Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 2 -> Episode 2.16

The Show Where Sam Shows Up

Sam Malone, the barman from 'Cheers', pays Frasier a surprise visit at KACL where he learns that the plumber Rebecca married made a fortune from a new kind of low-flo toilet - and promptly dumped her. Also, Woody and Kelly had a baby who is smart and Cliff hasn't left his mother's house since reading about a new kind of flesh eating bacteria. Frasier invites Sam to dinner at his apartment where Niles joins them, together with Martin and Daphne. Martin is proud that a major baseball player is coming to dinner, while Daphne can't understand the fuss - until she meets him. During the evening, a lady called Sheila calls for Sam but he doesn't want to talk to her. When Frasier presses for more information, he reveals that she is his fiancee and was supposed to marry her the day before. Frasier manages to convince Sam it is just pre-marital nerves and that, deep down, he does want to marry Sheila - Sam agrees.

Frasier gets Roz and Niles to join him in Cafe Nervosa because he has invited Sam and Sheila to meet them before they fly off to Hawaii for their marriage. They arrive, but don't stay because Sheila is feeling tired. Frasier then confesses that he slept with Sheila three months ago - as Roz and Niles look on aghast. Apparently, he was on a long weekend in Boston and took solace in the arms of a woman - Sheila, as it turned out. Frasier goes over to talk to Sheila before they fly out, and discovers that she is a sexual compulsive, just like Sam - in fact, they met at a sexual compulsive's group. She is sorry for cheating on Sam, and Frasier believes her but both agree they don't need to tell Sam. Just then, Sam returns from buying their plane tickets and decides to come clean about an affair he had after they got engaged. Sheila does the same, but Frasier is relieved when she reveals it was Paul she slept with. She also reveals she slept with someone else from Cheers - Cliff. At that, Sam cancels the wedding.

- Frasier introduces Roz to Sam Malone:
Roz: This is the Sam Malone you've always talked about - the one who has no respect for women and treats them like dirt. [To Sam] Need someone to show you round?

- Sam comments on how much Niles looks like Frasier when they first met:
Sam: What happened?
Frasier: It wasn't exactly a health club you were running there, Sam (!).

- Sam is introduced to Martin:
Martin: What'd he tell you about me - his dad, the old cop.
Frasier: Actually he told us you were dead!.

Sam: You're a cop? You told us he was a research scientist.
Frasier: [Off Martin's look] You were dead - what did it matter?

- As Sam describes his fiancee:
Frasier: It's always amazed me how you can elevate and demean in the same sentence.

- After Frasier reveals he slept with Sheila:
Roz: You slept with her?
Niles: On what desert island with no hope of rescue was this (?!)

While it is an undoubted joy to see Ted Danson reprising his role as Sam Malone from 'Cheers', this episode proves how different 'Frasier' is to 'Cheers', for while Sam's sexual exploits worked well in the bar-based comedy, here they seem oddly out of place. The episode is done no favours by a script that strains for big laughs, but the twist that Frasier slept with Sheila and the further twist at the end do lift the episode. I also enjoyed having the gaps between 'Cheers' and 'Frasier' filled in such as why Frasier never mentioned his brother, dealing with the fact that Frasier said his father was dead and hearing what happened to the bar regulars. However, all in all, an average episode is the result.

Rating

74 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 76.0%
Total Number of Reviews: 4