The Social Climber
Rob (Robert Romanus) is the apprentice to Anthony (Albert Hague), a humble old man who makes his living as a New York City shoemaker. While his boss is a tranquil soul who is content with his life, Rob is tired of his mediocre existence, aching to be rich and famous for both his own sake and his fiancee Gail (Talia Balsam). As he explores the backroom, Rob discovers that he can actually live other people's lives by wearing the shoes Anthony makes for them. Since Rob has no ambition whatsoever to actually put in the necessary effort to make a name for himself, he continues to wear these magic shoes to live the lives of people more successful than him, until he comes across a pair that just might not fit.
Tropes:
- Ambiguously Human: Given that Anthony can put a little something extra into the shoes he makes, there are subtle implications that he's more than a shoemaker.
- Ambition Is Evil: Rob wants to become rich and powerful, but he has no desire to work for it at all. As a result, he keeps wearing Anthony's magic shoes to live life as a rich man.
- Armor-Piercing Question: "If you're so smart, how come you're just a shoemaker?!" This question comes from Rob during his and Anthony's climactic argument, trying to call the old man out for how he has a talent for imbibing the shoes he makes with the magical ability for whoever wears them to achieve a good life, yet only wants to use that magic to make his customers happy instead of enriching himself.
- An Aesop: Three of them come from Anthony's lectures to Rob:
- Money, fame, and success aren't what's truly important in life.
- A person can potentially have a good life if they put genuine effort into it.
- You should be grateful for the life you already have, even when it's not the best.
- Bottle Episode: The bulk of the episode's plot is set in Anthony's shoe store and its backroom.
- Cool Old Guy: Anthony is one of the kindest and calmest characters in the series. Not only does he make magic shoes that give fame, fortune, and good luck to his customers, he also provides sound life advice to Rob to try and get him to turn away from his ambitious path and be content with what he already has, even when it isn't the best.
- Deadpan Snarker: Though Anthony's tranquil and humble for most of the episode, he still has a way with witty retorts, such as pointing Rob, who's singing as he sweeps up the shop, in the direction of the Metropolitan Opera.
- Death by Materialism: The fate of poor Rob, who ends up putting on the shoes of the late Mr. Conventry.
- Downer Ending: Rob dies after putting on the shoes of the dead Mr. Coventry. Gail was hoping to have her fiance come over after work that day, and she never even knew that he wanted better than what they already had. No doubt she's going to be heartbroken when Anthony tells her the truth.
- Dramatically Missing the Point: When Anthony tries to talk Rob out of trying to take life for granted and getting rich quick, he says "Take Gail". At this, Rob uses Gail as an example of how hard work and being content doesn't pay off, as her five-year stint at the donut shop has resulted in only $750 being saved up, hardly enough to buy a house like she's been dreaming.
- Establishing Character Moment: The first three minutes of the episode have Rob talking on and on about how he wants to be famous, buys lottery tickets in the hopes of getting rich quick, and fawns over rich parties and galas headlined in the news. All of this illustrates that he's a man who is not content with what he has and wants the better things in life.
- Fantasy Metals: The metallic substance that Anthony's nails, heels, and hammer are made of. The material isn't given a name, but it sparks when different portions make contact with one another, and it magically grants positive attributes to every person who wears the shoes they’re placed in.
- Foil: In the opening scene, Anthony show’s that he's a humble man who writes off all of Rob's talk of riches and grandeur; a wise soul who understands these things aren't what's important in life.
- Foreshadowing: The opening scene has Rob telling Anthony about a celebrity bash at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and the opening act ends with him putting on the magic shoes of a rich bigshot to attend the party himself.
- Happily Married: Anthony and his wife Christina play the trope arrow-straight, the old shoemaker telling his apprentice that he's never wanted to meet anyone else.
- I Just Want to Be Special: Rob doesn't appreciate what he has and eagerly seeks a better life, but he has no drive to actually work for it. This leads him down a bad path.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Rob has a legitimate point that Anthony's magical talents could be used to enrich himself as much as his customers, and points out to him that Gail's occupation as a donut shop employee doesn't do the pair any financial favors.
- Literal Metaphor: Anthony notes that his shop has only one rule: "the right shoes for the right person." Rob learns that this phrase is more than just a slogan when he discovers that the shoes Anthony makes can magically let him live the lives of the people they're intended for.
- Shout-Out: As he talks to Laura about what it's like being a celebrity, Rob tells her about the party he attended at the Waldorf-Astoria, where he saw Liza Minnelli and Frank Sinatra, among other famous faces.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Mr. Coventry has a posthumous one when Rob tries one more time to wear a pair of Anthony's magic shoes. His maid similarly tells Anthony that her boss was dead and being buried, just as Rob drops dead in the backroom.
- Smoldering Shoes: The shoes of Mr. Coventry, who is soon to be buried, smolder after Rob drops dead when trying them on.
- Spot the Thread: The morning after Rob wears a pair of magic shoes and crashes that party at the Waldorf-Astoria, he leaves the display lights in the backroom on and places the shoes so they're facing in the wrong direction. Anthony sees this when he goes back there, subtly cluing him in on what Rob is up to.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Rob enjoys a good donut, especially glazed, as Gail brings him some from the donut shop she works at whenever she's on break.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Part of the reason why Rob wants to be rich and successful is because of Gail, his new fiancee, and how he wants to whisk her away from her menial job at the donut shop.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Anthony gives Rob a good dressing down when he violates his warnings about going into the backroom and trying on magic shoes that aren't meant for him.
- What You Are in the Dark: Played in a literal sense, as Rob discovers the magic of Anthony's shoes when he's alone in the old man's shop at closing time, walking out of the dark storeroom to live another person's life as if it were his own.
