Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 11 -> Episode 11.18

Match Game

Frasier gets out of the lift in his office building, but discovers he has got off on the wrong floor when his key won't open the door to his office. At that moment, a woman comes out of the door and welcomes Frasier to "Charlottes Web Matchmaking Service", causing Frasier to try and explain that he got off on the wrong floor and anyway, he has no need for a matchmaking service. Charlotte tries to convince him otherwise, but Frasier politely declines her request and gets back in the lift where he meets a woman who knows him going up and Frasier decides to travel up with her before going back down. After the door closes, Frasier believes the woman to be a fan but it turns out to be someone Frasier once went out with - and didn't return her calls. Unfortunately for Frasier, the lift stops again on Charlottes floor and she witnesses the end of the abuse the woman was dishing out - leading to Frasier rather sheepishly taking Charlotte up on her offer and joining her matchmaking service.

Frasier is at first taken aback at Charlotte's $10,000 fee - payable upfront, but Charlotte counters by asking him how much all those bad dates over the years have cost! She sets Frasier up with a series of women, who he decides he will take to the same restaurant, so the setting will not affect his decision, but each and every one seems to be a disaster - from a woman who believes in Creationsim to a horny drunk - leaving Frasier rather disappointed and was hoping rather more for his $10,000. The final straw comes when Charlotte arrives when Frasier is supposed to meet his next date, to tell him that she had to cancel, causing Frasier to blow his top and demand his money back. Charlotte tries to calm him down by getting out her book of potential dates and telling him that finding the right woman will take time, but while Charlotte goes to get a drink, Frasier sneaks a peak at Charlottes book and discovers that she only has a few women on her books and he's dated every one of them! Confronting Charlotte with this evidence, she trips and falls to the floor, breaking down in tears and admitting that she's only just started in Seattle but used to run the most successful matchmaking agency in Chicago. Seeing she's upset, Frasier offers to have dinner with her and learns she has a boyfriend called Frank, but later that night finds himself dreaming about Charlotte.......Meanwhile, Niles and Daphne engage the services of Harvest, a professional doula, who helps women have a drug-free natural birth - something that Roz finds impossible to believe Daphne will go through with.

- Brad and Cindy, a couple from Niles and Daphne's Lamaze class, tell them that Brad is suffering sympathy pains:
Niles: You know, there's a very good grounding for that in psychological grounds - it's called Couvades Syndrome!
Cindy: We just call it love!

- Frasier is trying to convince Charlotte he has no need for her matchmaking services:
Frasier: I often need the proverbial stick to beat women ..off....with.

- Roz reminds Frasier of some of the true meanings of phrases used by people to describe themselves:
Roz: 'Mature' means old, 'athletic' means flat chested and 'not model thin' means circus fat!

- Frasier and Niles get into a spat over whose better: Niles' doula or Frasier's matchmaker:
Niles: Ours charges $200 an hour.
Frasier: Mine charges $10,000!
Niles: She sounds fantastic!

- Roz tries to get the message through to Daphne just how much childbirth will hurt without drugs:
Roz: [Pulls out of of Daphne's hairs] Times a million!

- Frasier's wonderfully edited procession of bad dates.

- After his string of bad dates, Frasier wants his $10,000 back:
Charlotte: With $10,000, you can download a lot of love!

- Charlotte confesses to Frasier she just moved to Seattle after her divorce:
Charlotte: I'm 35 and living with my mother - how pathetic is that?
Frasier: Well, I've seen worse (!)

A very entertaining episode that sees the introduction of Charlotte to the cast, as played by Laura Linney - and with her the beginning of the final story arc of the show. She is a fabulous actress - I first saw her in the Channel 4/PBS series 'Tales Of The City' way back in 1993, and thought she terrific as Mary Ann Singleton - and she fits into the show perfectly. The episode mines of deep vein of comedy from perhaps the longest running (non-)storyline of the show - Frasier's love life - with perhaps my favourite part of the whole episode being Frasier's string of bad dates all edited together brilliantly. The sub-plot of Niles and Daphne's doula was good fun too - Roz trying to explain to Daphne the pain of childbirth was terrific, all of which helps to makes this another good addition to the Season 11 cannon.

Rating

82 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 79.0%
Total Number of Reviews: 1