All Episodes Talk

[Bort]

But there's Cassandra! Who doesn't even need to use a sentence! That might be my mad girl-crush on Virginia Madsen talking, though.

Watch Madsen in season 1 of Witches of East End, that'll cure you. I have never seen such horrible acting from her, I don't know what happened there. I guess she's not good at working a cheesy script.

[Maherjunkie]

I wanted to see Martin with Mrs. Woldadubakowski.  Or see more of the woman with the telescope.

[mansonlamps]

I wanted to see Martin with Mrs. Woldadubakowski.  Or see more of the woman with the telescope.

Lol you must be drunk because isn't it Wojadubikowski?

[Maherjunkie]

Forgive me Manson my Polish isn't what it used to be.

[ByTor]

I'll do you one better.  I HATE the ironing board scene.  I find it annoying and not at all funny.

I'll do better than all of you...I HATE the much loved Flour Child and Ham Radio.  Neither of those episodes made me even crack a smile.

[rubaco]

In Ken Levine's blog today, "guest blogger" David Hyde Pierce gives the details on the fencing scene in "An Affair to Forget."

 

http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2014/10/david-hyde-pierce-guest-blogger.html

[Lois Sandborne]

"So, theoretically I could challenge myself to a duel and lose."

 

It's a giant testament to David that I can see this.

 

In other news, this past weekend I was tea-dying some white fabric, and I had to go back to it every so often to check the shade.  All day I kept thinking, "tofu, putty, oatmeal, almond, harvest wheat, buff ..." Going by this graphic, I think I ended up somewhere around oatmeal.

[Maherjunkie]

Looks like you were mixing foundation/concealer.

[ari333]

I'll do better than all of you...I HATE the much loved Flour Child and Ham Radio.  Neither of those episodes made me even crack a smile.

 

Oh, holy crap on a cracker! Were we separated at birth? I do not enjoy flour child. (ducks flying veggies.) I don't outright hate it, but I don't save it on the DVR or go out of my way to watch it.

 

Finally  So I'm not the only one.. so that proves I'm not cray heh

[Ouisch]

Some fun Frasier facts via Mental Floss.

[merylinkid]

Love Kirstie Alley's self-importance and the producers reaction.   Never liked her as an actress.    I thought Rebecca Howe was a terrible character and Alley acted her poorly.

[Miss Chevious]

Two really good episodes - The Matchmaker and Moondance. Loved those two!

[HappyDancex2]

Some fun Frasier facts via Mental Floss.

Fascinating! I cannot imagine Perez as daphne but I loved her cameo later. And WTH with Kirstie alley??? The precall was too funny. I had no idea she was such a blowhard.

[BookThief]

Some fun Frasier facts via Mental Floss.

#16 made me tear up a bit!

[Trini]

Some fun Frasier facts via Mental Floss.

Now I really want to see the Rosie Perez version of this show!

 

-------

I have a question: an episode I hadn't seen before aired on Hallmark, the one where Martin starts working as a security guard. The episode has flashbacks to the day Martin got shot. Niles is in the flashbacks too, and looks younger (his hair looks really different, at least). So did they use some unused Season 1 scenes for the flashbacks, or did they put a wig on David Hyde Pierce?

[Athena]

I have a question: an episode I hadn't seen before aired on Hallmark, the one where Martin starts working as a security guard. The episode has flashbacks to the day Martin got shot. Niles is in the flashbacks too, and looks younger (his hair looks really different, at least). So did they use some unused Season 1 scenes for the flashbacks, or did they put a wig on David Hyde Pierce?

 

The latter. This was a great episode as the show could revisit Martin's distant relationship with Niles (and also by extension) Frasier before he moved in. It shows a lot of how things have changed and developed for the better. My absolute favourite moment of this episode though is the ending when Martin goes to work and kisses both his boys goodbye.

[Trini]

Ah, thanks!

[Maherjunkie]

Does anyone else find Daphne annoying, especially after she marries Niles?  She seems to lose all her humor.

[msani19]

 

Does anyone else find Daphne annoying, especially after she marries Niles?  She seems to lose all her humor.

Yes! I just wasn't a fan of Nile and Daphne as a couple, never believable to me and I didn't see it. Storyline wise I get why it happened but I hated it. Niles I enjoy separately and with Frasier/Martin and Roz. Daphne I enjoy separately and with Frasier/Martin and Roz...sense a theme there, lol! Niles AND Daphne? Just no (for me at least).

[mansonlamps]

Yes! I just wasn't a fan of Nile and Daphne as a couple, never believable to me and I didn't see it. Storyline wise I get why it happened but I hated it. Niles I enjoy separately and with Frasier/Martin and Roz. Daphne I enjoy separately and with Frasier/Martin and Roz...sense a theme there, lol! Niles AND Daphne? Just no (for me at least).

Yes there are plenty of times Daphne gets on my nerves, most of them being after she and Niles get together. One prior to that is when they invite Mel to a "get to know her" brunch and Daphne gets drunk and obnoxious. Don't like either her or Roz in that episode actually.

