Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 7 -> Episode 7.01

Momma Mia

Roz has set Frasier up with a blind date and both are awaiting in Cafe Nervosa for her arrival, when Frasier spies a lady sitting at another table with another man and finds her instantly attractive. Frasier sends Roz to find out if she and her male companion are together but Roz ends up asking a woman at the wrong table, so Frasier asks her himself - just as women from other tables that Roz has been to asking whether they are single AND his blind date arrives. Luckily, Frasier manages to wipe the egg off his face and ask the mystery woman, Mia, out for coffee.

Some weeks later, as Frasier and Niles are preparing to take Martin up to their old family cabin as part of his birthday gift, Frasier is still going out with Mia and drops by to pick him up. Niles is immediately struck by the resemblance between Mia and their mother, Hester Crane, but Frasier seems completely oblivious to the fact. Up at the cabin, to which Frasier has invited Mia, Niles is fending off bugs with his suitcase of bug repellent and Martin finally gets to meet Mia as well - who is also struck by the similarity to Hester. Frasier, though, is still in the dark about it despite Niles dropping hints in almost every sentence. However, it is not until the three Crane men sit down to watch a video of their old home movies that Frasier finally realises who Mia reminds him of. Despite being initially distraught, will Frasier be able to continue seeing Mia after this revelation.....?

- After a number of people have seemed interested in Frasier while he is trying to chat up Mia:
Frasier: God, you must think I'm some sort of smooth operator.
Mia: No, not really (!)

- Niles arrives at Frasier's to find Martin breaking in his waist high waders:
Niles: Well there's a faux pas averted - I almost wore my big rubber pants today (!)

- Niles and his suitcase of bug repellent.

- Niles and Frasier are angry at each other:
Frasier: Niles dropped a log on my hand when he was startled by a moth!
Niles: It was not a moth - it was a bat! I could tell from the eerie high-pitched scream.
Frasier: That was you!

- Niles is trying to get Frasier to realise that Mia is exactly like their mother, so Martin throws a glass of water on to Niles:
Niles: Looks like these pants will have to be re-pressed!

The start of a new season and after the slightly disappointing Season 6, this season has a lot to make up for. This opening episode is basically a one-joke episode - Frasier is dating the spitting image of his mother - but compared to the Season 6 opener 'Good Grief', this is a definite improvement with good performances from all involved and the episode flows very well - it never feels awkward as some episodes did last season. Where the episode falls down is with the script which simply isn't funny enough. In summary, then, this is an enjoyable episode - I particularly enjoyed Niles's attempts to fend off the bugs in he cabin - with a rather moving ending, but future episodes will need better scripts to try and capture some of the show's past brilliance.

Rating

75 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 82.0%
Total Number of Reviews: 3