Written by: Lori Kirkland & Eric Zicklin

Directed by: Kelsey Grammer

Original US airdate: 22nd May 2001

Original UK airdate: 8th June 2001

• A Day In May
  
  
• Mr. Happy Pants
  
  
• Mommie Dearest

Common thread of episode: Deception, May 29, 2010

Reviewer: Chen Zhao from Minneapolis, MN

I think people really missed the boat regarding this episode, as a lot of reviewers seem to see the three storylines as "random" and unrelated.

They are only loosely connected, true, as suggested by the title "A Day in May". Yet there IS a common thread or theme being explored- the idea of deception, lies (perhaps small or white lies), and thoughts kept private.

The most overt storyline is of course Frasier's comedic storyline with Lana. Frasier acts as the voice of good conscience yet again, but in the end is forced to engage in a bit of deception by building the wooden house.

The small bit about Roz borrowing Frasier's car and coaching her daughter to lie about what happened furthers this notion. There's this intrinsic tension between what adults of good conscience aspire to- telling the truth and being honest- and the messy reality of omitted truths and white lies often required by the real world.

Both these storylines are light-hearted, but the issue being explored in this episode is definitely serious in tone. Nile's storyline is also comedic, and also got at the issue of not being honest. It was obvious to Daphne that he was jealous. But neither he nor Daphne decided to confront the issue or bring his feelings out into the open. The dog park scene was actually a great scene, in a way. Juxtaposed against the lovely, airy openness of a park on a sunny day in May was that hard kernel of jealousy Niles keeps close to his chest. There's nothing dramatic about this juxtaposition, as again, the overall tone is casual, breezy, light-hearted. Yet, the comedy is still somewhat subdued and pensive... bittersweet, perhaps.

The darkest part of this episode is of course Martin's scene. His "deception" came at the beginning, when he lied to Niles about where he was- saying that he had gone to the dog track on a whim. It was clear how heavily the day's task weighed on his mind by the fact that he had even forgotten to take care of Eddy before leaving the apartment. It was a somber day for him, and an event he felt a need to deal with alone, in private. The story doesn't really go into his exact thoughts, beyond allowing the viewer to see how seriously he took the day's events. Again, a pensive storyline, circling around the notions of a private inner world, lies, obligations, and conflicting emotions.

I think the writers were going for an episode similar in feel to "My Coffee with Niles."

All in all, this episode had a direction, but perhaps did not go far enough down the path for all the storylines to be pulled together neatly. With a bit more polishing and tightening, the common theme of this episode would have been more apparent and perhaps made a stronger impact.

As it stands, it feels more like two lines of a haiku- with a clear direction, yet waiting for that last line to pull everything together and convey a strong sensation.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for episodes in the vein of "My Coffee with Niles", and I do not think this episode is nearly as bad as other reviews would seem to indicate. At the very least, I do not see this episode as "random", as it seemed quite apparent that the writers were exploring a common theme in the disparate storylines.

Rating: 85%