Frasier 2x11-15

[jedi_of_urth]

So I forgot to post the last Arrow review, but I did manage the return of Frasier reviews.

Frasier 2x11: Seat of Power

I found this episode to be pretty cringy, but some of that may be personal issues amplifying the cringe factor that is there. But it's also kind of another plot that doesn't feel quite right as a single episode, or at least not the limited time it actually gets in this episode. Trying to tell a story about Niles and Frasier both dealing with issues left from childhood bullying in one episode, where that plot only covers about half the episode isn't mining much of the story potential from the idea. And because I don't feel like there's much character examination I don't find a lot to talk about, and I feel like I should have something to say on this one.

Production: 7.5/10 I think Frasier's bathroom is too big a set, but it looks nice, and the acting is good even if the scenes are cringy
Story: 6/10 missed opportunity aside, it a good idea
Writing: 3/5
Characters: 3.5/5 definitely wish this was higher
Relationships: 2.5/5
Comedy: 3/5 would have been higher with less cringe
Drama: 3/5
Personal: 5.5/10

Overall: 34/50



Frasier 2x12: Roz in the Doghouse

It seems like it wasn't that long ago that I finished up season 1, and here we are halfway through s2; and I'm starting to really notice this season seeming really bland. It could still get better, most of my highly rated eps last season were in the back half, but at this point I think we are looking at a sophomore slump for this show. To some extent it's natural, in s1 setting all the pieces up and getting them established gave middling plots a bit of a boost, which we don't have this time. But it's also getting annoying since there have been interesting elements introduced but then nothing comes of them.

This episode both does and doesn't fall under that. I don't know much humor there would be in shaking up the station status quo for any length of time, especially since have barely established Frasier and Roz's relationship before this. But compressing it to a single episode keeps there from being much investment and continues not to do much with that relationship.

I think it's sort of telling that the biggest joke in the episode (or at least that they seem to linger on the longest so it sinks in) is Daphne's obliviousness about Niles. That is a character-centric joke that takes advantage of a known plot beat. While the situational humor about what happens in this episode mostly falls flat.

It also doesn't help that in the end Frasier doesn't actually have to learn anything. This season so far has been very Frasier-centric, and Frasier is kind of the least dynamic character in the cast. And this episode that could challenge that mostly doesn't; we montage past him having to deal with bad producers (and I have to note that since banter seems a much more important part of Bulldog's show than Frasier's, a good producer is probably more important for him; also who's Bulldog's usual, or can he not keep a usual?) and Bulldog happens to prove him right before Frasier has to go through with making an effort.

Production: 5.5/10 it's not great, but there are a few nice subtle moments, I'm particularly keen on the background moment where Niles wipes down Daphne's chair for her
Story: 3.5/10
Writing: 2/5
Characters: 2.5/5 for once they actually focus on Roz, but I feel just about everyone is short changed anyway
Relationships: 2.5/5
Comedy: 2/5
Drama: 1/5 there could have been some good stuff, but there wasn't
Personal: 3/10

Overall: 22/50



Frasier 2x13: Retirement is Murder

Well, we're off to a good start on the second half of the season since I really liked that episode. Even though in structure it wasn't too hard to guess what the answer would be from which clues/players got mentioned in the investigation and since it was suggested early enough it wasn't going to be the monkey. But this isn't a criminal investigation show where I get kind of frustrated by being able to spot the criminal through Doyalist reasoning, so that's not actually a complaint. Bigger complaint would be that Bulldog was annoying enough back in the 90s, but for today's world he's even more uncomfortable.

But I really like the character dynamic between the four extended Crane family members (Roz hasn't quite gotten integrated yet). They all play off each other well and have a very familiar and settled chemistry between them that feels right for midway through the second season. There haven't been a lot of trials to that family dynamic but it is good to have a status quo instead of constantly challenging or breaking it. And I appreciate that there is still the undercurrent that Martin wasn't always the best dad there are reasons why it's only as adults that they're forging a good family relationship that doesn't center on Hester.

