Title:Power Play
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: Glen Charles and Les Charles
Air Date: September 29, 1983
Previous: Showdown, Part 2
Next: Little Sister, Don't Cha
"Power Play" is the first episode of the second season of Cheers.
Sam and Diane, last seen sharing The Big Damn Kiss in first season finale "Showdown, Part 2", are starting a relationship. But as always with the two of them, nothing goes smoothly. Diane says she wants her first time with Sam to be someplace special, and someplace where he's never been with another woman, which rules out the office couch, Sam's apartment, and every hotel in Boston. Finally they decide on Diane's apartment, and we follow them there, leaving the bar for the very first time.
Things don't go smoothly there, either. Sam laughs at Diane's inordinately large collection of stuffed animals, which gets Diane mad. An argument ensues and Diane chucks Sam out of her place. Sam goes back to the bar, where Carla advises him to go back to Diane's place and assert his he-man dominance to make Diane toe the line. Sam does—and it backfires badly.
Tropes:
- Bottle Episode: Averted. For the first time ever, the show leaves the bar (Diane's apartment).
- Distracted by the Sexy: Diane exploits this, in retaliation for Sam's kicking in her door. After asking him to wait for her to Slip into Something More Comfortable, she soon steps out of her bedroom in a very short-cut nightie, basically playing the part of an Innocent Fanservice Girl... while sweetly telling Sam that she's just called the police. It sinks in a second later.
- Exact Words: When Sam realizes Diane lied about calling the police, he angrily tosses all of Diane's stuffed animals out the window.Diane: Sam, keep Gary Gorilla and Mr. Jammers apart. They don't get along.
Sam: Not to worry. They're a mile apart. - Girls Love Stuffed Animals: Diane has a huge collection of stuffed animals. Sam's laughter at seeing them starts the argument that gets him kicked out.
- Immediate Sequel: Takes place immediately after Season 1 finale "Showdown, Part 2"—in fact, the last scene is repeated, but this time from the perspective of the people in the bar.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: An understated, positive example from Sam. Thoroughly unwound by Diane's claim that she called the cops on him for breaking into her apartment, he confesses, "The first time I saw you, I said to myself, 'now, that could be the woman who's gonna make me happy for the rest of my life.' Now I'd be happy just to stay out of jail." This, remember, is Sam Malone, king of the one-night stand, who told everyone at the bar that he would be "messing around" with Diane—no word about a long-term relationship. She seems to pick up on the significance of his confession, and in turn confesses that not all of his show of brute force was unwelcome—she "liked the lift part."
- Perspective Flip: Sam and Diane's big fight at the end of the Season 1 finale is repeated, but this time from the perspective of the people outside the office, listening.
- Promotion to Opening Titles: After being credited as a guest star for the entire first season, John Ratzenberger was finally added to the main titles with Season 2.
- Shout-Out to Shakespeare: Diane lifts a line from Hamlet to insult the people at the bar, after they're skeptical of her relationship with Sam."There is more in heaven and earth than is dreamt of in your beer mugs."
- Slip into Something More Comfortable: Diane was already dressed for bed, but when Sam shows up and breaks down her door she gets turned on and says "Would you give me a minute to slip into something flimsy?" She comes out of her bedroom dressed in a babydoll nightie—and reveals that she called the police.
- Who Wants to Live Forever?: Paul the bar fly says that when you die, you die, and he has no interest in living forever. Norm takes one look at Paul the bar fly and says "Yeah, I can see why, Paul."
