Title: The Visiting Lecher
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: David Lloyd
Air Date: May 4, 1989
Previous: Sisterly Love
Next: The Improbable Dream, Part 1
Guest Starring: John Mc Martin, Fabiana Udenio, Joanna Barnes, Bob Reitman, Gene Mueller
"The Visiting Lecher" is the 22nd and last episode of the seventh season of Cheers.
Frasier's friend and colleague, Dr. Lawrence Crandall, is in Boston on a book tour and meets Frasier at a bar. Dr. Crandall's book is on human sexuality and marital fidelity. As it happens, Dr. Crandall has been away from his wife Valerie for ten months, but he says that it's a perfect test for his theories of remaining faithful in marriage.
So Rebecca is pretty surprised when Dr. Crandell makes an obvious sexual pass at her in her office. When she tells Sam and Frasier about it they don't believe her, partly because Crandell was sort of oblique about it but mostly because Rebecca does a pretty bad job of describing what happened—paraphrasing Crandell's claim that he sensed Rebecca was attracted to him as "He asked me about my feelings" doesn't work. Rebecca even starts to doubt herself, but when Crandell comes on to her a second time, she becomes determined to prove to Sam that Crandell is a perv.
If the sexy maid looks familiar, that's because she's played by Fabiana Udenio, who appeared as Alotta Fagina in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
Tropes:
- As Himself: Radio hosts Bob Reitman and Gene Mueller (of WKTI Reitman and Mueller fame), appeared on this episode as some barflies as a present for dedicating a day to Al Rosen.
- Closet Shuffle: Dr. Crandell is putting the moves on Maria the chambermaid when Rebecca shows up; Crandell has Maria hide in the closet. After Rebecca pretends to have a headache and makes Crandell go get her aspirin, she brings in Sam and has him hide in that same closet—and he proves reluctant to come out. Then when Crandell's wife shows up, Rebecca, Maria, Sam, and the violinist that Crandell hired for mood music all cram themselves into the closet.Sam: These luxury hotels have great closets!
- The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes: Dr. Lawrence Crandell, who wrote a book on fidelity in marriage, is seeking some extra-marital sex.
- Footsie Under the Table: Rebecca sits down with Dr. Crandell to apologize, only for him to do this—and his sock has a hole for his big toe.
- Get Out!: After Rebecca says she feels "zip" for Crandell and he says that's "an interesting choice of word", she shoots back with "Try this word: OUT!"
- Over-the-Shoulder Carry: Sam has to do this to get Rebecca out of the room at the end as an incensed Rebecca is breathing threats of fire and murder to Mrs. Crandell.Rebecca: Why, I ought to put you—I'm going to kill your husband! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill you! He's stupid, he's a fraud! He's a psycho! He's a—I'm going to hunt you down and kill you like a dog! And why don't you get yourself some new socks, buster?!
Sam: (carrying Rebecca out) Um, uh, I can explain everything here. She just wanted to convince me that she's not crazy. - Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Frasier has a friend who's a renowned psychiatrist who specializes in marriage and fidelity? That sounds like Dr. Simon Finch-Royce, the character John Cleese played in Season 5 episode "Simon Says". Cleese was supposed to come back, but after he cancelled the writers revised the script.
- Villain with Good Publicity: No one will believe that Dr. Crandell is a lech. Crandell even manages to talk himself out of it when his wife catches him with four people in his closet.
