Frasier (1993) s06e06 – Secret Admirer

After a peculiar opening—Peri Gilpin then David Hyde Pierce interrupt Kelsey Grammer on a date with Grace Phillips at the cafe–Secret Admirer soon becomes a spirited mix of a “Grammer the jackass” episode and a Crane Boys outing. Lori Kirkland Baker gets the script credit, Pamela Fryman directs. Both do some fine work, though Fryman’s got a couple bizarre composition choices. There’s this one close-up of Grammer in particular where the shot just doesn’t work, though maybe it’s Ron Volk’s cutting or Ken Lamkin lighted it wrong; Fryman keeps relying on it, and it hurts the scene (and Grammer’s performance).

Phillips’s backstory as the love interest stands out; she used to work at the radio station with Grammer and Gilpin (only never appeared on an episode, she apparently was some kind of executive, but it’s barely implied), so she knows them. I think she also knows Hyde Pierce. It makes her seem very familiar in the opening scene without actually being familiar. Gilpin’s interruption is just for a joke, but Hyde Pierce is setting up the B plot. He’s overjoyed—the financial settlement of his divorce is finally done.

The elation continues long enough for Hyde Pierce (offscreen) to beat Grammer at squash, which leads to the A-plot complications. Someone has slipped an expensive gift into Grammer’s squash bag, and it’s an ex-girlfriend. And he’s just got to know who, even if it messes up things with Phillips. Even though Phillips isn’t around for most of the episode, she’s never out of mind because the supporting cast repeatedly reminds the increasingly boorish Grammer he’s already got a girlfriend. He just wants one who buys him diamonds (despite the plot not involving any previously introduced characters, it’s very on point for the Frasier character, leading to an outstanding performance from him here).

There’s some excellent material for Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney as they interfere (and don’t), but then there’s also the B plot where Hyde Pierce has to get the soon-to-be ex-wife to sign the final agreement. Obviously, that task will not be going as planned for him. Mahoney, who initially doesn’t get too much to do (not more than Gilpin or Jane Leeves), ends up running the last third or so of the episode, including a hilarious physical comedy bit.

So kind of shaky opening, but it all works out in the end. The credits scene is fantastic. All the acting is real good—Phillips is a great guest love interest, too bad she hasn’t been around more—with everyone getting some fine showcases.

Not quite an exemplar episode, but very, very close.

Frasier (1993) s06e05 – First, Do No Harm

Oh, thank goodness, first-time “Frasier” writers Jordan Hawley and William Schifrin never have another credit on an episode. I didn’t recognize their names on the titles and wondered if they would be new regular writers this promising season. No, they are not. Whew.

Twenty-plus years on, “Frasier” has aged pretty well. I remember a few writers whose names regularly turned up on cringe-to-problematic episodes, but usually right in the middle and never too bad. It was the mid-1990s NBC, after all. But this episode stinks. Starting with Kelsey Grammer never finding the right moment to tease new mom Peri Gilpin about her ruffled appearance. Luckily John Mahoney can drive home the point. It’s after a random stranger (Randy Pelish) tells Grammer he’s missed on the airwaves. Only the joke is Pelish is really weird. Then there’s a joke about Mexico.

So it’s ableist, sexist, and racist before the credits are done.

The main story isn’t any better. Grammer starts dating Teri Hatcher, who’s playing the daughter of Mahoney’s best friend. Hatcher’s too hot for Grammer, and he can’t figure out why she’s with him (it’s a big question because they have a soul-crushing lack of chemistry together). She’s also got a lot of mental health issues going on. David Hyde Pierce suggests maybe she’s in it for the free therapy. So then the episode becomes about Grammer weighing good sex and unpaid therapist hours.

Meanwhile, Mahoney’s convinced he’s a great matchmaker, so he starts parading Jane Leeves out on the balcony for his friends to inspect.

In the first scene, the laugh track sounds off, and while there are some laughs thanks to the cast… a bunch of the laugh track laughs aren’t laughs. They’re mocking people with real things going on, including your boss trying to auction you off to a stranger. So it’d be better if they faked a laugh track than they found a studio audience of such terrible people, even in 1998.

Hatcher’s good a couple times but only a couple. She and Grammer have, again, absolutely no chemistry. He’s not even lustful and pervy, and “Frasier” is often about Grammer being lustful and pervy. He clearly does not like working with Hatcher. She’s better at the physical comedy, which is all problematic, than the dialogue. It’s a rough episode.

There’s also this hilarious sequence where Grammer and Hyde Pierce are talking about Hatcher’s mental health problems—as your therapist or therapist boyfriend apparently does—and Hyde Pierce is making microwave popcorn and putting Tabasco on it. Director Sheldon Epps (who I was expecting more from, but maybe he saved the script, who knows) showcases Hyde Pierce’s process, but neither microwave popcorn nor Tabasco sauce fit the character.

Whatever. At least the writers never come back.

Frasier (1993) s06e04 – Hot Ticket

It’s an outdoor episode for the most part, with the main action being Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce trying to get into a play. So it’s the two of them outside the theater—presumably on location, though I suppose there might be a big theater exterior on the Paramount backlot—trying to avoid looking desperate for tickets and getting embarrassed whenever they see someone from society around.

The episode opens with what seems to be a narrative non sequitur about Jane Leeves getting photographed “mooning” (it’s punny because her character’s name is Daphne Moon) for the Seattle newspaper lifestyle column. Then it quickly becomes a Grammer and Hyde Pierce snob team-up episode. Only we’re in season six now and disappointed dad John Mahoney has gotten used to it and now offers them plot perturbing advice instead of shamed observations.

