Frasier (1993) s05e23 – Party, Party

Despite last episode’s big changes for at least one of the characters (not to mention a party plot line), this episode does the same thing. Well, not big changes for anyone, just another party plot. This time it’s Kelsey Grammer’s birthday and he’s stuck trying to get out of two parties so he can go on a date with Lisa Waltz before she leaves town for a month.

One of the parties has David Hyde Pierce trying to impress his new girlfriend, Marcia Mitzman Gaven (Gaven lives in Grammer’s building, which allows Grammer to go up and down the elevators between parties), and Grammer tagging along so they can get into some elite club. As they’re wont to do, amusing complications ensue.

The other party is the birthday party. There are a bunch of people from work (including Dan Butler and Patrick Kerr) and Grammer’s constant attempts to blow everyone off again lead to complications. There’s a particularly good sequence where they’re playing charades and Grammer gets stuck with John Mahoney and Butler and, well, they’re not the best guessers.

The episode’s setup—Grammer missing dates with Waltz—establishes that plot line as the main, with everything Grammer ends up doing to get out of the parties tied to it. But there’s not much meat to the plot; David Lloyd has writer credit on the episode and the entire setup is a protracted, then delayed setup for a punchline in the finale. The episode’s excellent moments come from the incidentals at the party, particularly Hyde Pierce’s subplot with Gaven; there’s no plot running through the birthday party other than Grammer trying to get away. The final punchline is good, but it’s nowhere near as good as anything else in the episode. It’s like they came up with the setup, came up with the finish, then worked harder on everything connecting them.

It’s all very competent—with good direction from Jeff Melman—but not very exciting. It’s one of those episodes centered around Grammer and unable to make him particularly interesting. Tends to happen with the ones where the object of his affection doesn’t really factor into the plot.

There’s a really nice credits sequence for Hyde Pierce and fellow party guest James Harper, who’s got some highlights through the episode and after the somewhat pat punchline, it’s a nice reminder of the higher points.

Party, Party is good but a rote good.

Frasier (1993) s05e22 – The Life of the Party

This episode’s a very pleasant surprise and not just because it’s the return to form for director Jeff Melman. The story takes a big shift in the middle and it all comes together very nicely in the end, particularly for Peri Gilpin and Kesley Grammer, but everyone gets a great showcase.

Suzanne Martin and Jeffrey Richman share the writing credit; it stands out as neither regularly shares writing credit with another writer. It opens as a somewhat traditional—albeit funny—Crane boys griping about their love lives, with Grammer and David Hyde Pierce relating their tales of dating woes to one another until John Mahoney tells them to stop whining and throw a singles mixer. Contributing to their exasperation at their lack of lady luck is Leeves having successfully met a nice man–it doesn’t bother Hyde Pierce, which seems odd, and then when they do throw the party, Leeves is off on her date (to a bat mitzvah). She’s not exactly missed at the party, but she is missing.

Grammer and Hyde Pierce are busy having a brotherly competition for the attention of one party guest—Claire Yarlett—while Mahoney tries setting them up with other female guests (since everyone there is single). Gilpin’s got some good material trying to flirt while pregnant and then Mahoney’s got a great subplot about his hair dye leaving stains everywhere. It’s a lot of funny all in a row; the script rattles off jokes continually, not taking a break until the big plot development.

There’s still humor post-big development (including a return to the continual joke rattle) but there’s also a lot of heart to it. The episode finds a wonderful balance between the party and the resolution, getting a lot of laughs while also letting Grammer and Gilpin exercise more dramatic chops. Leeves also gets a good quirk post-bat mitzvah; the episode does well introducing new gags throughout, some getting more immediate resolution (like Gilpin’s flirting subplot), some going the rest of the episode (Mahoney’s hair), so Leeves is able to get a showcase in the last five minutes or so. Very well-written. Very well-acted. Very well-directed.

I’m not sure if The Life of the Party is an exemplar “Frasier” (sadly, despite often being real good, this season has less and less of them), but it’s a really successful conclusion to a season-long plot thread and a winning episode besides.

And it’s so nice to see Melman directing well and ambitiously again. It’s been a while since he was doing either.

Frasier (1993) s05e17 – The Perfect Guy

As much as I’ve liked Billy Campbell over the years, seeing him guest on this episode of “Frasier” reveals his weirdly affable lack of network charm. His timing is just off or something. He lacks rapport with the costars. He’s fine, but he’s not great in what seems like a very Billy Campbell way. And he needs to be great because the B plot is about John Mahoney needing to pull one over a French store clerk to get Eddie the dog gourmet food. The A plot has Campbell starting work at the radio station and Kelsey Grammer being intensely jealous over Campbell’s good looks.

