Thank You, Dr. Crane – Episode 8 begins with Roz Doyle (Peri Gilpin) working on her radio tribute to Doctor Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer). This, along with the fact that he and Freddy Crane (Jack Cutmore-Scott) are returning to Seattle for a one-time reprise of his old live call-in show is revealed when Eve (Jess Salgueiro) briefly stops by with fresh drinks. Freddy appears especially excited by the prospect of catching a Mariner’s game while a nearby David Crane (Anders Keith) reaches his breaking point with Alan Cornwall’s (Nicholas Lyndhurst) blatant lack of appreciation for his strained efforts as his teaching assistant. Much to Olivia Finch’s (Toks Olagundoye) dismay, David practically forces himself on her as her assistant as he storms out.
Will All This Baggage Fit In The Carry-On? – Roz attempts a different angle to her tribute piece by interviewing Freddy about his visits to Frasier in Seattle but is briefly sidelined by a call from Alice (Greer Grammer). As she steps away, Frasier confides in Freddy about being nervous for the call-in show while at the same time, he is excited for Freddy to see him in his element.
It’s only seconds later when Frasier is showing Freddy around the KACL station while simultaneously learning what his old associates have been up to. Gil Chesterton (Edward Hibbert) appears to have merged his love for theatrics and good cuisine by now singing his restaurant reviews on the air, whereas Bulldog Briscoe (Dan Butler) has come out of the closet about his sexuality. Although Frasier is even more shocked by the reduced size of the station’s electronic control system, Briscoe is practically pushing them out the door. In addition, Roz has apparently arranged for them to meet with some of the show’s old fans.
Nervosa Wreck – Things don’t start so well when Frasier shows up at the KACL’s old hangout and almost doesn’t recognize the place. Yet, things get even worse when Lou (Rory O’Malley) shows up to tell Frasier that he gave him the courage to drop his law career and pursue his love for magic. Once Frasier learns more about Lou’s life and lack of talent, he immediately begins to suspect he has done much more harm than good. Out of fear that Freddy thinks the same, Frasier sets out to fix things.
Trophy Assistant – David’s situation certainly isn’t going much better when he stops by Alan’s office only to learn that he’s taken on a new assistant, Mason (Camden Garcia). Mason’s arrival makes matters worse and inspires David to prove further that his and Olivia’s arrangement is going just as well.
Frasier attempts to help Lou by helping him overcome his fear of clocks. It doesn’t take Frasier long to deduce that Lou’s fear stems from his encounters with his ex-wife’s husband, Doug. Apparently, Doug puts him in headlocks every time he sees him. It’s the ticking of the man’s wristwatch that is causing the problems. Frasier later convinces Lou to stand up for himself, which he does and yet makes matters even worse. Alan and Mason’s relationship is going in the same direction due to Alan constantly comparing him to David. Olivia arrives to catch the very end of Mason’s resignation. It takes a bit of work, but she not only convinces him to take David back but she gets him to apologize in his roundabout way.
Frasier triumphantly returns to KACL’s headquarters with an all-new enthusiasm after suspecting that he has amended the situation with Lou. It’s merely seconds before going on the air that he learns he’s made the situation worse. Although Lou did stand up for himself, Doug was not only wheelchair-bound but he was Lou’s landlord.
Here’s How – With the show started, Gil and Roz keep the callers busy while Frasier and Freddy attempt to guide Lou through his panic attack. This continues for several minutes until Frasier becomes frustrated enough to simply tell Lou that there are times in everyone’s life when they need to realize that it’s time to move on. Despite the harsh meaning, Frasier is not only gentle in his approach but it helps him see that he and Roz are on a similar path. This little powwow will soon be interrupted when they realize Lou has opened the nearest window and is now standing on the ledge.
Frasier makes the assumption that Lou is going to jump but this turns out not to be the case at all. It would seem that his pet rabbit, Lucky, has escaped its cage and he’s trying to recover it. Unfortunately, Frasier’s talk of jumping inspires Lou to consider the fact. This brief encounter eventually leads to Frasier realizing that this trip has been all about bonding with Freddy while Freddy realizes that his attending the trip was an attempt to make up for missing his grandfather’s funeral. It also helps Lou realize that he’s going back to personal injury law. The scene ends with Frasier’s iconic ‘I’m listening, Seattle’ line over the line.
Goodbye, Seattle – Sometime much later, Frasier and Freddy end up at Frasier’s dad’s favorite bar, McGinty’s, which Frasier is proud to announce hasn’t changed in 20 years. He soon learns how wrong he is when Bulldog comes in and asks what they are doing at a gay bar.
Frasier Review
Not a bad episode at all, although I could have done without the role reversal between Gil and Bulldog. I might be wrong and do not mean to offend anyone but it seemed like the polar opposition of the truth. Maybe the intention was to shock, but either way, I didn’t much care for it and it had absolutely nothing to do with bias.
The struggle with Lou was incredibly clever and the ending was even more so. For me, the episode was a huge breath of fresh air because I did not watch the old sitcom. It was nice to learn more about Frasier’s past and see Roz again. The episode gets a hard 6.2 out of 10.
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