All Episodes Talk

[Ailianna]

I think they might have gone to that well a few too many times, but there are a couple of episodes I really appreciate Kirby.  The first is the one where he is friends with the granddaughter of a major wine collector whose cellar both Niles and Frasier want to visit, but he can only get one of them in.  He really played them well, using their competitiveness to get himself well set up.  The other, which I love even more, is Juvenalia, where Frasier appears on Teen Scene and Kirby has to rescue him from the scary preppy high school kids.

[Gothish520]

On 8/14/2018 at 9:22 PM, Ailianna said:

I think they might have gone to that well a few too many times, but there are a couple of episodes I really appreciate Kirby.  The first is the one where he is friends with the granddaughter of a major wine collector whose cellar both Niles and Frasier want to visit, but he can only get one of them in.  He really played them well, using their competitiveness to get himself well set up.  The other, which I love even more, is Juvenalia, where Frasier appears on Teen Scene and Kirby has to rescue him from the scary preppy high school kids.

The Teen Scene episode is one of my favorites. Way to go Kirby! Loved the end when they are walking off to get a burger "or some such". 

The later episodes get a lot of criticism but some of my favorite episodes are from the last few seasons. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

My favorite episode of all time was the one where the brothers buy the french restaurant, and proceed to ruin it, but it's certainly funny while they're doing it.    Every single character and scene in that one was wonderful.

The one with the flaming recliner was hysterical too.   There are really very few episodes I didn't love.   

[peacheslatour]

16 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

My favorite episode of all time was the one where the brothers buy the french restaurant, and proceed to ruin it, but it's certainly funny while they're doing it.    Every single character and scene in that one was wonderful.

The one with the flaming recliner was hysterical too.   There are really very few episodes I didn't love.   

Lol, Daphne and the eels.

[emjohnson03]

This show never fails to put me in a good mood! The early seasons really are comedic gold. 

I did like the later seasons but agree that Daphne's mom did grate but one of my favorite episodes is when Niles and Daphne get married like 3 times. "If people got to decide things for themselves, no one would go to church. " As a Catholic, makes me howl every time!

I did think Charlotte was a weak love interest for Frasier, as I always loved Faye for him. I loved the Cassandra triangle with the three of them but Faye was so much my favorite. Part of me wishes they could have kept someone around for him. And for Roz. I liked that Roz was an independent, single mom but boy I really felt for her when she broke up with Roger. I always wanted her to find love too.

I miss John Mahoney and Peter Angell and wish they were still both around to perform and write. Just makes you miss the show but also happy that it lives on so well!

The words of the last episode when Frasier recites Ulysses is beautiful. Gets me misty every time.

They did the mistaken identity was genius and they did alot of it! Funny and witty!

[Altair Aquila]

I watched The Maris Counsellor last night, one of my favourites from season five. Poor Niles. When I saw this episode for the first time my reaction was 'Finally!' when Niles announced his marriage was over. I still feel that way.

Some nice fraternal moments in this one, particularly when Niles tells Frasier of Maris and Schenkman's affair. And of course a rather lovely moment with all three Crane men lamenting their romantic woes. 

Interesting that in season six, during the divorce, Niles wonders if his feelings for Daphne affected his marriage and if Maris knew all along, and that drove her to have an affair. What does anyone think? Or do you agree with Frasier and the only reason that marriage lasted as long as it did is because of the effort Niles put into it?

[Annber03]

I love that episode, too. The bonding between the Cranes at the end is indeed great. I also love when Frasier's trying to talk Niles out of going to see Maris one last time and is like, "Niles, just remember one thing! Sometimes a marriage is just bad, doomed, and no amount of discussion can save it!"...right in front of a bunch of couples he and Niles were supposed to be helping :D. 

22 hours ago, Altair Aquila said:

Interesting that in season six, during the divorce, Niles wonders if his feelings for Daphne affected his marriage and if Maris knew all along, and that drove her to have an affair. What does anyone think? Or do you agree with Frasier and the only reason that marriage lasted as long as it did is because of the effort Niles put into it?

