The Fix Is In – The episode opens with Freddy Crane (Jack Cutmore-Scott) bringing a new love interest, Nicole (Amber Stevens West), back to his and Dr. Frasier Crane’s (Kelsey Grammer) shared apartment. She immediately notices the posh apartment and expensive wine, which seems to embarrass Freddy. He does everything he can from mentioning living with his father. When he does reveal it, he does it so that it looks as if he is the provider and caretaker. Once Nicole shares a similar experience about caring for an ailing grandmother, Frasier’s spry arrival nearly thwarts Freddy’s efforts. Despite Frasier’s lucid behavior, Nicole appears to buy Freddy’s claims that Frasier suffers from dementia. Although Frasier soon catches on, he plays along at the behest of Freddy. He does scare her off when he announces it’s bath time.
Bad Shell Service – Returning from the market the following morning, Frasier teases Freddy with jokes about being feeble. Freddie apologizes and a slight argument about the responsibilities around the apartment ensues. Eve (Jess Salgueiro) interrupts with the complaint of a stolen package that she blames on the broken buzzer. Freddy claims a loose wire is likely the problem that any handyman could easily fix. Frasier quickly uses the opportunity to ask for Freddy’s help and even offers to compensate Eve for the stolen face cream. Eyeing his wad of cash, she claims the package was worth $3,500.
Frasier visits Alan Cornwall (Nicholas Lyndhurst) at Harvard to boast about his clever parenting ruse to make Freddy feel more independent. Alan says it could have come at a more opportune time, with Freddy recently reaching his 30s. Olivia (Toks Olagundoye) joins them to congratulate Alan for running off his fifth TA (teacher’s assistant) in a month. While he quickly averts the blame on the students, Olivia tells him she’s found an undergrad who is excited to fulfill the role. Alan is enthused until the identity of the student is revealed as David Crane (Anders Keith). Alan becomes frantic when he learns that David has already made big changes by posting Alan’s office hours and getting rid of all the alcohol.
Home Wrecker – Frasier is more than pleased to return home to a new operable door buzzer thanks to Freddy. That pleasure quickly changes to concern when he learns that Freddy has taken the job a step further by investigating the cause of the excess “dampness” in the wiring panel. Before rushing off for a shift at the firehouse, Freddy mentions cutting an access hole in the drywall to probe for the leak and promises to resume the job when he returns. Frasier’s outburst at the sight of the receptacle-sized access sends Eve racing over with a bat. His only frightens him more when she says that Freddy won’t stop until he finds and corrects the issue. He finds himself having problems relaxing once left alone.
Although he’s eager to fulfill his TA duties, David suspects Alan is trying to pull one over on him with a request to walk his cat. David mentions that the TA Handbook discourages personal errands. Alan claims the TA Handbook he’s referencing is out of date and sends him a link to a more modern version. The new version encourages personal errands to help build character, especially cat-related requests. When David comments about the odd specificity and mentions taking it up with the Dean, Alan refers him to page 12. This discourages students from complaining to the Dean.
Frasier’s anxiety over the leak leads to him calling a plumber, Roland (Andy Daly). While explaining the job, the encounter takes an awkward turn when Frasier mentions the discretion that the job requires. Roland claims discretion won’t be a problem since the majority of his clients are now housewives. Also anxious about the leak, Freddy arrives home unexpectedly just as Roland heads upstairs to get started. Frasier’s attempts to distract Freddy fail and it isn’t long before he and Roland meet. Roland does his best to claim he’s Frasier’s colleague and even explains his coverall as a social experiment, but Freddy isn’t fooled. Freddy ultimately tricks Roland into admitting he’s a plumber by mentioning connecting copper pipe with the existing galvanized steel system. An argument ensues and ends with Freddy storming off to his room. Before Roland leaves, Frasier ends up falling and hurting his knee while ranting about people viewing him as a helpless old man.
The Plumber Will See You Now – Frasier claims he’s merely aggravated an existing polo injury as Roland helps him to the couch. Roland asks whether the injury is horse or water-related. Frasier says he slipped trying on a pair of chinos at the Ralph Lauren store. Freddy later learns of the injury on his way out and offers an ice pack. Frasier refuses and demands not to be treated like a child. Although Freddy apologizes for being too coddling, he accuses Frasier of letting his pride get the better of him. On his way out he leaves the fridge door open. The beeping leads to Frasier calling Alan but is surprised when David answers the phone.
Without knocking, Freddy barges into Eve’s apartment just as she realizes that her face cream wasn’t stolen, after all, she merely got the delivery dates mixed up. He jumps on to her about not locking her door before he starts complaining about Frasier. She agrees with Freddy’s stance about Frasier not asking for help but points out how insufferable Freddy can be insufferable when he’s right. He disagrees at first, but she cleverly uses an old anthropology scenario to prove her point.
Much to Frasier’s surprise it is David that shows up to assist him. When asked, David says he’s preparing for Alan’s arrival, which he does by pouring tea and standing at attention. Once Alan arrives, he gets Frasier to realize that his refusal to let Freddy help him is related to his relationship with his father. He claims the least he can do is burden Freddy when he wasn’t there for much of his childhood. When Alan leaves David behind to collect his tea and thermos, Frasier attempts to get David to realize Alan is using him while also asking him to retrieve a book from his shelf. David admits he knows but cherishes both the trust and responsibility that comes with being valued. Frasier realizes David gave him the wrong book and ends up injuring his other end attempting to swap it out.
When Freddy returns to help Frasier, he admits needing his help. Freddy starts to boast but catches himself and admits that it feels good to be needed. Their reconciliation is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Nicole, who has left her scarf. Frasier overhears her admit that she thought Freddy was lying about Frasier’s condition. Just as it appears that Freddy is about to reveal the truth, Frasier pleads for Freddy’s help and claims he was just attacked by robots. Nicole apologizes for assuming the worst and asks Freddy out for a drink.
Frasier Review
Not that I don’t appreciate the Frasier character or Grammer’s portrayal, but I enjoy any episode where Freddy and David feel like the frontrunners of the episode. David’s character can be a bit much at times, but the perfect amount can be entertaining. I also felt it was enjoyable to see both Frasier and Alan as paternal figures and how their styles differed. All in all, the episode was very enjoyable and touching on a familial level. I’d have to give it a 6 out of 10 and extremely intrigued where they were take the finale.
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