Recap / Cheers S 8 E 22

Episode: Season 8, Episode 22
Title: Loverboyd
Directed by: James Burrows
Written by: Brian Pollack and Mert Rich
Air Date: March 29, 1990
Previous: Bar Wars III: The Return of Tecumseh
Next: The Ghost and Mrs. Le Bec
Guest Starring: Jackie Swanson, Richard Doyle

"Loverboyd" is the 22nd episode of the eighth season of Cheers.

Woody has gotten a "promise ring" for his girlfriend Kelly. He's been driven to do this because Kelly's father, Mr. Gaines, is sending her off to Europe for a year of study in an obvious attempt to separate the two of them. Woody gives Kelly the ring, but they get into an argument about her father and break up. This makes Woody take more drastic action.

In the B-plot, Norm has been made designated driver at the bar that evening, much to his displeasure.

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Tropes:

• All Men Are Perverts: In response to Kelly saying she's not decent, Woody assures her he didn't look. He then whispers to Sam that he did, and Sam gives him a thumbs up.
• Award Snub: Discussed in-universe. Woody expresses irritation over Ghostbusters never taking home an Oscar, and Sam says it pisses him off to this day.
• Bar Slide: Sam slides a beer down the bar to Norm but Carla blocks its path with her tray, reminding everyone that Norm is the designated driver.
• Bound and Gagged: In the cold open everyone is picking the Red Sox to win the pennant that year. Frasier rolls his eyes at their homerism and, just to be different, picks the New York Yankees. Norm says that Steve picked the Yankees, and then they bring out Steve, who has been bound and gagged and hogtied to the pool cue rack. Frasier is begging for mercy as the scene cuts away. (The Red Sox actually did beat the Yankees to win the division that year.)
• Brick Joke: While trying to sneak into Kelly's room, Sam discovers a chambermaid watching Ghostbusters. At the end of the episode, having been told by Woody to beat it, he's gone back to watch it with her.
• Brutal Honesty: Woody suspects Mr. Gaines is sending Kelly off to Europe as part of a scheme to break them up. The fact he said so to Woody was a big tip-off.
• Celebrity Paradox: Sam and Woody are big fans of Ghostbusters. George Wendt was in the music video for the "Ghostbusters" theme song video, and occasional Cheers guest star Jean Kasem (Loretta Tortelli) had a part in the movie.
• Closet Shuffle: Woody hides in the closet when Mr. Gaines comes into Kelly's room. He's so emotional after Mr. Gaines's heartfelt speech about his little girl that he refuses to elope with Kelly.
• Daddy's Girl: Mr. Gaines talks to Kelly about how she's growing up, how he'll accept her future choices, and how he'll always consider her his beloved little girl all the same. Overhearing this moves Woody to tears, and he just can't go through with the elopement.
• Dating What Daddy Hates: Woody expresses certainty that Kelly is only going to Europe because her father wants her away from him. When the others question this apparent paranoia, Woody says Mr. Gaines outright told him that to his face. For what it's worth, Mr. Gaines he would at least tolerate Kelly continuing to see Woody when she gets back from the trip, feeling she'd be more mature and informed by then.
• Designated Driver: Norm is not happy about having to be one.
  Carla: Sorry, Norm. Until the night is through, you're still the designated driver.
  Norm: Right. I know that and you know that, but did you have to call every bar in town and tell them?
• Didn't Think This Through: Frasier really should've known better than to mention the Yankees in the fiercely pro-Sox Cheers, even as a joke.
• Embarrassing Middle Name: Woody's middle name is revealed to be Tiberius. When he asks what Sam's middle name is Sam says "Hey, shut up!".
• Enter Stage Window: Woody and Sam take a ladder and climb into Kelly's window so Woody can propose to her and elope.
• Extremely Short Timespan: The episode takes place over an afternoon, a couple of hours at most.
• Get Out!: Woody and Kelly make it pretty clear to Sam his presence in their making out is neither wanted or needed.
  Kelly: I know he's your friend and all, but -
  Woody: Beat it, Sam!
• Hypocritical Humor:
  • Slow-witted Woody says of Kelly, "You gotta admit, she's no rocket scientist."
  • In response to Rebecca's disdain for the rich, Carla points out she's dating Robin. Rebecca asserts that she will hate the rich until she becomes rich herself, an attitude that Carla fully supports.
• Inelegant Blubbering: Woody is reduced to this after hearing to Mr. Gaines talk to Kelly about being her father.
  Woody: He's your only daddy! I'm just some guy with a ladder!
• Laser-Guided Karma: Norm gets caught not putting his name in for the designated driver vote, and he even lets it slip that he's repeatedly cheated on this vote in the past. For the do-over, everyone else writes in his name to ensure he gets stuck with the position. When it's all over, Carla still won't serve him a beer, though Norm concedes that's probably fair (though the fact that he dumped all his passengers at Carla's house likely accounts for why he's so gracious).
• Mathematician's Answer: Sam comes into and Woody says that Sam is just the man he's been looking for.
  Sam: Why is that, Woody?
  Woody: Because you weren't here.
• Nobody Touches the Hair: Sam and his hair obsession. While in Kelly's bedroom, he starts eyeing one of her Barbie hair-combs, noting he's been looking for something similar. Kelly informs him he can't take that one - it's for blonds only.
• Not Hyperbole: Woody is surprised to learn Kelly's room really is filled with as many Barbies as she said it was (and that's not counting the ones in the closet).
• Not So Above It All: After Norm gets caught cheating on the designated driver vote, Frasier is among those forging a vote during the do-over so that Norm gets stuck with the job.
• Phrase Catcher: Taken to the extreme when the designated driver returns to a quiet bar, and Carla's the only one around to shout, "NORM!"
• Shout-Out: Woody and Sam both loved Ghostbusters, discuss its lack of an Emmy win and at the end Sam is watching the movie with the Gaines' chambermaid.
• Take That!: On the prospect of the resident mailman being the designated driver, one patron quips that no one will get to the right address.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: After all he had to do as designated driver, Norm has the bar all to himself and quickly gets to pouring.
• Vote Early, Vote Often: Since Norm cheated on the original designated driver vote by not putting his name in the hat, everyone else wrote down his name on their votes during the do-over. When he sees what they did, he finds one vote with Frasier's name, but it turns out he was the one who wrote that one.
• Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: Woody and Kelly aren't exactly impressed with either's middle names, though Kelly's is much less "dude" than Woody's.
  Kelly: "Tiberius"?
  Woody: "Susan."