Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 10 -> Episode 10.14

Daphne Does Dinner

The episode opens at the end of another disastrous dinner party thrown by Frasier and Niles with all of the guests and the chef storming out, leaving the Crane brothers wondering why they can't throw a successful party for once in their lives. The next day at Niles apartment, workmen are installing a beautiful new chandelier and Niles arrives home to tell Daphne his plan for a party to celebrate his purchase of a painting by the renowned artist Mike Shaw. Of course, Niles wants to throw it with Frasier but Daphne says that perhaps it is time to throw a party without his brother and instead suggests she and Niles co-host the party with Daphne handling all the food. Niles eventually agrees, but Frasier doesn't take too kindly to the news that he is going to be 'just' a guest at Niles' party and refuses to come, although he does offer Daphne his help with the food if she needs it.

Come the day of the party, Daphne seems to have things under control as she begins cooking the hens for dinner, but disaster soon strikes when she discovers Alice has scribbled her name on her own drawings AND the picture by Mike Shaw! Daphne tries to keep calm and sends Roz and Alice off with the painting to an art restorer Niles always uses, before placing a drape over one of Alice's paintings to hide the mess from her husband and his guests. All this has led to the hens getting burnt, forcing Daphne to call Frasier and ask for his help. He agrees - bringing his own batch of hens and the ingredients for his signature sauce, but once he is at Niles' apartment he tells Daphne that his brother cannot see him there so he is forced to hide in a cupboard every time Niles enters the kitchen. Daphne's mother also arrives home and declares she is going to spend the evening watching a boxing match upstairs with just a few bottles of alcohol. Daphne has a hard time keeping her husband out from the kitchen, and when guests start arriving, from wanting to see Mike Shaw's painting. However, the arrival of Mike Shaw (unbeknownst to Niles as Mrs Moon grabs him when he arrives and takes him upstairs) leaves Niles thinking they have mistaken him for Martin as they describe him as being old, white hair, a cane and flannel shirt - and the appearance of his father in the kitchen just confirms it but Martin is forced to stay and pretend to be the famous artist. Events start to unwind on Daphne, however, as Niles discovers Frasier, the guests uncover the 'painting', and Mrs Moon and Mike Shaw come through the ceiling on her bed!! Frasier comforts Daphne after the guests leave as a disastrous dinner party means she is now officially a Crane.

- Martin says Niles and Frasier's parties go wrong because they always make it so complicated:
Frasier: This was barebones - simplicity itself!
Daphne: One of your goats just threw up in the kitchen!

- Frasier worries that Daphne is going to serve one of her worst dishes:
Niles: It's called Piccadilly beef - and I talked her out of it, thank God!

- Frasier tells Daphne he hopes his non-appearance won't upset her seating plan:
Daphne: It's going to be a buffet.
[Frasier looks aghast]
Frasier: Buffet (!!)

- Roz tells her daughter only to write her name on her own drawings:
Alice: Cos mine is prettier?
[Roz looks at Mike Shaw's painting]
Roz: Yeah!

- Mrs Moon wants Daphne's help ordering the boxing match:
Gertrude Moon: I'm having trouble ordering the boxing match. I don't understand, this doesn't normally happen with the nudie programmes!

- Niles comes into the kitchen to find his father there:
Niles: Dad, you're not supposed to be here!
[Daphne rushes into the kitchen]
Daphne: Niles, you're not supposed to be here!

- Martin (as Mike Shaw) is asked for his opinions of art by Niles' guests:
Jeremy: What do you think of Warhol?
Martin: Crap!

- Mike Shaw and Mrs Moon on her bed coming through the ceiling!

This is another of the series' farce based episodes but thankfully this one has a twist in it - it is Daphne who is beset by a mounting pile of problems to keep under wraps as opposed to Frasier or Niles. This gives a freshness to an episode that features lots of Frasier rushing to hide in a cupboard and Daphne trying to hide all her problems from her husband and his guests. There are quite a lot of funny moments in the episode - Frasier's response to being left out of the party, Martin pretending to be Mike Shaw and the ending when Mrs Moon and Mike Shaw come through the ceiling are just some of them - but I found the bits in between to be a little bit tiresome (Frasier continually having to hide in the cupboard being the main problem). Not as good as some of the series' other farce based episodes, but this is still an enjoyable and above average 'Frasier' episode.

Rating

77 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 87.9%
Total Number of Reviews: 9