Frasier (1 Viewer)

[The Drifter]

Seasons 9 & 10 of Frasier were, as always, superb. I can honestly say that these later seasons as just as good as the earlier ones (which doesn't always happen with long-running sitcoms). Well-done!!! Some of the best & most memorable episodes/sequences:

- Frasier drives up to his family cabin alone for a period of self-reflection, and along the way his subconscious mentally "picks up" Diane Chambers, Lilith, and his first ex-wife (a hippy he met in college) - LOL. So, all four of them start arguing in the car about why Frasier's relationship don't last & never work out. He has presumably brought along this "mental baggage" in order to try to figure out what his commitment issues are, etc. It gets even funnier when they get to the cabin and the "ghost" of his late mother (the great Rita Wilson) shows up, and throws in her .02 re: Frasier's problems - extremely funny! Ha ha.

-Frasier & Niles go to a jewelry store so that Niles can pick out a ring for Daphne. While there, the store employee(s) think that Niles & Frasier are a couple, and at one point Frasier has to go down on one knee to find something - and everyone thinks he is proposing to Niles! HAW! HAW! Hilarious! In general, I get the impression this is probably what others (who don't know the two of them) may think when they see Niles/Frasier out together, but this is one of the only episodes where this misinterpretation is extremely evident - ha ha.

-The episode where Roz & Frasier finally hook up. I wasn't at all surprised that it happened, but what did surprise me was how long it took to happen - LOL. It was hilarious that the "morning after", Roz rushed around Frasier's room awkwardly gathering up her clothes, etc. while Frasier acted calm.

-The episode where Niles & Daphne initially get married in Reno without family/friends. But, later, when they realize that their respective familie(s) will be upset that they weren't able to attend a wedding - end up trying to get married in a courthouse to appease everyone - twice! Finally, they admit to everyone that they got married in Reno - LOL.

This episode illustrates exactly why some couples just want to have very small weddings without a lot of people.

It was especially funny to see the gang run into Daphne's ex-fiance Donnie in the courthouse, who was getting married (to a second woman) - so soon after his first marriage. And, even funnier was his overjoyed reaction when it looked like Daphne & Niles weren't going to get married - much to the chagrin of his second wife - ha ha.

-The three-part S10 episode(s) where Niles had to go to the hospital for heart-related surgery. Very tense & serious episodes, and a real departure for this otherwise very comedic show. The flash-backs where we see Niles/Frasier in the hospital as kids & where we see Martin finding out about his wife's cancer are very poignant.

 

[Jeffrey D]

A few of my season 9 favorites-

Bla-Z-Boy- Martin’s old chair gets destroyed, and Frasier and Martin has issues to deal with.

Moons Over Seattle- Niles flies to England to try to get Daphne’s estranged parents together
(Brian Cox has comic talents that he doesn’t use often).

Junior Agent- BeBe tried to push an inexperienced person onto Frasier, who
doesn’t want her representing him.

 

[Montytc]

I have just started at the beginning of Season 1, but I will keep grinding until I see it all. A great show all the way through.

 

[The Drifter]

Part 2 of my Frasier S09/S10 review:

-Frasier, Niles, Daphne, and Martin go to Boston & at the airport, Frasier sees/hears Cliff Clavin pontificating to someone about sea animals (or something equally inane). When Cliff spots Frasier, he thinks Frasier & co. are there for Cliff's retirement party from the post office....even though Frasier was completely unaware about this - and wouldn't have cared even if he had known - ha ha.

So, Cliff ropes Frasier & co. into going to his retirement party. Also attending the party are Carla, Norm, and some of the other barflies from Cheers (Paul, etc.). At one point, Carla insults/roasts Cliff, who thinks she's kidding - though she isn't. Much to everyone's chagrin/irritation, Cliff ends up deciding not to retire to Florida (as originally planned) because he mistakenly thinks that the Cheers gang are going to miss him...when they were actually secretly - and not so secretly - extremely happy at the news that he was leaving the area - LOL!!! Very funny episode.

Especially amusing is when Cliff mentions that his mother (who is flying in from Florida) took forever to get to Boston because she initially thought she was flying to "Bosnia" (despite having lived in Boston most of her life) - ha ha.

