S02.E01 Ham

[Affogato]

Sept 18, 2024

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Affogato said:

Sept 18, 2024

My Roku Paramount+ screen shows September 19, but whatevs, it's half past the 19th now anyway.…

And thanks, @Affogato!
This had not been on my radar because I had it at midnight on my spreadsheet.

[Affogato]

I get that Alan is Frasier's buddy but he is an awful person and I’d steer Nile’s son away from him. Alan needs a few more redeeming features, or at least one. 

[Annber03]

I liked the way Alan slid down in his seat when Freddie reveaeld he was the reason he didn't go to college :D. 

But yeah, I totally get Frasier's reaction, 'cause that is a pretty big decision to make and it's one Alan should've been careful about wading into, given he's not Freddie's parent and all. 

At the same time, Alan does have a point about Frasier often thinking more aboot what he wants and what he thinks would be good for Freddie rather than what Freddie wants and what would actually be good for him (the robo-laser geek toy, anyone?). And sometimes it is easier to talk to someone who isn't a parent about stuff like this precisely because you know you won't get the typical parent answer, you'll get something perhaps a little more objective. 

That said, yeah, probably better ways to make that decision than with a ball :p. Though I do think the experiment in and of itself is interesting. 

I liked Eve and David interacting as they did this episode. 

[Irlandesa]

I did laugh at a few lines but I felt uncomfortable with the episode since I felt it basically lifted the same scenario from one of Frasier's best episodes, Are You Being Served? Or at least the episode with the best outtakes. 

In that episode, Niles realized he was making life choices based on his mother's observations of lab rats. 

In this one, it was because of a Magic 8 Ball knockoff. 

[Yeah No]

10 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I did laugh at a few lines but I felt uncomfortable with the episode since I felt it basically lifted the same scenario from one of Frasier's best episodes, Are You Being Served? Or at least the episode with the best outtakes. 

In that episode, Niles realized he was making life choices based on his mother's observations of lab rats. 

In this one, it was because of a Magic 8 Ball knockoff. 

I remember that episode having seen every original Frasier episode many times. Unfortunately this didn't come close. I don't find the actor that plays Alan in the least bit funny in his role here, in fact just the opposite, and I've already complained a lot about the actor that plays Freddie, although he seemed a little more tolerable in this episode so maybe that's a step in the right direction. And I did chuckle a few times during this episode, so that's also a positive change.

The magic 8 ball idea also gave me a chuckle, but again I felt it was not used to its best comedic effect despite a valiant attempt by Kelsey Grammer. They have so many opportunities for great comedy here but either due to poor writing or acting or choice of cast they're still missing the mark for me. I hope later in the season it improves with the arrival of original cast members like Roz and Bulldog.

[Sarah 103]

I loved David and later Eve in the kitchen with the ham. That was far and away the best part of the episode and I wished there had been more of it and it had been a continuous scene and not something that cut back and forth between.

Keep in mind, I'm the same person who will put "Three Valentine's Day" in my list of best episodes from the original series solely for the Niles scene. 

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

Keep in mind, I'm the same person who will put "Three Valentine's Day" in my list of best episodes from the original series solely for the Niles scene. 

I have read that the opening scene of "Three Valentines" is considered to be one of the funniest 10 minutes of tv ever. And I agree! I have it recorded and watch it every time it comes around.

[Affogato]

I am liking the younger group better than the older ones at this point. I liked Freddy and the kids talking about his decision. The brownie! 

[Panopticon]

I often feel like the show is trying too hard with both David and Eve, so I suppose it makes a weird kind of sense that I like them best when they’re together. I genuinely think they’re each  other’s best screen partners. 

[opus]

On 9/19/2024 at 11:38 PM, Annber03 said:

But yeah, I totally get Frasier's reaction, 'cause that is a pretty big decision to make and it's one Alan should've been careful about wading into, given he's not Freddie's parent and all.

Indubitably

[Camera One]

This was alright.  Not good but not horrible.  No better or worse than last season, which doesn't do much for the hope that this season will be better.

When Frasier was still going on about Freddie quitting Harvard, I thought it was Season 1 again.  Did they feel they needed this in case viewers skipped the first season?  

David's clumsiness was just too over-the-top to be funny.  I was mostly cringing over the waste of food.

The main plot was predictable and did not move me emotionally in any way.  For that, you sort of need to care about the two of them as friends.

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, Camera One said:

David's clumsiness was just too over-the-top to be funny.  I was mostly cringing over the waste of food.

Physical comedy is not as easy as it looks when the masters of that craft perform it — which is the point: To make it look easy and natural.
Unfortunately, David Hyde Pierce has Left The Building.

 

[Sarah 103]

@shapeshifter If I could have reacted to the video compilation with Love and LOL, I would have. I love physical comedy and David Hyde Pierce was absolutely a master at it. 

[Avabelle]

This was the first episode I felt Eve, David and Freddie gelled into the show. Freddie especially.

As said above I wish the kid playing David wasn’t so over the top.