CHEERS Season 10, episode 1: “Baby Balk”
Hosted by Ryan Daly with special guest Vicki DeCuypere.
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Additional music: “Misty” by Johnny Mathis
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Hooray! Cheerscast is back! Things are always better when this show is in my weekly downloads.
While I agree that the baby plot is not great, the jokes in this episode worked for me. The warring mindsets of “make it dirty” vs “make it wholesome” were so funny, and the Cranes self-satisfied attitude of helping them was on point. Although I do head-canon that they deliberately give bad advice to troll friends looking for free psychological help. But it’s not on screen, alas.
Ok, Carla in mid-air from the blowing fan. It was funny in a Warner Bros cartoon way. But honestly, that’s not Cheers. I still picture the wicked smart dialog and word play as being this show’s strength, while mixing in great physical comedy to keep the audience on their toes. But this cartoonish level of antics exemplifies one of the problems I’m starting to feel this season. Between moments like that, and the baby plot, maybe they’ve jumped the shark. I hope I’m wrong, because there’s several episodes I can think of this season that I adore. (Yes, including the season finale.)
Anyway, this show is back in business. I loved Vicki bringing the nurse knowledge to the proceedings. Just a great episode.
Vicki’s the best.
Great to have Cheers Cast back for the tenth season! I agree with your assessment of this season. The baby arc is kind of weak, but the season then improves and ultimately ends with arguably the best episode of the entire series in my book, so I’m looking forward to that. The Johnny Carson episode is funny too. And I love the one with Woody working “the graveyard shift” featuring Kelly’s grandmother.
That’s a good point about how this episode is somewhat derivative of the season two premiere, which I guess does lower it a peg or two. As you note, it’s probably inevitable that this will occur sometimes when a series runs for this long. I found Frasier and Lilith advising Sam and Rebecca pretty funny.
I concur about the chemistry between Ted Danson and Kirstie Alley. There were some sweet moments between Sam and Rebecca. I think they could have ended up together if the writers had wanted to go that direction. They really had more in common with each other than Sam and Diane did.
I liked the B plot also. I enjoy an occasional Looney Tunes physical comedy gag, as long as it’s not done every episode. Season 9 had a few of these types of broad physical sight gags as well, like Frasier being upside down in the garbage can in the rat episode and the chili exploding on Sam in the pool room.
Cheerscast is back! 399 bottles of beer on Norm’s tab, 399 bottles of beer!
My mom was into Cheers before me; we watched a first season episode on one of my visits home from my first year of college. Last season was when she went off it. She doesn’t know the terms “jump the shark,” or “Flanderization,” but expressed it that sometimes a show runs too long and everyone gets too silly. My own watching was becoming more occasional. I remember this episode from then, but will have to look up this last and best episode of the season before you get to it.
By the way, “balk” has a special meaning in baseball: basically giving indications of pitching without carrying through, or pitching without warning. It might be done unintentionally, but it is still the fault of the pitcher.