-The S10 dinner party episode, where Niles wants to have a dinner party without Frasier, for once. So, he & Daphne end up trying to cook everything themselves, with disastrous results. So, Daphne - in desperation - calls Frasier for help, but tells him that he can't tell Niles. Frasier, already prepared with the uncooked food (as if he was anticipating this exact situation - ha ha) goes to Daphne's, but has to hide from Niles - while cooking in the kitchen...hilarious!

The episode culiminates in disaster, with Niles getting sprayed with some of Frasier's fruit sauce & the guests thinking it's blood - ha ha. While Niles tries to explain to the guests what happened & tries desperately to keep them from leaving, the ceiling starts rumbling...and a bed falls through. It turns out it was Daphne's mother & a famous artist who were "getting busy" on the bed, causing it to collapse through the floor - ha ha. This is unquestionably one of the funniest episodes in the series

-Frasier starts dating a middle school gym teacher that he meets while playing squash; the teacher is played by the beautiful & underrated actress Jeanne Tripplehorn (Basic Instinct, Waterworld). Everything is going well, until he goes to see her in class & realizes she is a cruel taskmaster when dealing with non-athletic kids - ha ha. This brings back bad memories of his own school days in gym class, when he had a rough coach (played to perfection by the late Bob Hoskins) who made his life a living hell - ha ha. He then can't see her without also seeing this old coach, and things go downhill from there. As always, Frasier has a good thing going with this woman - but ends up over-analyzing her, which ruins everything - again, what a dumb@$$

 

[The Drifter]

Part 3 of my S09/S10 review:

-In S10, a recurring guest star is the financial analyst hired to do a segment on the radio station, Julia (played by the talented Felicity Huffman). She is attractive but seemingly cold/unfeeling, and she and Roz clash from the beginning. Eventually, after several false starts, she and Frasier start dating - which seriously angers/upsets Roz. Roz eventually leaves the radio station for a better job (at another station), but tells Frasier that she is willing to stay on as his producer if he stops dating Julia. He refuses, and Roz leaves, then starts on her new job...which is the way the season ends.

The impression you get here is that Roz may have had feelings for Frasier - though she won't admit them to herself or to him.....which is why she hated the idea of him & Julia being together.

With FH being in the news recently, I can't watch these episodes where she advises people about their finances without thinking about the current headlines - very ironic - ha ha.

Looking forward to the final S11. I know that Roz is still on the show, so it will be interesting to see how things play out here.

 

[David Norman]

- Frasier drives up to his family cabin alone for a period of self-reflection, and along the way his subconscious mentally "picks up" Diane Chambers, Lilith, and his first ex-wife (a hippy he met in college) - LOL. So, all four of them start arguing in the car about why Frasier's relationship don't last & never work out. He has presumably brought along this "mental baggage" in order to try to figure out what his commitment issues are, etc. It gets even funnier when they get to the cabin and the "ghost" of his late mother (the great Rita Wilson) shows up, and throws in her .02 re: Frasier's problems - extremely funny! Ha ha.

-.

This is one of my all-time favorite episodes

Later -- the return of 'the hippy' (different actress) is another of my favorites.

 

[Jeffrey D]

This is one of my all-time favorite episodes

Later -- the return of 'the hippy' (different actress) is another of my favorites.

I think you’re talking about the season 11 episode where Frasier and her are displayed in bed together in front of a collection of kids- I’m pretty sure the episode is called Caught In The Act.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Part 2 of my Frasier S09/S10 review:

-Frasier, Niles, Daphne, and Martin go to Boston & at the airport, Frasier sees/hears Cliff Clavin pontificating to someone about sea animals (or something equally inane). When Cliff spots Frasier, he thinks Frasier & co. are there for Cliff's retirement party from the post office....even though Frasier was completely unaware about this - and wouldn't have cared even if he had known - ha ha.

So, Cliff ropes Frasier & co. into going to his retirement party; Frasier & his family, being polite, end up going. Also attending the party are Carla, Norm, and some of the other barflies from Cheers (Paul, etc.). At one point, Carla insults/roasts Cliff, who thinks she's kidding (though she isn't). Much to everyone's chagrin/irritation, Cliff ends up deciding not to retire to Florida (as originally planned) because he mistakenly thinks that the Cheers gang are going to miss him...when they were actually secretly (and not so secretly) extremely happy at the news that he was leaving the area - LOL!!! Very funny episode.

