Title:"Friends, Romans, Accountants"
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: Ken Levine and David Isaacs
Air Date: November 11, 1982
Previous: Any Friend of Diane's
Next: Truce or Consequences
Guest Starring: John Ratzenberger, James Read
"Friends, Romans, Accountants" is the seventh episode of the first season of Cheers.
Norm is worried about work. Specifically, he rashly volunteered to host the annual party for his accounting firm, which means he has taken on an unusual amount of responsibility. Norm is panicking until Diane suggests he throw a toga party. Norm gratefully seizes on this idea, sets up the party at Cheers, comes to the bar dressed in a toga...and finds that all the other dull accountants at his firm wore their regular clothes instead of togas.
The party is a major dud. To make things worse, Norm was expected to set up his boss with a date, but the lady in question begged off. A desperate norm begs Diane to step in, and with some nudging from Sam she grudgingly agrees to provide Norm's boss Mr. Sawyer with company for a few hours. She gets a lot less grudging, however, when Mr. Sawyer (James Read) shows up at the party and is revealed to be young and dashingly handsome. Diane is receptive to Mr. Sawyer's attention, until things go wrong in a different way.
Tropes:
- Artistic License – History: Sam and Coach recall celebrating a division championship in Cleveland in 1975. The 1975 Red Sox did in fact clinch a tie for the division against Cleveland, but the game was in Boston.
- Hands-On Approach: Of the unwanted, rapey sort. Sawyer's offer to teach Diane how to play pool ends up with him manhandling her, which leads to Norm yanking Sawyer off of Diane and putting him in a headlock, which leads to Norm losing his job.
- Hypocritical Humor: Sam urges Diane to help Norm out when he assumes her boss is a wrinkled old man, but he gets really jealous when Mr. Sawyer is revealed to be young and handsome.
- Inadvertent Entrance Cue: Norm, desperate after Mr. Sawyer's date cancels, shouts "I need a woman!!" Diane then comes in from the pool room and asks "Does anybody need anything?
- It's a Costume Party, I Swear!: It was supposed to be a costume party, but all of the other dull accountants at Norm's dull accounting firm refused to put on togas, assmuming they'd look dumb. Norm is embarrassed to show up as the only one in a toga.
- Parlor Games: A desperate Diane tries to get everybody into a game of Charades, but gives up when all the boring accountants refuse to guess.
- Professional Butt-Kisser: A defiant Norm shouts that he is this, that he will kiss any butt and polish any apple as required.Diane: I never saw a man grovel and strut at the same time.
- Shown Their Work: 801 was in fact the area code for Ogden, Utah.
- Stealth Insult: Diane engages in a little self-blaming, saying that she's embarrassed for having shown interest in Sawyer. Sam reassures her that she isn't cheap, then smirks and says "We all know that you'd starve to death before you made a living with your body." Diane says thank you, then frowns as the insult hits home.
