While there are some pretty funny things in this episode (Diane confusing sex for meditation), the key here is a bottle cap that Same used for good luck. He loans it to a struggling Bosox pitcher but Sam pays a price for it. It is a pretty moving episode, dealing with Sam's addiction.
4 Reviews
Endless Slumper
studioAT11 August 2023
'Cheers' didn't overdo heartfelt moments. It preferred to stay in the light in terms of its comedy, and hit you right between the eyes with joke after joke.
It did this more than successfully across both the two eras of the show (Shelley Long and Kirstie Alley) and for eleven years in total.
When it did slow down though and have a real moment, as it chooses to here, it feels earned and proves to be very effective.
The final scene here is beautifully played by Ted Danson as Sam and Long's Dianne Chambers, building to a very touching moment of pathos.
The show does then flip back to a nice final joke, but that moment alone is wonderful.
It did this more than successfully across both the two eras of the show (Shelley Long and Kirstie Alley) and for eleven years in total.
When it did slow down though and have a real moment, as it chooses to here, it feels earned and proves to be very effective.
The final scene here is beautifully played by Ted Danson as Sam and Long's Dianne Chambers, building to a very touching moment of pathos.
The show does then flip back to a nice final joke, but that moment alone is wonderful.
Endless Slumper (#1.10)
ComedyFan20102 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
One of the Red Sox players who is having a very bad time comes to Sam for advice and also borrows a little bottle cap as a lucky charm. And he keeps on winning after while Sam is having issues. He confesses to Diane that it was a cap from his last beer that also kept him from drinking, but the other player lost it.
The episode had some fun moments. Mainly with Sam and his great beer glass sliding skills.
But the best part of this episode is actually the more serious one. The did it great bringing Sam's addiction into it. Very emotional both by the way they addressed it and the great acting.
The episode had some fun moments. Mainly with Sam and his great beer glass sliding skills.
But the best part of this episode is actually the more serious one. The did it great bringing Sam's addiction into it. Very emotional both by the way they addressed it and the great acting.
A funny episode with a poignant ending.
dgplatt-6012118 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This episode does what early Cheers does best - it deals with a serious issue as an outgrowth of the character and not as something out of the blue. At the time a subject like alcoholism would be covered in a Very Special Episode featuring a character that would never be seen again. (This is a criticism that could be aimed at The Boys In The Bar, but that's for another day)
Christopher McDonald (later known for stealing scenes in Thelma & Louise and Requiem For A Dream, not to mention Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore) plays Rick Walker, an amiable young pitcher who seeks out Sam's advice when he's going through a slump. Sam offers Rick his lucky bottle cap, and while Rick's fortunes rise, Sam's luck starts to go sour.
The key scene, of course, is at the end, where Diane finds out exactly why Sam considers the bottle cap special. It's genuinely harrowing to watch, and the audience feels Diane's sense of relief at the end. In a way this is a Sam & Diane episode, but it's less about their budding relationship and more about their understanding of each other.
It's also a funny episode. Cheers rarely went for Three's Company style misunderstandings, but the bit where Diane thinks Rick is interested in meditation while Rick thinks she means something else is very well done.
Christopher McDonald (later known for stealing scenes in Thelma & Louise and Requiem For A Dream, not to mention Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore) plays Rick Walker, an amiable young pitcher who seeks out Sam's advice when he's going through a slump. Sam offers Rick his lucky bottle cap, and while Rick's fortunes rise, Sam's luck starts to go sour.
The key scene, of course, is at the end, where Diane finds out exactly why Sam considers the bottle cap special. It's genuinely harrowing to watch, and the audience feels Diane's sense of relief at the end. In a way this is a Sam & Diane episode, but it's less about their budding relationship and more about their understanding of each other.
It's also a funny episode. Cheers rarely went for Three's Company style misunderstandings, but the bit where Diane thinks Rick is interested in meditation while Rick thinks she means something else is very well done.
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