Alphabetical list of all Frasier episodes?

[Frasiertime]

I'm realizing that other than the ones I transcribed, I only watched most Season 10 episodes once. Weird. I'm pretty sure I only saw "Farewell, Nervosa" once before just re-watching it. That's an episode that has a mixed bag of a reputation, and I was surprised to find that I kind of enjoyed it. The plot is disjointed as all hell, but the individual parts are OK. Elvis Costello took a beating from the fans for his performance, but it wasn't as stilted or contrived as Dr. Phil or Bill Gates. I kind of liked Julia at the end of S10, even though I understand why they felt they needed to do some extreme character assassination with her at the beginning of S11. Hannah was OK as Avery. The Martin/Daphne subplot was harmless and inoffensive, and certainly better than the one that replaced it in "Door Jam." I even laughed at Martin's agony at the end. The deadpan barista Steve was as funny as anything in the episode (including the rather good tag scene). The beanbag image was priceless, as was the argument over coffee sizes (a clear dig at Starbucks and Howard Schultz). Of course, there was Niles and "Kangaroo Down," which had me in stitches--and that was where I thought Costello was actually kind of cool in his role.

But the whole thing didn't hang together too well. A very patchwork plot with no real direction, and the double resolution with Julia/Avery and Ben at the end was awfully contrived. Worst of all was the appearance of the owner--in ten years, Frasier has never met her? And her name is ACTUALLY Nervosa? Please--that was a bit of an insult to the fans right there.

Overall, it was pretty enjoyable and I can't believe I never re-watched it--even though it is surely one of the most loosely structured episodes in all 11 seasons.

I agree with you regarding Nervosa owner-a huge insult to the fans to just throw her out there after all those years-didn't like her character and especially hated the way she treated Frasier who was a loyal patron. It's impossible to relate to her on the show at all.

[Eddie2012]

Seriously, Cat, do you really find the behavior of Niles in particular to be in line with the character's experiences and development?

I personally like Door Jam as well and the above is probably the reason why. Because it is out of line for later-season-Niles. It is going back to the 'old' snobby Niles, whom I prefer to his later self .

[Forever Jung]

Door Jam is a greap ep.
I like the end when they're in the realxation grotto and they start to flip again when they think there is a better room

[Patrick]

I agree with you regarding Nervosa owner-a huge insult to the fans to just throw her out there after all those years-didn't like her character and especially hated the way she treated Frasier who was a loyal patron. It's impossible to relate to her on the show at all.

That reminds me when Niles went cuckoo and removed all his clothes and the Nervosa bartender was ready to call the police, the way Roz defended him was very moving, for a moment there she was like Niles big sister. That's the way real people are, sometimes the ones that are the less amicable and the more acerbic are the ones you can count on in times of crisis.

[CatNamedRudy]

I agree with you regarding Nervosa owner-a huge insult to the fans to just throw her out there after all those years-didn't like her character and especially hated the way she treated Frasier who was a loyal patron. It's impossible to relate to her on the show at all.

That reminds me when Niles went cuckoo and removed all his clothes and the Nervosa bartender was ready to call the police, the way Roz defended him was very moving, for a moment there she was like Niles big sister. That's the way real people are, sometimes the ones that are the less amicable and the more acerbic are the ones you can count on in times of crisis.

I love that scene. And Frasier wrapping Niles up in the aprons is great.

[Eddie2012]

I love that scene. And Frasier wrapping Niles up in the aprons is great.

And so is the mental image of a passing school bus turning them into a cape

[hansenkd]

So today on the list I covered:

Fool Me Once, Shame On You, Fool Me Twice...
OK, the title is far too long. Strangest big-name cameo the show ever did, with Nathan Lane showing up for the last five minutes. Weird thing is that it seems the part was probably written before it was given to him. Not one of the greatest S2 eps (S2 is my favorite of the early seasons 1-5 or so).

Forgotten But Not Gone
Pretty lame episode with a very gimmicky denouement, as Martin wouldn't have been caught dead humiliating his sons at the wine club. The last Daphne-less episode, and thank heavens for that, as it was really starting to drag the show down by this point. An awfully pedestrian effort that was marking time before the landmark "Daphne Returns." Best thing about the episode is the stuff with Gil and his producer--"Lock up your daughters!"