Especially amusing is when Cliff mentions that his mother (who is flying in from Florida) took forever to get to Boston because she initially thought she was flying to "Bosnia" (despite having lived in Boston most of her life) - ha ha.

-The S10 dinner party episode, where Niles wants to have a dinner party without Frasier, for once. So, he & Daphne end up trying to cook everything themselves, with disastrous results. So, Daphne - in desperation - calls Frasier for help, but tells him that he can't tell Niles. Frasier, already prepared with the food (as if he was anticipating this exact situation - ha ha) goes to Daphne's, but has to hide from Niles - while cooking in the kitchen...hilarious!

The episode culiminates in disaster, with Niles getting sprayed with some of Frasier's fruit sauce & the guests thinking it's blood - ha ha. While Niles tries to explain to the guests what happened & tries desperately to keep them from leaving, the ceiling starts rumbling...and a bed falls through. It turns out it was Daphne's mother & a famous artist who were "getting busy" on the bed, causing it to collapse through the floor - ha ha. This is unquestionably one of the funniest episodes in the series

-Frasier starts dating a middle school gym teacher that he meets while playing squash; the teacher is played by the beautiful & underrated actress Jeanne Tripplehorn (Basic Instinct, Waterworld). Everything is going well, until he goes to see her in class & realizes she is a cruel taskmaster when dealing with non-athletic kids - ha ha. This brings back bad memories of his own school days in gym class, when he had a rough coach (played to perfection by the late Bob Hoskins) who made his life a living hell - ha ha. He then can't see her without also seeing this old coach, and things go downhill from there. As always, Frasier has a good thing going with this woman - but ends up over-analyzing her, which ruins everything - again, what a dumb@$$

Yes the Cheerful Goodbyes episode is good in a nostalgic way. Carla is as feisty as ever.

The Harassed is the debut of Felicity Huffman on the show. It’s one of the best season 10 episodes.

Farewell Nervosa is another good one- Elvis Costello guest stars. Julia (Huffman) meets Niles for the first time, and she refers to him as
Emergency Frasier.

A New Position For Roz has arguably the funniest exchange in the entire series-
Noel- “I thought it was about Frasier doing good work”
Roz- “Oh, please- it’s all about ratings. If the station had its way, every call would end in an auto erotic suicide”

 

[The Drifter]

Another great S09/S10 episode I wanted to mention (there are so many):

-Niles & Daphne "jokingly" hint to Roz that they want to get into a threesome, after Roz misinterprets something Niles says about a gourmet dessert - LOL. Even though Roz is 100% not interested & makes it clear to them that she's upset about their teasing (causing them to eventually stop) you kind of wonder what would have happened if she had called their bluff - ha ha. After all, it seems that Roz has almost certainly hooked up with a couple at some point in her life - if not, it's probably the only thing she hasn't done

This "flirtation" kind of goes along with another episode (in a previous season) when Roz unexpectedly kissed Niles, and he, shocked, said something like, "Everyone kisses better than Maris!" - LOL

Bla-Z-Boy- Martin’s old chair gets destroyed, and Frasier and Martin has issues to deal with.

Moons Over Seattle- Niles flies to England to try to get Daphne’s estranged parents together (Brian Cox has comic talents that he doesn’t use often).

Junior Agent- BeBe tried to push an inexperienced person onto Frasier, who doesn’t want her representing him.

All great episodes. The one about Martin's old chair was hilarious; Frasier accidentally sets it on fire, and then feels so bad he goes out of his way to replace the chair with another one that looks exactly like the original. And, after he spends a lot of time & money replacing the chair (which has since been discontinued), he makes a comment that the replacement (which still looks like a piece of crap) cost him more money than any of his other, much more expensive & better looking pieces of furniture - ha ha.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Another great S09/S10 episode I wanted to mention (there are so many):

-Niles & Daphne "jokingly" hint to Roz that they want to get into a threesome, after Roz misinterprets something Niles says about a gourmet dessert - LOL. Even though Roz is 100% not interested & makes it clear to them that she's upset about their teasing (causing them to eventually stop) you kind of wonder what would have happened if she had called their bluff - ha ha. After all, it seems that Roz has almost certainly hooked up with a couple at some point in her life - if not, it's probably the only thing she hasn't done

