Title: Norm's First Hurrah
Directed by: Thomas Lofaro
Written by: Andy Cowan and David S Williger
Air Date: March 26, 1987
Previous: The Godfather, Part III
Next: Cheers: The Motion Picture
Guest Starring: Tegan West
"Norm's First Hurrah" is the 23rd episode of the fifth season of Cheers.
The only sporadically-employed Norm Peterson shares with the gang some good news: he's got a job! In fact, he has landed a job with one of Boston's most prestigious accounting firms. Norm proudly tells his friends that he has a spacious office and a secretary and he makes his own hours.
Everyone is very happy for him, and they decide to surprise him at his new office. The whole gang (minus Sam, who stays behind because someone has to keep the bar open) goes to congratulate Norm—only to find out that Norm greatly exaggerated his new job. He has a microscopically tiny windowless office that used to be a supply closet, and in fact still is a supply closet, as somebody drops off a bunch of boxes of paper right onto Norm's desk. And he has to share his tiny office closet with another accountant, a smarmy young guy named Tompkins.
Norm shrugs his shoulders in defeat. But after Diane gives him a "The Reason You Suck" Speech about doing something with his life, Norm is inspired, and he comes up with a bold new idea that he will pitch to his bosses.
In the B-plot, Diane and Sam argue about where to go on their honeymoon.
Second-ever episode of Cheers not directed by James Burrows (the next episode was the third).
Tropes:
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Discussed Trope, as talk about going to Disneyworld leads Sam to wonder, "Why is it that Donald Duck wears a top and no bottom, and Mickey Mouse wears a bottom and no top?"
- I Am What I Am: Norm allows Diane to goad him into being uncharacteristically ambitious, which nearly leads to disaster. After Thompkins the weasel unintentionally saves him by stealing the proposal, a chastened Norm gives Diane an impassioned defense of being a worker drone.Norm: No no, Diane, a few moments ago, I almost made the biggest mistake of my professional life and it was because I was doing something that just wasn't me. I am not a go-getter, I've never been a go-getter. What's more, I don't even want to be a go-getter. I'm very happy right where I am. I'm tired of all these people saying "Peterson, you gotta push", "You gotta get ahead", "You gotta make that goal." I don't even want to make the goal, Diane. I want to be a bench warmer, OK? The world needs bench warmers. I mean, if there were no bench warmers, what would we have? We'd have...cold benches. A lot of cold benches and the world does not need that, Diane. In this great pageantry of life, Norm Peterson may be a motionless lump, but he's a very damn good one.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Thompkins, Norm's weaselly office mate, steals Norm's proposal and pitches it to the board as his own. So it's Thompkins who's humiliated when the board dismisses Norm's proposal as a terrible idea that would lose them a lot of money.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After Norm gets all depressed, Diane says "You make me sick!" She then rips into him for being passive and lazy and just sitting around and watching other people live their lives. Norm's feelings are hurt, but he takes inspiration from Diane's dressing down and eventually comes up with a big idea to pitch to his bosses.
- Sarcasm Failure: As usual with Woody. Woody's struggling to carry around the office plant they got for Norm, which must be at least eight feet high. After Cliff snarks, "Couldn't you find a bigger one?", all Woody says is "No."
- Shout-Out: After taking one look inside Norm's tiny office Frasier says "Say, did anybody see Das Boot?" (It's a movie about a submarine.)
- The Stateroom Sketch: Norm's office is so small that the door can't open all the way, which makes for a great sight gag when Diane, Carla, Frasier, Cliff, Woody, and the giant plant are all crammed in there with him.
- Tempting Fate: Trying to cover his embarrassment after the others see how tiny his office is, Norm says "Many people in this firm have to share an office!" This is immediately followed by Thompkins, the guy Norm's sharing the office with, showing up.
