Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 6 -> Episode 6.01

Good Grief

In the first episode after Frasier lost his job at KACL, he is burying his head a lot of other projects - an operetta about the Brownings, perfecting his culinary skills, designing his own furniture. Niles tells Martin that Frasier is treating losing his job like other people deal with a death - by going through a series of stages. Initially in denial, he reaches the stage of anger when at a picnic he is throwing for the KACL staff, he learns just about everyone else has got a job, and destroys a pinata and a mobile phone. Bargaining comes next, when Frasier reveals he has prayed to God to ask for the way forward - the answer it seems is to be nicer to his fans. So he is throwing a party for his Internet fan club who are arranging a rally to demand he get his job back. Unfortunately, there are only 3 of them and their rally is featured on the news as a rally that no-one went to. Frasier then begins to get depressed, manifesting itself in him putting on weight, but eventually Niles manages to push him to the next stage by telling him he's not famous anymore. Finally, Frasier reaches the stage of acceptance.

- Frasier is playing the piano at a very early hour:
Martin: That's what what I get for living in a big city. If it's not the horns waking me up, it's someone writing an operetta about the Brownings (!)

- Martin is showing Frasier a new trick he has taught Eddie:
Martin: It starts out when I point a gun at him.
Frasier: I like it so far.

- Frasier is treating Daphne like a slave:
Daphne [to Frasier as Niles walks in unseen]: Maybe then I can run you a bath, strip you naked and scrub you with a loofah. Is that all right, Dr Crane?
Niles: Yes!

- At Frasier's apartment:
Frasier: You're just in time - I'm throwing a party for my fan club.
Niles: Is there some problem with the bridge they normally meet under?

- The whole of the Internet fan club meeting scene.

- Eddie finally responding to Frasier's cry of "It's all over" and rolling over.

After the superb openings of Season 4 (The Two Mrs Cranes) and Season 5 (Frasier's Imaginary Friend), this season opener seems a bit disappointing by comparison. It's certainly well structured in using the 5 stages of grief , but somehow the best is not made of the story - I found there was too much strained humour. As ever with 'Frasier', though, it is well played by its cast and has a winning little scene with Frasier meeting his Internet fan club - the bit with the guy who shouts "This is great! This is great!" before taking a photo of Frasier makes me laugh every time, as does the look the same guy gives Niles later that scene. Not a disaster by any means, the episode just doesn't sparkle perhaps as much as we're used to.

N.B.: In case any non-US viewers don't get the point of the opening monologue Frasier gives, this episode was the first one that was broadcast after NBC moved 'Frasier' into 'Seinfeld's Thursday night slot which explains the 'my predecessor here was much loved' etc comments.

Rating

74 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 86.5%
Total Number of Reviews: 8