Frasier
Tuesday 5th June, 2007 12:34 Comments: 0
Over the last year or so I've been slowly working my way through every episode of Frasier. I finally made it to the end late last night. Frasier was one of those shows that I used to religiously watch ever Friday evening as a child, it appeals on several levels. Many episodes had witty dialogue, some had fairly intelligent plots (others borrowed from the classics), some had slapstick humour, and then there was the unrequited love between Daphne and Niles that most people can associate with.
The show almost "jumped the shark" when Niles and Daphne got together, and nearly lost the plot entirely with the introduction of Kirby in the eighth season, but it came back together for the last few and we got to know some of the other characters a lot better. The final season seemed a little rushed at times (the birth really deserved an episode of its own, rather than saved for the finale), but we at least managed to gain some closure in the finale, and it was fun to watch the episode jump back in time (even if the wigs looked very fake at times). I'm not sure we should have seen so many characters, and Richard E Grant (as much as I love him) didn't fit in at all. But the finishing touch, and what sums up how great a show Frasier was, was the clever misdirection trick, which was so subtle that many peeople may have missed it: the entire episode lines Frasier up for a huge opportunity in San Francisco, but the captain's words when they land are "Welcome to Chicago", the city where his potential soul mate Charlotte (played by Laura Linney) had recently moved.
And yes, I shed a few tears at the end of the last episode, it was quite emotional. A part of me wishes it had never come to an end, but perhaps it's best that it went out on a high (unlike some other shows). It's no surprise that Frasier was voted by sitcom writers, producers and actors as the greatest sitcom of all time in the Channel 4 show The Ultimate Sitcom, back in January 2006. Frasier won a record 31 Emmys, including five consecutive trophies as best comedy series and a trio of acting awards each for Grammer and Pierce.
Perhaps, in several years time, I can go back and work my way through it all over again.
The show almost "jumped the shark" when Niles and Daphne got together, and nearly lost the plot entirely with the introduction of Kirby in the eighth season, but it came back together for the last few and we got to know some of the other characters a lot better. The final season seemed a little rushed at times (the birth really deserved an episode of its own, rather than saved for the finale), but we at least managed to gain some closure in the finale, and it was fun to watch the episode jump back in time (even if the wigs looked very fake at times). I'm not sure we should have seen so many characters, and Richard E Grant (as much as I love him) didn't fit in at all. But the finishing touch, and what sums up how great a show Frasier was, was the clever misdirection trick, which was so subtle that many peeople may have missed it: the entire episode lines Frasier up for a huge opportunity in San Francisco, but the captain's words when they land are "Welcome to Chicago", the city where his potential soul mate Charlotte (played by Laura Linney) had recently moved.
And yes, I shed a few tears at the end of the last episode, it was quite emotional. A part of me wishes it had never come to an end, but perhaps it's best that it went out on a high (unlike some other shows). It's no surprise that Frasier was voted by sitcom writers, producers and actors as the greatest sitcom of all time in the Channel 4 show The Ultimate Sitcom, back in January 2006. Frasier won a record 31 Emmys, including five consecutive trophies as best comedy series and a trio of acting awards each for Grammer and Pierce.
Perhaps, in several years time, I can go back and work my way through it all over again.