by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Cheers kicks off its second season at the precise moment where season one left off -- with Sam (Ted Danson) and Diane (Shelley Long) inaugurating their torrid romance. No sooner has Diane declared her ardor for Sam, however, she ejects him from her apartment, insisting that their love is doomed from the start. As the rest of the Cheers gang watches from the sidelines in rapt disinterest, Carla (Rhea Perlman) suggests a method whereby Sam can get back into Diane's good graces. The story's famous denouement rather incongruously takes place in a room festooned with cute stuffed animals. With this episode, John Ratzenberger graduates from recurring to regular status in the role of postman Cliff Claven.
