Title: Affairs of the Heart
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: Heide Perlman
Air Date: November 10, 1983
Previous: Sumner's Return
Next: Old Flames
Guest Starring: Don Amendolia
"Affairs of the Heart" is the sixth episode of the second season of Cheers.
Hank, a cheerful, friendly patron of the bar (Don Amendolia) takes a liking to Carla. He likes Carla so much that he asks her out on a date. Carla, cursed all her life with rotten luck when it comes to men, assumes that any man who pursues her aggressively must have something wrong with him. Diane tries to match them up, but only when Sam calls Carla a chicken for refusing to act on her feelings does Carla agree to go out with Hank.
Hank and Carla have some wonderful dates and it seems like Carla might be falling in love, until Coach reveals Hank's secret. Hank has a serious heart condition, and if he overexerts himself—say, by having sex—he could have a heart attack and die.
In the B-plot, Norm has to consider moderating his consumption of beer after Sam raises the price of beer by a quarter, causing Norm to worry that he will exhaust his "suds budget".
Tropes:
- Artistic License – Sports: When Carla and Hank arrive at the bar after a date they say they killed the Oilers 28-3. The most goals ever scored in a single National Hockey League game is 16 and in fact it's very uncommon for a score to hit double digits. 28-3 is a perfectly reasonable football score, however, which also makes this an example of Gretzky Has the Ball.note
- Black Comedy: When an outraged Carla asks Hank to consider how she would have felt if she woke up next to a dead body, Sam says "Well, at least you wouldn't have to make him breakfast."
- Comically Missing the Point: Coach for the win, everybody, as shown when Diane asks about Hank's heart condition.Diane: Coach, how about sex?
Coach: Diane, please, I thought you were Sam's girl!
Diane: Coach, I'm talking about Hank!
Coach: Hank is seeing Carla! Sam, are you listening to this? - The Matchmaker: Diane assumes this role in trying to get Hank and Carla together. After they finally hit it off, Diane says "So, who's the greatest matchmaker in the world?"
- Out with a Bang: Discussed Trope, as Hank's condition makes it a very real possibility that this could happen.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Sam laughs when Carla attacks him, saying "I'm twice your size!" Then she beats him up.
- The Teaser: Every episode of Cheers had a teaser but most of them were short one-off gag scenes. This is a relatively uncommon example of an episode where the teaser introduces the episode's main plot, as it features Hank expressing his admiration for Carla.