Fortysomething
I'm going to surprise some people here. As I've said, I'm not a huge fan of S1 generally, and this episode often falls at the bottom of "quality lists" of that season. And I didn't remember it very well, so I was prepared for the worst. I was pleasantly surprised, as I found it a rather pleasant episode. The ending was nicely done--certainly more satisfying than some absolutely botched endings in that season ("Can't Buy Me Love" in particular). I enjoyed the young actress playing the mall worker--don't recall her name. Also, it has the line, recently alluded to here, about going to a "warm and friendly place." I think I may have caught this one on first run in '94 when I was newly married and in my early 20s. Maybe a Summer rerun--anyway, it evoked one of my oldest memories of ever seeing the show, which may be why I responded positively to it.

[CatNamedRudy]

Completely agree with you on Fool Me Once...I find it one of the dullest episodes of the early seasons.

I am not particularly fond of Forgotten But Not Gone but I love the Martin scene at the end. Yeah, it's rather unplausible but it makes me laugh. (as you may have noticed, making me laugh is important to me when it comes to my comedy).

Not a fan of Fortysomething at all. It's one of those that I might watch if it happens to be on (unlike a few others where I will immediately switch the channel) but I would never seek it out and, to paraphrase Manu "I just don't like it."

[hansenkd]

Forgotten But Not Gone was the last episode written by David Lloyd, who contributed many classics. DL was the "old sage" of the writing crew. He died in 2009. It's too bad that his last script was such a run-of-the-mill one. His previous contribution was the sparkling "They're Playing Our Song" (and as I understand, he actually composed Frasier's Opus).

[CatNamedRudy]

Forgotten But Not Gone was the last episode written by David Lloyd, who contributed many classics. DL was the "old sage" of the writing crew. He died in 2009. It's too bad that his last script was such a run-of-the-mill one. His previous contribution was the sparkling "They're Playing Our Song" (and as I understand, he actually composed Frasier's Opus).

"The trombone frightened me."

I love that episode. The look on Kenny's face when he sees that entire orchestra is priceless.

[hansenkd]

Four for the Seesaw

Only thing I have to say about this one is this:

Does anybody else want to absolutely b!tchslap Niles at the end of it?

[CatNamedRudy]

I quite like Four for the Seesaw but yeah, Niles needs to be smacked! I love it when Frasier throws him into the snow bank.

[hansenkd]

The long section of episodes beginning with Frasier's name:

Frasier Crane's Day Off--Quite possibly my favorite episode from Season 1. Great use of all the characters. High comedy all the way through. Gil was still played sort of "straight" at this point ("straight" in the sense of "without parody"). They hadn't yet introduced the whole "camp straight" thing yet (the other meaning of "straight") which would give rise to a lot of comedy in the later seasons.

Frasier Gotta Have It--I used to kind of hate this episode. I am still not particularly fond of it, although I think that this is not because it is "bad," but because it may well be the most "smutty" episode the show ever produced. I can't think of another episode that was about sex--and absolutely nothing else whatsoever. I had heard that it was the only episode to ever earn a TV-14 rating in the US (most others were TV-PG and a few from Seasons 1 and 2 are even given as TV-G in syndication). Don't quote me on that because I'm not entirely sure. Sometimes in episodes like this it's easy to forget that Frasier wasn't shown having sex with a "girl of the week" all THAT often. More often than not, the encounter was thwarted ("Four for the Seesaw," "Call Me Irresponsible," etc.). I'd probably dislike it a little less if it didn't have such a crass, unimaginative title (which only adds to its "smuttiness"). Based on Caitlin's personality, I could come up with several titles that are better than that one. So I don't think it's a "bad" episode, but it's definitely not one I have much of a taste for. Yes, Frasier is shown having sex with quite a few women over the course of the show, but this is the only time it actually makes me uncomfortable. There IS some funny stuff. Niles's pronounciation of "relationship." His extreme arousal and quick exit after Daphne's story. But the last scene in Caitlin's apartment is just difficult to watch. And frankly, at this point, I'd seen more than enough of Kelsey's bare chest. Side note--how weird is it to watch Lisa Edelstein in this role before her long tenure as the rather prudish Dr. Cuddy on House?

Frasier Grinch--A hilarious holiday episode that I've always enjoyed. I don't mind that it's not Trevor Einhorn playing Frederick, although I am glad that they stayed consistent with the actor after that first appearance. Frederick's appearance is brief enough that it doesn't really matter at all. And it has that tremendous line: "The Cranes of Maine have got your Living Brain." One odd note. This was the episode directly after the Niles/Maris separation. And yet she is already cancelling his credit cards. Really makes you wonder about the long and tortured death of the marriage that was still to follow. Based on Maris's actions here, it should have moved a lot more quickly than that.

