Written by: Sy Dukane & Denise Moss

Directed by: James Burrows

Original US airdate: 23rd September 1993

Original UK airdate: 27th April 1994

• Dear God, It Wasn't A Dream

• The Best Laid Plans...

• A Coupla White Guys Sittin' 'Round Talkin'

• One Man's Storage Room Is Another Man's Sanctuary

Does Frasier beat the second episode syndrome?, Feb 10, 2011

Reviewer: David Sim from Skelmersdale, Lancashire

Whenever a sitcom (or any TV show for that matter) begins with an exceptional, strong pilot episode we hop about on pins and needles waiting for the second episode, fully expecting it to deliver on the promise we glimpsed the week before. But second episodes are notoriously tricky things to pull off. I've seen many TV shows with impressive pilots but thoroughly disappointing follow-ups (e.g. Angel, and dare I say it, Fawlty Towers' second episode The Builders).

Certainly The Good Son was an impressive debut. It did an excellent job of taking Frasier Crane out of Cheers and putting him at the center of his own show, but also managed the difficult juggling act of introducing the supporting characters at the same time. The downside to that of course is our expectations are extremely high for Episode 2. So the question is...does Frasier manage to beat (what I like to call) the second episode syndrome?

Well the energy level is just as high, and the laughs are there alright. But Space Quest comes up a bit short in the plot department. Basically Frasier eases into this new routine, trying to read a book, facing interruptions from all of the new people in his life. Not a terribly ambitious plotline, and Roz and Niles are shockingly underused, but the entertainment value of The Good Son has certainly carried over to Space Quest.

The opening scene is extremely funny when a slightly dishevelled Frasier wakes up with only a groggy recollection of hiring Daphne the day before. Martin's fixing him a fatty breakfast, the newspaper's already read, and worst of all, Eddie stares at him while he's trying to read it. Frasier tells them all that he has a routine, and right now, they're getting in the way of that.

This continues into the next scene at KACL. The topic of today's show is intrusion. And Frasier's callers (as well as the staff) sadly miss the point. In the first of many interruptions, Frasier wants only to read a book in the soundproof booth. Only for Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe to storm in, host of the Gonzo Sport's Show. Yes, its time to meet the other members of the KACL family. And after Frasier and Roz, first up is Bulldog, played straight to the hilt by Dan Butler.

After Frasier, Bulldog is the first on-air personality we see. And he and Frasier are wonderfully diverse. Frasier is pompous, elitist, and literate. Bulldog is loud, brash and hell-for-leather. A lot of Bulldog's character traits are already in place. Like whenever he misplaces something he bawls out "This stinks! This is total BS! This is...Oh got it." He's also a chauvinistic womaniser, but it's only hinted at here. It became ingrained in his character as the show went on.

Its interesting watching his debut. How fresh and lively his antics are. Bulldog became less important to the show in later years, probably because Bulldog is more a collection of quirks and idiosyncrasies then an actual character. This was disguised slightly by the energy Dan Butler brought to the role, but Bulldog was phased out eventually because energy alone can only take you so far.

So Frasier's quest for solitude continues. After a sudden downpour forces him indoors, he's delighted to return to an empty apartment. Doesn't last long of course. I just love the bickering between Frasier and Martin. Another thing that would vanish as time went on, but its something I never tired of. Like this classic example:

(Frasier) What are you doing?
(Martin) I'm leaving you alone.
(Frasier) Well its very irritating.

Even Cafe Nervosa is no safe haven for Frasier. For who should stop by but Niles (Frasier: Oh what fresh hell is this?). This is the only scene he appears in, which is odd considering the show is only two episodes old. I suspect the writers wanted to flesh the relationship between Frasier and Martin. Niles, Roz and Daphne are very much secondary characters at this point (something Peri Gilpin would have to get used to). Its still a good scene. Niles thinks instead of shutting out Martin, Frasier should try to get to know him.

Which he does in the episode's funniest scene. They agree to a three minute conversation. As an added lifeline, they have an egg timer on standby. Sadly its a less then successful experiment. And Martin knows the reason why. To forge a truly successful father/son relationship takes years, not days. And certainly not three minutes! A bold statement. We didn't even know at this point if Frasier would be around for years. Most sitcoms are lucky to make it out of they're first season. The producers clearly had such confidence in Frasier, they can already see it has a long future ahead of it.

Its a lovely way to end the episode. And Frasier gets peace and quiet. In a storage space. The first location other then the show's three usual ones. Space Quest is a bit thin on plot and characters, but it makes up for that in laughs and character development. So, did Frasier beat the second episode syndrome? I'm delighted to say it did.

Rating: 90%