Frasier (1993) s06e01 – Good Grief

It only took five full seasons to figure it out, but “Frasier” has finally realized Kelsey Grammer’s whine episodes are a lot better when he’s actually got something to whine about. Christopher Lloyd gets the script credit, Pamela Fryman directs. Both do excellent work—there’s a lot of integrated, passive wit—as Grammer has to contend not just being unemployed, but less employable than his also laid-off colleagues. It’s perfectly humanizing. Especially for Grammer and the character. The episode seems to know how to hit the right points too with it too, particularly in juxtaposing Grammer and his coworkers, then Grammer’s arc through the episode in general with David Hyde Pierce offering aside exposition to John Mahoney. It’s an exemplar episode; the best one in a while and there have been other good ones.

The episode’s also good at balancing out the cast—Jane Leeves gets a recurring arc as Grammer’s suffering unemployment sidekick (as he works his way from projects to misery) and Peri Gilpin gets in big time on the eventual intervention. Hyde Pierce and Mahoney are on the periphery without their own stories (Hyde Pierce gets the hilarious pseudo-cliffhanger) but get spectacular material, probably the episode’s best.

And it gives Grammer a great lead performance on his show. It leverages what makes “Frasier” great, with Grammer the reliable captain who can deliver, especially when the stars align. The resolution comes from some easy visual, ableist gags, but also sitcom standards. There are asterisks on all of it, but the jokes are successfully executed. Was that compliment wishy-washy enough?

Quick supporting turns from coworkers Dan Butler, Edward Hibbert, and Tom McGowan (plus Marsha Kramer as the story lady)—super agent Bebe gets mentioned in dialogue but sadly doesn’t make an appearance (makes sense, busy episode).

There’s also a great sequence with Grammer and his fan club members, who he decides to invite to the apartment to cheer him up. That sequence has Grammer playing the straight man while Hyde Pierce, Mahoney, and Leeves get to watch disaster comedically unfold in real time. It’s just a particularly great example of the multi camera sitcom medium—Fryman’s direction is always impressive—and it gets the season off to a wonderful start.

Plus cute dog tricks from Eddie.

Frasier (1993) s05e24 – Sweet Dreams

It’s a season finale but a season finale with a big cliffhanger. Kind of a big swing for the next season. Kelsey Grammer—pissed at himself for abandoning Jane Leeves after getting her in trouble and doing a coward run—decides he’s going to put his foot down when it comes to new commercial reads at the station. It’s a gradual build to Grammer’s breaking points—with Leeves vanishing because it’d be too much trouble to address Grammer’s behavior–until it becomes a work episode. There’s still a little bit with David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney, but once the episode introduces Tom McGowan as the new station manager… they’re pretty much done save some one-liners.

Hyde Pierce does get to give Grammer a good psychiatry diagnosis and Mahoney’s got a couple strong jokes. It’s a Grammer episode and a rather good one—once you buy his betrayal of Leeves, which involves exterior backlot filming and not strong enough direction from Sheldon Epps to make it work. Epps is all right for the rest of it; the outdoor scene is just a big disappointment. Especially since I can’t remember the last time they shot exteriors during the day (on the lot).

Anyway.

Dan Butler and Edward Hibbert open the episode with an amazing ad read then skedaddle until the plot needs them again. They don’t get a lot to do later on, maybe a joke each—the third act superstar is Marsha Kramer, who plays the station’s story time lady; their opening is great stuff. Though Butler’s objectifying joke about Peri Gilpin’s post-baby body is probably cringe. It’s really fast, with Gilpin instead spending the episode trying to resolve Grammer’s problems with McGowan and then big boss Miguel Sandoval (in a wonderful cameo). But quick or not it’s not a great way of addressing Gilpin’s recent mommyhood; especially since it’s the show’s only acknowledgement of it.

Jay Kogen gets the script credit. It’s a definitely compelling episode, even if it weren’t the season finale. Grammer’s able to sell the fretting over his courageousness and so on. It doesn’t seem like it should work given the character’s a fop, but it does indeed work. It’s good dramatic work from Grammer.

McGowan’s good too, immediately distinguishing himself even though it’s a small role—the script handles the scenes rather well, there are just the occasional plot snags. Though they too might just be Epps’s direction. His competence doesn’t include good pacing.