This "flirtation" kind of goes along with another episode (in a previous season) when Roz unexpectedly kissed Niles, and he, shocked, said something like, "Everyone kisses better than Maris!" - LOL



All great episodes. The one about Martin's old chair was hilarious; Frasier accidentally sets it on fire, and then feels so bad he goes out of his way to replace the chair with another one that looks exactly like the original. And, after he spends a lot of time & money replacing the chair (which has since been discontinued), he makes a comment that the replacement (which still looks like a piece of crap) cost him more money than any of his other, much more expensive & better looking pieces of furniture - ha ha.

Yes the funny line about the newly fabricated chair is when Frasier says he tracked down the
people who upholstered the original chair, and when they admitted to making that fabric pattern for the original, he had them re-weave it for the new chair.

 

[The Drifter]

Yes the funny line about the newly fabricated chair is when Frasier says he tracked down the people who upholstered the original chair, and when they admitted to making that fabric pattern for the original, he had them re-weave it for the new chair.

Exactly. And, the funny thing about this is that it's so true! I remember some relatives recently were trying to figure out what to do with some old, ratty seats they still used - and I told them they would be better off just buying brand new ones & getting rid of the older ones. But, they insisted they wanted to keep the old ones (sentimental value, perhaps?!). So, they ended up spending more money & going to more trouble to get their old, crummy seats re-upholstered than it would have cost them to just get some new ones. Unreal.

But, in the case of the show it illustrated how much Frasier cared about his father, who was so attached to the old chair that he couldn't imagine not having it around - ha ha.

 

[The Drifter]

Well, I finally finished watching Frasier. Wow - what a clever, well-written, and truly hilarious sitcom. It didn't take me that long to finish the entire series; once I started watching an episode I wanted to move right onto the next one. I found it very binge-watchable - much more than other shows I've seen.

S11 was especially strong & extremely funny. I wouldn't necessarily say this was the best season, but I can honestly say that I laughed my @$$ off much more at this season than at previous ones. In any case, I don't understand why anyone would say this was a weak season (which is what some have said online).

Some notable episodes/plot-lines:

-Frasier decides to open up a private practice, with disastrous results. All of his potential clients end up leaving and/or getting turned off. Soon after, two things happen: His stomach is making funny noises (probably because he's hungry/nervous), and Martin recommends that he unbutton his pants to improve the situation. Also, Maris' new boyfriend punches Frasier (in the eye) in anger at a party - mistaking him for Niles. So, Frasier's eye is bothering him & he keeps winking/blinking.

Shortly after, he gets a very attractive, tall blonde as a potential new client. She lays on his couch, and tells him that she's upset that guys are only interested in her for one thing. While she is saying this, Frasier keeps "suggestively" winking at her (which she misinterprets as a come-on), but it's only because his eye is bothering him. She is unsettled, but tries to ignore this. Then, Frasier's stomach continues making weird noises (which he can't help) - which she also misinterprets as a lurid come-on. Finally, Frasier unbuttons his pants because of his stomach issues, and then his pants fall down around his ankles....and he accidentally "falls" on her in the process - ha ha. Mistakenly thinking he's trying to assault her, she leaves the office in disgust/fear- never to return.

I literally doubled over in laughter when watching this particular episode - frickin' hysterical

-Maris (Niles' ex) gets involved with a Argentine Polo Player (ha ha) who is trying to bilk her/scan her out of her money. He's also abusive, with a bad temper. So, Maris ends up killing him (in self defense?!), and then tries to flee the country - LOL. She eventually ends up getting captured, and has to stand trial. One of the funniest scenes related to this story-line is when Niles & others go to the house & see a lot of things being packed up. They don't see Maris anywhere, so they leave soon after. Then, the following scene shows the maid talking to someone in a wooden box, and putting a drink straw through a hole so that the person can drink. It's Maris (in hiding) - ha ha.

 

[The Drifter]

Continuing my review of S11:

-Frasier goes with Roz & Alice (Roz's young daughter) to stand in line to see "Nanny G." a famous/successful children's book author - who also has her own kid's TV show. As it turns out, NG was Frasier's first ex-wife. NG gives them tickets to a sold-out showing, and she also shows Frasier that she's still into him with a passionate kiss. Later, she meets him at his apartment - with her husband (who is also the show's producer) in tow. Frasier tells her he can't see her given that she's married....but she is so amorous that he gives in to temptation, and agrees to meet her after one of her shows.

