All Episodes Talk

[Annber03]

22 minutes ago, Egg McMuffin said:

This show cracks me up. Frasier, talking about his reaction to a bad high-school play review:

“You know, Dad, you would have sulked too if you read in the paper, ‘Mr Crane’s attempts to gyrate his hips as the teen idol in Bye Bye BIrdie made this reviewer say Bye Bye Breakfast.’’”

And then Niles chimes in with, "That review was a mash note compared to my first draft." XD. Ah, those two...

[Ms Blue Jay]

I know that the show is obviously very witty and clever but we noticed that the show does a lot of 'volley serves' or send ups.  Whatever you call it when the show throws in a line that is so obviously to set up a punchline for another person to say - and something that no one would ever say in real life.  It doesn't really bother my bro and I, but we do notice it and point it out for fun.

When I rewatch and find an example, I'll mention it, but it's usually for Frasier, and sometimes Niles, to get the "clever" retort.

I mean, obviously this example is really funny, but why the heck would Frasier be taking Frederick to a garlic festival??? 

Quote

Martin: Yeah, what you got planned?
Frasier: Oh gosh, everything from whale-watching to a trip to the garlic festival.

That was obviously a send up so that when Frederick appeared as a goth, Martin could say:  

Quote

Martin: Maybe you could move up that trip to the garlic festival.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

Then again, I've been to several 'festivals' like that as a child, for other foods, so what am I even saying.  That's not the best example, it's actually a pretty good send up.  (I cannot seem to add words under a quote box.)

Edited May 31, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[MisterGlass]

There actually are several garlic festivals (really) so I never saw that one coming.

[Gramto6]

OMG never heard the Gilroy Garlic festival has been cancelled! That was the historic garlic festival ever! It was epic! I will cry every time I cut/smash garlic.

[SmithW6079]

On 5/30/2022 at 11:21 AM, Athena said:

I watched the tail end of Cheers growing up and I found a lot of the characters a bit unpleasant compared to on Frasier.

I think that's because by the end of a show's run, the characters have been "Flanderized," so their original defining characteristics have been distilled down to one (e.g., Joey on "Friends" going from not the sharpest tool in the toolshed to being too stupid to know how to breathe).

Flanderization

[Egg McMuffin]

Cheers went on two or three seasons too long. In addition to the Flanderizaton of the characters (well put btw), they were really searching for new conflicts to exploit. The Sam/Diane relationship powered the first five seasons, and Sam working for Rebecca rejuvenated the show. But once they dumbed down Rebecca and had Sam regain control of the bar, they had nowhere to go. They tried to set up a new conflict with Melville’s annoying owner John Hill antagonizing Sam but that didn’t go anywhere.

[Annber03]

Saw a link to this over at the "Frasier" subreddit - apparently someone took clips from various more dramatic shows/movies that the cast have been in over the years and made a trailer imagining "Frasier" as a thriller. Enjoy:

I'd totally watch that, not gonna lie :D. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

LOL, how odd.

They definitely used clips from "The Perfect Host".  I don't know the others.

Not really related to that:

I saw Peri Gilpin in a Hallmark movie called "A Dash of Love".  It was nothing to write home about though.  

I like Hot in Cleveland that Jane Leeves is in - but that's another light sitcom, nothing thriller like there.

Edited June 29, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Annber03]

I'm guessing some of the clips of Kelsey are from that show "Boss" that he was in a number of years back. I've not seen that series, but I've heard of it - he played some ruthless, corrupt politician or something, I think. 

I have seen The Perfect Host, though. It's a very strange, wild little movie, but I liked it. It was Niles gone dark :p. 

I don't know what shows or movies the clips of the rest of the cast are from, either, but if anyone here does know, share away - maybe I can add some more things to my "to watch" list as a result :D. 

10 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Not really related to that:

I saw Peri Gilpin in a Hallmark movie called "A Dash of Love".  It was nothing to write home about though.  

I like Hot in Cleveland that Jane Leeves is in - but that's another light sitcom, nothing thriller like there.

"Hot in Cleveland" was a cute show :). They had some fun guest stars on there. 

