Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 8 -> Episode 8.12

Sliding Frasier's

Frasier and Roz are in Cafe Nervosa, as Frasier prepares to do on a speed date where he spends 8 minutes with 12 different women. He is waiting for Niles who is bringing him a sweater so that he can decide whether to wear a suit or the more casual sweater. The story then splits in to two:

Frasier picks the suit: As Frasier leaves Cafe Nervosa, he meets Mike, a new employee at KACL and introduces him to Roz but then is knocked into by Monica who causes him to injure his arm, so Monica takes him to hospital. The two of them strike up a friendship and agree to go out with each other. Frasier starts to go overboard with presents and gifts, and come the Valentines ball, Monica feels that Frasier is suffocating her and wants to split up. He ends up driving home alone listening to a repeat of his show.

Frasier picks the sweater: Frasier decides on the suit, but at the last moment changes his mind and chooses the sweater. This allows Monica to bump into new KACL employee Mike, and the two of them strike up a friendship. Frasier then leaves for his speed date and has a nightmare of a time, so come the day of the Valentines ball, Frasier has no date. Luckily, Roz's new boyfriend has a sister so Frasier agrees to go - but wishes he hadn't when his date turns out to be one of the women he met at the speed date. Feeling dejected, he drives home alone listening to a repeat of his show.

- Niles arrives wearing a t-shirt bearing a picture of him and Daphne:
Niles: I've never worn an undergarment in public before.

- Frasier meets new KACL employee, Mike:
Frasier: Have you met Roz Doyle?
Mike: No.
Frasier: Oh, you are new, aren't you!

- Frasier is on a speed date with Judy:
Judy: That did not feel like 8 minutes.
Frasier: Indeed it did not (!)

- Daphne reels off the list of foods Niles is allergic to:
Frasier: He tried wearing an allergy tag, but his neck was too weak to support it!

- After Frasier refuses to help Daphne carry shopping bags as he injured one arm:
Frasier: Oh, I met a girl today.
Daphne: Yeah, so did she (!)

- Kenny arrives at the ball looking very smart:
Kenny: I just love love.
Roz: Where's your wife?
Kenny: She had plans.

This is an episode based on the Gywneth Paltrow movie, 'Sliding Doors', and you have to wonder whether an episode based on a 4 year old movie is a sign of desperation, because at the end of it, I thought 'so what?'. I didn't learn anything new about the characters by the use of this split story technique, nor was it particularly funny - perhaps there was too much to fit into a 22 minute episode. Either way, despite some amusing moments such as Daphne's differing reaction to being informed Martin had packed her case for her, this is a good stab at replicating the movie but sadly only an average episode is the result.

Rating

72 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 71.5%
Total Number of Reviews: 2