurrection ceremony was botched when they used beer instead of blood. Rather like WesternAnimation/CountDuckula (who became a vegetarian vampire as a result of tomato ketchup being used at his resurrection ceremony), this has turned Norm into a vampire who doesn't attack people as he does not need to drink blood in order to survive — instead, he needs beer! This explains why:
64	* Norm can drink so much beer with no ill effects;
65	* He hardly ever drinks anything else, or eats anything for that matter (all that talk about the gross restaurant he likes is just a ruse to throw everyone off the scent);
66	* He spends so much of his time in a location below ground level;
67	* He's been allowed to run up such a huge tab (Sam knows enough vampire lore to understand that Norm is perfectly harmless, so long as he has a plentiful supply of beer — plus, he thinks it's pretty cool that his bar is a beer vampire's lair); and
68	* He has to be greeted every time he enters the bar.
69	** Sam may be Norm's Renfield. Just as Renfield is not actually a vampire, Sam is not actually a beer vampire which is why he spends so much time in a place where alcohol is served, not does not drink it.
70	* When Woody asks Norm how he can drink so much he replies "Well, it's all done with mirrors, son. I just never look in one." Because, being a vampire, he has no reflection!
71
72	!! The Lillian Corporation Bought Cheers As A Tax Dodge
73	They keep the bar understaffed, made only cosmetic improvements and assigned an incompetent manager to run it. The only possible conclusion is that they want to lose money.
74
75	[[WMG: Cheers is a PlaceOfPower]]
76	Specifically, it is watched over by Dionysus/Bacchus. That explains why even Frasier succumbs to its power.
77	* alternatively, an early resident built a shrine to St. Amand, patron of bar workers.
78
79	[[WMG: Dr Paul Kendall (the therapist who tries to help Carla in “Battle Of The Exes” was a dry run for Frasier]]
80	Unlike Carla’s anger management therapist from “The Tortelli Tort,” who was kind and gentle, Dr. Paul Kendall is stiff, pompous, and no match for Carla. The writers already had the notion of an arrogant “shrink” and used this for Frasier.
81
82	[[WMG: In “Sumner’s Return” Sumner knew that Sam and Diane were dating and was actively trying to break them up.]]
83	It seems unlikely that his friend would tell him that Diane was working at Cheers but leave out that detail.
84	* His ego is big enough to believe he is “rescuing” Diane from Cheers.
85
86	[[WMG: Claudia Mitchell (Sam’s date in “The Bar Stoolie”) is bisexual and attracted to Diane]]
87	She seems far more interested in spending time with Diane than Sam, and they hit it off.
88	* Diane probably “experimented” in one of her many, many alma maters and would be receptive but (at least subconsciously) not wanting to hurt Sam.
89	* Sam, of course, would normally be open to a threesome but with anyone other than Diane.
90
91	[[WMG: Fitzy (the rich guy from “Money Dearest” whom Cliff fixes up with his mother) was originally supposed to be a returning Malcolm Kramer (from “Where There’s A Will.”]]
92	Kramer’s doctors were right that he was dying, but wrong on the timeline. Kramer vowed to come back and did. This was changed to a new character when they realized that this would be way too dark, even for Cliff.
93
94	[[WMG: Diane has undiagnosed ADHD and/or bipolar disorder]]
95	She can never finish anything. She has hundreds of ideas but little ability to tell the good ones from the bad ones. Finally, she responded to her breakups with textbook depressive (Sam) and manic (Frasier) episodes.
96
97	[[WMG: Cheers Is Purgatory]]
98	There's no neat correlation with the Seven Deadly Sins, but some examples are obvious:
99	* Sam: Lust
100	* Norm: Gluttony
101	* Cliff: Sloth (which also applies to Norm)
102	* Diane (and later Lilith): Pride
103	* Carla: Wrath
104	* Rebecca: Greed
105	* Frasier is hard to peg but could be envy.

Context WMG / Cheers