Recap / Cheers S 3 E 17 The Mail Goes To Jail

Episode: Season 3, Episode 17
Title: The Mail Goes to Jail
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: David Lloyd
Air Date: February 7, 1985
Previous: Teacher's Pet
Next: Bar Bet
Guest Starring: Deborah Richter, Troy Evans, Al Rosen

"The Mail Goes to Jail" is the 17th episode of the third season of Cheers.

It's a bitterly cold winter's day in Boston, which is an even bigger problem inside of Cheers, where the furnace has busted. Cliff, who has to tramp around on foot in the howling wind and blizzard, comes into the bar half-frozen, head blocked up with cold. While the gang at the bar gets him coffee and hot soup, Norm takes a look at the letters still in Cliff's bag. Observing that all the addresses are on his way home, Norm offers to drop off Cliff's last few letters.

That turns out to be a major mistake. A policeman (Troy Evans) soon enters the bar and reports that Norm Peterson has been arrested for mail theft. Cliff, who could face dismissal from the Postal Service, denies Norm's story that he was helping Cliff out—much to the bar's disgust.

In the B-plot, Diane attempts to fix the furnace and gets stuck in a duct under the floor of the bar. (This was one of the more inventive ways that the show hid Shelley Long's pregnancy.)

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Tropes:

• Armor-Piercing Question: After Sam suggests Norm consider Cliff's appeal for forgiveness, Diane interjects. Norm is initially confused over where the voice was coming from, but her question gives him pause.
  Diane: Norman, he's right. What is your heart telling you?
• Ask a Stupid Question...: Upon Sam seeing where exactly Diane is.
  Sam: Well, what are you doin' down there, huh?
  Diane: Aerobics, you idiot.
• Brainless Beauty: Bambi (Deborah Richter), Sam's curvaceous girlfriend who went with him to a ski resort. She can't figure out that it was Sam who stole their skis (so they'd spend the whole weekend in the hotel room, having sex) and who replaced the skis when it was time to come back.
• Comedic Sociopathy: People screwing with Diane when she's stuck under the floor. Sam feeds her soup she doesn't want. Carla brings over Al the crusty old barfly (Al Rosen) to give Diane a kiss, but Sam stops him.
  Al: Pucker up, baby!
• Dirty Coward: Cliff, who is willing to let Norm be convicted of mail theft rather than confess and put his own job on the line. The gang has to shame him into telling his supervisor.
• Everyone Has Standards: Sam has some fun with Diane being stuck in the duct, but he stops Al from getting that kiss and sincerely berates Carla for setting it up.
• Forgiveness: Norm says he will forgive Cliff in exchange for a beer... and a little public humiliation in the form of barking like a seal while standing pantsless on a stool.
• The Gadfly: Sam happily annoys a stuck Diane with such stunts as "accidentally" spilling spoonfuls of soup on her. Carla goes even farther by charging money to drop eggs on her and talking Al into an attempted kiss.
• Help, I'm Stuck!: Diane gets stuck in a ventilation duct under the floor of Cheers.
• I'll Kill You!: Norm comes back to the bar enraged and chases Cliff around. After the others have grabbed him Norm shouts "I'll kill him! But first I want to hurt him a whole lot!"
• It's a Long Story: As the others try to keep Norm under control, Diane (still in the ventilation duct) asserts that he mustn't resort to violence. Norm is quite confused where her voice was coming from and even more confused to be shown, but Sam just tells him this.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Carla in particular is vocal about the whole situation. Part of it is just her general disdain for Cliff, but she genuinely thinks it's rotten to let a friend take the fall.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Carla repeatedly needles Cliff about this situation as only she can. She also points out that Norm's not going to be happy with Cliff after returning to the bar, a sentiment that Sam and Coach warn is exactly right.
• Laser-Guided Karma: After Sam repeatedly annoys her, Diane starts whispering to him. When he leans in close to hear, she starts biting his ear.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Norm's friendly act in finishing Cliff's route gets him arrested for mail theft.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • Coach is normally pretty laidback and is often Comically Missing the Point of things, but this time, he fully grasps the situation and is among the most vocal of those shaming Cliff for selling out Norm.
    Coach: Aw, dammit, Cliff, you're wrong! You know you're wrong! You should be ashamed of yourself!
  • Norm is positively pissed when getting back to the bar, outright chasing Cliff around the bar and threatening to kill him.
• Shout-Out: Sam opens up the grate in the floor that Diane is under and asks "S'alright?" In a singsong voice Diane replies "S'alright!" This is a shout-out to famous ventriloquist Señor Wences and his Bare-Handed Puppet Emilio, who was just the puppeteer's hand in a box.
• Tempting Fate: Cliff expresses certainty that he and Norm will be able to work things out peacefully, saying his buddy will be understanding and not display any anger. The second he walks through the door, Norm chases Cliff all over the room and fully intends to beat him senseless.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Pretty much everyone in the bar berates Cliff for letting Norm take the fall.

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