Season 6 Episode 4: Cheese, Cues and Blood

September 29, 1991

Published 09/29/91

Kelly has money. A lot of it, suddenly and without explanation, and the person who notices first is her father. Al’s mind goes immediately to the worst conclusion available, and when he sees Jefferson dressed in a wide-brimmed hat counting a roll of cash, the picture assembles itself: his daughter has gone into business and his neighbor is managing her. Al’s response is to put Jefferson through a pool table. The truth, which arrives shortly afterward, is that Kelly has been hustling pool at a local hall with Jefferson acting as her front man, and that it was her idea rather than his. She is extremely good at it. The regulars at the hall have been watching her clear tables and have formed opinions. Once Al understands what is actually happening, his outrage evaporates and is replaced instantly by the desire to get in on it, and because he has no money of his own to stake, he goes and sells his blood to raise it. The episode’s climax is Kelly playing a match against a hustler named Slick Stick Jackson with her father’s blood money riding on it, and Al in the crowd, light-headed and barely vertical, watching his daughter’s cue work with more parental pride than he has shown about anything else in six seasons. He performs the Duckwalk when she wins. The episode is also one of the clearest demonstrations of how fast Al’s moral objections collapse once money is involved. He goes from physically assaulting his neighbor over the family honor to wanting a piece of the action inside about ninety seconds, and the only obstacle he treats as serious is the lack of capital.

Episode Facts

Original air date: September 29, 1991
Season and episode: Season 6, Episode 4
Overall episode number: 109
Written by: Allan Davis
Directed by: Gerry Cohen
Taped: September 6, 1991
Production note: Every difficult-looking shot Kelly sinks on camera was set up as a dead combo, which made them nearly impossible to miss.
Title note: A play on “blood, sweat and tears.”