Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 4 -> Episode 4.10

Liar, Liar!

It's the night of the SeaBea's, and only Bulldog has won anything, so Frasier, Martin, Niles, Roz and Bulldog retire to Frasier's apartment to celebrate. Roz makes a call to her grandmother to tell her how she did, but when she tells her that she won, everyone is a little surprised. Roz then explains that she's old and it makes her happy - she smiled for a week when Roz won the Miss Seattle Beauty Pageant (!). Frasier then wonders whether telling lies is always wrong, and everyone chips in with their own examples that seems to support this theory. Niles and Frasier's example is when they were in prep school and set off the sprinkler systems to get out of gym class, and blamed it on the school bully, John Rajeski. Martin is shocked at this revelation as, after they had both sworn to him they hadn't done it, Martin had to say as much in front of the headmaster and as a result, John got thrown out of school. This effectively breaks up the party, leaving Frasier in a quandry about their actions.

Niles and Frasier meet at Cafe Nervosa where Frasier tells his brother that this incident has been playing on his conscience. Niles, however, is unrepentant - he firmly believes what they did was right. Frasier then decides to try and contact John, but Niles wants nothing to do with it and wants Frasier to tell John he is living in Italy. On phoning his house, Frasier learns he is in jail and decides to visit him to see whether getting thrown out of prep school started him on the road to crime. At the jail, as Frasier tries to help John pinpoint the event which led him to his current position, John arrives at the conclusion that it was indeed getting thrown out of prep school that started it. Frasier tries to tell him it was he who set off the sprinklers, but chickens out at the last moment after seeing what he did to someone who touched his comb. Frasier then feels perhaps he can help John in another way - by using his skills as a couples therapist, as John mentioned he was having problems with his wife. He arrives and begins to talk through her problems, but she fails to let him know one vital piece of information - John has just been released from jail.....

- Bulldog tells eveyone one of the lies he has told women:
Bulldog: "Don't worry, I've had a vasectomy."

- Frasier tells everyone that Frederick has taken to lying:
Frasier: He's told everyone that Lilith is an alien!
Martin: Seems as good an explanantion as any (!)

- Niles arrives at Cafe Nervosa to be greeted by Frasier wearing identical clothes as he is:
Niles: Why didn't you also take my strong chin and swimmers build ?!

- John used to call Frasier 'Shorts in the Shower Boy', but now Frasier learns John is in jail:
Niles: Who's wearing shorts in the shower now ?!!

- Niles has to told Frasier to tell John he now lives in Italy:
John: How is Niles now ?
Frasier: He's abroad now.
John: Oh - that must have hurt!

- Daphne is applying liniment to Niles' aching back:
Niles: Frost me like a cake!

- Mrs Rajeski starts undressing and caressing Frasier:
Frasier: He'll kill us!
Susan: Touch me here and say that!
Frasier: Are you crazy - he doesn't even let people touch his comb!!

A pretty tortuous episode that creaks as its plot unfolds, a plot that has the word "WEAK" written all over it. For example, Frasier goes to the jail to see if John started on the path to prison when he got thrown out of prep school, and what do you know - it was. Even the Niles and Daphne scene goes on too long and isn't nearly funny enough in the first place. All that said, there are a couple of brilliant lines and moments: one has to be the scene where Niles arrives at Cafe Nervosa only to be greeted by Frasier dressed in identical clothing, the others all revolve around Frasier and Niles' recollections of being bullied at school. My favourite is Niles being pushed on a tray into the dishwasher for sitting on John's chair. Despite this, the ending is rather a let-down because Frasier setting off the sprinklers in John's apartment seems like the writers couldn't be bothered to think up a better one. In a word, then, disappointing.

Rating

70 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 75.2%
Total Number of Reviews: 5