WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.899 Hello and welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today 00:00:01.899 --> 00:00:04.320 we are, uh, we're doing something a little bit 00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:06.240 different. Something I am personally incredibly 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:08.519 excited about. Me too, honestly. Yeah, because 00:00:08.519 --> 00:00:11.519 usually we're tearing apart a dense... business 00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:15.000 book or, you know, we're looking at a complex 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:17.920 scientific paper trying to extract those nuggets 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:21.660 of wisdom for your daily life. But today is special. 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:24.420 It really is. Today we are taking a massive stack 00:00:24.420 --> 00:00:26.780 of sources. We've got episode summaries, cast 00:00:26.780 --> 00:00:30.539 lists, ratings data, critical essays, character 00:00:30.539 --> 00:00:33.500 arcs. And we are doing a deep dive into one of 00:00:33.500 --> 00:00:36.619 the most fascinating seasons of television sitcom 00:00:36.619 --> 00:00:39.359 history. We are talking about the show Frasier 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:42.479 and specifically. were dissecting season 6. It 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:44.479 is so good to be here for this. And I think you're 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:46.759 right to frame this as a legitimate deep dive 00:00:46.759 --> 00:00:48.979 in the truest sense of the phrase, because when 00:00:48.979 --> 00:00:50.579 you look at the source material for season six 00:00:50.579 --> 00:00:52.840 and you really peel back the layers, it's not 00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:55.020 just a collection of jokes. It's not just a standard 00:00:55.020 --> 00:00:58.640 sitcom. It is actually a really dense, almost 00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:03.359 academic study in psychology, status and and 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:05.640 resilience. It's about what happens when you 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:08.219 take absolutely everything away from a person. 00:01:08.739 --> 00:01:11.060 Exactly. And just to set the stage for everyone 00:01:11.060 --> 00:01:13.629 listening. Maybe you watched the show 20 years 00:01:13.629 --> 00:01:15.469 ago or, you know, maybe you've never actually 00:01:15.469 --> 00:01:18.069 seen it. You really have to understand the baseline 00:01:18.069 --> 00:01:21.230 here. The baseline is crucial. Right. Because 00:01:21.230 --> 00:01:23.409 Fraser is usually synonymous with high culture. 00:01:23.549 --> 00:01:26.189 It's about fancy apartments, expensive Sherry, 00:01:26.250 --> 00:01:28.590 successful careers. It's that feeling of being 00:01:28.590 --> 00:01:31.489 just completely above the fray. Yes. The elite 00:01:31.489 --> 00:01:34.489 Seattle socialite life. Exactly. But looking 00:01:34.489 --> 00:01:36.670 at the breakdown of season six in our notes, 00:01:36.769 --> 00:01:38.870 this is the season where the floor just drops 00:01:38.870 --> 00:01:42.219 out. It's defined by total upheaval. It's defined 00:01:42.219 --> 00:01:44.519 by what sociologists and some of the critics 00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:47.099 in our notes called downward mobility for the 00:01:47.099 --> 00:01:49.480 Crane brothers. Downward mobility. That is the 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:51.299 perfect way to put it. In fact, the source material 00:01:51.299 --> 00:01:54.519 notes a very specific, almost subliminal visual 00:01:54.519 --> 00:01:57.019 shift that signals this tone right from the jump. 00:01:57.159 --> 00:01:59.439 Oh, the title card thing. Yes. If you look at 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:01.120 the opening title card, you know the graphic 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:03.340 that just says Frasier at the start of the show? 00:02:03.739 --> 00:02:06.640 For five seasons, it was blue, it was yellow, 00:02:06.739 --> 00:02:09.780 these bright, cheery colors. But in season six... 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:12.229 It was changed to the color brown. Brown. Not 00:02:12.229 --> 00:02:14.550 the cheery blue or the bright yellow. Just mud 00:02:14.550 --> 00:02:17.889 brown. Right. It signals something earthier. 00:02:18.300 --> 00:02:20.479 perhaps a bit grittier, it suggests that we are 00:02:20.479 --> 00:02:22.520 getting down into the mud this season. The gloss 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:25.080 is coming off completely. And if you look at 00:02:25.080 --> 00:02:27.479 the mission of our deep dive today, based on 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:30.080 these sources, it's really threefold. Okay, lay 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:32.740 it out for us. First, we need to explore how 00:02:32.740 --> 00:02:35.740 these characters handle loss. Frasier loses his 00:02:35.740 --> 00:02:39.659 job at the radio station, KACL. Niles loses his 00:02:39.659 --> 00:02:42.379 social status and his massive wealth. Which is... 00:02:42.539 --> 00:02:45.460 A huge blow for him. Massive. Second, we have 00:02:45.460 --> 00:02:47.979 to analyze the geometric nightmare that is the 00:02:47.979 --> 00:02:50.740 romantic life of the crane men this season. Geometric 00:02:50.740 --> 00:02:52.740 nightmares, right. Let's look at the diagrams 00:02:52.740 --> 00:02:54.759 and the notes. And we've got triangles. We've 00:02:54.759 --> 00:02:57.379 got missed connections. We've got literal psychic 00:02:57.379 --> 00:03:00.180 visions. It is a complete mess. It really is. 00:03:00.259 --> 00:03:02.560 And third, and this is where the fun really happens, 00:03:02.819 --> 00:03:06.780 we need to highlight. The specific comedic masterpieces 00:03:06.780 --> 00:03:09.300 that occur when highbrow characters are forced 00:03:09.300 --> 00:03:12.319 into very lowbrow situations. Oh, absolutely. 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:14.439 I've been reading through these episode summaries, 00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:16.379 and I'll tell you right now, we've got to talk 00:03:16.379 --> 00:03:19.020 about Dead Seals. We have to talk about urinal 00:03:19.020 --> 00:03:21.639 cake fortunes. Yes. Yes, I said urinal cakes. 00:03:21.800 --> 00:03:24.000 Okay. And we have to talk about disastrous dinner 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:26.780 parties. It is going to be a wild ride. It is 00:03:26.780 --> 00:03:28.960 a study in the shedding of egos, so should we 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:30.800 jump right in? Let's unpack this. We have to 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:32.960 start with section one. The identity crisis. 