Anyone see tonight's episode? I loved Kenny and the pigeon, and Roz cutting off her hair. It was also nice to see the whole radio station gang (including Bulldog, yay) all together. The episode as a whole wasn't fantastic, though. I'm really bored with the Daphne's pregnant jokes.

(Is it just me or did the weight-loss contest made no sense? It was supposed to be promoting obesity awarenes or something, right? Isn't losing weight that fast and in that manner completely unhealthy? Doesn't seem like something you'd want to encourage...guess it's a sitcom, though, so who knows.)

Bulldog was in it? Yaaayyyyy!

I was just going to write the same thing. Dan Butler been busy this year - he was also on Miss Match.

Yeah, when I saw him on Miss Match I got so excited! BULLDOG!! Was very glad to see him back on Frasier (hope it continues?) and loved his silver...tracksuit? Whatever it was...

That silver tracksuit reminds me of the suits that the ladies wore in the episode of Designing Women where they go to the spa and get in a fight in the mud bath.

(Random, I know.)

It's official: this is the last season of Frasier.

I have been enjoying it much better this season but all I can say is Thank Goodness! It's better to end on a stronger season than the weaker ones that are sure to follow.

While I am saddened that this will be their last season, I'm glad it's ending with this one rather than the previous couple, which weren't good at all.

It's hard to believe that it's been on for 11 years!

RainIsBeautifulasked:



Marmie replied:



I realize this goes back away, guys (to November) but I was just reading some old posts and saw yours, and I believe you're referring to Dan Butler, who played Bulldog. He is definitely gay, officially "out" and everything.

Not 100% sure about John Mahoney, but really doubt it (not that there's anything wrong with that, just wanted to share the info). :)

As far as I know, Dan Butler and John Mahoney are both gay, OCanada, as is David Hyde Pierce.

Ugh, tonight's episode was terrible. I hated the first "Ann" episode and did not appreciate a return of the character. Not even remotely funny. I wouldn't mind a quail sandwich right about now, though.

I thought the Ann stuff was blah (one funny line: "I'm just kidding, he wasn't black") but the Maris stuff was great. I thought the end with the Crane men giving Maris a proper goodbye through a (mini) toast was a nice touch.

The countdown is on. Lilith has been done, and now Maris...who's next? Bebe?

I think this is the right time for the show to end, but I'm also a huge fan. I would rather watch the worst of Frasier than most of the crap that's on network tv now (Oh Christine Baranski, look at yourself!). I just think it's the right time for it to finish its run. I will miss the characters terribly...but that's what DVD's are for eh? ;)

Edited because apparently I can't read something that was stated just 2 posts up.

I missed most of this season because I had another commitment on Tuesday nights. Who did Maris kill? Can someone summarize that plot for me?

And I liked the little "farewell Maris" toast at the end, too.

Here's what bugs me: How on earth does Frasier get these amazingly good-looking women? He's a bald, narcissistic 50-year-old. Ugh.

(I watch the show for Niles and Martin. They need their own spin-off.)

Kelsey Grammer is in negotiations to take over the role of Max Bialystock in the musical of "The Producers." There's talk also that David Hyde Pierce would make a perfect Leo Bloom.

I can't imagine that casting. I don't know if Kelsey could ever play greasy n' skeevy. And his voice is way off.

I always thought this was the biggest continuity error from Frasier of "Cheers" and the current Frasier. In his Boston bar days, he's married to the ultra manly Lillith and not really a ladies man. Must be something in the Seattle air.

OT:



I love Christine Baranski - she is the only reason why I watch that new show. Moriath, I am finding myself thinking exactly the same thing. She could do so much better! She should guest star on Arrested Development! :)

Or bring Dr. Nora back!! :)

T:



Word. I guess Kelsey Grammer was tired of his lot as Frasier on Cheers - played fourth banana to Sam. Or maybe radio psychologists do surprising well with the chicks.

I find it v. surprising that out of the all of the women he has dated, he has not dated one of them for longer than a couple of weeks. That seems unrealistic to me.

I love CB too. Cybill might not have been the best show in the world, but she cracked me up every time. And I agree, it would be awesome if she did a guest spot on Arrested Development. She could be Lucille 3. :p

But back to Frasier...

He may be middle aged and balding yes, but he isn't a hideous ogre of a man. He has money, taste, enjoys the finer things in life...I can see why women would be attracted to him initially. It isn't until later that they find out how in love with himself he is ;) Hence why they rarely come back.

I also wouldn't say Lilith was "ultra manish". She may have been cold, and not ultra feminine, but I would never say she was manish.

For Mugsy

Maris was accused of murdering her latin polo playing lover with an antique cross bow which Niles had lent her for a tableau vivant pose in which she was to play Atila the Hun. Earlier she had called Niles for advice on what to do about her lover and Niles told her to leave him. Maris and her lover got into a fight and when he came back later, bursting in on her while she was practicing for the pose, she became startled and pulled the trigger, killing him instantly.

Since then Maris had been in jail waiting for a trial.

I hope that helps you :)

OT:



Hee. I was thinking the same thing! They could do a subplot similar to Heathers.

