Daphne, we still love ya

[Eddie2012]

Good examples, PistolPoet!

My two worst examples:

The Maris-Murder plot: Coming into Cafe Nervosa and ignoring Niles completely when tries to kiss her; being full of resentment towards him whenever he tries to help the woman he, after all, spent 15 years of his life with. Insisting his ex-wife has put them through hell when Maris, in fact, never did.

ATDRAWTS: Only a days after humiliating the people they claimed to love, Daphne is less then supportive towards Niles. Resenting him for not having filed for divorce immediately after they run off, ignoring completely what that would mean for his wife and showing virtually understanding or compassion towards Mel - never mind just having ruined her life . Donny seem to have left her mind completely after he dropped the lawsuit. Her excusing herself out of an argument with Niles faking a 'splitting headache' is diva-like and her questioning their relationship at such an early stage is both diva-like and emotional blackmailing (I would not mind her behavior 6 month into the relationship, but so soon?)

I would never say she's become a heartless woman or that she does not love Niles. But all in all it shows a woman with little understanding or compassion towards people who are not directly in her circle of friends or family. With her kookiness gone, her self-centered and domineering side shows even more (and I disagree with Niles standing up to her in The Placeholder for example, he does nothing to stop Daphne trying to trick the maid into a confession with the fake tape. The only time I can remember him showing a sort of spine is in Murder Most Maris, when he shuts them all up after his breakdown ).

She is warm & kind at times, but I am not watching Frasier for lovey-dovey relationship stuff or heart-wrenching drama, but for the comedy and a lot of the Daphne-comedy is gone after S8 (along with a lot of comedy in general, but that's another thread )

[Patrick]

Good examples, PistolPoet!

My two worst examples:

The Maris-Murder plot: Coming into Cafe Nervosa and ignoring Niles completely when tries to kiss her; being full of resentment towards him whenever he tries to help the woman he, after all, spent 15 years of his life with. Insisting his ex-wife has put them through hell when Maris, in fact, never did.

Actually I see it more like a continuity problem. What she says about Maris in fact applies to Mel.

ATDRAWTS: Only a days after humiliating the people they claimed to love, Daphne is less then supportive towards Niles. Resenting him for not having filed for divorce immediately after they run off, ignoring completely what that would mean for his wife and showing virtually understanding or compassion towards Mel - never mind just having ruined her life . Donny seem to have left her mind completely after he dropped the lawsuit. Her excusing herself out of an argument with Niles faking a 'splitting headache' is diva-like and her questioning their relationship at such an early stage is both diva-like and emotional blackmailing (I would not mind her behavior 6 month into the relationship, but so soon?)

I would never say she's become a heartless woman or that she does not love Niles. But all in all it shows a woman with little understanding or compassion towards people who are not directly in her circle of friends or family. With her kookiness gone, her self-centered and domineering side shows even more (and I disagree with Niles standing up to her in The Placeholder for example, he does nothing to stop Daphne trying to trick the maid into a confession with the fake tape. The only time I can remember him showing a sort of spine is in Murder Most Maris, when he shuts them all up after his breakdown ).

She is warm & kind at times, but I am not watching Frasier for lovey-dovey relationship stuff or heart-wrenching drama, but for the comedy and a lot of the Daphne-comedy is gone after S8 (along with a lot of comedy in general, but that's another thread )

To me it all comes down to this: Daphne is the one wearing the pants in that couple. Niles seems unable to relate to women differently.

[tgirl]

I still stand by my original point that she only lost the quirky, kooky nature of the earlier seasons.

In Daphne Returns (S8) Niles tells Frasier that he knows she can be moody but he still loves her anyway. Daphne has her moody moments in early seasons; for example Daphne's Room and she tells the brothers that they are a couple of wollies in Dukes we hardly knew ya, she had her sweet moments which sort of outweighed the moody ones. From S8 onwards sadly the writers chose to increase the moodiness, however she was still lovable by many fans because she never lost her caring side.

A lot of Daphne's moody moments get laughs because they are made funny by the way they are spoken and by the reaction they get.

She has her complexities like all real people and that is ultimately what the writers are trying to show in her and all the characters, she would be boring if she was kind all the time or considered annoying if she was kooky 24/7 and so on.

[PistolPoet]

I agree, though I don't think she was moody at all in Daphne's Room. When you grow up with eight brothers, seven of whom peek at you in the shower, you want to protect your privacy with your life!

(Off-topic: I love Martin's remark about women and their purses in that episode. I always say "Bring me my purse", too, rather than having anyone go through it )