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:36.000 The season kicks off with Frasier Crane, the 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.219 famous radio psychiatrist, the voice of Seattle, 00:03:38.460 --> 00:03:41.139 completely unemployed. The episode is literally 00:03:41.139 --> 00:03:44.180 titled Good Grief. A very fitting title. Now, 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:45.939 remember the context here. At the end of the 00:03:45.939 --> 00:03:49.219 previous season, the radio station KACL was bought 00:03:49.219 --> 00:03:52.300 out and they changed the format to an all salsa 00:03:52.300 --> 00:03:57.000 music station. All salsa. Just. Amazing. So the 00:03:57.000 --> 00:03:59.780 entire talk radio staff was fired. Season six 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:03.419 opens with Frazier completely adrift. And what's 00:04:03.419 --> 00:04:05.699 fascinating here is the psychological processing. 00:04:06.439 --> 00:04:09.139 Frazier is a psychiatrist. He literally wrote 00:04:09.139 --> 00:04:11.800 papers on grief. He helps other people through 00:04:11.800 --> 00:04:14.460 it on a daily basis. Right. So he claims he understands 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:16.959 it. He claims he's totally fine. He's doing that 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:19.420 thing, that thing smart people do where they 00:04:19.420 --> 00:04:21.240 think they can intellectualize their feelings 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:23.699 so they don't actually have to feel them. Precisely. 00:04:24.199 --> 00:04:26.839 But the source material details a journey through 00:04:26.839 --> 00:04:29.139 the stages of grief that is anything but fine. 00:04:29.339 --> 00:04:32.000 He starts in total denial. He's telling everyone 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:34.259 he's recharging. He's exploring new opportunities. 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:37.759 The classic buzzwords. Exactly. But then he hits 00:04:37.759 --> 00:04:40.220 the anger stage. The summary mentions that he's 00:04:40.220 --> 00:04:42.639 watching his former co -workers find new jobs. 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:45.199 And it is just eating him alive. He's jealous. 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:47.500 He's petty. Because it's the loss of relevance. 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:49.639 He's watching the world move on without him. 00:04:49.959 --> 00:04:52.019 And that leads to the bargaining stage, which 00:04:52.019 --> 00:04:54.139 is honestly one of the most cringeworthy moments 00:04:54.139 --> 00:04:56.660 in the data we have. He attempts to assemble 00:04:56.660 --> 00:04:59.579 his fan club. Oh boy, the fan club. This part 00:04:59.579 --> 00:05:02.120 killed me. He thinks to himself, I'm beloved. 00:05:02.279 --> 00:05:04.500 The people of Seattle will rise up and demand 00:05:04.500 --> 00:05:07.959 my return. So he organizes a rally. He expects 00:05:07.959 --> 00:05:11.600 a giant mob. And how many people actually show 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:14.040 up? According to the episode summary, exactly 00:05:14.040 --> 00:05:16.660 three people. Three people? And I think one of 00:05:16.660 --> 00:05:18.259 them might have just been confused and wandered 00:05:18.259 --> 00:05:20.899 in. It gets worse, though. It's not just that 00:05:20.899 --> 00:05:23.300 only three people show up. It's that it results 00:05:23.300 --> 00:05:25.600 in a humiliating rally that nobody attends in 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:28.000 a very public space. Yeah, that hurts. It is 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:30.699 the ultimate puncture to his ego. He realizes 00:05:30.699 --> 00:05:34.040 the city really has moved on and that pushes 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:36.220 him right over the edge into depression. And 00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:38.160 the way the show depicts depression here is so 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:41.720 relatable, yet so ridiculous. He starts overeating, 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:43.920 but not just normal overeating. He's literally 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:46.959 stealing Alice's baby food. That image is completely 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:49.800 seared into the analysis here. Frasier Crane, 00:05:49.860 --> 00:05:52.500 a man who prides himself on gourmet dining, on 00:05:52.500 --> 00:05:54.740 distinguishing between a Merlot and a Cabernet 00:05:54.740 --> 00:05:57.459 blindfolded. He is sitting in a darkened apartment. 00:06:08.850 --> 00:06:11.829 Wow. Yeah, that's deep. The family eventually 00:06:11.829 --> 00:06:14.589 has to stage an intervention just to force him 00:06:14.589 --> 00:06:17.050 to accept the reality that the job is gone. And 00:06:17.050 --> 00:06:19.269 that reality hits really hard in the home dynamic, 00:06:19.389 --> 00:06:23.629 too. Which moves us on to episode three, Dial 00:06:23.629 --> 00:06:26.500 M for Martin. Because now that Frazier is unemployed, 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:28.959 he's just home all day. Which is a complete nightmare 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:31.220 for Martin. Totally. Just think about the rhythm 00:06:31.220 --> 00:06:33.639 of their lives before this happened. Frazier 00:06:33.639 --> 00:06:36.399 was the provider, the busy man about town. He'd 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:38.060 leave in the morning, come back in the evening. 00:06:38.339 --> 00:06:40.240 Martin had the apartment to himself to watch 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:42.639 TV, drink a beer, just be himself. He had his 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:45.819 routine. Right. But now, Frazier is just there. 00:06:45.959 --> 00:06:48.939 He's a nuisance. The power dynamics shift completely. 00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:51.579 Frazier starts micromanaging the house because 00:06:51.579 --> 00:06:53.899 he has absolutely nothing else to manage. There 00:06:53.899 --> 00:06:56.639 is a very specific physical moment noted in the 00:06:56.639 --> 00:06:58.620 sources for this episode that illustrates detention 00:06:58.620 --> 00:07:02.420 perfectly. Niles is moving Martin into his apartment 00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:05.220 temporarily, or at least trying to, because Frasier 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:08.079 is driving everyone completely crazy. And there's 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:10.459 an incident with Martin's cane. Oh, right, the 00:07:10.459 --> 00:07:14.100 cane. Niles kicks away Martin's cane, and Martin 00:07:14.100 --> 00:07:16.680 just falls over. It's slapstick, obviously, but 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:19.500 it's very Freud. Martin becomes convinced that 00:07:19.500 --> 00:07:22.569 Niles is unconsciously trying to harm him. that 00:07:22.569 --> 00:07:25.149 he's trying to eliminate the father figure. That's 00:07:25.149 --> 00:07:27.509 hilarious. It speaks to the underlying aggression 00:07:27.509 --> 00:07:29.750 that bubbles up when these characters are forced 00:07:29.750 --> 00:07:31.949 into tight quarters without their usual outlets. 