He then gets to the show early, and they end up on a bed that rises onto a platform - in full view of the audience (kids & their parents). NG tells Frasier to hide in the bedsheets, and then gives him a baby hat & diaper & tells him to cry like a little baby - given that he can't stay on the bed (since it will be thrown off the stage soon after) - ha ha. The sight of shirtless "baby" Frasier crying in a hat & diaper & dancing with anthropomorphic rabbits & other animals was more than I could take - I laughed until tears came to my eyes Brilliant writing here - ha ha.

-I really enjoyed the final two-part?! episode, "Goodbye Seattle" - both funny & poignant. Frasier - being single - had been feeling left out for much of the season due to Niles & Daphne expecting (and then having) their first child, and Martin & Ronnie (his new gf) making plans to get married. So, without anything/anyone to tie him down in Seattle, he accepts a new job offer in San Francisco. I always think change is good for anyone, and it was nice to see that Frasier was leaving his "comfort zone" (again) and taking a chance on a new career in another city - especially at his age.

I myself moved across the country for a new job many years ago & it was the single best decision I made in my life. So, I can relate to how important this type of thing is for your career, personal self-growth, etc.

I also really like the intentional ambiguity in the final sequence;

Spoiler: SPOILER

Frasier had been talking to his seat-mate (Jennifer Beals; star of Flashdance) on an airplane that you thought was going to SF the whole episode, but then at the very end it landed in Chicago - where he was presumably going to try to rekindle the romance with his last gf (the beautiful Laura Linney). It wasn't clear whether he was also trying to get a job in Chicago, but it didn't matter - it made for a great final scene.

 

[KPmusmag]

Jim - I have really enjoyed reading about your experience watching the entire series. One of the smartest and funniest sit-coms ever IMO. I still watch it routinely. Just watched the two Thanksgiving episodes, the one where Frasier and Lilith are trying to get their son into a good school ("Oscar Meir" LOL and an early appearance by Jane Lynch) and the one where Frederick is trying to guilt them into getting him a motor bike. I have seen them many times but I still laugh. Classic stuff.

 

[Jeffrey D]

A few good season 11 episodes-

The Babysitter- Frasier runs into his first crush at a furniture store, so he invites her to the apartment. Martin and she instantly develop a
spark. The scene where Martin forgets to take his Velveeta to his date is hilarious.

High Holidays- Martin comes to accidentally eat a pot brownie. Maybe Mahoney’s finest hour in the series.

 

[The Drifter]

Also, some general comments about the show:

-I can definitively say that Frasier is THE funniest sitcom I've ever seen, and I've seen quite a few. I also found the series slightly superior to Cheers, the source for this show. Though Cheers was great, there were a # of weak episodes & some seasons were, overall, just OK. Conversely, Frasier started off strong & stayed extremely strong throughout the run of the series. Some seasons were funnier than others, but they were all great - and, I don't remember a single weak episode!

-It was hilarious that throughout most of the series, Martin had "more game" when it came to dating/being successful with women than Frasier did - LOL.

-I'm happy that Roz & Frasier never got married/became an item on the show. I see the one?! time they slept together as a momentary fling & that's it. And, I think it was great that they could remain good friends afterwards without doing the "expected" thing & getting into a long-term relationship, etc.

-I watched the series exclusively on the DVD sets, and while it was a nice & convenient way to see this - the Picture Quality (PQ) in the first two seasons was not that great; while the PQ in the later seasons (3-on) was better, it could still stand a lot of improvement. So, I would pay good money for a remastered/HD Blu set of this entire series. If this is ever done, I would also like to see subtitles for the series; my hearing is great, but there was still some dialogue that I missed over the course of the show.

 

[Jeffrey D]

I just thought of another really funny season 11 episode- The Ann Who Came To Dinner. An insurance agent who Frasier previously dated
gets injured in his apartment, and Frasier offers to have her stay at his place to avoid a possible lawsuit. Julia Sweeney plays the undesirable Ann, and she’s priceless.

