Recap / Cheers S 10 E 20

Episode: Season 10, Episode 20
Title: Smotherly Love
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: Kathy Ann Stumpe
Air Date: February 27, 1992
Previous: Rich Man, Wood Man
Next: Take Me out of the Ball Game
Guest Starring: Marilyn Cooper, Rebecca Staab, Paul Willson

"Smotherly Love" is the 20th episode of the tenth season of Cheers.

Bad news for Frasier: Lilith's mother is in town, and she still hates Frasier. Worse, Lilith's unable to stand up to her domineering mother, who insists the couple re-enact their wedding solely for her. Frasier tries to encourage his wife to stand up to her, but he has little luck.

Soon enough, the wedding day re-enactment comes, and Frasier tries to make the most of it by complimenting Lilith's beauty. This proves to be the last straw for the miserable Lilith, and she lets lose at Betty for her manipulative ways. Which, as it turns out, was what Betty did to her mother on her wedding day.

Meanwhile, Sam takes a trip to Atlantic City with Debbie, a particularly ditzy blond who's just won a radio contest. On his return, it transpires he won an incredible amount of money on Norm's bet, money Rebecca feels Norm could maybe be used to pay off that bar tab of his.

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Tropes:

• Call-Back:
  • Turns out when Frasier was talking smack about Mother Sternin way back in season 7, he wasn't actually joking. She really is that awful and unpleasant.
  • What Norm actually spends his money on is buying a replacement for that boat Sam bought and sank between season 5 and season 6 premiere "Home is the Sailor".
• Chekhov's Gun: A rare example of something in the cold open paying off in the episode proper. Norm bets on how many nuts Cliff can stuff up his nose. The money he wins by guessing correctly is taken to Atlantic City by Sam, and bet on roulette.
• Distracted by the Sexy: As Sam explains, he had put Norm's bet down, but got a little distracted by Debbie jumping up and down.
• Dumb Blonde: Debbie, Sam's extremely dim-witted date, who buys hook, line, and sinker his tale of winning a radio contest at the exact same time she did.
• Extreme Doormat: Lilith for Betty.
• Formerly Fit: The earliest record Sam has of Norm's bar tab is from when no-one knew his name, "Skinny Guy at the End of the Bar".
• Gilligan Cut: Rebecca, for Norm's benefit, stages a little morality play in which a stranger comes into Cheers, supposedly having escaped from Devil's Island, to pay the $3 bar tab that has long haunted him. After Norm blows the scene off, Sam says "How could you even think that someone would be stupid enough to take a hint like that?" This is followed by Woody paying back Rebecca the $1 he borrowed for lunch yesterday, and complaining that she could have just asked him rather than have someone come all the way from Devil's Island.
• Hypocritical Humor: Betty snarks at Carla's height, despite being shorter than her.
• I Need a Freaking Drink:
  • Sam initially assumes Frasier's asking for a stiff drink is because of a hard day. It's actually because with the impending arrival of Betty Sternin he feels the need to marinade.
  Lilith: Mother and I have arrived.
  Frasier: Hit me Woody, need some juice!
  • As Betty tells Lilith what her wedding renactment will have, Lilith gestures to Frasier to order some for her.
• Lame Comeback: Carla, normally the queen of snarky putdowns, is unable to make a good rejoinder to Betty's snarks, repeatedly. Eventually, she concludes she must be ill and takes the rest of the day off.
• Little Known Facts: At the re-enactment, Cliff's conversation draws several colleagues of Frasier's who keep giving him their cards.
• Never Lend to a Friend: Bar tab edition, as Norm winning a huge amount at roulette (hitting twice in a row would win something on the order of $60K) leads to Sam getting very angry when Norm fails to pay his bar tab.
• Obnoxious In-Laws: Betty Sternin for Frasier. She even planned a lengthy speech for the part of wedding when anyone asks if they object.
• Precision F-Strike: After another failed attempt to stand up to Betty, Lilith turns to Frasier and mutters "lot of help you were, you spineless bastard."
• Saying Too Much:
  • After a while, Lilith notes Frasier constantly refers to their wedding as "our damn wedding."
  • Finding Lilith hiding from her mother in Cheers, Frasier states he goes to Cheers to get away from his problems. Then he has to backpedal that he doesn't mean marital problems.
• Stepford Smiler: Frasier's initial idea for dealing with Betty is to force a particularly rictus-like grin over his face and not argue with her.
• Sure, Let's Go with That: After everything's over, Lilith asks if Frasier called her pretty just to force an emotional catharsis. Frasier wisely decides to go with this.
• Wedding Episode: Betty forces her daughter to re-enact her wedding, which ends with Lilith, looking uncharacteristically feminine in a wedding dress, finally having the overdue confrontation with her mom.