00:07:32.269 --> 00:07:34.810 But I think the real peak of this identity crisis 00:07:34.810 --> 00:07:38.730 arc is episode two, Frasier's Curse. Frasier's 00:07:38.730 --> 00:07:41.089 Curse, yes. This is the recurring theme that 00:07:41.089 --> 00:07:43.670 reunions always seem to happen when Frasier is 00:07:43.670 --> 00:07:46.379 at an absolute low point. Precisely. The source 00:07:46.379 --> 00:07:49.040 mentions he recalls past lows, like his divorce 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:50.920 from Lilith happening right before a reunion, 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:53.480 or being left at the altar by Diane right before 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:55.920 another one. Every single time he has to face 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:58.379 his peers, the universe conspires to put him 00:07:58.379 --> 00:08:01.319 in a hole. And now, he's unemployed and single. 00:08:01.540 --> 00:08:04.079 The worst combination for him. And the comedy 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:06.040 comes from the fact that he looks terrible. The 00:08:06.040 --> 00:08:08.319 source says he looks shabby, he's actively trying 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:10.779 to avoid people, so he's dressing down, he's 00:08:10.779 --> 00:08:12.980 frantic, and then he runs into a highly successful 00:08:12.980 --> 00:08:15.160 former classmate while he looks like a total 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:17.480 mess. And he's terrified that rumors are going 00:08:17.480 --> 00:08:20.519 to spread that he's homeless. Exactly. It connects 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:22.399 to the bigger picture of the season. When you 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:25.060 strip away Frazier's job, which is his primary 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:27.939 source of prestige, that title of radio psychiatrist, 00:08:28.259 --> 00:08:31.560 he is forced to confront who he is without it. 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:34.059 And the answer, initially at least, is that he 00:08:34.059 --> 00:08:37.000 is a frightened, incredibly insecure man who 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:39.460 cares deeply about what other people think. He 00:08:39.460 --> 00:08:42.080 isn't Frasier Crane, M .D. anymore. He's just 00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:44.039 a guy without a job. Which is a perfect segue, 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:46.059 actually. Because if we think Frasier's having 00:08:46.059 --> 00:08:48.840 a hard time losing his job, we have to talk about 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:52.230 Niles. Section two of our dive is... The fall 00:08:52.230 --> 00:08:55.309 of Niles. Poor Niles. If Frazier is dealing with 00:08:55.309 --> 00:08:57.909 a loss of career, Niles is dealing with the total 00:08:57.909 --> 00:09:00.889 incineration of his lifestyle. He is in the thick 00:09:00.889 --> 00:09:04.490 of a very messy divorce from Maris. And Maris, 00:09:04.490 --> 00:09:06.669 as we know, holds all the purse strings. Correct. 00:09:06.769 --> 00:09:09.529 She is freezing his assets. She is dragging out 00:09:09.529 --> 00:09:13.389 the legal proceedings. The financial hit is devastating. 00:09:13.750 --> 00:09:16.750 We see this in Episode 7, How to Bury a Millionaire. 00:09:16.789 --> 00:09:19.299 Great title. The summary lists the casualties 00:09:19.299 --> 00:09:22.379 for him. Niles loses his Mercedes. He has to 00:09:22.379 --> 00:09:25.440 rent out his beloved, extremely prestigious apartment 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:28.179 at the Montana because he just can't afford the 00:09:28.179 --> 00:09:30.399 upkeep anymore. And this leads to one of the 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:33.480 most iconic settings in season six, the Shangri 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:35.820 -La. The Shangri -La. Just the name makes me 00:09:35.820 --> 00:09:37.799 laugh. It sounds so exotic, like this luxurious 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:41.240 paradise. But the reality is, well... It's a 00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:43.279 bachelor apartment complex that falls far, far 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:45.320 below the crane standards. It is the ultimate 00:09:45.320 --> 00:09:48.320 indignity for a man like Niles. Niles is a creature 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:50.659 of comfort. He's a creature of aesthetics. He 00:09:50.659 --> 00:09:53.580 needs his environment to be meticulously controlled 00:09:53.580 --> 00:09:56.460 and beautiful. Right. And suddenly he is living 00:09:56.460 --> 00:09:58.840 in a place with paper tin walls, bad carpet, 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:01.460 questionable neighbors, and a Murphy bed that 00:10:01.460 --> 00:10:03.960 probably smells like old gym socks. But notice 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:06.500 how the source material frames this move. It's 00:10:06.500 --> 00:10:09.080 necessary. Fraser actually forces him to do it. 00:10:09.500 --> 00:10:11.519 Frazier plays the role of the pragmatist here. 00:10:11.639 --> 00:10:14.080 He tells him the biggest drain on your finances 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:16.299 is the apartment, and he literally makes him 00:10:16.299 --> 00:10:19.299 rent it out. It's tough love. But Niles still 00:10:19.299 --> 00:10:21.539 tries to keep up appearances, which leads us 00:10:21.539 --> 00:10:24.720 to arguably the funniest plot point in the entire 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:28.740 outline. Episode 8, The Seal Who Came to Dinner. 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:32.200 This is legendary. It really is. It is a classic 00:10:32.200 --> 00:10:35.879 farce setup. Niles wants to host a gourmet club 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:38.159 dinner to win the Golden Apron Award. Golden 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:40.970 Apron. The stakes are just solo, but to Niles, 00:10:41.129 --> 00:10:43.710 they are life and death. Exactly. He obviously 00:10:43.710 --> 00:10:45.730 can't host this dinner at the Shangri -La. His 00:10:45.730 --> 00:10:48.129 pride wouldn't allow it. So he decides to break 00:10:48.129 --> 00:10:50.049 into Maris' beach house while she's out of the 00:10:50.049 --> 00:10:53.149 country. High stakes already. He is trespassing 00:10:53.149 --> 00:10:55.690 just to maintain a facade of wealth. He's basically 00:10:55.690 --> 00:10:58.250 staging a coup of his own former life. Everything 00:10:58.250 --> 00:11:00.769 seems fine at first. The setting is perfect until 00:11:00.769 --> 00:11:02.710 they walk out onto the beach and discover a dead 00:11:02.710 --> 00:11:06.870 seal. And not just a seal, but a dead seal. A 00:11:06.870 --> 00:11:10.029 massive, heavy, incredibly smelly biological 00:11:10.029 --> 00:11:13.450 reality that completely intrudes on their gourmet 00:11:13.450 --> 00:11:15.730 fantasy. The sensory details in the script for 00:11:15.730 --> 00:11:18.009 this episode are amazing. The smell is described 00:11:18.009 --> 00:11:21.919 as overpowering. So here you have... Niles and 00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:24.100 Frazier dressed in these immaculate designer 00:11:24.100 --> 00:11:27.379 suits, expensive perfumes, likely ready to serve 00:11:27.379 --> 00:11:29.899 high -end caviar, and they are suddenly wrestling 00:11:29.899 --> 00:11:33.539 with a rotting carcass. The juxtaposition is 00:11:33.539 --> 00:11:35.700 just amazing. The notes say they try to drag 00:11:35.700 --> 00:11:37.559 it into the ocean, but it washes back up. They 00:11:37.559 --> 00:11:39.600 try to weigh it down. And because it's Frazier, 00:11:39.700 --> 00:11:41.980 it spirals completely out of control. Naturally. 