Only now does it occur to me... that nestled within a "very special episode" of PERFECT STRANGERS (devoted to Balki's slow, spiraling descent into severe TV addiction) is a deep cut homage to Arnold Schwarzenegger's 80s actioners.
After days of erratic behavior, Larry (Mark Linn-Baker) tries to force his cousin Balki (Bronson Pinchot) to put the remote down and go to bed, but Balki explains the importance of his cable viewing:
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Larry: "You keep changing the channel."
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Balki: "But cousin, it's easy: on this channel, Arnold Schwarzenegger is blowing up drug dealers."
Balki: "And on this channel, Arnold Schwarzenegger is blowing up soldiers. Oh, there goes one now!"
Balki: "And on this channel, Arnold Schwarzenegger is blowing up drug-dealing soldiers."
Balki: "I just love cable. There's so much variety!"
Couched inside this joke––which is premised on all Schwarzenegger flicks being the same––and given that this is December 1987, I believe I can actually determine what films Balki is watching: the film where Arnold is blowing up drug dealers must be RAW DEAL (1986), the film where Arnold is blowing up soldiers must be the first act of PREDATOR (1987), and the film where Arnold is blowing up drug-dealing soldiers, must be the Val Verde-set third act of COMMANDO (1985). Obviously Arnold's mid-80s output is a complex tapestry of artistic forms. Take that, cousin Larry!
