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Episode reviews for Episode 9.23 - Moons Over Seattle

Avg. Viewer Review: 85.0%
Number of Reviews: 4

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The elusive fifth cup, May 21, 2013

Reviewer: Sammy J from Melbourne, Australia


"Moons Over Seattle" is, like all "Frasier" season finales, heavier on plot than laughs and at this point, I'm torn about how I feel. A part of me dislikes the emphasis on the elder Moons' relationship. Given the decision NOT to send Gertrude back to England, why make her be the focus of the episode? No disrespect to Millicent Martin, who puts in a beautiful portrayal of the character this week, or to the divine Brian Cox who sadly and inexplicably was never invited back in his role as Daphne's drunken-but-doting father. Yet, I just felt that the episode's focus was pulled in too many directions.

However, that was my first impression. On rethinking it, I'm starting to come around. Moreso than any other season (although season 7 was the clear inspiration), the ninth "Frasier" outing chose to explore the characters over the course of a whole year. Martin got a new job, Frasier went statewide, Roz fell in love, and Daphne and Niles faced engagement but also the tyranny of Mrs. Moon. While not everything worked as it perhaps should have (it still feels like Daphne leaves at the Crane residence, and Roger could have appeared in one or two more episodes to really drive home the power of the relationship), it was an admirable attempt. The focus on the Moon family actually brings Daphne into sharp relief. I've been more impressed with the character this year than I remembered from previous viewings. Some of the writers clearly remember the quirky thing she used to be, and they've done a good job of shading in how she became who she is. Daphne's increasingly aggressive protestations to Niles make perfect sense as we come to know her parents... which makes it a neat structural twist when her father provides the revelation about how wonderful Niles is. Where last season's "cliffhanger" (Frasier pondering his feelings for two women) seemed both forced and accidentally anti-climactic, this one is born from character and gives further life to characters at that. Martin, Cox, Hyde Pierce and Leeves all deserve praise for their fiery performances.

Meanwhile, Frasier and Roz have a surprisingly light ending to the season after having held up the emotional foundations for the last few episodes. Still, the idea of marking one's sexual performance on a customer feedback card is very funny and a natural source for this show's penchant for double entendre. Frasier searching for the sexual "fifth cup" makes sense, as does the humbling revelation that Roz so specifically remembers what was playing on Letterman. A surprisingly low-key finish to a major character development, but this is probably for the best. It reminds us of how well Frasier and Roz sit as friends, and lets the season end with a quiet but dignified manner.


Rating: 82%

 

Beautiful!, Feb 01, 2009

Reviewer: Danielle from UK


Funny as always, but this episode sticks in my memory for those last few lovely moments.
The conversation between Daphne and her dad about Daphne finding the 'right one' is perfectly written.
The stand out moment is Daphne's "I adore you", the way she says it...and the reaction on his face makes my heart jump into my throat every time I see it.


Rating: 100%

 

Review of 'Moons Over Seattle', Jul 28, 2006

Reviewer: Beer Necessity from York, England


An up and down season is thankfully concluded with a highly enjoyable finale. Brian Cox is enlisted as Daphne’s roguish father, and his star turn has one wondering why this was his only appearance on the show (save for his 10 second cameo in the previous episode). A funny, witty episode which ends on a romantic cliffhanger is a welcome conclusion to an uneven season.

To summarise, this is a bi-polar season of Frasier with half the episodes proving good entertainment and the other half plumbing the depths with moments of toe-curling banality. Overall, I'd say this still provides more memorable episodes than the drama-heavy season 8, and we must at least be grateful for that.


Rating: 82%

 

'Moons Over Seattle' review, Sep 24, 2005

Reviewer: Jocelyn from London, UK


Another season finale, and one which is thankfully better than the two previous episodes, this is blessed with a great guest performance from Brian Cox as Daphne's father, Harry Moon, who Niles brings to Seattle in a doomed attempt at reconciling him with Gertrude. I liked Harry's shameless attempts to prompt Niles to bribe him with expensive plane flights and hotel rooms while his reaction to Martin's pretence at being interested in Gertrude - that he's lost his vision! - is funny, with another nice moment coming when the Moons go for a meal at a restaurant and Niles nips out for champagne, only to walk back in and find Harry and Gertrude at each other's throats. The scenes in Nervosa with Roz rating Frasier's performance in bed via a comment card are quite amusing, with Roz letting slip she was listening to Letterman on the TV when they were making love providing some belated humour to this storyline, even if it doesn't quite manage to remove the bad taste left by the events of the previous episode, while the ending with Daphne telling Niles that she can wait no longer to get married is nicely done, leaving the Season 10 opener to deal with the pair's long-awaited wedding day ...

After the massive disappointment of Season 8, Season 9 had a lot to make up for. Free of the production headaches that helped blight the previous season, there was a slight improvement to the overall direction of the show, with a generally brighter feel in comparison to the murky depths of it's predecessor. On the downside, it had the misfortune to feature some of the worst lapses of judgement in the show's history - Kirby as a semi-regular; Bill Gates' self-promotion; Roz's relationship with the mostly absent Roger; Frasier and Roz sleeping together - while the general complacency of much of the scripting continued, with only a handful of memorable episodes standing out from a surfeit of forgettable mediocrity.

If Season 8 represented the show at it's lowest ebb then the overall impression left by Season 9 is bland complacency. A small step in the right direction overall, but still a long way from the sharp-witted comic brilliance of 'Frasier' at it's peak.


Rating: 76%