That intense, obsessive jealousy leads to Grammer befriending Campbell and throwing a party in his honor. Only we never see them hanging out. We never get an idea of what it looks like for them to hang out, which leads to the friendship having even less personality than Campbell. Meanwhile, the Mahoney subplot also brings in David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves. Hyde Pierce introduces the store to Mahoney, who gripes about the prices and pretense and pisses off shop keep François Giroday. Mahoney’s got to get more dog food and has to play nice with stuck-up French caricature Giroday, eventually involving Leeves in his schemes. It’s all very funny.

Whereas the A plot is just amusing. There’s a decent scene with Grammer, Peri Gilpin, Dan Butler, and Edward Hibbert at the radio station with everyone mooning over Campbell from afar. It’s the standout until the resolution. And the resolution’s great, but it’s like they figured out the punchline for the episode and just filled on everything else. Rob Greenberg gets the writing credit. It’s impressive for the Mahoney arc, less the Campbell one.

Oh, and Grammer’s got this weird romantic subplot with done-in-one coworker Lindsay Price, some twenty-one years his junior, who fawns over him. It sort of plays like an ego trip but for the comeuppance leg of the journey. It’s not even Price being bad, it’s just her being an absurd match for him.

It’s a fine episode, funny stuff at times, just something off about it starting with Campbell and spreading throughout.

Frasier (1993) s05e16 – Beware of Greeks

I want to know who had the idea to give the Crane family Greek in-laws—well, Greek in-laws once removed or whatever (John Mahoney’s brother, John Mahon, is married to Patti LuPone). Was it David Lloyd, who gets the script credit? Because it’s an inspired idea. And years before My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Throwing Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce into a situation where they can’t mock people for not being WASPs? It’s awesome.

LuPone’s the fearsome matriarch of the Greek side of the family, which we learn about in the opening scene; they haven’t been mentioned before—Grammer tells Peri Gilpin and the audience—is because Grammer gave cousin Joseph Will some advice LuPone didn’t appreciate. Grammer told Will to follow his dreams of being a street juggler instead of going to medical school and LuPone’s banned the Crane boys since.

Based on Will’s age, these events presumably took place before “Frasier” started but after “Cheers.” It only matters it’s been long enough Grammer can quickly patch things up with LuPone in time to get invited to Will’s upcoming nuptials. He’s going to be marrying the very WASP Valerie Dillman, who LuPone adores.

Thanks to the reconciliation, Grammer, Hyde Pierce, Mahoney, and Jane Leeves get to go to the wedding—starting with the rehearsal dinner at the family restaurant (see, it really does seem like a Greek Wedding knock-off). There Grammer tries not to interfere with Will’s imminent wedding, even though Grammer suspects Dillman might not be the best match for his cousin, Hyde Pierce runs and hides from another, amorous cousin, Lori Harmon, who’s been after him since youth, Mahoney gets to reconnect with Mahon, and Leeves gets to be upset after LuPone assumes she’s Mahoney’s escort. The last plot point is initially somewhat unpleasant, until Leeves and Mahoney get wrapped up in a joint subplot about erasing a wedding video.

Hyde Pierce’s entirely playing hide and hide again with Harmon, Grammer happening across him as Grammer learns more and more from Will to suggest he needs to intervene. Only LuPone is hovering, waiting for Grammer to make a mistake.

It’s a really funny episode. It gives Grammer a chance to do his meddling thing, with LuPone a worthy de facto antagonist, and the end is great. Strong direction from Jeff Melman. It’d be nice if Hyde Pierce and Harmon had a subplot instead of a series of gags, but small gripes for a fine episode.

Frasier (1993) s05e13 – The Maris Counselor

After a rough opening—with Peri Gilpin trying to gin up interesting callers in a bit where transphobia and ableism are the punchlines—the episode quickly becomes a David Hyde Pierce episode. Kelsey Grammer’s always around, but is always playing support to Hyde Pierce, who gets two great comedy set pieces. John Mahoney gets the subplot, which is about him finally agreeing to go on a date with one of their neighbors.