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:44.000 The neighbors see them struggling with, quote, 00:11:44.019 --> 00:11:46.779 a body, unquote, wrapped in a rug or a sheet, 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:49.139 and they hear them calling out Maris and stabbing 00:11:49.139 --> 00:11:51.059 at the thing to make it sink. neighbors become 00:11:51.059 --> 00:11:53.120 completely convinced that Niles has murdered 00:11:53.120 --> 00:11:55.379 his wife. It is the perfect example of what we 00:11:55.379 --> 00:11:56.940 talked about in the intro. Highbrow characters 00:11:56.940 --> 00:11:59.820 forced into lowbrow, gritty situations. They're 00:11:59.820 --> 00:12:02.360 literally wrestling with death and decay. It 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:04.740 strips away all their pretension. You really 00:12:04.740 --> 00:12:06.840 cannot be a snob when you are covered in seal 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:09.879 guts. Very true. But the ultimate stripping of 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:12.179 pretension comes later in the season with the 00:12:12.179 --> 00:12:15.519 divorce settlement itself. Episode 15. To tell 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:18.159 the truth. This introduces a new character who 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:21.360 is absolutely pivotal to season six. Donnie Douglas. 00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:24.700 Played by the wonderful Saul Rubinick. And Donnie 00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:27.600 is a fascinating foil for the Cranes. The source 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:30.879 describes him as cheery, uncouth, and slobby. 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:34.039 He's a slob lawyer. He exercises in his office. 00:12:34.179 --> 00:12:36.559 He constantly has mustard on his shirt. He is 00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:40.129 the anti -Niles. But he's effective. He is incredibly 00:12:40.129 --> 00:12:42.990 effective. He completely cows Maris' elite lawyers 00:12:42.990 --> 00:12:45.830 into submission. But the real bombshell, the 00:12:45.830 --> 00:12:47.690 thing that changes everything, is what Donnie 00:12:47.690 --> 00:12:50.009 discovers about the source of the Crane family 00:12:50.009 --> 00:12:52.730 wealth. Or rather, the Maris family wealth. I 00:12:52.730 --> 00:12:54.350 still can't believe this is real, but the source 00:12:54.350 --> 00:12:56.409 says it wasn't timber or lumber as Maris had 00:12:56.409 --> 00:12:58.990 always claimed. It was urinal cakes. Urinal cakes. 00:12:59.330 --> 00:13:01.389 The little disinfectant blocks in public toilets. 00:13:01.549 --> 00:13:03.669 That is where all the millions came from. Think 00:13:03.669 --> 00:13:05.750 about the irony here. Just pause for a second 00:13:05.750 --> 00:13:08.970 and appreciate it. Niles Crane. A man who dusts 00:13:08.970 --> 00:13:11.169 off his chair before he sits in it. A man of 00:13:11.169 --> 00:13:14.029 such refined, delicate taste that he gets allergies 00:13:14.029 --> 00:13:17.110 from cheap fabric. He has been funded for years 00:13:17.110 --> 00:13:20.429 by the industrial sanitation industry. By urinal 00:13:20.429 --> 00:13:22.769 cakes. It's the ultimate punchline to his entire 00:13:22.769 --> 00:13:25.529 marriage. All those years of high society, the 00:13:25.529 --> 00:13:28.210 opera balls, the wine auctions, it was all paid 00:13:28.210 --> 00:13:31.720 for by... Public bathroom disinfectant. And the 00:13:31.720 --> 00:13:33.679 resolution to the legal battle is great, too. 00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:36.539 Maris agrees to a quick divorce just to keep 00:13:36.539 --> 00:13:39.159 the urinal cake money a secret. She's far more 00:13:39.159 --> 00:13:41.200 embarrassed by the source of the money than she 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:43.700 is about the divorce itself. It humbles Niles. 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:46.139 I mean, it frees him, yes, but it also forces 00:13:46.139 --> 00:13:48.259 him to acknowledge that his status was built 00:13:48.259 --> 00:13:50.700 on a foundation of, well, waste management, essentially. 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:52.480 It really levels the playing field. Speaking 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:54.539 of leveling the playing field, things get really 00:13:54.539 --> 00:13:57.259 complicated when Donnie Douglas, the slobby savior, 00:13:57.580 --> 00:14:00.500 starts dating Daphne. This moves us right into 00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:03.799 Section 3, Romantic Geometry. Yes, the triangles. 00:14:04.559 --> 00:14:07.299 This is so painful for Niles. Donnie saved him 00:14:07.299 --> 00:14:10.080 in court. He literally owes Donnie his life in 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:12.820 a way. But now Donnie is with the woman Niles 00:14:12.820 --> 00:14:16.080 has loved silently for six years. And it comes 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:20.159 to a head in episode 22, Visions of Daphne. This 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:22.360 one sounds like a soap opera on paper, but it 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:25.039 plays out with such incredible comedy. Daphne 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:27.279 has a psychic vision, she sees her true love, 00:14:27.379 --> 00:14:29.179 and he's standing in a doorway wearing a red 00:14:29.179 --> 00:14:32.220 bow tie. Now Niles hears about this vision, and 00:14:32.220 --> 00:14:35.350 he is put in a terrible ethical position. Daphne 00:14:35.350 --> 00:14:37.889 asks him for advice on whether she should marry 00:14:37.889 --> 00:14:40.850 Donnie. Niles, betraying his professional integrity 00:14:40.850 --> 00:14:43.590 as a psychiatrist and clearly driven by his own 00:14:43.590 --> 00:14:46.299 desire, advises her against it. He tells her 00:14:46.299 --> 00:14:48.940 not to marry him. That is huge. A psychiatrist 00:14:48.940 --> 00:14:51.379 using his influence to sabotage a relationship 00:14:51.379 --> 00:14:53.879 for his own personal gain. It really shows how 00:14:53.879 --> 00:14:55.419 desperate he is at this point in the season. 