[Maherjunkie]

I liked them putting Mel in her place.  They sensed a shrew on the loose.

[ketose]

My take is that it got too tied up in these ridiculous farces. If Niles had actually asked Daphne out on the multiple occasions he considered it, they might have been able to write a more natural progression. Plot contrivances kept them apart, some good, some bad. Then there was Jane Leeves' pregnancy, which would have been great if they hadn't delayed getting together so long. They might have been able to throw in a short break up. Don't even get me started on Daphne's mum, who dragged down a dozen episodes for me.

 

I never quite understood Mel, except that maybe they wanted a Maris who wasn't subject to being unseen by the viewers.

[Maherjunkie]

Couldn't stand the mum or Simon.  Shut up and get out!  is what I think when I see them.

[ByTor]

Does anyone else find Daphne annoying, especially after she marries Niles?  She seems to lose all her humor.

YES!  She annoyed me from her 1st appearance.

[dustylil]

An early episode that bothered me when it first aired years ago and continues to do so was recently shown in the Canadian syndication.  Frasier has participated in a bachelor auction and has been purchased by an attractive woman, a model by profession, who was a great fan of his show. They were set to have dinner together but she is called away for a last-minute modelling gig. Rather than postpone their date she decided to ask Frasier to  take care of her annoyed twelve year old daughter for a few hours until the regular babysitter could take over.

I recall thinking at the time  - who leaves her child with a man she has just met and the young girl does not know at all. Particularly a child who was already angry (at not being allowed to stay home by herself) and was prone to make up nasty stories about the adults in her life and how they treated her. She proceeded to regale Frasier with many of them. When the assignment is complete, the woman returned to collect the daughter to take her to meet up with the babysitter. Frasier was angry and gave the mother a piece of his mind. The mother disabused the irate and gullible Frasier about the lies but it was clear there would no further dates for the two of them.

The girl and mother then left the apartment. We saw no evidence of the girl being punished or rebuked. Or of her seeing the error of her ways and promising never to do it again.

It was  easy to imagine her continuing this practice and  perhaps telling similar tall tales about the couple of hours she spent with Frasier.

The whole storyline seemed to be not well thought out.

[mansonlamps]

Well maybe the daughter should have been punished but to me the worst behavior was definitely exhibited by the mom who not only took advantage of Frasier, but also left her young daughter with an unknown male, then acted all put upon when Frasier called her out on her behavior. This is one of the worst episodes IMO, I never rewatch it.

[dustylil]

I agree mansonlamps, the behaviour of the mother was egregious (and Frasier was clearly an idiot). However, I should have been clearer in my post. Whether or not the young girl was punished, there was nothing given to the viewers to suggest that she  regretted her conduct or would alter it in any way. If she was angry or bored, there was little to prevent her from making  a public figure like Frasier the victim of her malicious tale-telling.

[ketose]

I think that episode was one in a long line of <insert name here> outsmarts Frasier. They had to construct a scenario where Frasier was left with a kid and was then outsmarted by her even though he is supposedly a great psychiatrist. The set up was weak and the execution was painful. I prefer to watch the bachelor auction parts, like when Bulldog can't get any takers.

[mansonlamps]

I also hate when they have Daphne droning on and on in certain episodes where it seems like she has half the dialog and she's usually preaching something at Niles the whole time. A couple of examples are Moon Dance and the DaPhylllis episode. Even though I like Moon dance for the most part I want to poke knitting needles in my ears by the end to shut out Daphne's endless monologues. And she's so out of line and Niles is such an idiot in the DaPhyllis one that it's another that I never rewatch. The one where Daphne fights with Sherry and ends up almost sleeping at Niles apartment is another similar episode. Shut up, Daphne.

[Maherjunkie]

I love DaPhyllis.  "They never proved a thing.."

[camom]

I skip any episode that has BeBe the agent in it.  That woman gets on my last nerve.

[Maherjunkie]

I loved Bebe!  Just think, if "Mind your knickers" had a Facts of Life lifespan, we might not have ever seen Daphne.

[Kev]

I love the episodes with Bebe in them. Especially the one where she's trying to quit smoking. 

[Maherjunkie]

Yes puddinn'!  I love her Truman Capote meets Katherine Hepburn voice.

[ari333]

Bebe the agent and Lilith are some of my all time faves .....saved on the dvr.

[dustylil]

I too love the Bebe and Lillith episodes.

 

I have an admittedly nitpicky question about the series which I confess to only watching in fits and starts over the years. I recently saw the episode where Martin finally solves the murder case that had been troubling him since his days on the police force. Towards the end of episode the cast was making assorted simian jokes because of one of the suspects. Frasier then refers to Inherit the Wind, describing it as a Pulitzer Prize winning novel about the Scopes monkey trial. However, the work was neither a novel nor did it win the Pulitzer, but initially  a Broadway play and later a well-regarded film. Given how much both Frasier and Niles prided themselves on their cultural superiority, I was surprised by the error. Were such mistakes fairly common occurrences or did I just catch them on an off-day?

