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Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 8 -> Episode 8.07

Mary Christmas
Episode Details

Written by: Eric Zicklin

Directed by: Pamela Fryman

Original US airdate: 12th December 2000

Original UK airdate: 16th February 2001


Cast Information
Main Cast
Frasier Crane .... Kelsey Grammer
Niles Crane .... David Hyde Pierce
Martin Crane .... John Mahoney
Daphne Moon .... Jane Leeves
Roz Doyle .... Peri Gilpin
Recurring Cast
Kenny Daly .... Tom McGowan
Mary Thomas .... Kim Coles
Kelly Kirkland .... Bess Armstrong
   
   
Guest Cast
Bob Vernon .... Peter Haskell
Santa .... Donovan Scott
Producer .... Karl T. Wright
Woman At Parade .... Pam Levin
Guest Callers
Brian .... Stephen King
Tom .... Wolfgang Puck

Episode Synopsis

After Frasier's show, Mary Thomas (from Episode 7.16 - Something About Dr Mary) walks into the booth and hands Frasier and Roz copies of her new book 'Cornbread for the Soul'. Kenny then arrives and announces that Mary is coming back to KACL, and to Frasier's surprise, she is getting the morning drive-time show. Although a little taken aback, Frasier has more important things on his mind: the Seattle Christmas Parade. The parade has represented the spirit of Christmas since he and Niles watched it when they were kids, and it has been a dream of his to host it ever since. Luckily for Frasier, one of the presenting spots has become available as the husband and wife team of Kelly Kirkland and beau have split up. So Frasier begins a charm offensive by inviting Kelly to his apartment for dinner and cooks some of the recipes from her TV show. Kelly is impressed by this and even more so when Frasier shows her some banter he has written. All his hard work pays off - Frasier gets the job!

Frasier's elation is soon vanquished by the news that Kelly has gone down with food poisoning and Frasier will have a new co-host: Mary Thomas! Fearing that Mary's larger than life personality will ruin the carefully scripted banter he has written, Frasier decides he just has to try and get Mary to stick to the script as much as possible. However, Mary is soon ad-libbing her own comments much to Frasier's dismay but to the delight of the producer who tells Frasier to lighten up. This goes on until Frasier decides he has had enough of Mary's comments and wants to do the Santa interview on his own. Mary agrees, but Santa seems more interested in Mary and the ensuing argument between Frasier and Mary causes Frasier to accidentally hit Santa with the microphone......

Episode Title Cards
  • Mary Christmas

Episode Highlights

- Frasier is peeved that Mary's book refers to her as Dr Mary:
Frasier: I hate to quibble about things such as accreditation....
[Kenny walks into the booth]
Kenny: Woah, it's like the American Medical Convention in here!

- Niles arrives at Frasier's apartment bearing gifts:
Frasier: I hope you had the presence of mind to bring presents of mind
Niles: I haven't heard that line since last year (!)

-Martin is depressed as this is his first Christmas since they stopped making Ballantyne's, but then realises:
Martin: No more Mel, no Maris, no Lilith - maybe I won't need beer this Christmas.

- Frasier to Mary on the spirit of Christmas:
Frasier: You know in my house, we don't even shake the boxes.
[Cut to Martin, Niles and Daphne having opened all the presents]

- One time Parade presenter, Bob Vernon, speaks to Frasier:
Frasier: You didn't watch the parade, did you?
Bob: I turned it off when the smelling salts started making Santa nauseous.

Frasier Online Episode Review

"Dr" Mary returns in an episode that is sadly bereft of laughs, really. There is a rather funny opening scene, where none of Frasier's callers want to be fitted in the 1 minute before the news, but the rest of the episode seems like a retread of the previous Dr Mary episode (Frasier is forced to work with her, finds her irritaing, ends up having to apologies to her) - you have to wonder why they brought her back, but I wouldn't have minded if the episode was better written. Too many flat and weak jokes in the Frasier/Mary plotline compete with some better moments for Martin, Niles and Daphne as they take the open one present each early a bit too far. This episode is yet another below-par one, in a series that seems to be slipping in quality.

Rating

69 %

Latest Viewer Episode Review

Avg. Viewer Review: 70.5%
Total Number of Reviews: 4


I love a parade, May 16, 2013

Reviewer: Sammy J from Melbourne, Australia


"Mary Christmas" is a thoroughly average episode of "Frasier" bolstered by a few good scenes. Frasier's love of the Christmas parades is an endearing new element to his character... and of course he's destined to botch it up! However, in some ways I feel as if the return of Dr. Mary gets in the way of this plotline. Frasier ruins Christmas because of Mary instead of because of his own flaws, which just doesn't seem right. I'm happy to have the Mary character back, because Kim Coles is really a breath of fresh air (and, truth be told, since we've already seen the Mary/Frasier conflict, it's nice that at least a part of this episode is more about Frasier's internal dilemma). Yet it seems like two stories merged together unnaturally.

There's some good material here. The scene where Frasier's callers refuse to be squeezed into the pre-news timeslot is hilarious, and Frasier's scenes with Kelly Kirkland have a real sparkle. Kenny is also written very well this season which I very much appreciate, and the sweet ending with Mary proves again that people are often better than we give them credit for. But the parade itself never quite takes off, and the more dramatic elements of the storyline don't feel earned. This could have been an episode about Frasier and the parade, or an episode about Frasier and the spotlight. Instead, it tries to be both.


Rating: 70%

 

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