Frasier Has Spokane--Another late-season episode with a bad reputation that I really kind of like. I actually find Roz's "confession" to Frasier and their "on-air" hug to be quite touching. Yes, they were leading up to one of the show's more questionable decisions (Frasier and Roz sleeping together), but if you can forget about that, it's an effective scene and a fine performance from Peri. The table construction subplot wasn't bad. The episode as a whole contains a great deal of evidence that could be exploited by the "Daphne is a shrew" crowd. But again, I just don't get it. Niles went to Bananarama--OK, fine. She went to the symphony and the opera. So it's a bit of a quid pro quo, but most relationships and marriages have some element of that. I know this was discussed in another thread--I just don't see any incongruity in the barganing thing with each of them partaking of the other's world. The table construction itself had Daphne ordering Niles around, but let's face it, she wasn't exactly asking him to operate a power tool. I didn't mind the subplot, and was pretty impressed with Daph pulling off the construction essentially on her own.

Frasier-Lite--I think this episode is kind of a self-parody of earlier episodes with KACL hijinks. And it's pretty enjoyable too--and an almost constant stream of laughs. The last-ever appearance of Bulldog. For the life of me, I can't understand why they didn't bring him back (along with Gil and Noel) for the Series Finale. And Dan Butler didn't miss a beat. He still had his character down. The denouement, with Roz cutting her hair on the scale, was kind of cheap and stretched the credulity. (Was the other station's team going to accept such obvious cheating after the weigh-in?) The bird subplot was kind of funny. Whenever Martin and Niles take on projects together ("Docu.Drama" is another example) it's always kind of amusing. And I liked how the subplot was worked into the main plot, which is something you don't see all that often in the later seasons.

More to come! I'm really enjoying this method of watching the show! Some of you should try it!

[CatNamedRudy]

I like every one of those episodes. But I do hate the table making subplot in Frasier Has Spokane. I love Frasier Gotta Have It. Of course I love Kelsey's chest hair too so that helps!

[hansenkd]

I guess The Ski Lodge was also about sex and pretty much nothing else. But it's somehow more deftly done in that episode and not overtly crass like much of Frasier Gotta Have It (I really can't stand that title, biases me agaisnt the episode even more). The thing of it is--The Ski Lodge sparkles with wit and derives all its humor from very clever innuendo. FGHI (I refuse to type it again) shoves it into our face and just makes Frasier look like a sleazeball. I mean, I don't think I could touch the wolf-howlin', mouse-paintin', hair-stuffin' thing without absolutely cringing--seriously, she grossed me out on screen alone! (No rap on Lisa Edelstein--the role she is known for is obviously very different from this one). Seriously, ewwww.

And another thing that bugs me--"the most intense physical pleasure" I have ever known? Really? After the Kate Costas storyline and countless others, we're really supposed to buy that? Now that I think about it, the whole episode seems to take the raunchiest elements of the Kate Costas arc and bungle them badly. And if you think further, you realize that the episode says nothing that wasn't said in the much more deftly handled Kate Costas episodes. Now that I've overanalyzed why I find that particular episode distasteful (if not a complete clunker), an episode about overanaysis.

Working backwards a little:

Frasier's Edge--Another much-criticized episode. Not my favorite by any means. Might have made a different impact in a different season. S8 could ill-afford such a serious turn at that point. I thought Kelsey gave a very fine performance of material that could have been more dull than it was. Martin's fat jokes were ham-fisted, as was his overpraising of Niles. All in all, not a great episode for JM. Roz was hot in that dress. I'll give it that. And Gil was hilarious. But did the ending HAVE to be so dour? Surely there could have been something better than that. Roz's "What the hell was that?" spoke for us all. Still, I appreciate what they were trying to do. The focus simply HAD to shift away from N&D (does everyone know what N&D is now? Good) at that point, and I admired the attempt to bring us back to Frasier as the main focus. And I suppose that you could see it as planting a seed that finally came to a head--and to a rest--in Don Juan in Hell. So overall, I have very mixed feelings about that episode. (Incidentally, it's really confusing when a title for another episode shows up as a black card--"Whine Club" in Forgotten But Not Gone, "Don Juan in Hell" in FGHI.)

Frasier's Curse--An episode with funny moments but with questionable taste and even more questionable structure. I've seen (through a bit of research), that it's been long-loathed on this forum. Even the Roz stuff was brutal and cruel rather than hilarious. The big problem was that it ignored the "Acceptance" card at the end of the previous episode, and it seemed to firmly establish the downbeat tone for which Season 6 is generally known (really, S6 is pretty depressing throughout--the ending of To Tell the Truth, the ending of Visions of Daphne, Frasier's very long, drawn-out "Big NO!" in the Season Finale--it really was the season of suffering for the Brothers Crane). I feel that FC should have been reserved until maybe after Dial M for Martin. It's certainly an episode that's difficult to love--but I don't see why it has to be as hated as it is because some of it is pretty great. The Rugly scenes are uncomfortable and funny at the same time. And can we consign an episode to the dung heap that contains this line: "He mumbled something about it being worse than the Dresden premiere of Schumann's Second Symphony?" That's almost enough to redeem it from its issues and its implications.