I don't follow Hallmark movies, but of all the places to find Peri Gilpin...:p. I don't know why it surprises me that she's in one of those, but it does. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah she was kind of a villainous character too.  Imagine a much much lighter version of "The Devil Wears Prada", but it's a cooking romance.  She kinda played the Miranda Priestly character.

Oh!  Something else that's fun.  Kelsey Grammer starred with Martin Lawrence on a very short lived sitcom called "Partners".  I liked it!

My brother is a fan of "Greek" which stars one of Kelsey's daughters.  I saw another horrible Netflix movie starring another one of Kelsey's daughters: "Deadly Illusions".  It was soooooooo bad.  I do not recommend it.

Edited June 29, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

On YouTube the comments suggest Jane Leeves clips could be from "The Resident" and Gil Chesterton Clips could be from "The Prestige".  Apparently another Kelsey clip is from "Money Plane"?

Edited June 29, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[dargosmydaddy]

My favorite part is the brief clip of "Eddie" making a mad dash to freedom!

I'm also amused that the article about it linked on the PT homepage describes it as "spliced together clips from the original series"... clearly the writer never actually watched Frasier.

https://www.primetimer.com/news/frasier-sets-out-to-kill-niles-fan-made-reboot-trailer

[Ms Blue Jay]

LOL yeah, cuz Frasier and Niles are known gun nuts.  And when would Frasier have a knife at Niles's throat? 😄

[peacheslatour]

Quote

I have seen The Perfect Host, though. It's a very strange, wild little movie, but I liked it. It was Niles gone dark :p. 

I liked that movie right up until:

Spoiler

He turned out to be  a cop.

Talk about jumping the shark.

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

LOL yeah, cuz Frasier and Niles are known gun nuts.

Over at the subreddit, someone commented on the video with something to the effect of, "Well, I guess in this world Frasier's relaxed his rules about gunplay in his living room!" XD. 

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I liked that movie right up until:

  Hide contents

He turned out to be  a cop.

Talk about jumping the shark.

Fair point, yeah. I do seem to remember that the shift seemed rather abrupt towards the end. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

17 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Over at the subreddit, someone commented on the video with something to the effect of, "Well, I guess in this world Frasier's relaxed his rules about gunplay in his living room!" XD. 

I remember that Frasier goes duck hunting with his Dad in "Decoys".  But maybe he was just using the duck caller rather than a gun.

[Annber03]

5 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I remember that Frasier goes duck hunting with his Dad in "Decoys".  But maybe he was just using the duck caller rather than a gun.

Yeah, he complained the whole time about having to go hunting and Martin basically dragged him into it. You're right, though, yeah, I don't recall him ever shooting anything, either. 

There was also that one episode where Niles goes to the gun range with Martin and winds up hitting it off with that group of guys he meets there...until he realizes they're part of a militia group. 

[Katy M]

21 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

LOL yeah, cuz Frasier and Niles are known gun nuts.  And when would Frasier have a knife at Niles's throat? 😄

Obviously during one of the many times Niles insulted his radio show.

[ljenkins782]

On 5/29/2022 at 5:29 PM, Annber03 said:

 I imagine it would be very hard to throw oneself back into the dating pool after multiple divorces and being left at the altar - that fear that you might screw things up yet again, and all that, it would be very scary, for sure. So on that level I get why he struggled sometimes relationship-wise. But yes, much of the time, a lot of the reason his relationships ended was because he spent WAY too much time in his head and overanalyzing things and always trying to look for "the one" instead of just enjoying each relationship as it came and seeing where it took him/them. 

Personally, I like that they went this direction with his character. It was true to form for him, he could never let anything go (like that one guy who didn't like him in the focus group, his obsession with finding out how his doctor died, etc) and since this is a TV show, it was kind of important not to add a full-time partner for him as this would change the cast dynamic so significantly.

They had Niles and Daphne as the will they/won't they trope so famously popularized by Sam and Diane and that too many sitcoms have used, to mostly the same effect in the end (the show not being quite as good after they get together).  I'm glad they didn't go that route with Frasier and anyone. Roz probably would've been the target, but they work so much better as friends.