So it’s a sitcom with a dramatic, potentially show-changing cliffhanger. I don’t know enough about sitcoms know if that’s rare or standard (adjusting for era too); but it’s a first for “Frasier.” They do pretty well with it. Could be a lot worse and you definitely want to tune in next time.

And the end credits sequence is perfect.

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) s05e21 – Roz and the Schnoz

I’m not sure how to talk about this episode. How much emphasis to place on the mean-spirited body-shaming of it all. After trying to dodge them, Peri Gilpin finally meets the parents of her baby daddy. The age difference (the not-in-the-episode baby daddy is twenty) doesn’t come up because everyone’s way too busy trying not to react to the parents’ big noses. Kevin Kilner and Jordan Baker play the parents. Prosthetics play the noses.

The episode gives itself the pass on the nose jokes with a wholesome resolution for Gilpin, who also almost gets to pass Bechdel with Jane Leeves, a “Frasier” rarity (and also note the use of “almost”) and with having Kelsey Grammar chastising everyone else for laughing about the noses. Jeffrey Richman gets the script credit, Ken Levine directs. Levine’s direction is better than the episode deserves in some scenes—usually with Gilpin—but also the blocking of the shots is terrible to the point there’s got to be a story. John Mahoney stands off camera for an entire scene.

And the episode gets away from Gilpin. After everyone starts reacting to the noses, it’s about Grammar trying not to laugh and the rest of the cast trying not to get caught laughing. Again, wanting composition so Gilpin literally disappears from the episode for long stretches (also making it more impressive when Levine and Gilpin recenter the episode on her for the last scene). But then it’s all about Grammar lying to Leeves about something and not wanting to get caught.

It’s a stagy episode, almost entirely set in the apartment in continuous action, but it works. The energy of the cast works in the format and even when Levine’s not pointing the camera at them enough, he does get how their energy makes the staginess work. So it’s stagy but as a compliment.

Partially because of the ruthless efficiency of the script; every joke—good, great, cheap, easy—lands.

Really good performance from Leeves and Gilpin this episode. Grammar, David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, they all get some solid laughs thanks to their performances but Leeves and Gilpin are able to elevate the material. The boys just maintain; they succeed, but not excel.

Though, wait a second—the writing for Hyde Pierce is oddly cruel at times, which is appropriate for the episode. It’s just he’s de facto mocking Leeves (but only in dialogue, in action he’s supportive).

Plus it’s just a series of jokes about being shitty to nice people. There’s only so much you can do with it.

Frasier (1993) s05e20 – First Date

First Date is a sequel episode to Moon Dance, the season three episode where Niles (David Hyde Pierce) lucks into a perfect date with Daphne (Jane Leeves), full of high romance but still entirely safe for the then married character. I mean. From network and pop cultural norm viewpoints. The Maris thing is misogynist.

Anyway.

It’s Kelsey Grammar directing again (I think Moon Dance was his first episode as director too), with Rob Hanning getting the script credit. If Hanning stood out for anything, I’ve forgotten—once again regretting not keeping track of the writers; he does a solid job here. The setup isn’t great, with Grammar trying to avoid people talking about a torrid TV miniseries’s conclusion, and the initial stuff with Hyde Pierce talking about asking Leeves out is stodgy. Grammar, as an actor, is worst in that section, which is weirder since he directed the episode. It’s like he can’t figure out a reaction so tries not to do one.

But there’s a good immediate twist, then another twist—people hearing the wrong things from other rooms and so on—and it quickly becomes a comedy of errors, but one with Hyde Pierce and Leeves running the episode. And then all of a sudden Grammar’s directing kicks in and it’s just wonderful. The way Grammar finds the comedy chemistry—both Leeves and Hyde Pierce can do physical and dialogue humor. The show’s been syncing them up—possibly intentionally—this entire season and it’s got a great pay-off here.

Even if the ending resolution is wanting.

Though the credits sequence with Grammar and Eddie the dog is pretty funny.

Oh, and John Mahoney. Mahoney gets some of the first act weirdness but is able to get out of it quicker than Grammar with his stuff. The original Moon Dance had something like eight years credited; Date has one, but it really doesn’t seem like the same person wrote the opening and the finish.

Good guest spot from Caroline Aaron.