I'd say it's a mix of both. I think Niles' marriage to Maris would've likely eventually fallen apart even if Daphne weren't there. It'd be very tough to stay married to somebody like her, after all, and much as I adore Niles, I won't argue that, especially in the earlier seasons, his fussy, snobby nature would've caused some issues as well. Two snobby, super-picky people obsessed with image and status and whatnot being married to each other, it'd just get to be too much after a while. Niles genuinely did care about and love her, yes, and he clearly had a lot more patience with her than I think most people would've, hence why he was willing to stick it out through their lengthy separation. But there's always going to be a breaking point eventually, and he finally found it. 

That said, I also think his attraction to Daphne didn't help matters, no, especially given just how deep his feelings for her were. And I do like that he actually acknowledges that fact, and is willing to own up to it. It would be hard to find out your spouse is in love with somebody else, obviously, and it's not surprising that Maris would struggle with that (based off what we've heard about her, she's got some serious insecurity issues as it is), and would perhaps feel justified in responding as she did with her affair. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

On September 28, 2018 at 6:40 AM, Altair Aquila said:

Interesting that in season six, during the divorce, Niles wonders if his feelings for Daphne affected his marriage and if Maris knew all along, and that drove her to have an affair. What does anyone think? Or do you agree with Frasier and the only reason that marriage lasted as long as it did is because of the effort Niles put into it?

I'd say it's a mix of both. I think Niles' marriage to Maris would've likely eventually fallen apart even if Daphne weren't there

Maybe fantasizing over Daphne for 6 years made it possible for Niles to endure his marriage to Marris—similar to married people who admit to fantasizing about being with an attractive celebrity while having sex with a plainer spouse—but for Niles the fantasy seemed to go beyond the physical to the intellectual and emotional—which perhaps did ultimately doom his marriage to Marris.

[Ailianna]

Honestly, I think being around people who saw him as a person of worth and value, rather than just a prop for her ego, is ultimately what doomed the marriage.  Yes, Niles was all about status (much of it through Maris) and very "above it all" when we met him.  But it was very superficial, and he was prepared to grovel to Maris in anything she wanted, to cater to every whim, and to treat it all as if it were her unquestionable right.  I think it was not just his attraction to Daphne, which we know was lust at first sight, but gaining some self-respect and a desire for his spouse to value him as a person that truly doomed the marriage.  Niles finished growing up, and realized he didn't want to be Maris's toy any longer.

[SmithW6079]

I just watched the episode where Sam Malone comes to visit, and it turns out he's running away from his wedding to a fellow sexaholic (Tea Leoni!). I just found that episode incredibly sad. Sad that they felt it necessary to break up Rebecca and the plumber she married at the end of "Cheers" and the way they portrayed the other regulars at the bar as losers. But most of all, I felt sad for Sam (and by extension Frasier), for being an aging Lothario who's still chasing tail but getting older and creepier by the minute.

Edited October 1, 2018 by SmithW6079

[Altair Aquila]

In Maris, the show certainly got a lot of mileage out of a character we never met. It wasn't just the jokes at her expense; so much of Niles's story was wrapped up in her and their marriage.

They gave her quite the send-off in the final season. 

[Gothish520]

On 9/28/2018 at 7:40 AM, Altair Aquila said:

I watched The Maris Counsellor last night, one of my favourites from season five. Poor Niles. When I saw this episode for the first time my reaction was 'Finally!' when Niles announced his marriage was over. I still feel that way.

Some nice fraternal moments in this one, particularly when Niles tells Frasier of Maris and Schenkman's affair. And of course a rather lovely moment with all three Crane men lamenting their romantic woes. 

Interesting that in season six, during the divorce, Niles wonders if his feelings for Daphne affected his marriage and if Maris knew all along, and that drove her to have an affair. What does anyone think? Or do you agree with Frasier and the only reason that marriage lasted as long as it did is because of the effort Niles put into it?

I tend to agree with Frasier, mainly because all we ever saw was Niles constantly giving in to Maris and trying to make her happy. She sounds like she would be an exhausting person to be around. Also, it appears that Maris was rarely, if ever, in the company of both Niles and Daphne at the same time - a savvy wife will often pick up on cues when in the presence of the "other" woman.

[SrOfficial]

One channel has just started rerunning these old episodes.  So much better than the dreck on now.  Very clever.  Niles is brilliant.  However, Niles & Daphne?  No chemistry, whatsoever.