So with them keeping Frasier single, and occasionally desperate, it opened up so many avenues to new characters and funny moments. Wonderful as Lilith was as a character, having her around full-time would have its limitations in story arcs. And it felt natural, even though I imagine a wealthy celebrity would have his pick of potential partners, his neuroses constantly derailing his prospects made sense. And frankly, is probably a bit true-to-life, as Kelsey Grammar has a pretty messy personal life.

[Annber03]

Oh, yeah, I fully agree with you that storywise and comedy-wise, his obsessiveness and constant overanalyzing worked and really helped make the show. That was  a big part of, if not the main reason for, what made Frasier such a great character - yeah, on the one hand, we got as exasperated with Frasier as the other characters did when those traits came out in full force, but we also liked him either in spite of those traits, or even because of them. Because hell, I think we've all had moments where we can relate to Frasier on some level, and have had our own moments of obsessing or overanalyzing or whatever when we really didn't need to. Plus, having that side of him made the moments when we got to see his caring, compassionate, thoughtful side all the more meaningful and important, and made his relationships with the other characters that much deeper and special. 

That whole post was mainly just me trying to do my own analysis (see? Just like Frasier :p) of one of the big reasons why his relationships often seemed doomed to fail, but yeah, in and of itself, him dating around was fine with me, too. Both for the reasons you note and because if you're single, why not enjoy yourself like that if you so wish, right? Plus, like stated before, he's been divorced twice and left at the altar. Yes, he wanted to find the one that he could actually spend the rest of his life with, but I also certainly don't blame him for letting his fears and insecurities get the better of him, too, in some of his relationships. 

[Egg McMuffin]

I think Frasier being married or with a long-term partner is different show than what we got. Now, for the revival - if it ever happens - Frasier being remarried could open up some story potential.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I didn't need him to be married, but it would have been nice to see him with one partner for awhile.  It wasn't "Seinfeld" with the motto of no hugging, no learning.  Frasier was supposed to be classy and smart.  So him being this Lothario was pretty eye-rolling and it makes the women on the show seem so disposable.  I don't see what would be so terrible about Frasier having 1 or 2 long term relationships in a span of 11 years.  Even Chandler Bing, the man most afraid of commitment on television at the time, had a solid 4 year relationship on the show and got married.  And Frasier was so much older than those examples.

Edited July 1, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[peacheslatour]

On 6/29/2022 at 4:02 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

I remember that Frasier goes duck hunting with his Dad in "Decoys".  But maybe he was just using the duck caller rather than a gun.

Didn't they shoot some holes in that dead seal to get it to sink? Oh wait, they just stabbed it didn't they?

[Annber03]

3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Didn't they shoot some holes in that dead seal to get it to sink? Oh wait, they just stabbed it didn't they?

Correct. And they also put a peignoir on it :p. 

[andromeda331]

8 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I didn't need him to be married, but it would have been nice to see him with one partner for awhile.  It wasn't "Seinfeld" with the motto of no hugging, no learning.  Frasier was supposed to be classy and smart.  So him being this Lothario was pretty eye-rolling and it makes the women on the show seem so disposable.  I don't see what would be so terrible about Frasier having 1 or 2 long term relationships in a span of 11 years.  Even Chandler Bing, the man most afraid of commitment on television at the time, had a solid 4 year relationship on the show and got married.  And Frasier was so much older than those examples.

That's what I want to see. Whether it was a few months or a year we never got to see Frasier in a long term relationship. The rest of the family got that. 

7 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Didn't they shoot some holes in that dead seal to get it to sink? Oh wait, they just stabbed it didn't they?

That was so hilarious!

[Gramto6]

20 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

That was so hilarious!

20 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

4 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Correct. And they also put a peignoir on it :p. 

That was so hilarious!

It was and then the neighbor accused him of killing Maris!

Sorry I know quotes are messed up....my brain had a really bad day yesterday and has not recovered...

Edited July 2, 2022 by Gramto6
added on to post

[Ms Blue Jay]

It was supposed to be like Rear Window, right?  Somebody thinks they're witnessing Niles murder his own wife.  They did almost the exact same thing on the Simpsons with Ned Flanders and his wife too!

[andromeda331]

18 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

It was supposed to be like Rear Window, right?  Somebody thinks they're witnessing Niles murder his own wife.  They did almost the exact same thing on the Simpsons with Ned Flanders and his wife too!

