Frasier - The Complete Final Season Disc 2
Front Cover Actor
Kelsey Grammer
Movie Details
Genre Comedy
Language English
Audience Rating NR (Not Rated)
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
Midway through Frasier's redemptive final season (which earned Emmys for Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce), Martin Crane (John Mahoney) reassures his son, "Just when you think that you're in a rut and nothing exciting will ever happen again, pow, that's when it does." The same could have been said of Frasier's redemptive final season. Not that the multi-Emmy-honored series had ever really jumped the couch, but by its 11th season, it had lost some of its sparkle. And then, POW! Veteran Frasier writers Christopher Lloyd and Joe Keenan return to the fold. POW! Wendie Malick joins the seamless ensemble as brash lounge singer Ronee Lawrence, who becomes a love interest for Martin. POW! Daphne (Jane Leeves), underutilized since her marriage to Niles, becomes pregnant. POW! Frasier opens his own private practice. POW! Laura Linney guest stars as Charlotte, who becomes the hapless Frasier's own Miss Right. The series also benefited greatly from a stellar roster of character actors, who rose to the occasion of this gold standard series' final year. Penny Johnson (24), Sarah Silverman (School of Rock), and Dan "Homer Simpson" Castellaneta christen Frasier's couch in the episode, "The Return of Maris." Jennifer Tilly is at her ditzy, delectable best as a pick-up in "Miss Right Now." Laurie Metcalf replaces Emma Thompson as Frasier's first wife, children's entertainer Nanny G, in "Caught in the Act." Always welcome are Bebe Neuwirth as Lilith ("Guns 'N Neuroses") and Harriet Sansom Harris as Frasier's unscrupulous agent Bebe (the series finale, "Goodnight, Seattle").

But Frasier was never about stunt casting. It's the writing, stupid, which, actually, was anything but. Episodes such as "Boo," "The Doctor Is Out," "Coots and Ladders," and "Caught in the Act" recapture Frasier's unique blend of wit and farce. The series finale, in which relationships take a significant turn and Frasier finally breaks out of that rut to follow his heart, is as satisfying as fans could wish. --Donald Liebenson

Personal Details
Seen It No
Index 94
Collection Status In Collection
Links Amazon US
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Region 1
UPC 097360538144
Release Date 11/16/2004
Nr of Disks/Tapes 4
Notes
Episode 1 (The Good Son)
Episode 2 (Space Quest)
Episode 3 (Dinner At Eight)
Episode 4 (I Hate Frasier Crane)
Episode 5 (Here's Looking At You)
Episode 6 (The Crucible)
Episode 7 (Call Me Irresponsible)
Episode 8 (Beloved Infidel)
Episode 9 (Selling Out)
Episode 10 (Oops)
Episode 11 (Death Becomes Him)
Episode 12 (Miracle On Third Or Fourth Street)
Episode 13 (Guess Who's Coming To Breakfast)
Episode 14 (Can't Buy Me Love)
Episode 15 (You Can't Tell A Crook By His Cover)
Episode 16 (The Show Where Lilith Comes Back)
Episode 17 (A Midwinter Night's Dream)
Episode 18 (And The Whimper Is...)
Episode 19 (Give Him The Chair!)
Episode 20 (Fortysomething)
Episode 21 (Travels With Martin)
Episode 22 (Author, Author)
Episode 23 (Frasier Crane's Day Off)
Episode 24 (My Coffee With Niles)

REVIEW FROM AMAZON.COM
Even with unlimited space, I don't think enough praise can be said about one of the finest sitcoms in television history.

I had been a fan of "Frasier" since the first episode aired back in 1993. But my tape collections had focussed mainly on the second through sixth seasons which I had at the time considered the show's peak. And I had this inherent notion that most of the 1st season episodes delt with Frasier's relationship with his father to the detriment of the rest of the cast. But that idea was quickly quashed once I viewed all the episodes of this wonderful season.

The pilot episode, "The Good Son" benefits from having an enthusiastic audience and very sharp writing. The bickering between Frasier and Marty does dominate the first few shows, but that quickly fades and we get some classic episodes involving Bulldog ("Ooops"), Marty and his love life (the hilarious "Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast?") and the introduction of Frasier's agent Bebe ("Selling Out"). That particular episode has, in my honest opinion, the best radio comment by Frasier ever done in the show's history (it happens at the beginning of the episode and it's about a boat).

The best episodes are on disc 3, highlighted by Niles 'n Daphne's first encounter, if you will (the riotous "A Midwinter Night's Dream"). That episode has one of the funniest lines in the series history (I won't give it away, but it does have to do with the German name for a particular clock). And "The Show Where Lilith Comes Back", which rekindles the sparks Frasier 'n Lilith had on "Cheers".

Extras:
The commentary for "The Good Son" is okay, but nothing really inciteful. The documentary about the first season is rather perfunctory with short interviews of the cast (the interviews appear to have happened during the tenth or eleventh season).
The art director for Frasier gives us a walkthrough of the set, but it is needlessly chopped up into different clips that send you back to the menu screen way too often.

All in all, if you're a fan of Frasier you must, Must, MUST begin your collection with this wonderful DVD set. And while the 1st season may not be the best, it is probably much better than you might remember.

Trivia Bits:
- Originally, Lilith (Bebe Neuworth) was intended to be a regular on the show, but backed out early in the production process. It's funny, but I remember thinking waaaay back in '93 before the first show aired that "Frasier" wouldn't be that interesting without Lilith. Boy was I wrong.

- The "documentary" feature neglects (probably due to editing considerations) that Lisa Kudrow actually won the part of Roz and she lasted a week before both she and the producers realized just how wrong for the part she was.

- Interestingly enough, Niles doesn't meet Daphne until the THIRD episode ("Dinner at Eight") but he is smitten with her right from the start.

- Look for a young Brittany Murphy in the episode "Give Him the Chair". She appears in the "play" setting and is the only girl (other than the play director) to speak. She may be a bit tough to recognize since she's lost a pound or two since then, but her eyes are unmistakable.

- All the "stingers" that appear during the end credits have no natural sound, only the "Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs" theme music sung by Kelsey Grammer. However, there are two exceptions during the first season. In "Sold Out" the stinger continues the scene of Frasier holding his breath underwater while Daphne and Marty enjoy the hot tub. At the end, you can hear Frasier's exhale as he pops his head above the water. And in "The Show Where Lilith Comes Back" you can hear the jet engines of the airliner taking off as Daphne recovers from her "psychic" headache.
Extra Features
Color Box set