Ok, I haven't seen a first broadcast new episode of Frasier in about 3 years because it's on opposite of 24, so someone please answer this question...

There was talk that Maris would finally be seen on-screen. Has she yet, and if she has, who played her? And if she has indeed been seen, any word on when that episode will be rerun?

No she hasn't been seen on screen nor do I think she ever will be. I believe there was discussion about it but there still is more comedy in her not being seen. I don't think she will be but that's just my opinion.

I think the closest Maris has come to being actually seen onscreen was in the 5th season ep "Voyage of the Damned", when she was seen in silhouette. Since the show is now in syndication you can check your local listings as to when the ep will air.

I so very much agree, Amalthea.

About the early episodes:

Anyone notice that Daphne seemed to have as many sexual partners as Roz, but was free of the slut-mantle and was idealized by Niles as "pure and innocent"?

Even though she and Roz had a similar amount of on-screen lovin' in the earlier seasons, Roz had fewer long-term relationships than Daphne, and her large numbers of partners were constantly referenced by friends, family, and co-workers.

Also, Niles was blinded by the looooooove. :)

And didn't it ALL just work beautifully until the pinheaded moron network executives decide that Niles and Daphne should marry?

IMO, the show was on the downhill stretch, and they tried to give it a boost by finally hooking the two up. I don't know that it worked, but I will say that the episode where Niles had his heart surgery was one of my favorite episodes of all time. So much emotion!

See the thing is, I think the "Niles lusting over Daphne with her not knowing" thing was getting old. It had gone on for 7 years, and while it was always funny, it wasn't plausible to keep that up anymore without it is getting pathetic. So the choices were:

A) Niles tells Daphne and she rejects him - well that's one big fat downer on the whole show. I can't picture a whole lot of comedy coming from that. Besides, if she now knows he loves her, she won't be oblivious to his looks, comments, gestures etc. anymore, and that's why they were funny, so you would lose the comedy from that anyway.

B) Niles tells Daphne and she feels the same - the choice they made. I think for every fan who hates the fact that Niles and Daphne got together, there is another who loves it. Niles finally being happy, being able to be with the woman he has loved for 7 years...it's a happy ending story. Personally, I think it was the right choice for character development reasons. I agree that they aren't as funny as a couple, but I like them together.

C) A last option, Niles doesn't tell Daphne, and just moves on - I suppose they could have done this, but then how believable is it that Niles is able to just drop his feelings completely? And if he continues to yearn for her...well then that would just be sad. If they had done nothing I think everyone would be complaining that it was getting stale.

I don't know, I think they made the right choice. Then again, I like the show for the characters and writing, so whether it makes me laugh or not is inconsequential at this point.

I think the huge problem was Jane Leeves being pregnant in season 8. Just when Niles and Daphne got together they had to slam on the breaks. It was just unfortunate timing, although they dealt with it in a good way in the end, it still kind of slowed things way down.

Whatever choice they decided to make, the storyline should have been wrapped up in season 3 or 4, and not allowed to dominate the show. The biggest mistake was they waited until DHP and JL both lost their looks. I have nothing against older individuals, but it is the nature of television, a visual medium. Two unattractive, middle-aged people fall in love: who cares?

I also hate the changes they made to Daphne’s character. At the beginning, she was a Manchester tomboy and Martin’s buddy. Now she doesn’t have really any distinguishing personality traits besides the accent.

Yeah, I've seen that episode a few times. I was just wondering if she had been seen on-screen. I know there was talk about casting Calista Flockheart in the cameo.

Perhaps in the finale.

We will never see Maris. The last episode was the show's official goodbye to her.

rosiebloom, good point on Daphne. I also think they've so driven everyone's character into the ground that no one has any interesting facets left. The viewer is left not giving a tinker's damn about anyone anymore. Then again, thanks to greed and syndication, they do this with every sitcom. The only sitcom to go out somewhat gracefully was 'Seinfeld'.

Can I ask why they had a farewell to Maris? LOL, did they execute her in prison?

I thought I had the scoop on whether David Hyde Pierce is gay when I read this In The Life article but ...

I think that actually proves he's gay more than anything else.

I just started watching Season 1 DVDs. I haven't seen a Frasier rerun in over 2 years and I really don't remember these episodes. One thing I did notice however is that the first couple of episodes were so-so but once they gave Niles more airtime it was so much funnier.

I really think Frasier stopped being funny when Niles and Daphne got together. I had forgotten how funny it was when Maris was mentioned. Maris had more airtime without being seen since Carlton the Doorman on Rhoda!

I have found that some of the episodes this season were actually funny. I loved the "gay" Frasier episode and found myself laughing out loud.

The pleasure for me about the Patrick Stewart episode is the reactions from the rest of the gang. None of them are horrified, but rather amused and waiting patiently to see how far Frasier will go. I thought that was a nice change.
When Frasier says something like "How low do you think I'll stoop?" and Niles is all "I guess we'll know that after tonight". And at the event, when Frasier seems to struggle with the temptation of actually being Patrick Stewarts boyfriend. He doesn't just reject it out of hand. Hilarious.