00:14:55.659 --> 00:14:58.039 And then for the visual punchline, Niles shows 00:14:58.039 --> 00:15:00.779 up later wearing a red bow tie. He is actively 00:15:00.779 --> 00:15:03.139 trying to force the prophecy to be about him. 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:05.100 It's just so desperate. He's thinking, if I wear 00:15:05.100 --> 00:15:07.259 the tie, I become the Vision. But the universe, 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:09.779 or rather the writers, have a twist in store. 00:15:10.259 --> 00:15:12.799 Niles receives a gift from Roz earlier in the 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:16.059 episode. A dragon statue. Right. And Daphne has 00:15:16.059 --> 00:15:18.919 a second vision. She sees her true love holding 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:21.720 a dragon. But she dismisses it. She assumes it's 00:15:21.720 --> 00:15:23.620 a false vision because it doesn't make any logical 00:15:23.620 --> 00:15:26.279 sense to her. So you have this tragic irony where 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:28.659 the clues point directly to Niles, the red tie, 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:31.120 the dragon. But the connection just isn't made 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:33.679 by her. She stays with Donnie. It is absolute 00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:35.720 torture for the audience. You're just screaming 00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:38.460 at the screen. It's Niles! Look at the tie! But 00:15:38.460 --> 00:15:40.500 Niles isn't the only one suffering romantically. 00:15:41.129 --> 00:15:42.950 Frazier's love life is a complete mess, too. 00:15:43.070 --> 00:15:45.850 We had the Faye versus Cassandra dilemma in episode 00:15:45.850 --> 00:15:49.669 21. When a man loves two women, this is a classic 00:15:49.669 --> 00:15:52.470 have your cake and eat it too scenario. Frazier 00:15:52.470 --> 00:15:55.009 is juggling two women who are polar opposites 00:15:55.009 --> 00:15:57.370 of each other. Faye is described in our notes 00:15:57.370 --> 00:16:00.210 as artistic, intelligent. She's a peer. She challenges 00:16:00.210 --> 00:16:02.450 him intellectually. Cassandra is a marketing 00:16:02.450 --> 00:16:06.210 manager. Glamorous. Very fun. And the family 00:16:06.210 --> 00:16:08.649 takes sides. This is what I love about it. It's 00:16:08.649 --> 00:16:10.899 not just Frazier's choice in a vacuum. Martin 00:16:10.899 --> 00:16:13.700 likes Cassandra. Why? Because she brings him 00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:16.080 joy. She laughs at his jokes. She compliments 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:19.080 him. Martin's very simple in his needs. He just 00:16:19.080 --> 00:16:21.240 likes being appreciated. Daphne, on the other 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:23.879 hand, likes Faye because Faye is grounded and 00:16:23.879 --> 00:16:27.279 real. But Frasier's complete inability to choose, 00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:30.299 it just paralyzes him. And inevitably, in trying 00:16:30.299 --> 00:16:32.899 to keep both options open, he loses both of them. 00:16:33.220 --> 00:16:35.539 Classic Frasier. Yeah. He overthinks it until 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:37.529 the opportunity is gone. He's looking for the 00:16:37.529 --> 00:16:39.970 perfect choice, and in doing so, he makes no 00:16:39.970 --> 00:16:42.549 choice at all. And we have to mention the Jewish 00:16:42.549 --> 00:16:46.269 farce in episode 10, Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz. 00:16:46.450 --> 00:16:48.549 Oh, this is a definite highlight. Fraser's dating 00:16:48.549 --> 00:16:51.090 Faye and her mother, Helen, jumps to the conclusion 00:16:51.090 --> 00:16:53.590 that Fraser is Jewish. And instead of just correcting 00:16:53.590 --> 00:16:55.870 her like a normal person, he tries to write it 00:16:55.870 --> 00:16:58.039 out to avoid offending her. The comedic set piece 00:16:58.039 --> 00:17:00.460 here is just brilliant. They're hiding the Christmas 00:17:00.460 --> 00:17:02.120 tree in the bathroom. They are pretending to 00:17:02.120 --> 00:17:05.119 mourn. It is so frantic. It really highlights 00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:08.140 how far Fraser will go to be liked or to keep 00:17:08.140 --> 00:17:10.079 a relationship afloat, even if it means constructing 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:12.819 a completely false identity. He's caught screaming 00:17:12.819 --> 00:17:15.279 Jesus in shop and then has to immediately cover 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:18.000 it up by saying, gee us. It's pure linguistic 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:20.619 gymnastics. It's hilarious. And we can't forget 00:17:20.619 --> 00:17:22.579 Martin. He's usually the steady one. But even 00:17:22.579 --> 00:17:25.019 he has drama this season. He dates Bonnie in 00:17:25.019 --> 00:17:28.019 episode 23. She's a waitress. Seems completely 00:17:28.019 --> 00:17:31.500 perfect. But the conflict. Her dog. Her poodle, 00:17:31.619 --> 00:17:34.240 to be specific. The source notes that the poodle 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:37.519 dominates Eddie. Eddie? The alpha dog of the 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:40.019 apartment gets bullied by a lady poodle. And 00:17:40.019 --> 00:17:42.099 that annoys Martin so much it actually impacts 00:17:42.099 --> 00:17:44.380 the relationship. It's petty, but it is so Martin. 00:17:44.500 --> 00:17:46.900 He just can't stand seeing his dog emasculated. 00:17:47.259 --> 00:17:49.259 It shows that everyone in this season is dealing 00:17:49.259 --> 00:17:51.539 with some form of incompatibility, whether it 00:17:51.539 --> 00:17:54.599 is spiritual incompatibility, intellectual incompatibility, 00:17:54.660 --> 00:17:57.839 or in Martin's case, canine incompatibility. 00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:02.160 True. Now, speaking of intellectual incompatibility 00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:04.519 or maybe intense compatibility, let's move to 00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:07.299 section four, the psychology of sibling rivalry. 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:11.119 Because season six drops a nuclear bomb on the 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:14.160 Fraser and Niles dynamic in episode 19 titled 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:17.789 IQ. This episode is fundamental. If you really 00:18:17.789 --> 00:18:19.890 want to understand the Crane brothers, you watch 00:18:19.890 --> 00:18:22.569 this episode. It starts with a silent auction. 00:18:23.069 --> 00:18:25.789 They are bidding on a lunch with three Nobel 00:18:25.789 --> 00:18:27.950 laureates. Of course they are. That is the most 00:18:27.950 --> 00:18:30.170 Crane setup possible. And they start bidding 00:18:30.170 --> 00:18:32.170 against each other. They aren't bidding because 00:18:32.170 --> 00:18:34.529 they want the lunch that badly. They are bidding 00:18:34.529 --> 00:18:36.509 because they simply cannot let the other brother 00:18:36.509 --> 00:18:39.650 win. They end up paying over $8 ,000 for this 00:18:39.650 --> 00:18:42.519 lunch just to spite one another. Wow. But the 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:44.660 real catalyst is the backstory that comes up. 