Edited October 6, 2018 by SrOfficial

[MarylandGirl]

On 8/13/2018 at 5:12 PM, 7-Zark-7 said:

I love Jean Smart in everything. I thought she was great, and Kirby too. It's Felicity Huffman's character than I wanted to drop off a boat in cement shoes.

I'm watching ones in the Felicity Huffman period right now, and I agree! I think I'd managed to block her out of my memories of the show...

[Gothish520]

47 minutes ago, MarylandGirl said:

I'm watching ones in the Felicity Huffman period right now, and I agree! I think I'd managed to block her out of my memories of the show...

At first she was bad, then Frasier finally wore her down and she was tolerable, but of course she showed her true colors eventually. Hilarious when Frasier realized that she really was an awful person. 

Reminds me of when Frasier started seeing Mercedes Ruehl's character and realized she was not intellectual enough for him. Then again, he adored Jean Smart's character and she was not intellectual either. He really was all over the board when it came to women!

[Bort]

1 hour ago, Gothish520 said:

At first she was bad, then Frasier finally wore her down and she was tolerable, but of course she showed her true colors eventually. Hilarious when Frasier realized that she really was an awful person. 

She had her moments. She was the one who gave the Elvis Costello troubador a real job so that he wouldn't be singing at the coffee shop, which Frasier HATED. But yeah, the final nail in the coffin of the Felicity Huffman* relationship was the disaster of her hanging out with the family. 

*I can't remember her character's name!

[MarylandGirl]

5 hours ago, kariyaki said:

She had her moments. She was the one who gave the Elvis Costello troubador a real job so that he wouldn't be singing at the coffee shop, which Frasier HATED. But yeah, the final nail in the coffin of the Felicity Huffman* relationship was the disaster of her hanging out with the family. 

*I can't remember her character's name!

Julia--and I only remember that because I literally just watched a couple of them today! I think the problem is, there were some other love interests of his who I really liked (Claire, Faye, Claire, and a couple I'm forgetting) and they only lasted a couple episodes. It seems like the ones I don't like are on forever (her, Lana--right, I think that's Jean Smart's character's name?)

[ByTor]

On 9/28/2018 at 7:40 AM, Altair Aquila said:

Some nice fraternal moments in this one, particularly when Niles tells Frasier of Maris and Schenkman's affair. And of course a rather lovely moment with all three Crane men lamenting their romantic woes. 

Was this the one where they all sang the theme from Goldfinger?

[Altair Aquila]

2 hours ago, ByTor said:

Was this the one where they all sang the theme from Goldfinger?

That was the season six finale.

Speaking of Shutout in Seattle, did anyone watch that for the first time and, after Roz and Niles chat in Cafe Nervosa, then the next day at the radio station, Roz tells Frasier she made a mistake with a one night stand, think that Roz and Niles slept together? It was my first guess. Classic misdirection, I suppose.

[Camera One]

I watched the last few seasons but never the beginning of the series.  The streaming service I'm on has the show, so I've been watching Season 1.  I'm finding it very funny... this show has aged well.  

[peacheslatour]

11 hours ago, Camera One said:

I watched the last few seasons but never the beginning of the series.  The streaming service I'm on has the show, so I've been watching Season 1.  I'm finding it very funny... this show has aged well.  

It really has, hasn't it? One of the things I think that has made it still look so good is the set designers had really good taste. Classic and eclectic always stands the test of time better than trendy or cutesy.

[Camera One]

I was trying to look back to figure out when I started watching this show consistently, and I'm really not sure.  I definitely watched the final season (all I remember is I didn't like the love interest they had for Frasier at the end - I liked the actress but thought she was too young).  Maybe it's one of those shows where I saw an episode here and then on live TV back in the day, and then decided to watch the last season.  

I'm 17 episodes into Season 1 now.  I remember liking Niles and Daphne in the original run, but I had never seen the first season.  Now that I'm seeing Season 1 for the first time, it feels a little skeevy that Niles is eyeing Daphne when he was already happily married.  If I had known that before, I don't know if I would have been rooting for them as much.  

