Title: A Diminished Rebecca with a Suspended Cliff
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: Dan O Shannon and Tom Anderson
Air Date: February 6, 1992
Previous: One Hugs, the Other Doesn't
Next: License to Hill
Guest Starring: Harry Connick Jr., Paul Willson
"A Diminished Rebecca with a Suspended Cliff" is the 17th episode of the tenth season of Cheers.
Woody's cousin Russell (Harry Connick, Jr.) is visiting from Florida. Russell is an amiable hayseed like Woody, but unlike Woody he's played by Harry Connick Jr., so he's also a talented singer and piano player. He starts playing the piano at Cheers for tips.
Russell winds up taking a liking to Rebecca. A very, very strong liking to Rebecca. Woody relates how Russell can get way too much into things—once Russell got too much into trains and eventually wound up pretending he was a train. Rebecca finds herself wondering how to deal with a stalker.
In the B-plot, Cliff is refusing to wear the new official Postal Service uniform. Also, Frasier is literally Growing the Beard (Kelsey Grammer would keep the beard for the rest of the run but shaved it off for Frasier).
Tropes:
- And Starring: Harry Connick Jr., already a big music star who was then branching out as an actor, gets "Special guest star" credit.
- Butt-Monkey: In his letters Woody told Russell about Sam, and Rebecca, and Norm and Cliff and Frasier, and Phil and Tecumseh the wooden Indian... but Woody didn't mention Paul. He had to draw the line somewhere.
- Continuity Nod: Third and last appearance of Raye Birk as Walt Twitchell, Cliff's arch-enemy at the Post Office. Walt comes in Cheers (the bar is on his route) and taunts Cliff about the new uniforms.
- Cool Old Lady: Mixed with Abusive Parents. Hearing that one of Cliff's coworkers conspired to make Cliff a laughingstock, Esther Clavin's only response is to wish she'd thought of something like that.
- Face Palm: Lilith pinches her nose with embarrassment as Frasier boasts about how his beard represents testosterone coursing through his face.
- Foreshadowing: Frasier wasn't allowed to grow a beard by Lilith before, but has done so now against her wishes. Through the next season, their marriage will become increasingly rocky.
- Gilligan Cut: Woody suggests that Russell could work at Cheers. When Rebecca asks what Russell can do, Woody ponders and says "I don't know if he can do much of anything." This is immediately followed by Russell expertly playing an up-tempo, boogie-woogie beat on the piano.
- May–December Romance: After it becomes clear that Russell is crushing hard on Rebecca, Sam says "I think we have a May-December thing here."
- Noodle Incident: Woody mentions Russell, as part of his obsessive tendencies, had a thing for trains for a while, which eventually ended with him getting caught doing... something with his pants off that could've involved the police.
- Room Full of Crazy: Rebecca accepts an invitation to Russell's hotel room, and discovers that he has festooned the room with pictures of her and has drawn a semi-naked picture of her on the wall.
- Sarcasm Failure: Walt says that there are reports Cliff has been refusing to wear the new uniform.Cliff: Oh gee, I wonder who reported me.
Walt: It was me, stupid! - Sitcom Archnemesis: Walt is Cliff's.
- What, Exactly, Is His Job?: Back in Season 9, after Lillian Corporation sold the bar back to Sam, the writers had to figure out a reason for Rebecca to remain at Cheers. Sam hired her as a manager, then Rebecca bought a financial stake in the bar. Occasionally over the last two years she'd be seen ordering supplies or tallying receipts or something, but she really didn't have anything to do. This episode provides the first couple of examples of the show lampshading this; it became a Running Gag for the rest of the run.
- Russell asks if Rebecca is coming to work that day. Sam wryly answers "Well, she's scheduled to work, so I'm not really sure."
- Later Rebecca hurries out of the bar, shouting to Carla "Cover for me!" A bemused Carla says "Cover for what? You don't do anything here!" Then Carla turns to the bar and says "Seriously, what does she do around here anyway?"
