Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 7 -> Episode 7.09

The Apparent Trap

Lilith is bringing Frederick to Frasier's for his family's Thanksgiving celebrations, while she is celebrating it in Canada with a friend in Vancouver. They arrive late, however, after Lilith stops to help someone injured in an accident, and when she phones her friend to tell her she'll be late, he informs her he has come down with something. Frederick suggests his mother stays at Frasier's for Thanksgiving, which Frasier dismisses as a joke but upon more consideration, decides it would be good for Frederick to have all his family around. The rest of Frasier's family are less enthusiastic - Eddie doesn't want to stay in the same apartment as Lilith, Martin calls her 'the witch' - and when Niles comes over, the first time they have met since their little tryst, the conversation is stilted until Frasier recommends they go back to their old relationship of sniping at each other - which doesn't take very long. Lilith then informs Frasier she is writing an article about divorced parents bringing up children, and Frederick thinks that as it is based on him he should get something for it - notably a mini-bike, which all the other kids have apparently. Both Lilith and Frasier are adamant he can't have one until he is 15.

Daphne calls out that dinner is ready, and after Lilith goes to wash her hands in the powder room, Frederick suggests to his father that he and Lilith should write the article together and tells him that she misses him, and is always saying how great he is. This gets Frasier pondering the idea, and when Lilith returns, Frederick suggests to his mother she and Frasier should write the article together. He says Frasier has been missing her, and is always talking about how smart she is. This gets Lilith pondering the idea too, so when Frasier suggests the idea at dinner, both agree to the idea - in fact, Frasier suggests she stays the rest of the holidays so they can get it finished - much to the chagrin of Martin! As Lilith and Frasier start to work on the article, they are getting along just like the old days, and Frederick is trying ever harder to bring the two of them together by telling each of them how much the other says they mean to them. This gets both Frasier and Lilith thinking the other is coming on to them, so Frasier go to talk to Martin about it in the hallway, and Lilith goes to talk to Niles in Frederick's bedroom. Frederick has put on some romantic music, turned the lights down low and lit some candles, so when Frasier and Lilith return each thinks the other has done it. This sets off an argument between the pair, but both discover neither of them have done it - and realise that Frederick has set them up - but why? Lilith believes that if they tell him that they won't be getting back together, the guilt they feel will force them into buying him something - a mini-bike. Lilith decides to play him at his own game, and tells him that she and Frasier are getting re-married. He seems overjoyed by this news, leaving both of them puzzled. However, they then catch him on the phone to his friend telling him how he just tapped into his parent's feeling of inadequacy, and is definitely getting the minibike now! That is until his parents make themselves known they are listening!

- Frasier tells Roz that Lilith is spending Thanksgiving in Canada:
Frasier: Do they even celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada?
Roz: They will after she leaves!

- Frasier relents and lets Lilith stay for Thanksgiving:
Frasier: After all - Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate family.
[Frasier hears a key in the lock and opens it as Martin pokes his head round]
Martin: Has the witch gone yet?

- Frasier tells Niles and Lilith to move on and learn from their ill-considered night of passion:
Niles: Well, I learned if you kiss her too fast it gives you an ice cream headache.

Frasier is angry as he believes Lilith seems to think it's easy to get back with him:
Frasier: You think you can just snap your fingers and old Frasier will come a-runnin'. Well, it doesn't work that way sister! First of all - I have to be finessed!

- Frasier and Lilith can't believe Frederick would be so devious to get a mini-bike:
Lilith: Remember when he was a baby - the bottle at the end of the maze.

- The look on Niles' face as he hears that Frasier and Lilith are getting 're-married':
Niles: What's this joyous news I hear (!)

As we haven't seen Lilith since 'Room Service', way back in Season 5, it was a pleasure to see her again replete with all the hatred that the rest of the 'Frasier' clan have for her. My particular favourite was the way Eddie senses she is some vortex of evil and won't enter the apartment, and once inside, is scraping at the door to get out again - it was nice to see Eddie doing some tricks as we haven't seen much of them recently. The central plotline, however, was a rather predicatable one which has been done better in other episodes, not helped by much of the script being rarely more than amusing. It does have a nice twist,though, at the end when it appears that Frederick wants to get his parents together, knowing that they won't, to guilt them into getting him a minibike.The strong cast make the episode a worthwhile one but overall, I felt that this was a good but not great episode.

Rating

74 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 79.3%
Total Number of Reviews: 3