I like that in Season 1, there wasn't a parade of love interests, and the characters were mostly just interacting with each other.  Anyway, I've been trying to find a show to watch while I'm doing some mundane tasks, so I will try to continue for as long as I'm interested.

Edited November 25, 2018 by Camera One

[shapeshifter]

Yesterday they aired (and I watched) the episodes with Niles heart surgery.
In "Bristle While You Work," 10.7, Niles considers his toothache  that the dentist has said is not dental might be "referred pain" from his heart, and says that the odds of it being a heart condition are "1 in 10,000."
Niles then has a number of somewhat magical coincidences:

• He wins a fanny pack prize from the cap of his bottled water, which also has odds of "1 in 10,000"
• He draws an Ace of Spades from his Dad's deck of cards even though his Dad accidentally used a regular deck instead of a deck made up of only Aces of Spades
• He flipped a coin 17 times and every time it came up tails
• He wins another fanny pack from the "1 in 10,000" odds bottle cap

--which end with his going to the doctor and finding that he needs immediate heart surgery, which saves his life.

It seems like an odd plot arc for the show.

It aired November 12, 2002, so it would've been written (by Tom Reeder) about one year after Frasier creator David Angell and his wife died [when the plane they were on was flown into] the Twin Towers on September 11.
I wonder if Reeder was trying to express something about wishing they could have foreseen and avoided or prevented the tragedy.

Edited December 1, 2018 by shapeshifter

[peacheslatour]

22 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Yesterday they aired (and I watched) the episodes with Niles heart surgery.
In "Bristle While You Work," 10.7, Niles considers his toothache  that the dentist has said is not dental might be "referred pain" from his heart, and says that the odds of it being a heart condition are "1 in 10,000."
Niles then has a number of somewhat magical coincidences:

• He wins a fanny pack prize from the cap of his bottled water, which also has odds of "1 in 10,000"
• He draws an Ace of Spades from his Dad's deck of cards even though his Dad accidentally used a regular deck instead of a deck made up of only Aces of Spades
• He flipped a coin 17 times and every time it came up tails
• He wins another fanny pack from the "1 in 10,000" odds bottle cap

--which end with his going to the doctor and finding that he needs immediate heart surgery, which saves his life.

It seems like an odd plot arc for the show.

It aired November 12, 2002, so it would've been written (by Tom Reeder) about one year after Frasier creator David Angell and his wife died in the Twin Towers on September 11.
I wonder if Reeder was trying to express something about wishing they could have foreseen and avoided or prevented the tragedy.

Weren't they on that flight out of Boston?

[shapeshifter]

18 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Weren't they on that flight out of Boston?

Oh. Yes. For some reason I had thought they were in the restaurant. Anyway, the people on that plane did die when it was in the Tower—but I did just edit my earlier post.

Edited December 1, 2018 by shapeshifter

[peacheslatour]

1 minute ago, shapeshifter said:

Oh. Yes. For some reason I had thought they were in the restaurant. Anyway, the people on that plane did die when it was in the Tower.

So tragic. We lost so much that day.

[rubaco]

"The Doctor Is Out" (which I'm watching this evening) is one of my favorite eps, but I have a minor quibble. That song in the gay bar that Frasier "gets into," convincing him to stay, just does not seem like his kind of music. It bugs me every time, but no matter. Classic episode.

"As for how I got into another man's shorts, that is no one's business."

[peacheslatour]

On 12/6/2018 at 5:49 PM, rubaco said:

"The Doctor Is Out" (which I'm watching this evening) is one of my favorite eps, but I have a minor quibble. That song in the gay bar that Frasier "gets into," convincing him to stay, just does not seem like his kind of music. It bugs me every time, but no matter. Classic episode.

"As for how I got into another man's shorts, that is no one's business."

Well, he was fond of Wang Chung .;-)

[ByTor]

I haaaated the episode with Niles & his heart surgery.  Daphne breaking the vending machine was ridiculous.

[dshgr]

Just watched to the end again (probably at least 2 dozen times), and I have a few nits to pick.  1.  Seattle to Portland is a straight shot down I-5.  How did Frazier and Charlotte end up in the boondocks?  2.  Where was the wedding taking place?  Ronnie and Martin went there on a date originally so it probably wasn't far from Seattle.  Again, they acted like it was the middle of nowhere (the vet and the wait for an ambulance).

