Title: Our Hourly Bread
Directed by: Andy Ackerman
Written by: Susan Herring
Air Date: March 10, 1988
Previous: The Sam in the Gray Flannel Suit
Next: Slumber Party Massacred
Guest Starring: Bebe Neuwirth, Al Rosen, Thomas Ryan, Ron Boussom
"Our Hourly Bread" is the 21st episode of the sixth season of Cheers.
In casual conversation Woody reveals that he hasn't gotten a raise in the nearly four years that he's been working at Cheers. Egged on by the others, Woody charges into Rebecca's office and demands a raise. Rebecca however engages in some mental jiu-jitsu with slow-witted Woody and gets him to accept a title of "Senior Bartender".
Sam hears this and goes into Rebecca's office to demand a raise for himself. Rebecca is more frank with Sam, telling him that the bar is in the red so he can't have a raise but he can be "Executive Supervising Bartender". This leads to Carla being christened "Managing Director of Waitresses."
This gets Woody mad enough to go back to Rebecca, who finally tells them all the truth: the bar has been losing money for three months in a row, and her bosses have told her that if things don't turn around they're going to sell, and Cheers may close. Rattled by this unexpected bad news, the gang debates on what to do to drum up business for their Local Hangout. Finally they hit on the idea of a raffle for a Caribbean cruise.
In the B-plot, Frasier wonders what to get Lilith for a gift, finally settling on a ridiculous modern art painting.
Tropes:
- Briar Patching: Woody comes into the office and just as he's launching into a spiel, Rebecca says that no matter what, she can't give him a title. A raise is no big deal, no problem, but a title—people work 10-15 years for Lillian Corp. before they get a title. It works, as Woody demands a title instead.
- Defensive "What?": Norm keeps saying that the various titles people are getting call for a round of drinks on the house. When Rebecca says the bar may have to close, the mood grows somber. Norm says that Cheers is his home, and bad news like this deserves "a sympathy round of drinks." When everybody else boos him he says "What? Oh, what?!"
- Double Take: An exaggerated form of this as Norm actually falls off his stool when Cliff says he'll buy Norm a beer.
- Hypocritical Humor: Rebecca initially scorns the idea of crying to gain sympathy, but it's the first thing she does on going back out to the raffle winners.
- Inelegant Blubbering: Rebecca Howe, the queen of inelegant blubbering, does this to try and get one of the two raffle winners to give up the cruise. It doesn't work, as both of them start blubbering. Sam finally bails her out by giving the other winner Frasier's ugly painting.
- Male Gaze: Sam says Woody should compliment Rebecca to put her in a good mood. Woody asks what he should compliment, and Sam says the first thing he sees. Woody enters the office saying "Miss Howe, did you know you have a nice—", only to see Rebecca on a stool reaching for a shelf, her shapely bottom at eye level. He finishes with "—smile."
- Misery Poker: Rebecca and the two raffle winners engage in this. Carla tries joining in, but is quickly shooed back out.
- Non-Promotion: Since Rebecca can't give them raises, she gives Woody, Sam and Carla meaningless executive titles (Senior Bartender, Executive Supervising Bartender and Managing Director of Waitresses, respectively) instead.
- Running Gag: Every time someone gets a title, Norm says that it calls for A Round of Drinks for the House.
- Everyone (except Frasier) thinks his "original Tidwell" painting looks like two dogs humping. Even Lilith.
- Sarcasm Failure: As Frasier is leaving and Cliff is entering, dressed in his mailman's uniform, Frasier says "New suit?" Cliff says no, he just had it dry cleaned.
- Series Continuity Error: Woody says that he's never gotten a raise in all his time at Cheers—except that he got Sam to give him a $30 per week raise in Season 4 episode "Relief Bartender".
- Shoddy Knockoff Product: Norm recommends that Frasier get Lilith a "mank", which is a mock mink coat. If it rains, you have to put the mank in the washing machine and then "leave the house for a couple of hours."
- 6 Is 9:
- Woody picks a ping-pong ball with 99 on it, and #99 wins the Caribbean cruise. Then Woody flips the ball around and decides the winner is actually 66, so #66 claims the cruise instead. Chaos ensues.
- At the end Woody does a drawing for the consolation prize, which is all the ping pong balls. He draws #11 and says "Oh no, not again."
- Two-Act Structure: The first half of the show is Rebecca's employees asking for raises and getting fobbed off with meaningless titles. The second half of the show is the raffle for the Caribbean cruise, which naturally goes wrong.