 

[The Drifter]

Trivia:

-I never knew that the late actor John Mahoney (Martin) was born in the UK, and lived there until he was 18 - when he emigrated to the U.S. He didn't have a trace of a UK accent in all the films/TV shows I've seen him in - including Frasier. So, he either "lost" the accent at some point, or did a damn good job of hiding this when he was onscreen. Note I've seen numerous films/TV shows where UK/Australian actors speak with American accents - but, sometimes the accent "slips" through. However, in this case I literally had no idea. Well-done.

A few good season 11 episodes-

The Babysitter- Frasier runs into his first crush at a furniture store, so he invites her to the apartment. Martin and she instantly develop a spark. The scene where Martin forgets to take his Velveeta to his date is hilarious.

High Holidays- Martin comes to accidentally eat a pot brownie. Maybe Mahoney’s finest hour in the series.

I just thought of another really funny season 11 episode- The Ann Who Came To Dinner. An insurance agent who Frasier previously dated gets injured in his apartment, and Frasier offers to have her stay at his place to avoid a possible lawsuit. Julia Sweeney plays the undesirable Ann, and she’s priceless.

Yes, these episodes were all extremely funny:

-It cracked me up how Frasier was interested in his old babysitter Ronnie after running into her after many years - and then she ended up hooking up with his much older father - ha ha; it just reinforced that Martin had more "game" than Frasier did when it came to women, despite the age difference - hilarious. Also funny here was how Martin mentioned that his wife (Frasier's mother) didn't like Ronnie when she was babysitting Frasier/Niles because Martin had made some kind of complimentary comment?! about her

-The brownie episode was side-splittingly funny - truly hilarious. I agree it was one of Martin's funniest episodes, and - as always - it was already great due to being one of the excellent Christmas episodes, which were all exceptional anyway.

-Yes, the episodes with Ann (Julia Sweeney) were great. I especially thought it was funny how Frasier ditched her during their first date because he instead wanted to hook up with Kenny's gorgeous cousin - who was at the same restaurant. It was very crass/crude of Frasier to do this, and it was very fitting when Ann came back to the restaurant (after he had tried to get rid of her by pretending to leave) & the cousin realized what he had done & got angry, then left early - so he couldn't get together with her, either. What goes around comes around - dumb@$$

 

[tempest21]

The thing of it is, I wish Hollywood would stop trying to remake or bring these shows back. There seems to be a lack of originality when it comes to creating new shows and they keep relying on fans of the original shows to come back for the return. I tried sitting through an episode of the Rosanne/The Connors reboot and I just couldn't get through a single episode. The original shows are hilarious but these studios keep thinking that they can rely on the nostalgia factor. I recall that they wanted to do a reboot of Murder, She Wrote. But, after a massive grassroots campaign against the idea and the comments from Angela Lansbury that she would not approve the show (they were going to race-swap her title character), the network canceled the reboot.

These shows worked for the time that they were created because they fit with the times. But, when the original cast of the original series doesn't support it, then you've lost. I think there are exceptions. Like Magnum P.I. and Lethal Weapon (although this series failed because of Wayans ego and his desire to get Crawford fired). Lethal Weapon failed because they fired Clayne Crawford over Wayan's ego and opted to replace him with Sean William Scott who isn't that great of an actor. Crawford worked so well because he was a perfect fit for Riggs.

 

[The Drifter]

Just watched the two Thanksgiving episodes, the one where Frasier and Lilith are trying to get their son into a good school ("Oscar Meir" LOL and an early appearance by Jane Lynch) and the one where Frederick is trying to guilt them into getting him a motor bike. I have seen them many times but I still laugh. Classic stuff.

Yes, these Thanksgiving episodes are both classic & hilarious. My favorite was the one where Frasier & Lilith were sucking up to these private school administrators by bugging them at their home on Thanksgiving day - LOL.

The one where Frederick was trying to trick them into getting him a motor bike was also very funny - and illustrated how much of a selfish little punk he was by trying to use his parents' divorce to his advantage (i.e., he was trying to trick them into thinking each was interested in getting back together with the other, when it was all false). I never liked the Frederick character throughout the series, and was glad he was never on the show that much. He reminded me too much of spoiled brats I knew growing up who took advantage of their spineless parents by getting them to do whatever the kid(s) wanted. Little scum-bags.