It’s a rocky win but it’s a win.

Frasier (1993) s05e19 – Frasier Gotta Have It

“Frasier” has always walked a really fine line with David Hyde Pierce’s crush on Jane Leeves, never letting it get too creepy—usually keeping Kelsey Grammer around to rein him in or just to have Hyde Pierce and Leeves to have a sincere moment to eschew the romantic—but the joke in the end tag of this episode is Hyde Pierce is going to spy on Leeves while she sunbathes.

On par for writer Rob Greenberg, who either always goes for the cheap and creepy or just doesn’t ever do anything so I remember he doesn’t.

It’s an ick finish, particularly because it decidedly does not let Hyde Pierce back out of it or qualify it. He’s just going to spy on his brother’s employee, taking advantage not just of that situation but also Leeves’s canon regard for Hyde Pierce as a friend. Not all heroes wear capes.

The rest of the episode is about Grammer having a purely sexual relationship with guest star Lisa Edelstein, who’s playing a hipster artist. She’s also vegan but the term wasn’t in popular enough use for them to say vegan. Or Greenberg was too busy writing sexual predator jokes to look it up. The episode opens with Grammer telling Hyde Pierce about it and Hyde Pierce commenting on the unlikelihood of Grammer forming a substantial relationship with Edelstein because of their age difference.

Edelstein’s like eleven years younger than Grammer. Their window is sitcom regular, which the episode seems to appreciate later on when they keep bringing the differences up a notch. There’s some funny stuff, but it’s just okay. Similarly, Edelstein’s just okay. A lot of it is the part—everyone who interacts with her character comments on her flakiness, even before Greenberg’s got to keep upping the ante with her eccentricities. Would a better script help? Definitely. Could Edelstein succeed with a better script? Unclear.

Dan Butler (not appearing in the episode) directs and does an all right job. He does a lot better with the regular cast than with Edelstein and Grammer’s subplot, particularly with Peri Gilpin’s scene in the family apartment where everyone’s talking about their most extreme sex experiences (Hyde Pierce’s got a solid “when in Niagara Falls”-type tale, though it ties into the sexual predator stuff so sorry, no).

It’s got some decent laughs and Grammer’s clearly proud of his barrel chest—he spends the last scene with his shirt off—so go on, I guess. But it’s a tepid episode. And then it’s a very gross one.

Frasier (1993) s05e18 – Bad Dog

It’s time for the Seabees again—the Seattle broadcasting awards show where the cast can reliably have antics once a season—this time with Kelsey Grammer emceeing the event. We get a lot of exposition real quick—Grammer, Dan Butler, and Peri Gilpin are waiting for coffee. We find out Butler’s nominated too, Grammer and Gilpin don’t have a chance because emcees never win, and the reason there’s a line at the café is because Grammer had complained about sanitary conditions.

But then there’s an attempted hold-up—an attempted attempted hold-up—and somehow Butler comes through it the hero. Grammer, however, remembers the event occurring differently and after getting the advice of friends and family (though never Gilpin, who’s convinced Butler saved her from danger), the episode becomes a “Grammer obsesses about x” episode. In this case, he’s trying to get Butler to admit his dishonesty by guilting Butler’s conscience into acting.

To do so, Grammer uses the platform of awards emcee to bring in various people from Butler’s life who should produce honesty and remorse for lying. There’s plenty of good material for Grammer, Butler, and John Mahoney as everything Grammer tries fails and Butler gleefully keeps lying to everyone for his own benefit. Mahoney’s the primary advice giver in the supporting cast because David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves end up having a nice little subplot about Hyde Pierce getting nominated for an award too.

However, there’s not really room to focus on Grammer, Butler, and Hyde Pierce at the awards show, so Hyde Pierce has to go offscreen for a while (returning for the grand finale). Having Leeves help Hyde Pierce with his awards speech—just in case—leads to them having some private in-jokes later on and it’s a nice, deft touch. Hyde Pierce and Leeves getting material not based on him mooning over her is welcome character development.

The script, credit to Suzanne Martin, is pretty good. The punchlines have pay-off, even if Grammer’s obsessive arc is a little pat. Director Pamela Fryman’s got some weird montages but it’s also the Seabees so maybe they get a pass.

It’s a fine episode, just not particularly distinctive a Seabees one.

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.