Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 4 -> Episode 4.16

The Unnatural

Frederick is due to visit his father and has requested only one thing - to take a tour of Microsoft. This, however, Frasier has been unable to arrange but then remembers that Roz once dated someone who worked at Microsoft, and manages to convince her to give him a call to see what he can do. Frederick arrives, but to give Roz more time, he keeps taking him on other trips including one of KACL. As he shows Frederick around his booth, Bulldog and Roz come in - Roz has damaged her ankle and can't play in the stations softball team that weekend. She takes Frasier aside and gives him some bad news - the guy she dated at Microsoft quit soon after they broke up, leaving Frasier worrying about what to tell his son. While all this is going on, Frederick gets talking with Bulldog and suggests his father to replace Roz. Bulldog doesn't want to hurt Frederick's feelings so tells him he's one hell of a player and would play Frasier if he could.

Frasier returns to tell Frederick the bad news, but Frederick now wants his father to play in the station softball game on Saturday instead. Grudgingly, Frasier accepts the challenge but confesses to Niles he is worried about the moment when a son realises his father isn't perfect. To try and save face, Martin tries to help Frasier with his softball skills but is hopeless. Frasier admits to Martin the moment when he realised he wasn't perfect was when he took Frasier and his friends to a restaurant and couldn't work out the tip in his head. Frasier decides the only way to deal with this situation is to talk to Frederick before the game...

- Niles has rooted out some photos of he and Frasier when they were Frederick's age:
Niles: There we are all dressed up for our first cub scout hunt.
Frasier: And last!

- Frasier, Daphne and Martin are laughing about Frederick's crush on Daphne:
Frasier: Last night he spent the entire evening on Daphne's lap watching TV
Niles: [Enviously] Really?

- Frasier is showing Frederick around the KACL's studios, and meet Bulldog:
Frederick: Whay are you called Bulldog?
Bulldog: I don't know - people just call me that.
Frederick: But why?

- Frederick clung on to Daphne when they went on the ferris wheel together:
Frederick: Her hair smells like strawberry.
Niles: It smells like lavender, peach and vanilla! ....from over here at least.

- Martin is struggling to teach Frasier how to bat in a batting cage:
Frasier: Did you hear that Dad - I touched it that time.
Martin: No, I think that was my knee cracking.

- Niles arrives at Frasier's wearing a suit:
Frasier: Is that appropriate baseball-watching attire?
Niles: Obviously, you failed to detect the subtle diamond pattern in my tie!

An amusing episode with some very funny little moments - Frederick asking Bulldog why he's called Bulldog, Frasier revealing the time when he realised his father wasn't perfect. The central storyline of Frasier trying to please Frederick by learning to play softball throws up a very funny scene in the batting cage as Martin tries to show Frasier how to play - with Frasier failing hopelessly. The episode, though, belongs to Frederick's crush on Daphne with everyone except Niles seeing it as harmless. Frederick knows Niles has feelings for Daphne too and sets out to rub his nose in it at every opportunity. Indeed, the episode ends with Daphne giving a depressed Frederick a hug, with Frederick giving Niles a 'Bet you wish this was you' smile - great stuff.

Rating

79 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 74.0%
Total Number of Reviews: 2