Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 9 -> Episode 9.01

Don Juan In Hell

Picking up where we left off at the end of Season 8, we discover the whole gang still in Belize with Niles now transformed into 'Island Niles' complete with laidback attitude and a beard. Martin and Niles are getting along well with Claire, but Daphne seems a bit stand offish about her. Frasier, on the other hand, is still torn between Claire and Lana, and starts everyone for their opinion including his father, Daphne and the guy who cleans the aeroplane they come back on. Finally back in Seattle, Frasier makes a choice - Claire, but upon meeting Lana again, his decision is sorely tested. A chance meeting with a man he meets at the lost luggage collection point seems to offer the chance for closure as Frasier is recognised and is asked for some advice: the man is torn between his current girlfriend and his ex. After some probing by Frasier, the man decides to try and make a go of it with his ex wife which prompts Frasier to do the same - and dumps Claire (who responds by kicking Frasier!). This leaves the rest of the family aghast as they had all liked her, even Daphne who changed her mind about Claire after she said she wanted Daphne to be like a sister.

Roz and Frasier then attend Kirby's graduation party, with Frasier having high hopes of winning Lana back. However, Frasier's advice comes back to haunt him when Kirby's dad (and Lana's ex husband) shows up at the party - it's the man from the luggage office who has decided to go back to Lana! Lana doesn't want anything to do with him, but Kirby persuades Frasier to ask his mother to give Bob another chance, which he reluctantly agrees to. Returning home, an argument between he and his father ends with Martin accusing him of never being able to make it work with a woman. Somewhat aggrieved at this, Frasier decides he needs some time to himself and so decides to drive to a cabin in the woods.

The trip turns into a rather memorable one as Frasier's sub-conscious kicks in and is joined in the car by Lilith, Diane Chambers and his first wife Nanette to try and help Frasier undertsand why he has such trouble holding down a relationship with a woman. Once at the cabin, Frasier's mother, Hester Crane, also joins them to try and resolve the problem, as does every woman Frasier's ever dated. Can they get to the root of Frasier's problem......?

- Martin tries to persuade Niles to try one of Claire's specially made pancakes:
Niles: I don't really like pancakes.
Martin: That's cos you're just used to Daphne's!

- Martin hasn't filleted the fish he and Claire caught yet:
Martin: Claire said you can use the heads for soup.
Daphne: Well, when I'm chopping them off I'll be thinking of her (!)

- Roz meets 'Island Niles':
Roz: Did you get hit on the head by a coconut ?!

- Frasier is asked how long he has been waiting in the lost luggage office:
Frasier: Time is irrelevant in the seventh circle of hell !

- Niles is explaining why he abandoned 'Island Niles' after going to a nude beach:
Niles: The sun peaked over the mountain top, illuminating not only my naked body but also the bus of the women's Christian Movement!

- Frasier breaks up with Claire:
Frasier: Claire, I realise how painful this must be for you.
[Claire kicks Frasier]

- Kirby shows Roz the photos from his prom night:
Kirby: I had them retouched - you're smiling in them now.
Roz: I also notice you have your hand on my ass.
Kirby: Where?...Oh, you mean now!

- Frasier meets Kirby's Dad:
Frasier: So you're Kirby's dad - Lana's ex who ran off with a dental hygienist.
Bob: ....But you can call me Bob!

- Frasier and Lilith are discussing Frasier's problem with women:
Frasier: I have never found neediness an attractive quality in a woman.
[Diane Chambers appears in the back seat]
Diane: Never (?)

- Frasier, Diane, Lilith and Nanette all attempt to get to the root of Frasier's problem:
Frasier: Maybe fate is conspiring against me, did you ever think of that?
Lilith: No, there's no such thing as fate.
Nanette: [Laughs] If that were true, there'd be no such thing as astrology!

- Hester joins the other three women:
Hester: A lifetime of collecting women, and this is the cream of the crop - the slacker, the barmaid and the icicle!!!

Another new season of 'Frasier' begins with a delicious opening scene of Frasier, Lilith and Diane arguing in Frasier's car without knowing how they get there. What follows is an interesting and pretty amusing disection of what has consistently been Frasier's biggest problem - his inability to hold down a serious relationship with a woman. Beginning back in Belize, it was great to see Martin getting along great with Claire and the appearance of Island Niles was a bit of a shock (if not particularly amusing). I also liked the way Frasier asked everyone their opinion of Claire/Lana before making a choice of Lana, before seeing his hopes dashed again when her ex turns up. The conclusion to the show - 20 minutes of Frasier discusiing his problems with his sub-conscious - was a rather brilliant excuse to put (pretty much) all the women in Frasier's life in one scene, even if the result was not as funny as it promised. On the whole, I enjoyed the episode with at least some form of resolution over Claire/Lana, and finishes rather poignantly with a tribute to 'Frasier' co-creator David Angell who died in the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Rating

76 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 72.9%
Total Number of Reviews: 9