Title: The Cape Cad
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: Andy Cowan & David S Williger
Air Date: October 2, 1986
Previous: The Proposal
Next: Money Dearest
Guest Starring: Brenda Strong, Willie Garson
"The Cape Cad" is the second episode of the fifth season of Cheers.
It's not technically a Multi-Part Episode but it picks up right where "The Proposal" left off, with Diane showing up at the bar, belatedly accepting the marriage proposal that Sam withdrew, and then insisting that they're meant for each other and they will get married. Sam, outraged that she turned him down in the first place, insists that they are through. To prove that they are through, he asks another woman to accompany him to Cape Cod for a romantic getaway. An Old Flame named Vicki (Brenda Strong, later a regular on Desperate Housewives) accepts, and they go away together to a little inn on the cape, an inn where Sam had previously taken Diane.
A jealous Diane follows them and gets another room at the inn. An indignant Sam makes a great show of how nice a time he and Vicki are having together, but Vicki is called away on a family emergency. Mortified, Sam tries to hide the fact that he is now spending the weekend at the inn alone, but Diane finds out and decides to embarrass him.
In the brief B-plot, Carla brings in a cat to the bar, one she has just gotten for her kids as a pet—only the cat is pregnant, and starts popping out kittens.
Tropes:
- Cute Kitten: Someone asks Carla how she got rid of all the kittens, and she said it was easy: she gave away a free beer with each kitten. Cue Norm coming out, covered in cute kittens.
- Law of Inverse Fertility: Carla is frustrated when the cat she just got for her kids suddenly starts giving birth to a litter.Carla: I swear this cat was not pregnant when I got her. I swear, the minute you become a Tortelli, you start dropping kids like flies!
- Maintain the Lie: Sam goes to extraordinary lengths to pretend that Vicki is still in the hotel. He orders two of every dish for room service, he messes up the bed as if two people had sex in it, and he pays a random woman $50 to go into the bathroom and make noises to trick Diane into thinking there's a second person in the room.
- Popcultural Osmosis FailureDiane: Sam, what do you think about Vivaldi at the ceremony?
Sam: You can invite anyone you want; I don't care. - Previously on…: In explaining why she's come back to Cheers, Diane recaps the previous episode, in which Sam asked her to marry him, she said no, then she changed her mind and came back to the bar to say "yes". This is accompanied with clips that include Diane jumping off the yacht before Sam threw her off.
- Sarcasm Mode: Carla explains the reason why she's not too bothered that Diane has come back: either Sam will kill Diane, or Diane will kill Sam, Carla will turn her in and get the reward, and Diane will fry in the electric chair.Diane: I think we're becoming friends. Let's have a slumber party sometime.
- Stalking Is Funny if It Is Female After Male: Downplayed, but Diane makes it a point to show up at the same hotel Sam's taking his date—and seemingly just stand back and observe a little. Sam is not amused.
- Vacation Episode: Sam takes one of his babes to Cape Cod for the weekend, and Diane follows.
