Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 11 -> Episode 11.23

Goodnight, Seattle

During a rather turbulent flight, Frasier gets chatting to the woman sitting by him on the plane, and to take both their minds off the turbulence, Frasier starts to recount the rather frantic events of the past three weeks....

Frasier and Charlotte are enjoying each other's company in bed but it seems they have lost track of time, as Frasier's show is about to start and he's nowhere in sight. Roz forces Kenny to go on instead of him, a role which Kenny slips back into again after many years away from the radio mic although his radio persona is not to everyone's tastes. Frasier finally arrives at the station, telling Roz he had a doctor's appointment, and is soon joined by Bebe Glazer who tells him he's been offered the job of a radio psychiatrist in San Francisco, replacing one who had been killed by a falling air conditioner, but Frasier feels that Seattle is his home and turns it down. Back at his apartment, Frasier is preparing his and Charlotte's final meal together before she leaves for Chicago but just can't seem to clear everyone out - fisr, Ronee's not ready to leave yet, then Kenny arrives asking for Frasier's advice after really enjoying his time behind the mic, so Frasier tells him to follow his dream and quit his job - and Kenny agrees! Finally Niles and Daphne arrived, with Daphne desperate for the loo, but the interruptions continue with the surprise appearance of Daphne's bad-seed brother Simon Moon accompanied this time by Stephen and Michael Moon as well, who have dropped by to see their sister. Frasier manages to clear everyone out of the apartment, and he and Charlotte enjoy their time together before bidding each other farewell.

The following day, Martin and Frasier try to cheer Frasier up, but he is adamant he isn't depressed about Charlotte leaving. Ronee then joins them, having just got off the phone with the venue for their wedding reception confirming the date as May 15th, less than a week away, instead of July 15th that Martin was supposed to book. Martin can't understand why he'd book May 15th until he realises what Eddie's birthday is. Frasier proposes that he and Niles take over the wedding preparations, adamant that they can put together a spectacular ceremony within a week with Frasier marrying the pair, still having his licence from marrying a couple on his show. Martin and Ronee are of course delighted to accept their offer, but things don't quite go according to plan on the day itself as Simon gets their flower girl drunk, the sweltering heat causes the air conditioning to break down and the cannon operator to faint with exhaustion, forcing Frasier to ask Michael Moon to step in, but a misunderstanding causes him to fire the cannon unexpectedly frightening a herd of cattle in a neighbouring field. To top it all of, Eddie swallows the ring leaving Niles and Daphne no choice but to take him to a vets to retrieve the ring.

There, they have to jump ahead of a lady whose monkey needs some attention, but while the vet is retrieving the ring from Eddie, Daphne's water breaks and she starts to give birth there and then. Thankfully, the lady waiting outside is a nurse and Daphne gives birth to a beautiful baby boy who they name David. Frasier, Martin and Ronee arrive, racing to the vets after Niles had told them what's happening but when Daphne points out she'll miss the wedding ceremony, Frasier offers to marry Martin and Ronee right there in the vet's and do it again later at the reception too so no-one will miss out. In the days following the excitement of the wedding, Martin moves out of Frasier's leaving the apartment seeming very empty so Frasier calls Bebe and tells her he will accept that San Francisco job after all.

After Kenny's departure, Roz is unexpectedly promoted to station manager, and on hearing the news even gives Noel a kiss - which he takes full advantage of! Frasier then invites Roz and all of his family to his apartment to tell them he'll be leaving Seattle for San Francisco, but they mystery that surrounds him calling them all together makes them think he's going to tell them he's going to die - and Frasier's speech about leaving them soon and the Golden Gate does nothing to disabuse everyone of that notion - until Frasier sets them all straight, and promises to visit frequently, Everyone then says their goodbyes to Frasier, and he recites to them - and to his listeners on his final KACL show - a poem by Tennyson that his mother made him recite when he was a kid that emphasises the importance of taking chances in your life....

Frasier finishes telling the story to his fellow passenger just as the plane touches down - in Chicago.....

"Ulysses" by Alfred Lord Tennyson

It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.

Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in the old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal-temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

quoted by Frasier in his final farewell speech

- Kenny filling in for Frasier on his show.

- Frasier is shocked to hear about the death of the psychiatrist in San Francisco by a falling air conditioner:
Bebe: Yes, I cried so hard it was all I could do to stuff your demo tape in the FedEx pouch!

- Frasier realises that Bebe was in San Francisco recently, and wonders if she had anything to do with it:
Bebe: I was nowhere near that air conditioner - you're worse than the police!

- Simon starts making a move on Charlotte:
Charlotte: Who is that creep?
Simon: You know, I'm getting some very mixed signals.

- After Charlotte has left, Frasier inisists he isn't depressed about it:
Frasier: I have no regrets.
[The apartment door opens]
Simon: Morning.
Frasier: Except for leaving that door unlocked!

- Niles worries that his and Daphne's baby will turn out like Daphne's brothers
Niles: Those Moon genes have probably beaten our genes up and stolen our luch money!

- Martin and Ronee gratefully accept Frasier and Niles' offer to organise their wedding:
Ronee: Leave it to the Duke and Duchess to solve out problems
- Frasier and Niles argue over who's the Duke and who's the Duchess

- Bebe tells Frasier that the San Francisco people have thrown in a raise and a TV job to sweeten the offer, but Frasier still wants to turn it down:
Frasier: There are more important things than money.
Bebe: Yes I know - there's power, but money can buy that.

- Niles greets Martin, Ronee and Frasier just after his son has been born bottle feeding a monkey:
Niles: Hey guys, you're just in time - come on in.
Martin [to Frasier]: Don't stare - you were no prize at that age either!

- Frasier finally replacing the space left by Martin's chair with his Eames chair.

- Noel kissing Roz

- Everyone thinks that Frasier is going to die soon as he is giving his speech about moving to San Francisco:
Frasier: Cry if you must but I tell you, when I pass through that Golden Gate, I will be smiling!

- Martin sits in Frasier's Eames chair:
Martin: You know, this is pretty comfortable - I would have been OK with this!

And so, after 11 years and more than 250 episodes, we finally reach the end of the road with this, the final ever episode of 'Frasier' - an episode that is by turns funny, emotional and quite moving. Written by Christopher Lloyd and Joe Keenan, who are not only fabulous 'Frasier' writers in their own right, but also the pair who have guided the show magnificently through it's final season ensuring that the show is remembered for all the right reasons, the episode throws in lots of the best elements of the show - good knockabout humour when Kenny has to fill in for Frasier, as well as the return of Simon Moon this time accompanied by Michael and Stephen Moon too. There's also farce when the wedding reception is beset by one diasaster after another. However, best of all is that despite all the guest cameos - including a nice one from Jason Biggs as the vet helping to retrieve the ring from inside Eddie - the episode manages to tie things together and bring the show to a conclusion in a way that I found both powerful and moving - the scenes where Martin's chair is taken away (which, in a stroke of genius, is done by the same guy who delivered it in the very first episode) followed by the scene where Frasier gathers his family together to tell them he is moving to San Francisco and they all say their goodbyes to him culminating in Frasier reciting a portion of a poem by Tennyson are brilliantly written and performed - I certainly shed a tear everytime I hear Martin say "Thank you, Frasier". I also loved how the poem formed the ending of his final KACL show too as he thanks his listeners, and for the final time says "Goodnight, Seattle", and to have so many of the cast and crew behind the glass in that scene was a terrific touch that allowed the show to give due credit to it's stars both on and off screen. Last ever episodes are notoriously difficult to get right - too many tend to end up being far too sentimental - and for a show that has achieved such a high quality throughout it's 11 years, I was worried how this episode would turn out, but I needn't have. The episode strikes just the right balance of humour and emotion that brings the series to a terrific ending and I, for one, would like to thank the actors, writers and producers for giving us a show that raised the bar on US sitcoms, and has kept us entertained magnificently for the last 11 years - it will be sorely missed.

Rating

90 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 94.2%
Total Number of Reviews: 33