The talk of the town is the new play starring legendary actor Fritz Weaver—seriously, if society snobs and legendary actor tropes continue to age at current rate viewers in another twenty years are going to be wondering why there aren’t any guillotines in the episode—and so the boys need to see it. Not because they really care about the play, of course, but so Hyde Pierce doesn’t feel like he’s being left out of society even though he’s divorcing his society wife.

Grammer’s along because it’s funnier when they’re snobby together. The weirdest part of the episode comes when Grammer doesn’t try calling his talent agent to get tickets to the show, instead relying on vague connections so the script can make ablest, sexist jokes at offscreen women’s expenses. They’re not even easy jokes, just mean ones—Jeffrey Richman gets the script credit, which has the occasional lows (those jokes) but also some great material for the actors once they’re outside. There’s something even more magical about Hyde Pierce’s physical comedy off set.

Weaver’s solid for what he’s got to do as the actor (believably narcissistically pontificate) and there’s a nice small part for Natalija Nogulich. Francis X. McCarthy’s okay as her husband but he gets maybe three lines, all unimportant. They’re the society folks Hyde Pierce so desperately wants to impress.

Peri Gilpin shows up for a single scene (on par with Leeves) and it’s pretty good, until the script goes misogynist for the finish, which doesn’t play well outside in the “real world,” but the episode recovers.

Director David Lee has some bad choices—ditto editor Ron Volk—but he keeps a great pace to the episode; it’s another strong season six outing, definitely bumpier than it needs to be, but very successful when the sailing’s smooth.

Frasier (1993) s06e03 – Dial M for Martin

It’s another great episode. Even with some often very iffy directing from Ken Lamkin. Rob Greenburg gets the writing credit on the inspired story. The episode opens with Kelsey Grammer and John Mahoney bickering—a lot more knives out than usual; they’ve gotten sick of each other since Grammer’s been out of work. Once again, greatest thing to happen to the show about a guy where his job is a major focus of the show—fire him!

Mahoney happens across Peri Gilpin (in her single appearance in the episode) and she suggests he try living with other son David Hyde Pierce until Grammer finds work. Hyde Pierce isn’t down for it until he finds out physical therapist Jane Leeves will be coming with. Or will she—turns out if Mahoney can get around Hyde Pierce’s staircase-heavy apartment, he’s well enough he doesn’t need a physical therapist.

So while Leeves is trying to find another job and dealing with the emotions of leaving the family and Grammer is desperately trying to make a date with model Laura Harring (having his apartment to himself at long last), Mahoney’s freaking out thinking Hyde Pierce is trying to hurt him to keep Leeves around. Lots of great physical comedy from everyone—including Grammer, who’s got a whole process to go through whenever he’s trying to start up date night after interruptions.

Season six is on a definite roll at this point; the episode structure—particularly the feint with Leeves’s impending departure—is now classic “Frasier” but there’s a renewed vigor about it. Despite Lamkin’s sometimes odd directorial choices, the cast has a fantastic pace together. Mahoney gets to do more physical comedy than usual, while Hyde Pierce and Leeves both get to play with their subconscious urges. And then Grammer gets to ham it up as a Lothario. It’s a wonderful mix of talent.

The script deserves a lot of the credit for the episode’s success as well. Not just the plotting or the pacing, but the dialogue jokes are all really good too. I’m getting more and more excited about this season.

Frasier (1993) s06e02 – Frasier’s Curse

Jay Kogen gets the script credit on this episode; his name is quickly becoming a welcome sight. My rewatch of “Frasier” could be subtitled, “I should’ve tracked the writers,” but Kogen’s gotten to be memorable for being reliable. Frasier’s Curse is a very, very reliable episode. It again trades on the manufactured sympathy for star Kelsey Grammer—he’s out of work—and to great success. The episode opens with a wonderful terrible job interview where Grammer can’t stop offending radio station boss Scott Michael Campbell (who does really well in an absolutely absurd role) and then moves into a fretting episode, but a very snappily paced one.

Though it just occurred to me the previous episode was a Grammer fretting episode too. Maybe they’ve just perfected it with the unemployment story arc. Doesn’t matter, it’s hilarious (and they should be writing for the reruns here anyway).

See, it’s Grammer’s high school reunion time and he’s convinced he’s cursed to humiliate himself. At the last reunion he’d just divorced—kind of fast and loose with the show timeline but, again, whatever—and now he’s out of work. There’s a good recurring bit with Peri Gilpin going with him to the reunion, with David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, and Jane Leeves offering commentary and advice from the sidelines. “Frasier” feels more more focused on Grammer than it has in seasons, only they’ve got years of experience informing how to best leverage the cast. It’s real funny.

Fine direction from Pamela Fryman as well. She gets open the episode up—Grammer makes an ill-advised trip to the grocery store where he runs into an old classmate (an appropriately snotty Tim Monsion)—and keeps the great pace. There’s an abbreviated approach to the narrative, relying on Grammer to emote the results of missed scenes; same approach with Gilpin, who gets some good, justified rants.

Hyde Pierce gets the opening comic bit—which showcases Erika Christensen as a giggling teenager like her NBC show is starting in two weeks—and it gets a nice echo in the end credits.

It’s a really funny episode and the season’s off to an excellent start; I am curious if there’s momentum or just better fodder thanks to the laid-off story arc, but only on reflection. During the episode there’s too much laughing to think about that sort of thing.

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.