Frasier Loves Roz--Snappy, funny little episode with a great turn for Peri Gilpin. The scene where the brush gets stuck in her hair is wonderful! Fine little moment for JM in the "video" sequence. One of the best tag scenes EVER! But its existence seemed to be ignored in later seasons. The bridesmaid thing came up again in Father of the Bride. Niles worrying about somebody close to him using privileged information which could put his integrity and his license in jeopardy obviously came up in The First Temptation of Daphne. The potential Frasier/Roz relationship should have been aborted right there--as we sadly know, it wasn't. It's as if this episode--which fit comfortably in its surroundings--was simply banished from the minds of the writers later on.

[hansenkd]

Hmmm...no replies to that last post. Maybe Cat was upset that I kept finding things to hate about...(holding nose in anticipation of typing the hated title)...Frasier Gotta Have It.

Anyway, moving on:

Frasier's Imaginary Friend. Sigh. A much-loved episode that makes me cringe. Easily my least favorite season premiere. It seems like every time I try to think of all the examples of this most tired of Frasier tropes--that of an episode-ending door-slamed-in-Frasier's-face-by-a-lady-of-the-week--there comes another one I forgot about. I just think that the device was overused throughout the series and was always more painful than funny. You'd think that the spectacular failure of the endings of Call Me Irresponsible and Can't Buy Me Love early on would have made them wary of going back to this over and over, but no....already in S2 there was the Honey Snow episode. This one takes it up a step and adds the interesting (and funny) twist of Niles, Martin, and Daphne genuinely believing he is making it up. I actually kind of like most of the episode, but the last five minutes, from the moment Frasier grabs the camera (is he really that stupid, of course it's going to flash!), are awful. And Sela Ward's over-dramatic exit is just too extreme in every way. Sadly, it wouldn't be the last time...A post-Lois Lane, pre-Susan Maier Teri Hatcher almost matched Ward in the next season.

Fraternal Schwinns. Funny, refreshingly exuberant S10 episode in which even Gertrude Moon is kind of amusing in the Cora Winston subplot. Excellent use of montage with a perfect musical backing. The continued crashes into the tree are side-splitting. Rather abrupt ending, which is odd because the episode is, at 20 minutes, one of the shortest.

Freudian Sleep. Where do I start? I transcribed it for the Frasier Files and remember it as a stimulating exercise of the mind. Probably the most polarizing episode of all. You either admire it for its intellectual concept and its surreal execution or you hate it because it is the show's "Bizarro" episode. I enjoy it every time I watch it. But I totally understand those who just don't get it. I really loved that JM got to sing at the end. After that "singing" plot in Perspectives on Christmas, some may have wrongly believed that John actually couldn't sing. Great line: "You died tragically and noone missed you!" And, sadly, yes, Kelsey kissed Jane more passionately than David ever did.

The Friend. Good concept ruined by the poor writing of Bob as a character. Griffin Dunne did what he could, but it wasn't enough. The ending with Frasier changing his explanation to "I just can't get past the chair" was painful. He was trying to spare Bob's feelings, even though Bob, who was actually guilty of STALKING, really didn't deserve it. I liked his retreat/fallback to Niles at the end. One of the poorest episodes of S3. The episode The New Friend from S8 was actually better, beginning with a similar concept. So was the Frank part of the Charlotte arc in the last season. There it was flat-out Ho Yay instead of stalking.

[Patrick]

...
Freudian Sleep. Where do I start? I transcribed it for the Frasier Files and remember it as a stimulating exercise of the mind. Probably the most polarizing episode of all. You either admire it for its intellectual concept and its surreal execution or you hate it because it is the show's "Bizarro" episode. I enjoy it every time I watch it. But I totally understand those who just don't get it. I really loved that JM got to sing at the end. After that "singing" plot in Perspectives on Christmas, some may have wrongly believed that John actually couldn't sing. Great line: "You died tragically and noone missed you!" And, sadly, yes, Kelsey kissed Jane more passionately than David ever did.
...

Believe it or not but this one is similar to an episode of Taxi (reverend Jim and all... ) where every one tells of their fantasy and ends up with the last one (a woman who kinda looked like Roz) singing the "Lullaby of Broadway" with a sumptuous decor taking place in the midst of the old garage. The treatment is quite different but the basic idea is the same.

