It's Your Move/Love Letters

Love Letters
Season 1, Episode 6
Airdate	November 14, 1984
Written by	Sandy Sprung & Marcy Vosburgh
Directed by	John Tracy
← 1x05 Pajama Party	1x07 → Dad and Me
It's Your Move — Season One

Love Letters is the sixth episode of the first season of It's Your Move, and the sixth episode overall.

Guest Stars: Kristy Swanson (Laura)

Plot Overview

While reminiscing about their teenage years, toothpaste, popularity, and dating, Norman and Eileen decide to 'go steady', much to the chagrin of Matt. Norman maintains that he is too slick to be stymied by Matt's various efforts to keep him and his Mom apart. Matt and Norman than have a brief contest to see who could 'trick' one another into falling for one of their minor cons ("Did you lose a button?", "Nice try there, rookie").

Later Julie has fellow cheerleader Laura over and it is obvious that Matt and Laura have a crush on each other. Without revealing that her crush is Matt, Laura asks Julie and Eileen for advice on how to approach her love interest. Eileen suggests sending him a secret admirer letter...and likes her own advice so much that she decides to send Norman a secret admirer letter that asks her to meet him the park.

When Julie tells Matt about her Mom's plan, Matt roams across the hall to smugly inquire what Norman was reading, knowing that he would jump to the conclusion that Matt had sent the letter. The plan works like a charm and Norman stands up Eileen, leaving her at the park to be annoyed by a mime. After some sugar-coated words, Eileen forgives Norman.

Then almost simultaneously, Eileen slips Norman another love letter, Matt gives Norman a phony letter, and Laura leaves a letter for Matt. Matt and Norman confront each other and banter back and forth trying to determine if any of the letters are real. At one point they almost head out to meet their ladies, but then at the last minute recant telling each other "Nice try!" Meanwhile, Eileen and Laura sit alone at the park as the mime makes his return.

Arc Advancement

Characters

• Norman and Eileen agree to 'go steady'

Trivia

Behind the Scenes

• Kristy Swanson, who played the part of Laura, went on to a lucrative film and TV career, most notably in the role of Buffy in the film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Allusions and References

• While Norman and Eileen are discussing toothpastes of the past, they mention Ipana and its mascot Bucky Beaver, as well as the tooth-friendly logo Happy Tooth.

Quotes

• Norman: Well buddy, Would it be premature of me to call you son?
  Matt: Norman, for you it would be premature to buy next week's TV Guide.

• Julie: See at our age, we're about to flower. Guys on the other hand, well they can go either way. See they either get real good looking or they grow these enormous Adam's apples and you don't want one of those gophers carrying around a letter with your name on it.

• Julie: (cheering) Richie, Richie, he's our man, if he can't do it...
  Laura: ...we'll get somebody else to do it??

• Norman: I found two love letters under my door! Why can't you just play baseball like other kids?

• Norman: OK, You say you wrote this letter because you think I wouldn't think you wrote it. But I know that you think that. Therefore I know you wrote this letter.
  Matt: That's what I said.
  Norman: But I saw through it.

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