Brown... but don't tell anyone I know that, May 20, 2013

Reviewer: Sammy J from Melbourne, Australia

"The First Temptation of Daphne" is already better than two-thirds of season 8, at the very least in how it returns us to the characters as we know them.

Frasier and Martin pursue a cricket throughout the apartment in a very classic "Frasier" subplot. There's certainly nothing groundbreaking in it for a post-"Seinfeld" TV episode but Kelsey Grammer and John Mahoney play their characters' increasingly close bond very well. (Martin's "the most dangerous part of a gecko is its mind" competes with Frasier's "it taunts me!" as best line reading.) While this episode still isn't jam-packed with laughs, it's the closest to a season 5 or season 6 episode that we've had in a long while. I appreciate the series' evolution more than some, but it's nice to know that they can still craft a comic story.

Meanwhile, Daphne and Roz get a rare outing together as they investigate the mysterious Heather (Roz bristles at the very name) who has been receiving treatment from Niles but also falling for him. Peri Gilpin has so much fun here, and it's great to see Roz used so well in a family-based plot. Her aggressive attitude at Heather's office is very enjoyable. The writers have certainly mellowed most of Daphne's quirkiness (although it will be back in full force in "Room Full of Heroes") which is definitely a shame, as Jane Leeves has to play a slightly more "ordinary" character nowadays... but perhaps this is just her equivalent of everyone else's evolution? (I have to say though, I am surprised that the series hasn't really yet dealt with the oddity of Daphne still working for Frasier even when she's in a committed relationship with Niles.)

Ultimately, the story does all that I can ask. It builds from what must be a legitimate fear for partners of therapists, and gives Leeves a mixed palette of emotions to play with, from her confusion at the office to her manic/calm questioning of Niles about his day. The sweet ending showcases just how legitimate Daph's concerns are. While I hope the series can move on from these troubles and find more ways to make Daphne and Niles a comic duo, this is another reliable sign of why "Frasier" is elevated above so many sitcoms of its era: a caring, mature approach to its characters.

Rating: 81%

First viewing of Fraiser, Nov 15, 2009

Reviewer: Les from Boston, MA, USA

This was the first episode I ever saw of Fraiser, back when it first aired. The incredibly real
emotion between Daphne and Niles is what made me come back for more.

As always, the humor between Martin and Frasier is excellent, and the "cricket-catching" scene
is so exactly what one imagines two guys doing on a Saturday night at home...

Rating: 90%

The First Temptation of me not to re-watch a Frasier episode, Apr 26, 2009

Reviewer: Daniel Argent from Grays, Essex

This is a truly silly and unfunny episode, which sets the tone for an awful Season 9. The main story is very poor and not enough to hold an episode together. In all the years Daphne has lived with Frasier and known Niles, would she not have known something about transference? The subplot of Frasier and Martin catching a cricket is also not funny. Enough said.

Rating: 35%

One of the best Series 9 Episodes, Aug 19, 2008

Reviewer: Squidgy from Leeds, England

Just watched this episode on Paramount last night and was pleasantly surprised at just how much I enjoyed it. The story with Roz and Daphne is ok. This suffers from the change (for the worse) of Daphne's personality in the latter series. However the episode is rescued by the story of Frasier and his Dad searching for the cricket which is fantastic. There are some quality lines between Frasier and Martin, some are included in the sypnosis but the best and simplest has to be Frasier listening to the cricket and muttering "It taunts me...."

Definately one of the stand out episodes of series 9.

Rating: 86%

The First Temptation of Daphne review, Oct 24, 2006

Reviewer: Kathy from Stamford, CT USA

I enjoyed this episode which I found to be both intelligently written and well acted. The main story line is about Daphne getting jealous when she finds out that a woman patient of Niles is infatuated with him. Though this story line is not one of the funnier ones, the scene where Daphne confesses what she has done out of jealousy to Niles is very touching and not without humor. There's a good laugh in that scene to break the tension when Niles tells her that reading his patient's file is the worst thing she could have done. "You'd think so" she responds and then confesses that she also went to see the woman.

Daphne's lack of trust for Niles is inevitable given the fact that he was in love with Daphne while married to two other women. The conversation in this scene is a very realistic one given the circumstances and both actor's performances are wonderful as Daphne explains her fear and Niles reassures her.

The subplot of Frasier and Martin trying to catch the cricket is hilarious and a nice distraction from the main plot.

Overall this episode was very enjoyable and satisfying.

Rating: 88%

Review of 'The First Temptation of Daphne', Jul 27, 2006

Reviewer: Beer Necessity from York, England

This is a pretty average episode with an amusing subplot. Daphne and Niles address issues of trust following Daphne’s discovery that one of Niles’ patients is infatuated with him. Not much was made of that promising situation, and there are some cringing moments when the TV and magazine begin ‘talking’ to Daphne. The subplot involves Frasier and Martin’s hunt for a cricket in their apartment, and is much funnier than the dull main story. Average episode.

Rating: 70%

A Necessary Episode, Apr 20, 2006

Reviewer: Sarah from Canberra, Australia

I agree with the previous reviewer that the sub-plot with Frasier, Martin and the cricket was inspired. The main plot, invloving Daphne's jealousy over Niles' patient, was more pedestrian, but on reflection, I think there were a number of reasons why the writers had to do it.

First, the Niles-Daphne relationship has always been completely out of balance. Niles has been desperately in love with Daphne for years, unable to even approach her for most of that time. Now she reciprocates, but there's got to be a dynamic there that suggests Niles loves Daphne much more than Daphne loves Niles. The relationship has really needed something to bring the parties on to a more even footing, and showing Daphne driven to some irrational behaviour by the depth of her feelings for Niles, goes quite a long way to achieving this, especially with Niles reacting in a secure, unthreatened manner.

Second, as inoffensive and inexperienced as Niles is, Daphne is to be his third wife. He lusted after Daphne for much of his first marriage, and if Maris wasn't such a caricature, and if we'd ever actually met her, it would be hard to make that tolerable behaviour. (Indeed, for the first couple of seasons, Niles is not a terribly sympathetic character at all.) His second wife he dumps within a few days of their wedding - and as egregious as Mel is, it's also very clear that she really loved Niles. So Daphne's quite right to be asking: how can she know Niles won't change his mind about her as well? How can we?

Niles answers that question simply and beautifully and its nothing we didn't already know, but it was really good to hear him say it and put those doubts to rest. And for the Niles/Daphne relationship to be credible, this was an episode that had to be written.

Rating: 76%

'The First Temptation Of Daphne' review, Sep 08, 2005

Reviewer: Jocelyn from London, UK

An episode with two distinct plots, the main one which sees Daphne's curiosity getting the better of her when she reads one of Niles' confidential files regarding a patient of his, Heather Murphy, who has developed a crush on him. Although not particularly high on laughs, this storyline plays out quite nicely with the best moment coming when Roz and Daphne team up to sneak into Heather's office, although the closing scene with Niles and Daphne seems to end the episode rather abruptly. However, what really lifts the episode is the subplot of Frasier and Martin's surreal attempts to rid the apartment of an infuriatingly noisy cricket which they picked up during a fishing trip. Silly and inconsequential it may be, but thanks to cracking performances from both Kelsey Grammer and John Mahoney this made me laugh more than anything on 'Frasier' for quite a long while and helped to make this episode a very enjoyable one.

Rating: 78%