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:48.099 They recall taking IQ tests as children, but 00:18:48.099 --> 00:18:50.319 their mother never told them the specific results. 00:18:50.579 --> 00:18:52.279 She only told them they were two points apart, 00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:55.019 but she crucially never said who was higher. 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:58.400 The ambiguity kept the peace all those years. 00:18:58.519 --> 00:19:00.160 It allowed them to believe they were absolute 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:03.559 equals. But now, as adults, they just can't let 00:19:03.559 --> 00:19:05.299 it go. They dig up the results from the school 00:19:05.299 --> 00:19:09.140 archives, and the reveal is completely devastating 00:19:09.140 --> 00:19:11.420 for Frazier. I have the numbers right here in 00:19:11.420 --> 00:19:14.220 the notes. Frazier was 129, which is bright. 00:19:14.339 --> 00:19:18.359 Sure, that's well above average. But Niles... 00:19:18.359 --> 00:19:22.490 Niles is 156. 156. That is a massive, massive 00:19:22.490 --> 00:19:24.210 gap. That's the difference between being the 00:19:24.210 --> 00:19:26.369 smart guy in the room and being a bona fide genius. 00:19:26.650 --> 00:19:28.890 And the fallout is immediate. They feign maturity 00:19:28.890 --> 00:19:31.789 at first. Oh, congratulations. But the jealousy 00:19:31.789 --> 00:19:34.549 rots Frazier from the inside out. He starts questioning 00:19:34.549 --> 00:19:37.569 his entire life. And Niles, well, Niles becomes 00:19:37.569 --> 00:19:39.609 completely insufferable. He starts correcting 00:19:39.609 --> 00:19:42.230 Frazier's grammar even more than usual. He starts 00:19:42.230 --> 00:19:44.490 acting like a benevolent god, handing down wisdom. 00:19:44.730 --> 00:19:46.789 They decide to have a study session in the library 00:19:46.789 --> 00:19:49.009 to prove, I don't even know what, to prove they're 00:19:49.009 --> 00:19:51.380 both smart. before the lunch, but it goes completely 00:19:51.380 --> 00:19:54.779 wrong. It is a study in contrasting anxieties. 00:19:55.180 --> 00:19:57.539 Frazier over -caffeinates to stimulate his brain 00:19:57.539 --> 00:20:00.539 to close that intellectual gap. Niles takes allergy 00:20:00.539 --> 00:20:03.099 medicine for his parchment mite allergy. Parchment 00:20:03.099 --> 00:20:04.859 mite allergy. You really can't make this stuff 00:20:04.859 --> 00:20:07.099 up. It's so painfully specific to his character. 00:20:07.259 --> 00:20:09.660 And the medicine makes Niles dopey. So you have 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:12.099 a hyper -wired Frasier vibrating with caffeine 00:20:12.099 --> 00:20:16.140 energy and a sedated Niles literally drooling 00:20:16.140 --> 00:20:18.380 on the table. And the scene at the lunch itself, 00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:21.680 Niles passes out and destroys the table just 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:23.859 as the Nobel laureates arrive. It completely 00:20:23.859 --> 00:20:26.319 deconstructs their entire relationship. Frasier 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:28.339 is the charismatic face, the TV star, the radio 00:20:28.339 --> 00:20:31.059 voice. But Niles is the intellectual powerhouse. 00:20:31.220 --> 00:20:33.140 And the show is telling... us here they cannot 00:20:33.140 --> 00:20:35.700 function without competing they are locked in 00:20:35.700 --> 00:20:38.880 this endless dance if one wins definitively the 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:41.359 entire system breaks down and sometimes that 00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:45.640 dance is literal or at least very physical we 00:20:45.640 --> 00:20:48.319 have to talk about episode 14 three valentines 00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:51.619 Specifically, the Niles storyline. Oh my god, 00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:54.339 the ironing scene. The source calls this a masterclass 00:20:54.339 --> 00:20:56.940 in silent physical comedy. It is a brilliant 00:20:56.940 --> 00:20:59.920 homage to the silent film era. Niles is alone 00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:02.200 in Fraser's apartment. He's getting ready for 00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:04.420 a date. He sees a tiny crease in his trousers. 00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:06.559 He decides he needs to iron it. Because he's 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:09.579 trying to be perfect. But he cuts his finger. 00:21:09.680 --> 00:21:12.099 He faints at the sight of his own blood. Then 00:21:12.099 --> 00:21:13.660 he wakes up, tries to clean the blood, creates 00:21:13.660 --> 00:21:15.740 a bigger mess. Then the iron burns the pants. 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:17.859 He tries to put out the fire. And it just escalates 00:21:17.859 --> 00:21:20.000 from there. The source mentions he loses control 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:22.440 of the fire extinguisher. He's spraying foam 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:24.880 absolutely everywhere. He's ruining the couch. 00:21:24.920 --> 00:21:26.839 He's ruining the carpet. By the end of the scene, 00:21:26.900 --> 00:21:29.180 the apartment is completely destroyed. And he 00:21:29.180 --> 00:21:31.880 hasn't said a single word the entire time. It's 00:21:31.880 --> 00:21:35.099 just pure chaos born from an erotic desire for 00:21:35.099 --> 00:21:38.029 perfection. That is the absolute essence of Niles 00:21:38.029 --> 00:21:40.109 Crane. The harder he tries to control his environment, 00:21:40.309 --> 00:21:42.549 the more it explodes in his face. It is entropy 00:21:42.549 --> 00:21:44.609 in a designer suit. It's brilliant television. 00:21:45.130 --> 00:21:48.069 Now, moving on to Section 5, we get some incredible 00:21:48.069 --> 00:21:51.210 guest stars this season who act as foils, really 00:21:51.210 --> 00:21:54.150 mirrors, for our main characters. First up is 00:21:54.150 --> 00:21:56.910 the legendary Christine Baranski as Dr. Nora 00:21:56.910 --> 00:22:00.220 in Episode 20. Dr. Nora is a fascinating villain 00:22:00.220 --> 00:22:02.400 for the show. Frasier hires her as a protege. 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:05.279 He thinks she is absolutely perfect. She compliments 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:07.759 him. She strokes his ego. She quotes his academic 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:10.259 papers back to him. She even pretends to think 00:22:10.259 --> 00:22:13.059 Niles is the older brother, which Niles loves, 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:15.960 obviously. But the mask slips quickly. Frazier 00:22:15.960 --> 00:22:18.720 hears her on the air. And she is not a compassionate 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:21.019 listener like he is. She is judgmental. She is 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:23.819 abusive. She condemns single parents. She condemns 00:22:23.819 --> 00:22:26.480 divorcees. She literally calls people sinners 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:29.599 on the radio. She's basically the anti -Frazier. 