 

[Maherjunkie]

I would bet it was an off day.

[Dandesun]

I actually like Niles and Daphne together just not the first season that they are. All of the clean up with Mel and Donnie (mostly Mel) and then Jane going on maternity leave... I think the next season started in with them settling into the pairing better. It's like they couldn't quite get Niles out of the 'hen-pecked, insecure' role and I liked it a lot better when he stood up for himself more. Or was at least more secure in the relationship and himself that he wasn't the mess he was with Maris.

 

As much as I couldn't stand Daphne's mother (or Simon for that matter) I did like that they allowed Niles to be completely aware of how manipulative she was. I liked that he so strongly disapproved of how she treated Daphne but also seemed to recognize that Daphne's issues with her mother were her issues to deal with. I'm glad that they sent her off to a nearby apartment never to be seen again.

 

As for Simon... I still get annoyed with Marty for enabling Simon to run rampant through Frasier's house unchecked.

[Maherjunkie]

I'd need an ocean to separate from those two.

[greenbean]

I really didn't like Daphne's family, and like others I preferred her and Niles separately.

 

One of my favourite moments is from Out With Dad, when Niles dumps Marty. Marty's reaction cracks me up every time.

Edited August 2, 2015 by greenbean

[mansonlamps]

 

One of my favourite moments is from Out With Dad, when Niles dumps Marty. Marty's reaction cracks me up every time.

There are so many great moments in Out With Dad, but I particularly like when Niles comes in and has to go with the flow of being introduced as Martin's boyfriend. DHP's expressions are absolutely priceless.

Low point of the episode is Marg Helgenberger's performance, it's just awful IMO. And I have no problem with her in general, just in this ep of Frasier.

[ari333]

I'd go with off day .....someone snoozing. ;) good catch though!

I too love the Bebe and Lillith episodes.

 

I have an admittedly nitpicky question about the series which I confess to only watching in fits and starts over the years. I recently saw the episode where Martin finally solves the murder case that had been troubling him since his days on the police force. Towards the end of episode the cast was making assorted simian jokes because of one of the suspects. Frasier then refers to Inherit the Wind, describing it as a Pulitzer Prize winning novel about the Scopes monkey trial. However, the work was neither a novel nor did it win the Pulitzer, but initially  a Broadway play and later a well-regarded film. Given how much both Frasier and Niles prided themselves on their cultural superiority, I was surprised by the error. Were such mistakes fairly common occurrences or did I just catch them on an off-day?

I too love the Bebe and Lillith episodes.

 

I have an admittedly nitpicky question about the series which I confess to only watching in fits and starts over the years. I recently saw the episode where Martin finally solves the murder case that had been troubling him since his days on the police force. Towards the end of episode the cast was making assorted simian jokes because of one of the suspects. Frasier then refers to Inherit the Wind, describing it as a Pulitzer Prize winning novel about the Scopes monkey trial. However, the work was neither a novel nor did it win the Pulitzer, but initially  a Broadway play and later a well-regarded film. Given how much both Frasier and Niles prided themselves on their cultural superiority, I was surprised by the error. Were such mistakes fairly common occurrences or did I just catch them on an off-day?

[mansonlamps]

But Frasier did it so well! "That dingo's got your baby."

Different strokes and all that but I hated that line reading from Daphne and I thought the whole (over) use of that particular quote was much better used on Seinfeld when Elaine says it completely out of the blue at a party to get out of chatting with a stranger.

[ketose]

Hallmark has been showing the episodes with Mary, whom I truly despise. She's written to be annoying, but in theory she's supposed to be really popular with radio listeners. She doesn't convey that to me.

[mansonlamps]

Hallmark has been showing the episodes with Mary, whom I truly despise. She's written to be annoying, but in theory she's supposed to be really popular with radio listeners. She doesn't convey that to me.

I liked the first Mary episode a lot better on rewatch than I remembered, but can see how she would rub people the wrong way. You'll be happy to know, if you didn't remember, that in a later episode Frasier refers to Mary as one of those radio personalities that came and went indicating that her show didn't last too long.

[ByTor]

And she's so out of line and Niles is such an idiot in the DaPhyllis one that it's another that I never rewatch. [snip] Shut up, Daphne.

I just rewatched "DaPhyllis" the other night, and "shut up Daphne, just LEAVE!" almost involuntarily came out of my mouth. I always found Daphne to be a fairly mean spirited character, though.

[Maherjunkie]

Where do you get mean from?  Annoying yes.

[ByTor]

Where do you get mean from?  Annoying yes.

She just always had this air about her that she seemed to take pleasure when something went wrong with Frasier. For example, I thought the way she laughed at Frasier's "Buttons & Bows" song was mean, and I hated the way she behaved when she didn't like Frasier going to "her" pub.

[Maherjunkie]

Yes, now that you mention it, though they could all be that way.  I just thought she was a nosy parker.

[mansonlamps]

Yeah I always thought both Martin and Daphne took a little too much pleasure in Frasier's woes. Another good example is the Carlos and the Chicken episode.