Title: Little Carla, Happy at Last: Part 1
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: Cherie Eichen & Bill Steinkellner
Air Date: October 15, 1987
Previous: "I" on Sports
Next: Little Carla, Happy at Last: Part 2
Guest Starring: Jay Thomas
"Little Carla, Happy at Last: Part 1" is the 3rd episode of the sixth season of Cheers.
It's been a week since Carla told Eddie that he's the father of her baby, back in season premiere "Home Is the Sailor". She is in the middle of grumbling about Eddie's failure to take responsibility and do the right thing, when Eddie comes to the bar and asks Carla to marry him.
Carla is overjoyed. Come the day of the wedding, she shows up at the bar to collect her last paycheck from Rebecca—and Eddie also shows up at the bar. Most people would not care, but to the extremely superstitious Eddie and Carla, the bride seeing the groom on the day of the wedding is Serious Business. They are calling off the wedding when Sam intervenes and talks them back to their senses. However, a series of unlucky events then start to occur.
In the B-plot, Rebecca's crush on her boss Evan Drake is mentioned again, as Sam suggests she invite him to the wedding reception, and Rebecca gets nervous about impressing him.
Tropes:
- Bilingual Bonus: All of Mama LeBec's dialogue is in untranslated French.
- Continuity Nod:
- Norm says his buddy Bruce, who appears to deal in stolen goods, can get a discounted set of the silverware that Eddie and Carla want. Bruce was previously mentioned in "Diamond Sam" when he got Sam a deeply discounted diamond ring.
- The whole business about Carla and Eddie both being crazily superstitious was previously established in Season 5 two-part episode "Never Love a Goalie", when Carla became convinced that she was a jinx hurting Eddie's hockey career.
- Dope Slap: Carla whacks Anthony upside the head when he says that Eddie only knocked Carla up so she'd have to marry him.
- Either "World Domination", or Something About Bananas: Eddie Lebec's French-Canadian mother doesn't approve of him marrying Carla, and expresses her displeasure in her native tongue. Frasier reluctantly offers a translation.Frasier: She said she'll never allow this marriage, especially to a pregnant hussy who's only trying to trap her son. Then she said that she'd rather be dragged around town by her tongue, or else she called you a small grapefruit.
- From Bad to Worse: Eddie's confident nothing will go wrong from tempting fate. Almost immediately after he does, Carla's informed she's having twins, and Anthony and Annie return, needing somewhere to live. Then Eddie's mother shows up, and she's anything but impressed with Carla.
- Meet the In-Laws: Mama LeBec doesn't like Carla. In fact, she initially assumes Rebecca is Carla, and when Eddie shows her the actual Carla, still prefers Rebecca.
- Multi-Part Episode: A two-parter dealing with Carla's wedding to Eddie LeBec.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The title is a reference to the 1980 biography and 1982 biopic of Gloria Vanderbilt, Little Gloria ... Happy at Last.
- Quitting to Get Married: Carla is delighted to realize that as the wife of an NHL goalie, she won't have to work anymore.
- Snub by Omission: Carla's overjoyed to see Anthony back. And as for Angie? ... she's happy to see Anthony back.
- Superstition Episode: Eddie and Carla flip out when they see each other on the day of the wedding, especially since the next lucky day that meets all of their superstitions won't happen until 2042. After Eddie says he'll ignore the superstition, more unlucky things happen.
- Tactful Translation: Eddie's mom gets one look at Carla and lets off an angry French rant. As Eddie follows her out of the bar he says "She says she has to catch a bus!"
- Tempting Fate: Both Eddie and Carla keep doing this.
- To Be Continued: Oh no! Eddie said the wedding's off! Will Carla be left alone again?
- Twin Threesome Fantasy: Sam alludes to this when he reacts to the news of Carla having twins by saying "I had twins once. It was the happiest day of my life!"
- You're Cute When You're Angry: Sam says "you're cute when you're humorless" after Rebecca gets cranky over him using the office phone for personal calls to his girlfriends.