00:22:29.740 --> 00:22:32.039 Frazier's all about nuance and understanding. 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:35.390 And let's unpack this together. Dr. Nora is about 00:22:35.390 --> 00:22:37.690 rigid judgment and screaming you're wrong at 00:22:37.690 --> 00:22:40.430 her callers. Frazier is horrified by what he's 00:22:40.430 --> 00:22:42.309 unleashed. He tries to get rid of her, but the 00:22:42.309 --> 00:22:45.450 station manager, Kenny, loves the ratings. She 00:22:45.450 --> 00:22:48.970 attracts attention. Controversy sells. So Frazier 00:22:48.970 --> 00:22:51.869 and Roz decide to declare war on her. And the 00:22:51.869 --> 00:22:53.890 tactic they use, well, it's a bit underhanded. 00:22:54.430 --> 00:22:56.769 Niles suggests they find Dr. Nora's mother to 00:22:56.769 --> 00:22:59.130 solve her psychological issues. A very classic 00:22:59.130 --> 00:23:01.390 Freudian approach. Find the mother, find the 00:23:01.390 --> 00:23:03.349 source of the trauma. So they find the mother. 00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:06.220 played by Piper Laurie, and they bring her to 00:23:06.220 --> 00:23:08.000 the station for an on -air reunion. They think 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:09.880 it'll be this tearful breakthrough moment. Yeah. 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:13.640 And it is a massive backfire. Huge backfire. 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:17.059 The mother is actually worse than Nora. She is 00:23:17.059 --> 00:23:19.920 a complete monster. She starts abusing Nora on 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:23.359 the air, screaming at her. And Dr. Nora, this 00:23:23.359 --> 00:23:26.440 terrifying figure of rigid judgment, reduces 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:29.759 to a screaming child and just flees the station. 00:23:29.980 --> 00:23:32.569 It's a dark episode, really. It shows that Frasier's 00:23:32.569 --> 00:23:34.950 attempts to fix people can sometimes just unleash 00:23:34.950 --> 00:23:37.369 way more chaos. He tried to play God with her 00:23:37.369 --> 00:23:40.170 psychology and he just traumatized everyone involved. 00:23:40.490 --> 00:23:42.690 And then on a completely different note, we have 00:23:42.690 --> 00:23:45.349 a return from the Cheers days. Woody Harrelson 00:23:45.349 --> 00:23:48.130 returns as Woody Boyd in episode 13. The show 00:23:48.130 --> 00:23:50.150 where Woody shows up. I always love when Cheers 00:23:50.150 --> 00:23:52.329 characters come back to Seattle. But this one 00:23:52.329 --> 00:23:54.690 feels very different. It feels bittersweet. It 00:23:54.690 --> 00:23:57.069 is bittersweet. It's a harsh reality check. Frazier 00:23:57.069 --> 00:23:59.789 is so excited at first. My old friend Woody is 00:23:59.789 --> 00:24:01.930 in town. But then he realizes they really have 00:24:01.930 --> 00:24:04.630 nothing in common anymore. Frazier is a Seattle 00:24:04.630 --> 00:24:07.549 socialite psychiatrist. Woody's is, well, Woody. 00:24:07.670 --> 00:24:09.730 He's simple. He's from Hanover, Indiana. They 00:24:09.730 --> 00:24:11.589 completely run out of things to say to each other. 00:24:11.650 --> 00:24:13.509 They're just retelling old stories over and over. 00:24:13.710 --> 00:24:16.569 And Frazier starts to feel pity for Woody. He 00:24:16.569 --> 00:24:18.710 thinks Woody's life is simple and kind of sad. 00:24:19.130 --> 00:24:21.769 But the twist, and this is the insight the source 00:24:21.769 --> 00:24:23.730 material really highlights, is that Woody actually 00:24:23.730 --> 00:24:27.049 pities Frasier. Right. Woody sees Frasier living 00:24:27.049 --> 00:24:29.569 with his dad, hanging out with his brother every 00:24:29.569 --> 00:24:32.430 single day, completely single. And Woody feels 00:24:32.430 --> 00:24:35.630 bad for him. Woody has a wife. He has kids. He 00:24:35.630 --> 00:24:39.190 has a full life. Frasier has his Sherry. It's 00:24:39.190 --> 00:24:41.349 a poignant look at nostalgia versus reality. 00:24:41.769 --> 00:24:44.150 They agree to reconnect in five or ten years. 00:24:44.650 --> 00:24:46.789 It's an acknowledgment that their paths have 00:24:46.789 --> 00:24:50.160 definitively diverged. It's a very mature moment 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:52.519 for a sitcom. It tells the audience that it's 00:24:52.519 --> 00:24:55.140 okay to outgrow people. It really is. It anchors 00:24:55.140 --> 00:24:57.359 the show in a real timeline. People grow apart. 00:24:57.640 --> 00:24:59.839 That's just life. Before we get to the finale, 00:25:00.059 --> 00:25:02.319 we definitely have to touch on Section 6, The 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:04.920 Bad Samaritan. This explores Frasier's moral 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:07.500 compass. Episode 11, Good Samaritan. This one 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:09.440 is rough for Frasier. He's trying to do good 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:11.140 deeds, but the universe just keeps punishing 00:25:11.140 --> 00:25:13.799 him for it. Specifically, he gives a ride to 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:16.279 a stranded woman in the pouring rain. a noble 00:25:16.279 --> 00:25:19.579 act he sees someone in distress he stops to help 00:25:19.579 --> 00:25:22.140 but it turns out she is a prostitute and the 00:25:22.140 --> 00:25:24.680 source notes she's a transvestite and the police 00:25:24.680 --> 00:25:27.339 are watching the whole time frazier gets arrested 00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:30.559 he is utterly humiliated he's in a cell at martin's 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:33.539 old precinct the cops all know his dad it's the 00:25:33.539 --> 00:25:36.140 ultimate no good deed goes unpunished scenario 00:25:36.140 --> 00:25:39.099 he is sitting on a jail cot completely stripped 00:25:39.099 --> 00:25:41.529 of his dignity But the ending is what really 00:25:41.529 --> 00:25:44.329 matters here. Frazier reimagines the scenario. 00:25:44.609 --> 00:25:47.130 He asks himself, if I knew what would happen, 00:25:47.230 --> 00:25:49.970 the arrest, the shame, the mocking, would I still 00:25:49.970 --> 00:25:52.730 stop the car? And he decides he would. Despite 00:25:52.730 --> 00:25:55.190 the humiliation, he would still stop to help 00:25:55.190 --> 00:25:57.630 a person in the rain. That's beautiful. It really 00:25:57.630 --> 00:25:59.849 is a great character moment. It defines his core 00:25:59.849 --> 00:26:03.200 character. He is pompous, yes. He is arrogant, 00:26:03.339 --> 00:26:06.079 he is annoying, but ultimately he is driven by 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:08.700 a deep desire to do the right thing. He is a 00:26:08.700 --> 00:26:11.900 moral man in an absurd world. He will choose 00:26:11.900 --> 00:26:13.779 the moral path even if it leads him straight 00:26:13.779 --> 00:26:16.619 to a jail cell. Which brings us to the end, section 00:26:16.619 --> 00:26:19.900 7. The season finale, shut out in Seattle. If 00:26:19.900 --> 00:26:22.019 this season was about downward mobility, the 00:26:22.019 --> 00:26:24.380 finale is about hitting absolute rock bottom 00:26:24.380 --> 00:26:27.859 romantically. It is a crash, a total system crash. 