Recap / Cheers S 9 E 3

Episode: Season 9, Episode 3
Title: Rebecca Redux
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: Bill Steinkellner (story); Cheri Eichen, Bill Steinkellner, and Phoef Sutton (teleplay)
Air Date: October 4, 1990
Previous: Cheers Fouls Out
Next: Where Nobody Knows Your Name
Guest Starring: Bryan Clark

"Rebecca Redux" is the third episode of the ninth season of Cheers.

Rebecca announces that she's getting a new job, one that's better than her work at Cheers, one that's not totally degrading or humiliating at all. Sam tries to adjust to a new, Rebecca-free bar, but it soon becomes clear that while Rebecca was, maybe, a little bit of a total screw-up, she did know how to use a computer, and Sam does not.

Sam soon hires a new bartender, Earl, who turns out to be warm, supportive, highly skilled and just all around great. Rebecca, meanwhile, has taken up working as a showroom girl.

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Tropes:

• Ascended Extra: Phil, played by Phil Pearlman, goes from extra to Recurring Extra, when Cliff cites him as one of the Cheers "part-timers".
• Beware the Nice Ones: Twice, with Norm. Woody mentions that cutting off his pretzel supply nearly caused Norm to snap his thumbs off, and he's incensed when Sam fires Earl.
• Continuity Nod: Sam's previous inability to work computers, established several times before (he struggled with the computer when he was briefly installed as bar manager in "How to Recede in Business"), rears its head.
• Daddy's Girl: Rebecca, a woman in her thirties, still refers to her father as "daddy".
• Disappointed in You: Earl says as much to Sam when he admits he was too chicken to fire him to his face. Sam is ashamed to do so.
• Epic Fail: Sam has absolutely no skill with computers. Like, at all.
• Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job: Having left Cheers, and any chances in the business world utterly nuked thanks to her association with Robin Colcord, Rebecca can only get a job working as a demo girl at the car showroom. This requires her to demonstrate unsafe cleaning products which badly injure her, which her new employers don't show any sympathy for, don't give her any means to protect herself and don't even pay her enough to cover the medical bills. Going back to Cheers counts as a step up for her.
• Fingore: After working at the auto-show, Rebecca yells as Woody she no longer has fingerprints.
• Kick the Dog: In order to rehire Rebecca, Sam must let Earl go, but he can't bring himself to do it. So he has Rebecca do so.
• Jerkass: Dueling jerkasses in the cold open. Carla is dealing with a customer who displays his tip money, telling her she'll be detracted every time she fails to satisfy him. In response, Carla flicks his beer in his face, eventually just dumping the entire beer on his head. The punchline? It's Carla's brother. And he'll be at Cheers for another two weeks.
• Lampshade Hanging: Rebecca even points out the fact the regulars seem to spend all day every day at the bar, rather than, say, working, despite apparently having jobs.
• Nice Guy: Earl is just unendingly sweet and nice. Even getting unceremoniously fired by Sam doesn't upset him, though he is disappointed.
• The Oldest Profession: Rebecca admits that she had a choice between hawking Miracle Buff or selling herself on the streets. After a few days selling Miracle Buff, she thinks she made the wrong choice.
• Snake Oil Salesman: Woody's opinion of the Miracle Buff people, and Rebecca's role.
  Woody: She was selling snake oil like a carnival geek.
• Superior Successor: Earl for Rebecca. It's clear that Earl would be a way better employee, but Sam hires Rebecca instead out of loyalty.