[CatNamedRudy]

I thought I did reply to the one with Frasier's Curse and Frasier Loves Roz. You can talk all the shit you want about Frasier Gotta Have It. I love the episode and find it quite fun and enjoyable. Caitlyn and her mouse art crack me up!

Frasier's Curse bugs me because he's being beyond ridiculous. Though I love the "a cure for cancer" line. Kelsey's delivery is wonderful. I love Frasier Love's Roz. I'd be perfectly happy if I never watched Frasier's Edge ever again!

On to the next one...Frasier's Imaginary Friend is one of my favorite season premiers. It is a bit on the "creeper" side with the photo deal but I still like it a lot. Frasier's rant at the end is my favorite Frasier rant ever.

Not a fan of Fraternal Schwinns. A lot of people really love it but I just find it in the "meh" arena. I don't hate it by any means but I also don't find it all that funny.

I love Freudian Sleep. Especially the Frasier dreams. The Friend is horrible.

[Eddie2012]

I also like Freudian Sleep. I find it positively bizarre and even 'realistic' for dreams. The phones ringing all at once, then turning into a pre-war phone system, the strange settings in Niles' 'nursery' or a pregnant Daphne leaving the room only to return immediately with a baby are all likely dream scenarios. Maybe not so much D and F poking fun at N's terrible death or him sleeping with the service people, but those are still funny.

The only thing I don't like about it, is what everyone else seem to absolutely love: the singing and dancing ending with Martin and Ronee. Maybe it is because I am not a very musical person or the fact that I don't like shows like that, but I always switch off before it starts... (or at least mute the telly if I want to see the lovely tag scene).

[hansenkd]

Wow, it's been a while since I posted in this thread! I guess I've just been too busy. I made a lot of progress over the holidays and am almost done with the M's. I just watched the Mother Load two-parter, and it raised a question again about the finale. It sure did seem that Simon Moon was given his final send-off in that episode, and yet they saw fit to bring him back for the series finale. It really SHOULD have been Gertrude who was brought back in the finale. I can accept that we didn't see much of her in S11 because she was in her own apartment or whatever, but her complete disappearance was really weird, and Simon's appearance in the finale made it even more so.

We went through all of this with Joe Keenan when he posted here (and I was in the thick of that--I think it might have even been my comments that motivated him to post), but I still think that her disappearance should have been at least explained, especially after her ubiquity in S10. She appeared briefly in "Maris Returns" and was referenced in "The Placeholder." No matter--she was a much-despised character and her presence would have dragged S11 a bit.

But watching the "Mother Load" two-parter really does make Simon's appearance in the finale rather bothersome. They thought to bring him back after he was given a pretty final send-off and yet we didn't see Ma Moon, who never was.

[CatNamedRudy]

I never really thought about Simon's return but I think that's because I never really disliked Simon. I don't think he was overused like Gertrude was.

[Patrick]

I find Gertrude's appearance in Maris Returns a bit strange, given that he has only one short line, uncharacteristic of her.

[hansenkd]

Long delayed update on this project. I've been at it since August. It really does take a long time to watch them all! It really is incredible just how many episodes of "Frasier" there actually are!!

Anyway, i'm in the S's. Just watched "Sharing Kirby." Really not a terrible episode, not as bad as its reputation, but indeed very forgettable.

So a couple of things: I finished the first season alphabetically, which was Season 11. "SeaBee Jeebies" is the last episode in that season alphabetically. I won't finish another one until S4 ("The Unnatural").

If I were going chronologically with the number of episodes I watched since starting the project, I'd be in the middle of S9 right now.

The shows where somebody from Cheers shows up or comes back are coming up quickly.

[Patrick]

Long delayed update on this project. I've been at it since August. It really does take a long time to watch them all! It really is incredible just how many episodes of "Frasier" there actually are!!

Anyway, i'm in the S's. Just watched "Sharing Kirby." Really not a terrible episode, not as bad as its reputation, but indeed very forgettable.

I just hate his recurring line "Old dudes, they all know each other!"
It's so stupid, it makes me cringe each time I hear it.

[hansenkd]

Long delayed update on this project. I've been at it since August. It really does take a long time to watch them all! It really is incredible just how many episodes of "Frasier" there actually are!!

Anyway, i'm in the S's. Just watched "Sharing Kirby." Really not a terrible episode, not as bad as its reputation, but indeed very forgettable.

I just hate his recurring line "Old dudes, they all know each other!"
It's so stupid, it makes me cringe each time I hear it.

Yeah, I liked him much better in "Juvenilia," which I consider a very fine episode. But I think that was his last appearance.