[Ailianna]

The episode where  Frasier keeps trying to get with Tricia and can't, and leaves multiple parties to meet her, and then offers to drive her to Spokane--drives me crazy because he says it's 6 hours to Spokane from Seattle.  Wrong.  Worst case scenario it's only 4 1/2 hours.  It's like they couldn't even look at a map of the area when writing the show.  (One of the few nitpicks, but I grew up in that area, so stuff like that which is easy to check bugs me).

[camom]

Just watched one of my very favorite episodes -- "High Holidays."  From Martin being high (and Niles thinking he is) to Goth Frederick, to talking Eddie, the whole episode is golden.

[Camera One]

I'm still on my binge-watch of the earlier seasons for the first time, and I just finished Season 3.  It's still as funny as ever.  There are a few episodes where Frasier was pushing it as borderline unlikeable (eg. like the one where his obsession with the guy in the focus group who didn't like him resulted in him burning down the guy's newstand by accident).  I liked the Season 3 ender where we saw what happened when he first came to Seattle... it was quite touching to see how everyone had grown.  I remember how people used to say this show was the "smart" sitcom and it is in a lot of ways.  Their references to literature and the arts reminds me a little of the references to science in "The Big Bang Theory".  I hope I continue liking the show, since every series eventually hit a point where it becomes repetitive and stale.  I don't even remember when I started watching the show in its first run... I definitely watched the last season and maybe the one before?  I'm always a little annoyed when there is fighting between Frasier and Martin or when Frasier and Niles compete and go to extremes, but so far, there are still lots of laughs and the resolution is always worth the conflict.  It seems really daunting seeing that there were 11 full seasons of this show but the first three seasons really flew by.

Edited December 23, 2018 by Camera One

[ketose]

On 12/17/2018 at 8:43 PM, Ailianna said:

The episode where  Frasier keeps trying to get with Tricia and can't, and leaves multiple parties to meet her, and then offers to drive her to Spokane--drives me crazy because he says it's 6 hours to Spokane from Seattle.  Wrong.  Worst case scenario it's only 4 1/2 hours.  It's like they couldn't even look at a map of the area when writing the show.  (One of the few nitpicks, but I grew up in that area, so stuff like that which is easy to check bugs me).

One caveat I'd make is that GPS and Mapquest weren't available during most of the series run, so getting that information would be a little harder if someone doesn't know it firsthand.

[Ailianna]

Paper maps showing how far apart things are were available though.  Why be specific if you're not going to check?  Just say a few hours, and there's no nitpick.  Be specific, and I think you should check the facts.  :)

[DangerousMinds]

On 12/22/2018 at 9:51 PM, camom said:

Just watched one of my very favorite episodes -- "High Holidays."  From Martin being high (and Niles thinking he is) to Goth Frederick, to talking Eddie, the whole episode is golden.

My favorite! And Hallmark always skips it.😡

[chessiegal]

42 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

My favorite! And Hallmark always skips it.😡

Do you get Cozi? I don't think they skip any of them.

[shapeshifter]

5 HOURS AGO, CHESSIEGAL SAID:

6 HOURS AGO, DANGEROUSMINDS SAID:

ON DECEMBER 22, 2018 AT 8:51 PM, CAMOM SAID:

Just watched one of my very favorite episodes -- "High Holidays." From Martin being high (and Niles thinking he is) to Goth Frederick, to talking Eddie, the whole episode is golden.

My favorite! And Hallmark always skips it.😡

Do you get Cozi? I don't think they skip any of them.

I get COZI, but missed it, but it's on Hulu—which I currently get through my employer, but should probably set up through my daughter's instead, since it allows for multiple simultaneous users, and she is not going to force me to sign a retirement deal "not under duress."

Anyway, thanks for the recommendation. Marty thinking Eddie was talking was the best.

Edited December 29, 2018 by shapeshifter

[ketose]

20 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

My favorite! And Hallmark always skips it.😡

They also ruin Frasier Crane's Humongous Ass Contest in "Radio Wars."

[DangerousMinds]

5 hours ago, ketose said:

They also ruin Frasier Crane's Humongous Ass Contest in "Radio Wars."

