Perhaps a greater honor than any and all of its 37 Emmy wins was Frasierâs billing as âthe smartest show on TV.â An army of one in the effort to bring more deep cut references to opera and classical music to network television, Frasier went the extra mile to live up to the superlative. But as sharp and sophisticated as Frasier and its Crane boys may have been, they consistently showcased a superhuman proclivity toward incredibly stupid decisions.
Ivy League educations and doctorates in psychiatry be damned, Frasier and Niles regularly exhibited the sort of judgment that, in real life, would have ostracized them from civil society or, in at least one instance, left one of brothers impaled. But the glory of television let their poor choices lead instead to delightfully wacky hijinks. If thereâs one thing that the ostensibly highbrow half-hour comedy did best, it was forcing its heroes into increasingly convoluted and ridiculous situations.
So in honor of the 25-year anniversary of Frasierâs premiereâand the prospect of a future in which Frasier may once again grace our television screensâweâre recounting the best of Frasier and Niles and companyâs fits of maniacal nonsense.
When Niles duels a guy
Episode: Season twoâs âAn Affair to Forgetâ
The title of this entry notwithstanding, the standout bit of wackadoo in this particular episode is not Nilesâ duel with his wife Marisâ suspected paramourâa sequence that involves Niles swinging from a chandelier in less gallant a fashion than has ever suited Errol Flynn (or Sia)âbut the younger Dr. Craneâs strained attempt to communicate with the man despite a language barrier. The result: Niles speaking in English to Frasier, who translates in Spanish to Nilesâ housekeeper Marta, who in turn relays the message to Nilesâ would-be cuckolder in his native German. Itâs a bit borrowed from I Love Lucy, but one executed to comic perfection.
When Niles and Daphne pretend to be a couple to make Niles look cool
Episode: Season threeâs âMoon Danceâ
In a rare turn of events for the Crane clan, this particular bit of tomfoolery actually works out well for all parties involved. This distinction is owed to the fact that the charade is not born of the familyâs usual inclination toward vanity and deceit, but instead of Daphneâs genuine interest in helping the depressed Niles through a difficult time. The final sceneâin which an oblivious Daphne rebuffs Niles before he works up the courage to ask out a woman out for the first time since his divorceâis actually a rather touching display.
When Niles and Daphne pretend to be a couple to make Daphne look unavailable
Episode: Season fourâs âThe Two Mrs. Cranesâ
â¦one season later, however, the same ruse is reversed to a much more cynical end. Daphne employs Nilesâ aid as a would-be husband to ward off the advances of an ex-fiancé, only to find herself enamored with her cleaned-up old flame upon their reunion. The episode also features Roz, pretending to be Frasierâs pregnant wife, and Martin touting himself as an astronaut, so things go off the rails to a degree bordering on self-parody. The result is guest star Scott Atkinson telling the troupe what theyâve been deserving to hear for the past three seasons: Theyâre horrible people. (But then again, who on â90s-era network television wasnât?)
When Niles has to pretend he doesnât have a bird stuck to his head
Episode: Season fourâs âTo Kill a Talking Birdâ
This episode is perhaps the best example of Frasierâs defining M.O.âthe disruption of high society with a low brow calamity. A talking cockatoo with a proclivity for repeating incendiary gossip about Nilesâ snooty neighbors affixes itself to the younger Craneâs head just prior a party he’s throwing for aforesaid stuffed-shirts. Frasier helps his brother out by attempting one of his world-class stalling sessions, though it all goes to pieces after a bashful Niles reveals himself and his gabby chapeau.
When everyone thinks everyone else is pregnant
Episode: Season fiveâs âHalloweenâ
Miscommunication is a cornerstone of the screwball genre, from the works of Shakespeare to his 20th century counterpart Threeâs Company. Thankfully, Frasier used the game-of-telephone gimmick sparingly, but used it effectively for this episode. Roz confides in Frasier that she might be pregnant, which leads Niles to propose to Daphne with the intention to raise his nephew as his son. Martin is also there.
When Frasier, Martin, and Roz hide in a cruise ship bathroom
Episode: Season fiveâs âVoyage of the Damnedâ
First, Frasier and Martin attempt to repair Nilesâ marriage by convincing Maris to surprise him on an Alaskan cruise⦠which she does, just in time to catch Niles with another woman on his arm. Then, Frasier and Martin attempt to repair Nilesâ marriage by explaining to Maris that what she saw was not what it seemed⦠but wind up hiding in her bathroom while she prepares for an affair of her own with a lounge singer named the Barracuda. Or so it seems! This oneâs full of twists.
When everyone is trying to sleep with everyone else
Episode: Season fiveâs âThe Ski Lodgeâ
As far as the Crane family ballyhoos go, this one is actually pretty simple by design. What mucks up what might otherwise be a simple pursuit of carnal passion is the sheer amount of peopleâFrasier, Niles, Daphne, some lady whom Frasier wants to sleep with but who wants to sleep with Niles, and some guy whom Daphne wants to sleep with but who wants to sleep with Niles. All are pathologically incompetent when it comes to communication.
When Frasier and Niles have to dispose of a gigantic dead seal
Episode: Season sixâs âThe Seal Who Came to Dinnerâ
Even without the inclusion of a rotting carcass, this accounts for one of Nilesâ worst laid plans. In order to impress a gaggle of muckety-mucks, he breaks into his ex-wife Marisâ beach house to throw a catered soirée. As if heâd entirely forsaken his lifelong history with trying to do things, Niles is inevitably thrown for a loop by an odorous dead seal washed ashore just behind the house. Of course, heâa scholar and society man, mind youâopts to dress up in a nightgown and stab repeatedly. The whole ordeal leads Nilesâ guests to suspect that heâs murdered Maris, which, as far as Iâm concerned, the juryâs still out on.
When Frasier pretends to be Jewish
Episode: Season sixâs âMerry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitzâ
A lo-fi addition to the list, Frasierâs ploy to hide his goyishness from the discerning mother of a Jewish woman he’s dating is neverthelessâor, perhaps, quite appropriatelyâriddled with top quality shtick. Even if this episodeâs peak zaniness doesnât quite compare with that of the Crane familyâs usual tomfoolery, Niles getting liberal with Yiddish and Martin completely misunderstanding the answering-questions-with-a-question stereotype make for hearty laughs just the same.
When Frasier and Niles have to cover up the murder of a bird and end up killing a guy, kind of
Episode: Season sixâs âTaps at the Montanaâ
Another dead animal situation, and only a few episodes after the seal one! Worried that he may have inadvertently poisoned his guests, Niles employs Frasier for yet another stalling session, one that takes form as a game of Murder that turns fatal. Oddly enough, this especially gruesome turn of events actually manifests in Nilesâ favor, considering that the sort of people who occupy the world for which he harbors such affection are even more self-centered and callous than he.
When Martin pretends to be dating the mother of Frasierâs nemesis, mostly just for spite
Episode: Season nineâs âThe Love You Fakeâ
Martin isnât usually the fulcrum of Frasierâs shenanigans, so itâs always a special treat when he cooks up a scheme. A far cry from his sons, Martin is not motivated by pride, greed, or manâs inborn aversion to dead bodies, but instead the joys of seeing Frasier get all huffy.
What are your personal favorite episodes of Frasier? Let us know!
Images: NBC