Apparently a hell of a lot of people if the box office for Somthing's Gotta Give is any indication.

Anyway, my biggest nitpick about this show is that Daphne and Niles have zero chemistry together. Every time they kiss or try to act romantic I cringe. Why they had these two actually wind up together is beyond me, it would have been much better to keep Niles with Mel and have Daphne find someone else IMHO.

I certainly wouldn't call either Niles or Daphne unattractive...I agree about the lack of chemistry, though.

Did anyone watch tonight's episode? I was fairly underwhelmed but liked Roz's caller impersonations (especially Footloose, heh!) and loved the chance to hear Martin sing. My station cut to the end of another show, though, so I'm not sure if I missed anything--the last I saw was the scene with Martin and Ronnie dancing, then a shot of them in bed cuddled up to each other. Was there an ending bit after the commercials, like there usually is, that I missed?

The end bit with the credits was about the dream Eddie was having. He was dreaming of eating a cooked turkey given to him by Daphne. I liked tonite's ep, especially the part dealing with Martin singing and dancing with Ronnie.

I thought this was a pretty weak episode, what with all the dream sequences that weren't really funny. This show only has a few new episodes left, and I was hoping that they could go out on a high note, but I fear that they have completely run out of gas now.

Probably the "Friends" show coming to an end is overshadowing this, but I still hope that "Frasier" doesn't end with a whimper, like "Just Shoot Me" did before it.

I didn't like this one either, I found it not funny, interesting, or engaging like the earlier episodes were. I felt is was a jumble of recycled plots, (Frasier thinking he was a bad dad, Daphne worried about her weight) and nothing new and interesting. I just wish, since this is supposed to be the last season, they would give the audience something interesting and fun, not a rehash of other seasons worries.

I haven't watched this show since Niles and Daphne hooked up. I managed to catch it last night. If this show is any indication of what Frasier has become, it is time to call it quits. I found it boring, silly and not funny. I remember Frasier as being smart and very witty. Last night it was like they know it's over so why even try. I hope the writers pull it together for the last few episodes and have Frasier go out with a bang.

Thanks, AD35. Darned TV station made me miss Eddie! GRRR.

What I found absurd about this eppy is the fact that Daphne was worried that Niles wouldn't love her if she gained weight. The first time Jane Leeves got pregnant, the producers dealt with it by saying, "Let's make Daphne fat!" Niles was fine with that -- his feelings never changed. Why would she think hanging on to a few baby pounds would have the opposite effect?

Insofar as a Niles/Daphne spinoff, I don't think I'll watch unless Martin comes along too. Can't John Mahoney have his own spin-off? :)

I loved these characters (in the early seasons -- especially the farces written by Joe Keenan)... but I think it's time for these good actors to get free of them.

If they can. Playing a very recognizable character year after year on TV may be one of the hardest niches for any actor to escape (think of Alan Alda post-MASH) -- it's sort of the payback for the fame and income. It may, alas, be too late for Kelsey Grammer now. But the others, particularly Pierce and Mahoney, have plenty of years of good work ahead of them, if they choose well.

Has anyone been able to find any spoilers about the show? Does Frasier find a woman? Isn't Daphne about due?

Well, we'll probably never know, given Frasier's continuously being bumped around, this week by an episode of friends that we've all watched already just last week for no good reason. Argh! And I thought there'd be a new episode this week of Frasier. thank god there's still scrubs.

NBC obviously has no respect for Frasier anymore. The only finale they're concerned about is Friends. They don't care about Frasier, a show that's one year longer than Friends.

I saw an interview with Kelsey Grammer recently where he commented on NBC's treatment of the show:



I have become disgusted with most networks over the past couple of years, but NBC has pissed me off the most. It seems that Zucker is only concerned with instant gratification, which is evident by what is happening this Tuesday and with the Apprentice. A repeat of Friends? The one that just aired? Will and Grace? 90 minutes of FEAR FACTOR?!?! The treatment of Scrubs and the way they dumped Just Shoot Me, a show they thought was good enough to put on their Must See line-up, but wasn't allowed the decency of a final season or even a final episode. I never watched the show myself, although I think Wendie Malick is very funny, I thought it was disgusting how they treated that show and its fans.

Ok NBC, we get it, you're not going to miss Frasier when it ends, but do you have to make it so obvious? It's sweeps, and they have decided that airing 90 minutes of people jumping out of helicopters, swimming through raw sewage and eating testicles is better viewing.

Well not for me. There will be no new episodes of Frasier until Feb 24.

Isaboe, I have no idea when Daphne is going to pop out this kid. Since September, I have been assuming it was going to be during Feb sweeps, but I don't know anymore. Jane Leeves gave birth in December, so she's been wearing a baby fat suit in episodes since, which has got to suck for her.

While I agree with you, albmo, if you look at it from NBC's point of view...

Friends is NBC's cash cow. It's been in the Nielsen's top 5 since its very beginning, and pulls more viewers every week than any other show they air. Frasier has done well, usually in the top 10 or 20, but it's not regularly #1 among 18- to 39-year-olds. They treat the show differently because it IS different.

I love Frasier, but I also see that it's past time for the show to end.