The episode (sort of) juxtaposes Mahoney’s dating adventure against Hyde Pierce’s latest marital woes, which has he and ever off-screen Maris finding a marriage counselor they both like—a very funny Bob Dishy—but Maris maybe likes him a little too much, leading to breakdowns and breakthroughs for Hyde Pierce. Grammer’s around to offer advice, but not really. They’re finally ready to resolve Hyde Pierce’s season and a half long marriage separation subplot. Also, as Hyde Pierce points out, Grammer’s actually not equipped to offer good relationship advice.

In the end, it’ll be a nice Crane boys episode for Hyde Pierce, Mahoney, and Grammer—particularly well-directed, courtesy Jeff Melman, who does well all episode and then goes out on a high point with the finale—though Grammer’s just along for the ride. They also make a big deal about Mahoney being unlucky in love, but he only broke up with Marsha Mason like three episodes ago so they’re clearly stretching to make it work.

David Lloyd gets the script credit. Outside the rough opening, he does a low okay job. The really funny scenes are really funny because Hyde Pierce is excellent. There’s one where Hyde Pierce is getting ready for some romance, which means he gets to show off physical comedy, then there’s one where he hijacks a couples group with his own problems, so dialogue comedy.

Hyde Pierce is great, Grammer and Mahoney are both good (the script’s not there for either of them as much). Gilpin only gets that crappy opening scene and Jane Leeves has a moment in Mahoney’s dating subplot but disappears fast. There just doesn’t seem to be space for them in the episode.

It’s a bit of requisite episode—Hyde Pierce’s outstanding separation subplot needs to get some resolution—with some highs and lows. It’d be nicer if it could’ve gone out on a high instead of a return to a low but Lloyd’s got to get some ageism in at the last minute for the end credits. But as a Hyde Pierce showcase (and for Melman’s return to directing form), the episode works well enough.

Frasier (1993) s05e10 – Where Every Bloke Knows Your Name

I don’t know if the laugh track is actually louder in the first scene or if it just seems louder because the laughs seem a whole lot more forced. The episode opens with an inspired flashback to Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce’s characters in middle school having lunch and being obnoxious prigs, then fast forwards to them having a similar conversation in the cafe. Only all of the jokes are really forced in the present and the laugh track seems to be amped up to convince everyone to laugh along instead of accompanying existing laughter.

Laugh tracks were weird.

Anyway.

The episode sadly has nothing to do with the flashback kids (Andrew Dorsett plays young Grammer, Michael Welch plays young Hyde Pierce—Dorsett’s better but Welch is funnier), instead having to do with Grammer being sick of hanging out with Hyde Pierce all the time and looking for something else to do. It ends up being Jane Leeves’s hangout bar, as it taps into something Grammer hasn’t had since “Cheers,” though it’s an English pub in Seattle where Grammer’s the only Yank and so it fuels his obnoxious Anglophilia.

On one hand, it eventually gives Leeves an arc where she gets to treat Grammer as an equal not act like she’s the hired help, on the other, Leeves initially brings Grammer to the bar to meet her lingerie model friend (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick), which isn’t without awkward optics.

The episode’s mostly Grammer, Leeves, and the bar. Peri Gilpin’s single scene has her playing poker with John Mahoney and his buddies, which is one of the best scenes in the episode (I wasn’t expecting much from an episode with a solo Rob Hanning writing credit, but the poker scene’s real good). And Mahoney’s got the poker and then trying to take advantage of an empty apartment and giving Leeves advice based on that desire.

Though Mahoney gets the excellent end credits sequence.

The episode’s got its moments and it’s nice to see Leeves eventually get some agency, it just never lives up to any of its potential. Again, it’s about on par with what I was expecting from Hanning but Jeff Melman directed; I’d gotten used to Melman episodes being better.

Frasier (1993) s05e07 – My Fair Frasier

Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) finally gets to end an episode without driving away his latest love interest—this time it’s Lindsay Frost, guest starring as a high powered attorney who’s in town to try a sensational case and she and Grammer have a meet cute where she helps him get a purse returned. See, Peri Gilpin’s pregnant and very moody, so she doesn’t like the purse Grammer got her. Except she also just doesn’t like the purse Grammer got her.

So when Grammer goes to return it, they won’t take it back until Frost intercedes and basically Karens the clerk until they relent. Only Grammer and Frost head out from their meet cute before he can actually get his money back, which is a fine enough gaff because it means there won’t be anymore vaguely transphobic jokes about Grammer possibly being a crossdresser. They’re not specific, just credited writer Jay Kogen thinks it’s really funny to have a set full of women laugh at the idea of Grammer being a crossdresser. Wokka wokka.