Well, you wouldn't think he'd be doing all of that to dead seal wearing a peignoir.

[jird]

So, I was minding my own business watching the Flowers in the Attic prequel (as a Gen X female, I assume I'm required by law to watch it), and who should pop up in the middle of this crazy dumpster fire but Kelsey Grammer??

Edited July 11, 2022 by jird

[voiceover]

Hooray for “Ham Radio”, which is in my Top Five, mostly because it has my favorite line of the series:

Niles: “Could the McAllister sisters stand back-to-back, I’m short on bullets.”

I just pee laughing.  Every. Single. Time.

[stonehaven]

Thank You!

[andromeda331]

On 7/28/2022 at 1:05 AM, voiceover said:

Hooray for “Ham Radio”, which is in my Top Five, mostly because it has my favorite line of the series:

Niles: “Could the McAllister sisters stand back-to-back, I’m short on bullets.”

I just pee laughing.  Every. Single. Time.

That's one of my top five favorites too. It was so hilarious. Martin who was listening to it with Daphne was wishing it was on TV. 

[the-grey-lady]

On 7/29/2022 at 1:34 AM, andromeda331 said:

That's one of my top five favorites too. It was so hilarious. Martin who was listening to it with Daphne was wishing it was on TV. 

Gill's "boyhood in Surrey" speech might be my favorite running gag on the show. Ever.

[Annber03]

I love when Gil keeps trying to find other ways to sneak into the story. "Hi-ho, I'm the ice cream man..." 

[andromeda331]

2 hours ago, the-grey-lady said:

Gill's "boyhood in Surrey" speech might be my favorite running gag on the show. Ever.

16 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I love when Gil keeps trying to find other ways to sneak into the story. "Hi-ho, I'm the ice cream man..." 

I loved that he kept trying. It made it so much more funny. I wish he got to complete it. I really wanted to hear the rest of it.

[the-grey-lady]

7 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I loved that he kept trying. It made it so much more funny. I wish he got to complete it. I really wanted to hear the rest of it.

"Only grazed me. When the twilight bathed the hedgerows like a..."

"The next shot blew his head clean off!"

[Annber03]

"And so died the last surviving member of the Fairservice family!" 

[voiceover]

Let us now sing the praises of “Frasier Crane’s Day Off”.  IMO, the best ep of Season One: Niles fills in for his brother, who’s very ill with ‘flu.  

It’s all a hoot!  From the younger Crane’s unexpected brilliance as the substitute  host (“Can ya say it, Howard?? Can ya say it???”), to a hopped-up Frasier trying to take his job back (“You’re on Crane with Frasier air!”), to Mary Tyler Moore’s on-air caller, tremulously complaining about her boss!  Plus the delightfully unctuous way Gil oozes out that “Dr Crane is sick with the floooooooo…”

Edited September 2, 2022 by voiceover
where’s autocorrect when I need it

[Annber03]

"Bravo, Frasier, for so brilliantly demonstrating why they call it 'dope'..." XD. 

I also find it interesting how Frasier very nearly blows Niles' secret of his crush on Daphne. "I know about the two of you! Oh, you pretend not to know, but you know...!" Seems his being hopped up on medication puts him at a lot bigger risk of spilling very important secrets like that :p. 

Edited September 2, 2022 by Annber03

[Ms Blue Jay]

9 hours ago, voiceover said:

Let us now sing the praises of “Frasier Crane’s Day Off”.  IMO, the best ep of Season One: Niles fills in for his brother, who’s very ill with ‘flu.  

I think I could watch this episode 1000 times and it would still make me laugh.  It's definitely in my top 10.  It's so brilliant.  Kelsey is incredible.  And I love love love Niles and Roz in it too.  Everything about this episode is so good and funny.  Definitely the apex of Season 1 without question.

Even Daphne, who I normally get nothing out of, screaming "HE SAID IT, HE SAID IT" and then Frasier saying "The bastard is scintillating!" or something hahahahahhaa.

The absolute FUNNIEST thing is Frasier asking Daphne for the ginger ale.  The way he rolls his head around the bed lazily asking for the special straw or whatever.  Oh my god it makes me laugh just thinking about it.

