Title: Someone Single, Someone Blue
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: David Angell
Air Date: March 3, 1983
Previous: Pick a Con...Any Con
Next: Showdown, Part 1
Guest Starring: John Ratzenberger, Glynis Johns, Duncan Ross, Paul Willson
"Someone Single, Someone Blue" is the 20th episode of the first season of Cheers.
Diane is surprised when "Mummy" comes to visit her at the bar. It turns out that Diane's mother Helen (Glynis Johns) has a problem. Diane's late father Stephen put a proviso in his will stating that if Diane still wasn't married ten years after his death, Helen would lose the family fortune. And the 10th anniversary of Mr. Chambers' death is...tomorrow.
Mom's elderly chauffeur Boggs cheerfully offers to marry Diane, but Diane decides to go with Sam. Despite both parties explicitly understanding that theirs will be a very brief marriage of convenience, the whole thing still blows up.
First appearance of Paul Willson, who played "Glen" (if you listen to the dialogue) or "Gregg" (if you watch the credits). After appearing in a second-season episode as a character named "Tom", he appeared in 53 more episodes as Paul, mostly later in the show's run.
Tropes:
- Bait-and-Switch: Norm tells the rest of the bar about his job search. "I am no longer looking for a job!" Beat "I'm begging for one."
- Brutal Honesty: Carla, in front of Mrs. Chambers, confronts Diane about all the Sam-Diane Belligerent Sexual Tension.Carla: Admit it, he's got you steaming under the silks!Diane: (Bolts up; clearly counts to ten) This happens to be my mother!Carla: Well, that's why I'm being delicate!
- Citizenship Marriage: More like a "wacky will marriage", as Diane must get married for her mother to retain her fortune.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Just as the justice of the peace is getting to the "Sam, do you take this woman" part of the ceremony, Sam gawks at a gorgeous woman who sashays past the bar. Even though she knows full well that their marriage is a sham, Diane flips out, and eventually the wedding is cancelled.
- Grande Dame: Diane's mom, who is nice enough, but is still the caricature of a proper fancy rich lady. When Boggs asks her to marry him, Helen says that she only tolerated his "familiarity" because she was "afraid of class warfare." This is played for some pathos near the end when a tearful Helen says she was poor before she got married and is afraid to be poor agian.
- Old Retainer: Boggs the very old chauffeur, who has been in the employ of the Chambers family for decades.
- On One Condition: Not to inherit money but to keep it, as Helen Chambers will lose her fortune if her daughter doesn't get married.
- Perfumigation: Helen describes Sam's cologne as "an affront to society".
- Rags to Riches: Helen's background. She's petrified of going from Riches to Rags.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Sam and Diane are still willing to go through the sham marriage, but Mrs. Chambers decides to end the farce and just accept losing her wealth.
- Stealing from the Till: It's the happy ending! After the clock strikes midnight and Mrs. Chambers is officially poor, Boggs the chauffeur reveals that he has stolen a lot of money from the family and is now well off. Helen and Boggs leave arm in arm.