The majority of the episode is the supporting cast conferring with Grammer about him not being the alpha in the relationship with Frost, who breaks their dates, uses Grammer for quickies, and doesn’t appreciate the time he puts into cooking. There’s a decent enough resolution to it all—especially after Grammer meets all the other trophy wives—but it’s a bit of an easy episode. No one else gets a subplot, with Gilpin disappearing after the opening scene until the end credits when it’s a repeat of the moody pregnant lady gag (albeit extremely well-acted), with David Hyde Pierce being shaken to his core by a boat show snack bar the closest the episode ever gets.

Those asterisks aside, everyone’s really good supporting Grammer in his contemplations over the relationship.

Frost’s a fine guest star. She’s barely in the episode (actually it all reminds way too much of the Sela Ward guest starrer, which opened the season—they may even go to the same restaurant) and even when she is around, she’s an accessory to Grammer (while in the plot he’s her accessory). It’s a solid showcase for Grammer, who’s very good at being whiney about everything. It’s Kogen’s first episode (of many) as writer so hopefully he’ll improve but he could’ve done a lot worse; although, I was expecting more from a Jeff Melman directed outing.

Frasier (1993) s05e04 – The Kid

This episode picks up the morning after last episode, with Kelsey Grammer having to apologize to Peri Gilpin—who’s already decided she’s keeping the baby—for telling a party full of strangers about it. Grammer’s supportive, but thinks Gilpin needs to tell the dad.

Skip ahead to the apartment and David Hyde Pierce is also apologizing—him for being blotto at the party and making absurd accusations—before Gilpin comes over for dinner. There’s a short running gag about the Crane boys making Jane Leeves answer the door even though she’s cooking them dinner and a little about John Mahoney freaking out over Gilpin being unmarried, but pretty soon the supporting cast is out of the episode and it’s all Gilpin and Grammer.

Specifically it’s Gilpin, who’s got to tell the completely unawares dad-to-be (guest star Todd Babcock), with Grammer around for support. Babcock doesn’t react particularly well, which leads to some dramatics before the episode gets to a solid resolution. It’s easily the most Gilpin-focused episode of the series so far (fifth season and she had to get pregnant, but at least it’s not a disappointing Gilpin-emphasis episode like before).

The episode handles the friendship between Gilpin and Babcock exceedingly well, enough to make up for Grammer’s sort of baby steps into the dramatics of being a supportive friend. Grammer handles the parenting-to-be conversations fine (including a solid Lilith joke), though getting there isn’t easy. There’s an awkward eavesdropping on Gilpin and Babcock at the cafe sequence involving Mahoney; it’s actually a repeated gag from earlier (where it’s done a lot better).

The other big highlight is Gilpin getting to prank Dan Butler, which starts iffy but ends up glorious.

It’s an excellent episode for Gilpin, dramatically speaking, it’d just be nice to see her get a more comedically minded showcase as well.

The script credit is to Jeffrey Richman and Suzanne Martin (who got solo credit on the first episode in the pair); Jeff Melman directs. Not flashy direction from Melman but good and thoughtful, sort of like the script. The episode handles the seriousness of the situations well, even if they’ve rife with comedic potential (like what makes Babcock a peculiarity in Gilpin’s dating life), and emphasizes the character work first.

It’s a very successful episode. Even if it makes Mahoney seem way too old fashioned with the “getting herself a husband” stuff.

Frasier (1993) s04e23 – Odd Man Out

It’s not a great season finale. Not a good season finale. I’m low fine on it? So adequate. Not inadequate. Odd Man Out is a not inadequate season finale.

But this season has been great. It’s been the best season of “Frasier” so far; long stretches of consistence excellence. It didn’t even start falling apart until the last few. And the season finale really could’ve saved it; hence the low fine.

The problem is there isn’t an arc to the season. The episode—script credit to Suzanne Martin, who’s had better script credits on the show—is about Kelsey Grammer realizing he’s “single,” not “recently divorced,” which hasn’t really been an issue for him before this episode. The show often goes on about Grammer being miserably lonely and not having had dates in ages but he’s had dates every second or third episode this season. It’s worse now because David Hyde Pierce is back with unseen Maris, which sort of coincides when the season started having its big stumbles, and Hyde Pierce can’t be Grammer’s backup for Grammer’s surprise birthday dinner for Peri Gilpin who has plans because it was a surprise and can’t go. Jane Leeves can’t go because she has a date with some other unseen love interest, ditto John Mahoney because he’s got Marsha Mason (though she’s not in the episode). So it’s Grammer alone at dinner.