00:26:28.180 --> 00:26:30.279 Let's look at the scoreboard for a second. Frazier 00:26:30.279 --> 00:26:33.619 loses Faye. Why? Because he keeps calling her 00:26:33.619 --> 00:26:36.559 Cassandra. The Freudian slip to end all Freudian 00:26:36.559 --> 00:26:39.619 slips. He is literally in bed with Faye and calls 00:26:39.619 --> 00:26:42.099 her Cassandra. It is self -sabotage perfection. 00:26:42.680 --> 00:26:45.019 Martin breaks up with Bonnie, the waitress with 00:26:45.019 --> 00:26:47.660 the dominant poodle. Niles tries to date a wild 00:26:47.660 --> 00:26:50.539 waitress named Kit. Oh, Kit. She wears the leather 00:26:50.539 --> 00:26:53.509 jacket. Niles tries so hard to keep up. He's 00:26:53.509 --> 00:26:55.069 wearing a leather jacket, too, trying to use 00:26:55.069 --> 00:26:58.569 slang like buzzkill. It is so painful to watch. 00:26:58.809 --> 00:27:01.190 He's trying to be someone he fundamentally is 00:27:01.190 --> 00:27:04.089 not just to avoid being alone. And he can't keep 00:27:04.089 --> 00:27:05.930 it up. Kit dumps him because he's trying too 00:27:05.930 --> 00:27:07.950 hard and it's obvious. And then there's Roz. 00:27:08.269 --> 00:27:11.009 Roz complicates things significantly. She sleeps 00:27:11.009 --> 00:27:14.529 with Bulldog. Bulldog. The sports guy. The grossest 00:27:14.529 --> 00:27:16.769 guy at the radio station. Twice. Out of sheer 00:27:16.769 --> 00:27:18.990 loneliness. But when Bulldog actually calls her 00:27:18.990 --> 00:27:21.789 his girlfriend, she is completely repulsed. She 00:27:21.789 --> 00:27:24.410 realizes it was a massive mistake. And amidst 00:27:24.410 --> 00:27:27.029 all this romantic chaos, Bulldog gets fired from 00:27:27.029 --> 00:27:30.509 KACL. So the station dynamic shifts yet again. 00:27:30.829 --> 00:27:33.690 So look at the final image of the season. All 00:27:33.690 --> 00:27:38.130 three crane men, Frazier, Niles, Martin, are 00:27:38.130 --> 00:27:40.869 completely single again. They are right back 00:27:40.869 --> 00:27:44.109 to square one. They end the season drinking and 00:27:44.109 --> 00:27:46.599 singing in a piano bar together. They're singing 00:27:46.599 --> 00:27:49.220 Goldfinger of all things. It's a bonding moment, 00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:51.920 but it's a bonding moment born entirely of failure. 00:27:52.140 --> 00:27:54.859 They are survivors. They are battered. They are 00:27:54.859 --> 00:27:57.299 bruised, but they are together. And we can't 00:27:57.299 --> 00:27:59.420 forget the cliffhanger for Daphne. The ring. 00:27:59.640 --> 00:28:02.039 She loses her engagement ring from Donnie. She's 00:28:02.039 --> 00:28:03.799 frantically trying to hide it from him. And that 00:28:03.799 --> 00:28:06.279 lingering tension of the red bowtie vision from 00:28:06.279 --> 00:28:09.039 earlier, it's totally unresolved. The season 00:28:09.039 --> 00:28:11.400 ends with uncertainty. Will she actually marry 00:28:11.400 --> 00:28:13.980 Donnie? Does the vision of Niles mean something 00:28:13.980 --> 00:28:16.119 she'll figure out? We don't know. It just leaves 00:28:16.119 --> 00:28:18.299 the audience hanging. So what does this all mean? 00:28:18.380 --> 00:28:21.480 If we look back at season six as a whole, what's 00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:23.839 the ultimate takeaway for the viewer? I think 00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:26.640 season six was a necessary deconstruction. It 00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:29.240 completely dismantled the characters' egos. It 00:28:29.240 --> 00:28:31.900 took away Frasier's career. It took away Niles' 00:28:32.059 --> 00:28:34.160 wealth and his marriage. It took away all their 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:36.099 romantic hopes. It stripped them down to the 00:28:36.099 --> 00:28:39.279 studs. Exactly. It replaced status with resilience. 00:28:39.480 --> 00:28:41.880 They survived. They survived dead seals. They 00:28:41.880 --> 00:28:44.720 survived unemployment. They survived the humiliating 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:47.000 truth about urinal cakes. And they still have 00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:49.480 each other, even if having each other means singing 00:28:49.480 --> 00:28:52.640 sadly in a bar. Precisely. It replaced the external 00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:54.900 markers of success with true family bonding. 00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:57.599 Even if that bonding involves accidentally destroying 00:28:57.599 --> 00:29:00.119 a fancy dinner party, it says that you can lose 00:29:00.119 --> 00:29:01.859 everything that makes you important in the eyes 00:29:01.859 --> 00:29:04.079 of society and you're still you. I love that. 00:29:04.440 --> 00:29:06.400 I want to leave our listeners with a provocative 00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:09.400 thought to mull over, building on the source 00:29:09.400 --> 00:29:11.299 material. I talked about Donnie Douglas, the 00:29:11.299 --> 00:29:14.140 slob lawyer, and Dr. Nora, the abusive therapist. 00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:17.000 Yes. Why are the people who are bad at being 00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:20.599 polite often better at getting results than the 00:29:20.599 --> 00:29:23.960 polite, high IQ cranes? Think about it. Donnie 00:29:23.960 --> 00:29:26.940 won the impossible legal case. Dr. Nora got the 00:29:26.940 --> 00:29:29.720 massive ratings, at least until she imploded. 00:29:30.009 --> 00:29:32.849 That is an excellent question. Perhaps this season 00:29:32.849 --> 00:29:35.529 suggests that the Crane's intelligence, their 00:29:35.529 --> 00:29:38.950 constant overthinking, their deep analysis is 00:29:38.950 --> 00:29:42.089 actually a hindrance to their happiness. Sometimes 00:29:42.089 --> 00:29:44.009 you just need to be a Donnie and get the job 00:29:44.009 --> 00:29:45.970 done, even if your shirt is untucked and you 00:29:45.970 --> 00:29:48.630 have mustard on your tie. Maybe the smart choice 00:29:48.630 --> 00:29:51.509 isn't always the effective choice. A really fascinating 00:29:51.509 --> 00:29:54.490 thought for you to explore on your own. Maybe 00:29:54.490 --> 00:29:56.630 being smart isn't everything. Especially when 00:29:56.630 --> 00:29:58.309 you are dealing with a dead seal on a beach. 00:29:58.940 --> 00:30:01.880 Very true. On that note, thank you for joining 00:30:01.880 --> 00:30:04.240 us on this deep dive into the chaotic, messy, 00:30:04.339 --> 00:30:06.980 and hilarious world of Frasier Season 6. It has 00:30:06.980 --> 00:30:09.059 been a pleasure unpacking this with you. We'll 00:30:09.059 --> 00:30:10.460 catch you on the next dive. Keep listening.