Title: Strange Bedfellows, Part 1
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: David Angell
Air Date: May 1, 1986
Previous: Relief Bartender
Next: Strange Bedfellows, Part 2
Guest Starring: Kelsey Grammer, Kate Mulgrew, David Paymer, Max Wright, Mike Hagerty
"Strange Bedfellows, Part 1" is the 24th episode of the fourth season of Cheers. It was the first part of the three-part Season 4 finale.
Into the bar enters one Max Schumaker (David Paymer), who is the campaign manager for City Councillor Janet Eldridge. It seems that Councillor Eldridge is campaigning in the area and would like to stop at the bar. Sam is happily surprised when Janet Eldridge turns out to be a good-looking woman (Kate Mulgrew) and even happier when Janet recognizes Sam the White-Dwarf Starlet. Councillor Eldridge shakes hands in the bar and answers questions, and Sam uses the Q&A as a chance to ask her out. She declines, but after the press conference, Max comes back into the bar and gives Sam her private number.
Soon enough, Sam and Janet are dating—he even accompanies her to dinner at the governor's mansion. Diane, now white-hot with jealousy, joins the campaign of Janet's opponent, Jim Fleener (played by Max Wright, the dad from ALF). Desperate for Diane's approval, Frasier volunteers too. Eventually, Diane confronts Janet with her suspicions that Janet doesn't really care about Sam and is only using him to get votes from Red Sox fans. Janet surprises Diane by saying that she did start dating Sam as a campaign ploy but has started to fall in love with him for real.
Finally comes the election, and as expected, Janet Eldridge beats Jim Fleener and is reelected to the city council. As Janet celebrates victory and then kisses Sam Malone on TV in front of all the Boston media, Diane realizes that she may have lost him for good.
Tropes:
- Cliffhanger: As they watch the celebration and Janet kissing Sam, Fleener says "Looks like I lost my chance." Diane glumly says "Me too." Smash to Black.
- Comically Missing the Point: Carla tricks Woody into "Italian arm-wrestling", which she says is "I'm gonna pull as hard as I can, and you resist me with all your strength." They do, and Carla lets go, and Woody raps himself on the forehead. But instead of realizing he was tricked, Woody shouts out "I beat Carla! And I'm not even Italian!"
- Coincidental Broadcast: The bar TV spontaneously turns itself on just in time to show news coverage of Sam at Janet's victory speech.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Frasier is still drinking heavily at Cheers and muttering about how Diane betrayed him. He claims it's because of the one-year anniversary of Diane's Runaway Bride act.
- Election Day Episode: Janet Eldridge defeats Jim Fleener and keeps her seat on the Boston City Council.
- Finishing Each Other's Sentences: Discussed Trope. Norm and Cliff come to a realization after Norm starts finishing Cliff's sentences.Cliff: Boy, when people start finishing each other's sentences, they're—
Norm: Spending far too much time together. - Mailman vs. Dog: Cliff asks Councillor Eldridge if she'll support life imprisonment for dogs that bite mailmen.
- Multi-Part Episode: The first part of a three-part series finale.
- Perfumigation: Diane coughs and holds a towel to her face after getting a whiff of Sam's perfume.Diane: Yes, there was a rumor in the air—back when there was air.
- Romantic False Lead: Janet Eldridge. The reason why Diane is so panicked is that, unlike his usual casual sex partners, Sam obviously cares for Janet.
- Shout-Out: Diane gets a little too clever when she orders Jim Fleener campaign materials with the slogan "WIM WITH JIM." She pronounces it "very Joycean."
- Title Drop: The gang urges Sam to ask Janet out. Cliff says "Politics makes strange bedfellows, Sammy!"