Edited September 2, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[voiceover]

5 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

The absolute FUNNIEST thing is Frasier asking Daphne for the ginger ale.  The way he rolls his head around the bed lazily asking for the special straw or whatever.  

The “bendy straw”!!!  That should totally be an answer in any Frasier trivia contest.

I forgot my favorite Frasier rant last time: he’s getting dressed to go back to work, Daphne’s trying to persuade him to stay, and he snarks back that he’ll listen to *her advice on anything as soon as England gets (IIRC) “a world-class chef, a decent bottle of wine, and a car with a working electrical system!”

Paraphrased, but it’s a rant I’d fling back onto my British ex when I wanted to really piss him off 🤣

[Annber03]

8 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I think I could watch this episode 1000 times and it would still make me laugh.  It's definitely in my top 10.  It's so brilliant.  Kelsey is incredible.  And I love love love Niles and Roz in it too.  Everything about this episode is so good and funny.  Definitely the apex of Season 1 without question.

Even Daphne, who I normally get nothing out of, screaming "HE SAID IT, HE SAID IT" and then Frasier saying "The bastard is scintillating!" or something hahahahahhaa.

I love how increasingly exasperated Daphne gets with every one of Frasier's demands. Especially when she's being all faux-sweet and telling him shell get him anything he wants, listing off all sorts of stuff like straws or tissues or whatever...

...and then, as she's leaving, she mutters, "Acupuncture needles where you least expect them...".

And then there's Martin going through a whole bunch of disgusting stories as he tries to pinpoint a moment when he himself was the sickest he 'd ever been. 

As for Niles, isn't this the episode where Bulldog asks Niles how he feels after doing the show, and Niles says something like, "Like I'm walking away from my lamppost and counting the bills in my garter belt." :p?

2 hours ago, voiceover said:

I forgot my favorite Frasier rant last time: he’s getting dressed to go back to work, Daphne’s trying to persuade him to stay, and he snarks back that he’ll listen to *her advice on anything as soon as England gets (IIRC) “a world-class chef, a decent bottle of wine, and a car with a working electrical system!”

Paraphrased, but it’s a rant I’d fling back onto my British ex when I wanted to really piss him off 🤣

My favorite thing about that scene is how, after Frasier goes off on that rant, you hear someone in the audience laugh especially loud, in a, "Tell 'em, Frasier!" sort of way :D. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I actually hate Martin talking about how sick he gets.  LOL.  It's too vivid.  It's so gross. Poor Frasier.

But yeah, that's such a funny episode and is that also the one where Daphne finally screams "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat" at Frasier after he asks for one final thing.

I also really like "Author Author" I can't forget if it airs right before or after this one, but "Frasier Crane's Day Off" is even better.  Whenever I'm doing my rewatch, these are two of my favourite S1 episodes.

Roz also has that line "Captain Kirk's got control of the bridge and he's gone insane."

I also just love Niles's facial expressions with the "illustrating why they call it dope" line and when the people take Frasier away and Niles' eyes are just tracing what's happening but maintaining calm on the radio.  LOL.

Anytime you see Niles running around frantically and his hair is flapping around like 2 wings is so funny.

Edited September 3, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 9/2/2022 at 11:28 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Even Daphne, who I normally get nothing out of, screaming "HE SAID IT, HE SAID IT" and then Frasier saying "The bastard is scintillating!" or something hahahahahhaa.

Quoting myself, I looked up the line and I think it's "The little rat is scintillating!"

Everything about Frasier and Niles's rivalry here is so brilliant. 

- Niles thinking so lowly of Frasier and Frasier thinking Niles is jealous.
- Frasier knowing exactly how to get Niles to sub for him, and Niles recognizing the trick but being unable to resist anyway
- Niles ending up being so good at the job and Frasier realizing that even though he thought he'd be awful

LOL.  It's so good.  I would assume that that's the first episode where Roz and Niles realize their weird chemistry?  "Let's get better."  

Oh, also, one of the best Niles lines:  "While my brother is a Freudian, I am a Jungian, so there'll be no blaming mother today."  I can hear my brother and I cackling at that every time.

