Title: Loathe and Marriage
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: Ken Levine and David Isaacs
Air Date: February 4, 1993
Previous: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Bar
Next: Is There a Doctor in the Howe?
Guest Starring: Leah Remini, Dan Hedaya, Jean Kasem, Jackie Swanson
"Loathe and Marriage" is the 15th episode of the eleventh season of Cheers.
Carla's daughter Serafina (a pre-The King of Queens Leah Remini, in her second and last appearance as Serafina) shows up at the bar, and when she says she has news, Carla immediately knows that Serafina is pregnant. She's 18, so she made it three years longer than Carla did, at least. Carla isn't that bothered by her daughter marrying a retired cop on disability who looks to be a good 30 years older than she is, because after all, you can't get alimony if you don't get married first!
The real problem for Carla is the appearance of Nick and Loretta Tortelli, Carla's ex-husband and his wife. Nick is a gross, loathsome scumbag, but he does want to be there for his daughter. Carla is enraged at the notion that Nick the dirtball wants to act like a father.
Sixth and last appearance of Dan Hedaya and Jean Kasem as Nick and Loretta Tortelli.
Tropes:
- Abhorrent Admirer: Gino is still creeping on Rebecca, despite her blatant and vicious lack of interest.
- And Starring: Hedaya and Kasem get "special guest star" credit.
- The Bus Came Back: Nick and Loretta make their only appearance of the Rebecca years, their first since "Spellbound" back in Season 5. They were two of the several recurring characters who made returns in the last season of Cheers after long absences.
- Captain Obvious: Carla lines her children up and defies Nick to point out which three are his. All Nick can say is "Is this a test?"
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: All of Carla's kids show up for Serafina's wedding! ... except Anthony, who's a total no-show, and without even a handwave this time. (He might still be in jail, as Gino said in Season 10 that Anthony was doing time, but this doesn't explain why Annie and their baby aren't there.)
- Continuity Nod:
- Serafina is marrying the retired cop that she said she was dating in Leah Remini's other appearance, in "Unplanned Parenthood".
- Carla says that weddings at Cheers are usually disasters, citing Sam's aborted marriage to Diane in Season 5 finale "I Do, Adieu".
- Crazy-Prepared: Carla's been carrying around a note for when Serafina wanted to get married on her person since Serafina was thirteen.
- Doesn't Know Their Own Child: In order to stay, Carla insists Nick correctly identify at least some of their children (of whom he's fathered five). The only one he has any luck with is Gino.
- Dumb Blonde: Kelly Gaines, everybody. Nick is trying to get Kelly to invest in his latest dumb idea, namely an orangutan act. He makes the mistake of telling her this with a knock-knock joke, saying "Opportunity" when Kelly says "Who's there?" When she says "Opportunity who?", he cringes and says "I can see this is gonna take a while."
- Glorified Sperm Donor: Why Carla is so angry. Nick, who treated her like crap and dumped her and has shown no interest in his daughter until now, wants to act like a dad.
- The Missus and the Ex: Gender inverted. John, who Carla's been sleeping with, meets Nick, her ex. They don't fight, but John still gets a few barbs in at Nick, once he gets over the horror of just seeing the man.
- Pet the Dog: John Allen Hill lets Carla use Melville's for her daughter's wedding, and Cheers for the reception. The jerkiest thing he does is grumble lightly about how it's holding up the lunchtime rush, but that's about it, an astoundingly magnanimous gesture from John.
- Stripperific: Serafina is wearing an absurd parody of a wedding dress—cleavage-baring, skin-tight, thigh-high, really more of a white cocktail dress. When Sam says it's "kind of sleazy for a wedding outfit", Carla says that it was her wedding dress.
- Tempting Fate: Carla, horrified by Nick showing up at the bar, says "What else could possibly go wrong?" Cue Loretta showing up at the door right behind Nick.
- Wedding Episode: Serafina is getting married at Melville's, and Carla is upset that Nick is there.
