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Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 7 -> Episode 7.16Something About Dr Mary
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| Episode Details |
Written by: Jay Kogen Directed by: Will Shriner |
Original US airdate: 17th February 2000 Original UK airdate: 20th April 2000 |
| Cast Information |
Main Cast
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Recurring Cast
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Guest Cast
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Guest Callers
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| Episode Synopsis |
Roz is taking her vacation so Frasier has to find a temporary call screener. He doesn't want Roz's suggestion again - Chuck Ranberg - who has a speech impediment that makes Frasier burst out in fits of giggles. Instead he opts to take someone from a community programme he was a guest at recently: Second Start, which train up people from low-paid, dull jobs. So along comes Mary Thomas, a black, personable and slightly nervous person who takes over Roz's reins. Initially she is reticent to say anything, but with Frasier's encouragement, she starts to add her own opinions to Frasier's advice. This is invariably some sassy comments along with some homepsun wisdom from Grandpa Willie - which Frasier finds irritating to say the least, as Mary comes out with advice which is the antithesis of what he would give. Frasier can't quite bring himself to give her a piece of his mind, which Martin puts down to the fact that she is black, by pointing out that if it was Roz, he'd have no problem in doing so. Frasier dismisses this but as the week goes on, Mary takes up more of the show with her advice - so much so that callers start to call her Dr Mary, something that Frasier finds almost pushes him to the limit. At the end of the show, Kenny asks him how he finds Mary, and Frasier says that she does have a tendency to jump in and give her own advice. Kenny says that he's nuts about her too - and wants to make the two of them a permanent team, with Roz being made Gil Chesterton's producer!
Frasier is at his wits end, but still is unable to bring himself to tell
Mary his true thoughts on her without sounding like a bigot. However,
on Martin's suggestion that she would be good on her own show, Frasier
phones Kenny and says he thinks being the call screener is limiting Mary
- so Kenny makes Frasier and Mary the co-hosts! The Dr Frasier Crane show
is rarely that now, what with Mary's constant advice and her rows with
the new call screener, Louise. Frasier realises he has to talk to her
about her constant advice giving, and so meets Mary at the Cafe Nervosa
for a chat. He says he hasn't enjoyed working with her and can't respect
the advice she gives. He adds that he hasn't said anything because she
is black Mary is at first slightly hurt that he couldn't have been honest
with her, but says she has just been offered her own show on KPXY which
wouldn't have happened if Frasier had told her to keep quiet. Meanwhile,
Niles manages to cause havoc at Frasier's apartment with his demonstration
of his newly certificated kickboxing skills....
| Episode Title Cards |
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| Episode Highlights |
- Mary tells a woman whose husband is cheating on her to change
her locks:
Mary: My Grandpa Willie used to say nothin' stops a man playing
the field faster than a night on the lawn, OK? OK!
- Frasier arrives home after his first show with Mary:
Niles: Who was that woman on your show today?
Frasier: That's Mary Thomas - she's filling in for Roz.
Martin: Seemed to me like she was filling in for you!
- Niles hands his father his yellow belt kickboxing certificate:
Niles: I've become quite the sportsman myself, Dad. What do you
think of that?
Martin: Very nice, Son. But calligraphy isn't really a sport
- more of a craft.
- A caller to the show refers to Mary as Dr Mary, which Frasier
has to correct:
Mary: Oh, I don't mind. Latifah's not a real queen, you know!!
- Niles takes on Daphne's roles after injuring her by showing
off his kickboxing skills, which Martin is taking full advantage of:
Daphne: How do you sleep at night?
Martin: Pretty well since I get a chocolate on my pillow and
cocoa by my bed!
Daphne: I don't get cocoa by my bed at night
Martin: You have to fill in that little card.
- Frasier's mock conversation with Niles, with Frasier taking on the role of Mary.
| Frasier Online Episode Review |
Another great Season 7 episode which features a great turn from Kim Coles as 'Dr' Mary. The highlights above don't really do justice to her sassy and very funny performance - her way of finishing her advice with 'OK? OK!' being a particular highlight. It was also interesting because the show touched upon (but didn't really go deep) on the subject of race. Niles comment of Frasier living in a 'lily white world' could equally apply to the show itself as black characters are few and far between. There was also some great scenes back at Frasier's apartment involving Niles and his kickboxing demonstrations - I loved the way Martin took advantage of Niles who was taking on Daphne's roles after she was injured. There was a nagging feeling that some laughs were too easy such as the ones involving Chuck Ranberg's speech impediment - which, although very funny, did seem to spoil the show a little. Overall, then, a winning little episode that proves that the show can take a recycled storyline (Frasier's good intentions land him in deep water) and still produce a highly enjoyable episode out of it.
Rating
84 %
| Latest Viewer Episode Review |
Avg. Viewer Review:
86.0%
Total Number of Reviews: 1
'Something About Dr. Mary' review, Aug 07, 2005 |
Reviewer: Jocelyn from London, UK |
A sparkling episode that dares to address the subject of race and does so in a way that's both perfectly judged and frequently hilarious. It begins with Frasier looking for a replacement producer for Roz while she's on holiday and, in an effort to avoid reusing his previous choice of replacement (named after ex-'Frasier' writer Chuck Ranberg) who suffers from an unfortunate speech impediment, he decides to give a chance to someone less experienced - in this case Mary Thomas. Kim Coles' performance as Mary is truly wonderful, with her constant butting in with words of wisdom from 'Grandpa Willie' and habit of ending every sentence with 'OK? OK!', although credit must also go to writer Jay Kogen. His finest script for the series, it's full of wit and invention, most notably in the wonderful running joke where we see the side of a passing tram carrying an advert for Frasier's show, each time with the addition of a new face. Martin's constant attempts to get Frasier to face up to his problem of dealing with Mary via interjections of 'because she's black' are also highly amusing. Undoubtedly though, this is Kelsey's Grammer's show, with both his attempts to get a word in edgeways during Mary's constant interruptions and the resigned look on his face as he tucks into a piece of cheese when Mary and new producer Louise are talking over each other proving very funny indeed while I like the fact that at one point Frasier even starts quoting Grandpa Willie himself. However, the obvious standout in Grammer's performance here is in the scene where Frasier role plays as Mary against Niles (with the latter playing Frasier). Losing himself in an exaggerated impersonation of Mary's persona, it's a truly outstanding performance from a comic master. On top of all this is a highly amusing subplot concerning Niles attempting to master the art of kickboxing which leads to the hilarious (albeit painful!) moment where he kicks Daphne up the backside, sending a whole tray of snacks flying in the process. Niles' subsequent nursing of Daphne adds further humour, not least for the way Martin shamelessly takes advantage of his son. The ending where Frasier finally plucks up the courage to confront Mary with his true feelings is also very nicely handled. Warm without being trite or preachy, it's perfectly summed up by Mary's parting shot of 'God bless your guilty white ass!'. With an episode as much fun as this, I couldn't agree more. |
Rating: 86%
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