Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 7 -> Episode 7.04

Everyone's A Critic

The station owner's daughter, Poppy Delafield, has come to KACL for work experience and has been placed under Frasier's charge. She is, however, a bit dim and sometimes doesn't know when to shut up. This has led to an almost universal hatred of her at KACL, and the staff can't wait for her to leave. Meanwhile, Niles informs Frasier that he has landed himself a job as arts critic at 'The Monocle', a magazine found at the snootiest hotels and apartments. Although at first he appears unresentful, Niles constantly rubbing Frasier's nose in the fact he is rubbing some pretty impressive shoulders these days sets off the jealousy streak in him. He is determined to become an arts critic as well, and the departure of Chester Ludgate from KACL gives him the perfect opportunity.

He wants to use Chester's timeslot to host his own arts show about the culture in Seattle, and pitches the idea to Kenny, the station manager - who rejects the idea. Frasier, however, does not give up without a fight and decides to get Poppy on his side and hopefully use her influence with her mother to get the show off the ground. Poppy is quite taken with the arts - she and Frasier listen to Beethoven and go to see a revival of 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. Frasier manages to get Poppy to convince her mother that an arts show is right for KACL, but the name of the presenter is left up in the air. When Niles learns of Frasier's new show he is livid, accusing Frasier of not letting him have one thing he doesn't. When the time comes for the first show to air, Frasier obviously believes he is the host but Poppy comes in and thinks she is the host after their discussion. She calls ever member of staff into the booth and tells them that it was Frasier Crane who convinced her to stay at KACL - much to everyone's delight (!). Frasier curls up in horror as Poppy broadcasts her first show, but later at Cafe Nervosa, he learns from Niles he was fired after panning a show featuring the magazine's owner's hairdresser in the lead. Both Crane boys agree that their ventures into the world of arts criticism has led them away from their true passion - psychiatry.

- Martin is telling everyone the story of Eddie killing a rat in the basement:
Martin: So as Eddie's shaking the life out of him, I hear a bell tinkling. I thought: "That's odd - rat's don't wear bells!"

- Niles is telling Frasier how he got his job:
Niles: The final straw came when the previous critic described Leonard Bernstein's conducting as "overrated".
Frasier: I assume you pounced.
Niles: Like a ninja!

- Roz sees Poppy as she joins Frasier at Cafe Nervosa.
Roz: I see Poppy's having a party!
Frasier: That's not a party - it's a hostage situation(!).

- Niles is telling Frasier he was at a party for the Royal Shakespeare Company the previous night
Niles: I'm rubbing some some pretty impressive shoulders these days - and to think it's all because I have a small column.
Frasier: That would certainly be the Freudian interpretation!!

- Kenny is rejecting Frasier's idea for an arts show.
Kenny: Come on Doc - You, culture, opera. Who's listening? Not me!

- The withering look Daphne gives Poppy.

- Niles is giving Frasier his review of Poppy's arts show.
Niles: I wish you had lent her your Tennessee Williams biography - she wouldn't have kept forgetting his name and referring to him as Indiana Jones (!).

This episode had a lot of potential, being yet another display of the competitive streak between the Crane boys, but it is disappointing to report that it ended up being a rather flat episode, even more so seeing it came from the pen of Joe Keenan. The scenes between Niles and Frasier, highlighting their ever competitive streak were well written and acted (Frasier's rebuttal to Niles' line about having a "small column" was terrific), but the biggest problem I had with this episode was with Poppy. She's basically a one-joke character who becomes very irritating very quickly- obviously intentionally so, but that doesn't her character any more likeable. I also thought that it was a little predictable to find that Poppy had decided she was to be the presenter of the arts show, when Frasier thought he was - though the lengths some of the KACL staff go to avoid her is pretty funny. Thankfully, despite all of my criticisms, the episode was still relatively amusing, but I found the episode as a whole a bit underwhelming.

Rating

75 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 67.3%
Total Number of Reviews: 3