Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 8 -> Episode 8.21

A Day In May

Frasier goes to help out Lana but gets sucked into helping her sell a house she has been trying to offload for over a year. Frasier soon discovers why - the owner is still depressed about his wife leaving him for another man and manages to scare off every potential buyer. Lana's plan is for Frasier to seem interested in buying the house to to try an get a quick sale, but Frasier wants no part in it. Her plan is soon scuppered when she manages to break a wooden house made by one of the owner's children. Distraught at the effect this may have on the owner, Frasier rushes off to buy some lollies so that they can make another one.

Daphne takes Eddie for a walk down to the dog park, with Niles in tow. He seems a little jealous at Daphne's friendship with a hunky fellow dog owner, Jim, and so wants Daphne to agree to one 'irrational demand' each in the whole of their relationship. Daphne agrees, with Niles coming up with his instantly: he doesn't want Daphne coming to the dog park anymore. His demand seems a bit pointless though - Jim is leaving for Chile and not coming back..... Meanwhile, Martin attends his shooter's parole hearing.

- Frasier seems reluctant to loan his car out to Roz:
Frasier: I've had some unfortunate experiences loaning out my car.
Daphne: I left an umbrella in the trunk!
Frasier: It was a wet umbrella!

- Frasier has to wait a month to have his car serviced because he is not a priviledged enough customer:
Niles: You're not in the diamond alliance (!)

- Philip is despairing about the state his life is in:
Philip: Just ripped my heart out and threw it to the dogs - which she also took!

- Lana tries to get Philip out of the house:
Lana: Don't you think it's time you got to work?
Philip: I guess - that air traffic won't control itself.

- The Smolenski's see Frasier sucking a lolly making a lolly house:
Mrs Smolenski: [in a childish voice] Are you having fun making your little house?

A bittersweet episode was how NBC described this episode, and indeed it is. However, the 'sweet' parts aren't that funny while the darker moments lack any sort of point (more about which later). Of the three tales, Frasier and Lana's meeting with the depressed man as Lana tried to sell his house together with their attempts to make a 'lolly' house was on balance just funnier than Niles and Daphne's dog park encounter with a hunky male dog owner, although I liked the way Niles wasted his 'irrational demand' only for Daphne to say she's got years to think up hers. Martin's visit to his shootist's parole hearing is another kettle of fish altogether - being completely free of laughs, it tries to make some sort of point about Martin's feelings towards his shooter but fails miserably as it doesn't actually make one. It ends up being a 'so what?' kind of segment. Overall, this is a lacklustre show that feels rather disappointing as the penultimate episode of the season.

Rating

58 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 67.9%
Total Number of Reviews: 16