Also one of my favorites.❤️

[Guest]

This topic replaces the old Frasier forum which has been vaulted at the location below:  http://forums.previously.tv/forum/406-frasier-v/

[chessiegal]

Cozi has started running Frasier for 3 hours from 7-10 pm ET.

[Camera One]

I'm still on my binge watch of the show.  I'm now midway through Season 4.  I didn't enjoy these last two episodes - "Four for the Seesaw" and "To Kill a Talking Bird".  I've always enjoyed him, but I found Niles really irritating with how he destroyed Frasier's chances at a relationship two episodes in a row, and not being very apologetic about it.  Hopefully, it's just middle of the season doldrums.  

[andromeda331]

37 minutes ago, Camera One said:

I'm still on my binge watch of the show.  I'm now midway through Season 4.  I didn't enjoy these last two episodes - "Four for the Seesaw" and "To Kill a Talking Bird".  I've always enjoyed him, but I found Niles really irritating with how he destroyed Frasier's chances at a relationship two episodes in a row, and not being very apologetic about it.  Hopefully, it's just middle of the season doldrums.  

He irritated me in those episodes too. If he had at least felt bad for ruining Frasier's chances twice that would have been something but he really isn't. But there's some really good episodes coming up.

[Camera One]

I just finished Season 4.  Frasier eating alone at the restaurant was hilarious, and very relatable.  It's difficult to go to a nice restaurant to eat alone.  

I was disappointed Niles chose to get back with Maris.  I really though the had made a breakthrough (especially after finding out he was painted out of all the artwork in the house) and it's beginning to feel like retread.  It's interesting how long they are dragging out Niles and Daphne.  

I had mixed feelings about Martin getting back together with Sherry.  She could be amusing but also annoying.  

[chessiegal]

Three Valentines is on Cozi tonight. My husband and I laugh until we have tears running down our faces every time we watch it. David Hyde Pierce is brilliant. How Eddie's trainer got him through that segment is impressive too.

[andromeda331]

19 hours ago, Camera One said:

I just finished Season 4.  Frasier eating alone at the restaurant was hilarious, and very relatable.  It's difficult to go to a nice restaurant to eat alone.  

I was disappointed Niles chose to get back with Maris.  I really though the had made a breakthrough (especially after finding out he was painted out of all the artwork in the house) and it's beginning to feel like retread.  It's interesting how long they are dragging out Niles and Daphne.  

I had mixed feelings about Martin getting back together with Sherry.  She could be amusing but also annoying.  

Me too. She was really annoying but I could see why Martin liked her. I did like him going off on Frasier and Niles about not liking Sherry and how he was always nice to who they dated and Frasier and Niles almost believed that until Frasier realized it was full of crap. 

30 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Three Valentines is on Cozi tonight. My husband and I laugh until we have tears running down our faces every time we watch it. David Hyde Pierce is brilliant. How Eddie's trainer got him through that segment is impressive too.

That is an awesome episode! It is so funny! And how it got worse and worse. 

[rubaco]

I just finished watching the new season of Grace and Frankie (hang on, there is a reason I'm telling you this!). It was like visiting with old friends, especially in regard to Frasier:  Millicent Martin (Daphne's mother) is a semi-regular; Marsha Mason (Sherry) makes an appearance; and my favorite surprise - Edward Hibbert (Gil) appears dressed in leather in a gay bar in one episode. I kept waiting to see Peri Gilpin or David Hyde Pierce show up. (Alas, neither did.)

[Camera One]

I'm close to the end of Season 5 already.  I was wondering if the actress who played Roz was pregnant.  I've been having mixed feelings about the storyline.  

The episode I disliked the most (even though some parts were hilarious) was Niles and Lilith.  I don't like how far they went with that.  It's not like I want to be reminded of it, but it was a huge thing but like the usual sitcom plot was forgotten by the next episode.

The "date" between Niles and Daphne in "First Date" was sweet.

I did realize I have watched a single episode of this season on reruns many many years ago.  It was "The Ski Lodge".  

[shapeshifter]

52 minutes ago, Camera One said:

  I was wondering if the actress who played Roz was pregnant. 

Nope