Production: 7/10 I enjoy the way some of the scenes in the apartment are staged, although the question of how someone in the kitchen doesn't hear more of what goes on in the dining room remains
Story: 8.5/10 I have some questions about how Shelby wasn't investigated before now, but it mostly holds together
Writing: 4/5 as cringy as it is watching Frasier tell people his assumption, it's still pretty well written
Characters: 4.5/5 uncomfortable Bulldog and underused Roz aside, I was really into the character dynamics here
Relationships: 3.5/5 there's no real relationship progress, but it's well settled here
Comedy: 4/5
Drama: 2.5/5
Personal: 8.5/10

Overall: 42.5/50



Frasier 2x14: Fool Me Once, Shame on You, Fool Me Twice...

Should the title of this one not be 'One born every minute' or something like that; granted they had no way of knowing how the saying used would get turned into a different punchline by Bush a few years later, but it is a long title that could have been streamlined.

This episode is more than a bit of a letdown after last episode, all the more a shame since it starts off fairly well. Most everything in this episode that works is Niles related, and him and Roz seeming to settle into a working dynamic of insults is a step forward. Turns out they actually have really good chemistry (as most of the cast does) so the show needed to make it possible to have more scenes with them both involved. And Niles and Martin teasing Frasier after the car theft was also fun.

But a lot of this episode is not very good. The main plot is thin and relies on contrivance to run, there's no actual resolution as far as I can tell, and I do think Frasier is at least a little bit smarter than this, and after years at Cheers he should be less surprised and gullible than he is. It wasn't very funny and is doesn't progress anything.

Production: 5/10 there's nothing too wrong with it, but for every good acting note I have at least one bad so I can't call it any more than leveling at average
Story: 3/10
Writing: 1.5/5
Characters: 2.5/5 mostly for Niles' interactions
Relationships: 2/5
Comedy: 2/5 I did get some laughs from non-plot scenes
Drama: 1/5
Personal: 2.5/10

Overall: 19.5/50 I might be getting harsher with my grading



Frasier 2x15: You Scratch My Book...

I liked the main plot of this episode, but I don't have a lot to say about it. It was well put together and Honey was a fine one-off character they maybe could have done a little more with but doesn't feel badly under-served. It has some pieces of insight into Frasier, both his professional pride and personal convictions.

But the far more interesting plot is the B-plot with Niles and Daphne. It takes up about the right about of plot space, but it packs a punch. Because Niles' treatment of Daphne is the Disney version of a lot of potentially negative behaviors. It's Disney sexual harassment and Disney stalking and also Disney cheating. It's innocent enough that it mostly gets a pass, and since Daphne and supposedly Maris don't even see it it doesn't seem to cross any too bad lines, but a lot of it is objectively wrong. And that puts the narrative in kind of a weird place, because it gets too much humor from Niles reacting and acting this way to tamp down on it, but it is not yet interested in doing anything with besides getting those humorous reactions.

It does raise the question what the original intent behind introducing this dynamic was. It obviously wasn't something they thought up a few years in as a way to shake things up with a plan for where it would go; it's been there since episode three when in many cases they were still throwing plot and character ideas out there and seeing what stuck. This stuck at a time long before they even could do anything with it, as doing any kind of non-Disney infidelity plot before we even knew the characters would have been a bad way to get to know them, and they wouldn't want to screw it up the other way in any way that kept Niles being part of the family scenes. So now they're sort of in a holding pattern that only kind of acknowledges what Niles is doing (you'd think this episode does, but when Frasier is trying to defend his side he doesn't bring up that Niles is married), it's a good thing I'm pretty sure we at least start to shake it up before too much longer.

Production: 7/10
Story: 8/10 it's a really well put together episode on all sides
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Relationships: 3.5/5 the Niles and Daphne stuff is a lot of that, even if it's not the focus of the story
Comedy: 3.5/5
Drama: 3/5
Personal: 8/10

Overall: 41/50