Where a little kid (Miles Marsico) befriends him because Grammer looks so lonely. Especially once everyone around him starts showing off their couples-based happiness.

It’s mildly amusing but… it’s pretty thin stuff.

The episode’s eventually going to hinge on a mystery caller leaving messages on the answering machine—she thinks it’s someone else, someone who needs to pick her up from the airport. Will Grammer eventually go to the airport and will it be kismet? I don’t think they say spontaneity ever in the episode; Grammer’s had “I need to be spontaneous” arcs twice this season. Here he’s got a moping arc. Looks like “Frasier” might actually be on an inverted Star Trek schedule with the season finales; first excellent, second blah, third good, fourth blah.

The episode being so unimpressive is immaterial and annoying, with a lot of the annoying coming from it being unimpressive immaterial to the show over all.

The ending doesn’t age well either; after the show’s prostrated itself to portray Grammer as a tragic, earnest, almost romantic figure, he does something shitty and predatory because it was the nineties and lying to women to get them into bed was the hero move. There’s even more to unpack with it, further contributing to the annoying.

Good enough performance from the surprise guest star but it didn’t need to be a guest star.

Not to mention the entire supporting cast is around to support Grammer on this lukewarm character arc. There’s a really well-acted apartment scene with full apartment cast (so minus Gilpin) but it’s purely functional to ease Grammer along.

For the trite emotional resolution, there are much better things they could’ve done. It’s not so much they thought it was gold but it was bronze… they didn’t even try for bronze. If it weren’t “Frasier,” it’d be troubling.

Frasier (1993) s04e22 – Ask Me No Questions

Dan Cohen and F.J. Pratt wrote another episode (a really good one) but I didn’t recognize their names when the writing credit came up here. I don’t think if I’d remembered it would’ve led to a more generous viewing. This episode’s first swing and miss is in the first thirty seconds and it’s a big swing and a bigger miss. The sadder part is director Jeff Melman can’t even get traction and he’s done some really good work this season. Now he gets to do this very desperate miss of a concept episode.

It begins, as “Frasier” often does, with a title card. This one is “The Question.” The question (in question, wokka wokka) is David Hyde Pierce—now reconciling (off screen obviously) with estranged wife Maris—asking Kelsey Grammer if he, Grammer, thinks they’re meant to be together. Portentous fade to black, fade in at apartment, where Jane Leeves and John Mahoney kick off their okay but it’s a bickering time filler subplot about Leeves making Mahoney a sweater as a present and Mahoney not wanting to take it with out paying. It’s an occasionally funny subplot with a much better performance from Leeves than Mahoney, who’s getting the “old man yells at cloud” motivations a little too often lately. Putting the breaks on character development is a bad move, even if the character development isn’t going the way you want.

Anyway.

So while Hyde Pierce occasionally checks in to let Grammer know how couples counseling is going (off screen), Grammer obsesses over how to answer the posed question. It’s going to lead to a couple very low points, though I suppose only one of them would be worth Alan Smithee’ing the director credit. They do a bait and switch with a reveal on Maris, which is the most desperate move I can think of the show making to this point. Then they do a Grammer walking the streets haunted by voiceovers; Meet John Doe it ain’t. If it weren’t for the former, the latter wouldn’t be so bad. But if it were just the former, it’d still be bad. Especially since it gets a reference later too, like they’re proud of the desperation. Even worse, it’s not like Grammer’s particularly good. It’s a thin plot, poorly realized and executed, and there’s nothing for Grammer to work with.

Hyde Pierce does pretty well with very little—actually, everyone who has to deal with Grammer while he frets kind of does a better job (so Hyde Pierce, Mahoney, and Peri Gilpin). They don’t have to make believe the consternation is real, they just have to make believe Grammer’s being annoying about it.

There’s also an iffy scene where Grammer complains to a date (Cindy Katz) about it, which leads to a standard misunderstanding joke; Katz gets through it okay, albeit ingloriously.

Irene Olga López’s back as Hyde Pierce’s maid; she’s at least hilarious, even if problematically included.

Given the plot—even without the reveal gimmick, but just on the existential fretting—this episode was going to soar or fizzle.

Soar, it does not.