Standing in the Shadows of Love

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ALF playing Cyrano

Standing in the Shadows of Love is the eighteenth episode of ALF's third season. It originally aired on Feb. 20, 1989.

Plot Summary

Jake has a crush on a girl from school named Laura, but he is too shy to talk to her, so ALF helps him by writing secret admirer letters for him. Willie compares him to Cyrano.

ALF helps Jake meet her by going with him to her house and hiding in the bushes to tell him what to say. They end up going on a date at the movies.

Teaser

Jake and ALF are playing Monopoly. Jake seems distracted, and ALF asks what's up. He tells him there is a girl at school that he likes. Her name is Laura. She hasn't met him yet but he saw her in the school play

Act One

Kate walks in and talks to them. She suggests that Jake call her on the phone, but he's too shy to do it. Kate suggests he practice on her, but Jake says it would not be the same. ALF tells Jake about Rhonda and how he wrote her letters from a secret admirer. Jake says it would not work until ALF suggests he ghostwrite them. ALF writes one of the letters in the garage and Willie walks in. ALF asks him for a synonym for beautiful but it doesn't rhyme with what he wants. Willie asks ALF what he's writing and ALF tells him about what he's doing for Jake. Willie tells him that playing Cyrano can lead to trouble. Willie tells him about the play Cyrano de Bergerac but stumbles talking about Cyrano's large nose, thinking ALF would be offended.

Willie gives him a copy of the play and goes back to his writing. In the house ALF reads from the play to Lynn who is doing homework in the kitchen.

Jake then talks to ALF about the letter that Laura got and says that she liked it and is curious about her secret admirer. ALF suggests writing more letters before Jake pursue meeting her. ALF writes multiple letters over the next several days. Later in the garage, Jake interrupts ALF while writing a letter saying he tried to talk to Laura and sized up and now afraid to reveal himself to her. ALF suggests Jake go to her house while ALF coach him on what to say while hiding in the bushes.

Act Two

That night Jake sneaks over to Laura's backyard and ALF is already there. ALF then bangs on a garbage can to get Laura's attention. She opens an upstairs window and Jake say's it's her secret admirer. He then at ALF's prompting recites some doggerel. Laura then grabs the letters he wrote and tells him they are the nicest letters she's ever gotten. ALF is amazed, and bumps into the can. Laura then heads down to see him, and Jake tells him to hide because her father is a cop. Laura then sees Jake in the backyard and tells him she thought he was cute when she saw him that morning. Jake invites her to a movie and she accepts. ALF the emerges from a patch of rosebushes Later Willie helps pull the thorns from ALF's body, while Kate swabs the wounds with rubbing alcohol. Willie tells ALF what he did was risky while Lynn says it was noble, ALF laments about his being single. Kate and Willie come up with some ideas about how to cheer him up but ALF doesn't accept. The next day, Willie summons ALF into the garage. He's oriented the antenna on his shortwave radio towards Andromeda where ALF's friends said they've gone, and tells ALF he'll be able to send a message to Rhonda, his crush. ALF then says what he's been up to and that he read Cyrano de Bergerac. Willie is moved by what ALF told her, but ALF then realizes that it's going to take many years before the message will get there, which Willie forgot about.

Epilogue

ALF is looking over Willie's shoulder while reading the newspaper, but turns the page before ALF is finished, so he goes back. Brian comes in with a silent dog whistle thinking it doesn't work but Willie explains that only dogs can hear it, but ALF can hear it too and interjects about how the sound is cacophonous to him. Jake comes in and talks about his date with Laura. He finds her laugh irritating, but says he'll go out with her again. Jake blows on the whistle and ALF takes it from him and that he's gotten used to it

Title Reference

"Standing in the Shadows of Love" is a 1966 hit single recorded by the Four Tops.