Edited September 4, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

- Niles thinking so lowly of Frasier and Frasier thinking Niles is jealous.
- Frasier knowing exactly how to get Niles to sub for him, and Niles recognizing the trick but being able to resist anyway
- Niles ending up being so good at the job and Frasier realizing that even though he thought he'd be awful

And Niles comes over with a cloth over his mouth and that smelly thing that will supposedly help Frasier's cold. That part of the episode sure hits a little different now we've actually lived through this pandemic - Niles was ahead of his time!

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I also really like "Author Author" 

That is one of my favorite episodes :D. It captures the competitive relationship between Frasier and Niles so perfectly. And it has one of Niles' best zingers, after he and Frasier hear that woman share her story bout her siblings shaving their heads in solidarity with her after a bad hairdo had made her lose her own hair:

Frasier: "Niles, I would shave my head for you."

Niles: "A gesture which becomes less significant with each passing year." 

Edited September 3, 2022 by Annber03

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, that's one of those Frasier volleys I was talking about.  Come on.  Is Frasier really that un-self-aware that he would set Niles up like that?

7 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

And Niles comes over with a cloth over his mouth and that smelly thing that will supposedly help Frasier's cold. That part of the episode sure hits a little different now we've actually lived through this pandemic - Niles was ahead of his time!

Oh I know.  I can't stand how Frasier says "Take that handkerchief away, this isn't the plague!"  Frasier, you're a doctor!  You went to medical school!  How are the flu and the cold not contagious?????  It's really just about Frasier's vanity and insecurity.  And I can't believe Niles caved.

Edited September 3, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[ljenkins782]

13 hours ago, Annber03 said:

And Niles comes over with a cloth over his mouth and that smelly thing that will supposedly help Frasier's cold. That part of the episode sure hits a little different now we've actually lived through this pandemic - Niles was ahead of his time!

That is one of my favorite episodes :D. It captures the competitive relationship between Frasier and Niles so perfectly. And it has one of Niles' best zingers, after he and Frasier hear that woman share her story bout her siblings shaving their heads in solidarity with her after a bad hairdo had made her lose her own hair:

Frasier: "Niles, I would shave my head for you."

Niles: "A gesture which becomes less significant with each passing year." 

David Hyde Pierce delivered those muttered zingers so perfectly.

Frasier Crane's Day Off is a fantastic episode, but so many S1 episodes were stellar. This show definitely came out firing out of the gate.

My personal favorites from S1 and Travels with Martin and Dinner at 8, but Frasier Crane's Day Off is right up there with them.

Travels with Martin has so many great lines and moments, there isn't even room to quote them all:

"This was his dream trip he was going to take with Mom" "Yeah, but she lucked out and died" "Every time I see one [a winnebago], I look into the driver's eyes to see why in God's name he would ever want to do something like this. All I see is a blank stare under a hat made out of Miller Lite cans" (DHP's distasteful pronouncement of "Miller Lite" is the best of part of this line). "What is the purpose of your trip to Canada, sir?" "[miserably deadpan voice] FUN." 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Along with "Frasier Crane's Day Off" and "Author Author", my other Season 1 favourite is "Can't Buy Me Love", even though Kristina does really make me mad at the end.

[Annber03]

11 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

"This was his dream trip he was going to take with Mom" "Yeah, but she lucked out and died" 

There's a similar line like that in "Author, Author" - Martin's trying so desperately to remember the name of the lake the family went to when Frasier and Niles were kids, and at one point he goes, "Your mother would know, it's too bad she's dead...". 

(I love the title card for that scene, too. "It was probably Lake Smith.")

If I recall rightly, that's the same episode where Frasier recalls a time when he was a kid and he and Martin were driving to...Spokane, I think it was, and he said that the only thing Martin said to him the entire ride was, 'I think we have a problem with your brother Frasier." :p. 

As for favorite episodes from the first season, "A Midwinter Night's Dream" will always be a personal favorite of mine :). The Niles/Daphne of it all is just so great, but I love all the little details, too - the "Heathcliff" reference, the "glockenspiel has sprung to life!" line, Daphne mangling Niles' story about what makes his relationship with Maris so special ("And how they laugh at white people!")...

...and the whole thing of Niles showing up at Frasier's in the middle of the night, dressed as a pirate XD. I don't care how many times I see that scene, it never fails to make me laugh.