average episodes???

[Dave]

the webmaster reviewing this week's show says "after a number of somewhat average shows...." excuse me! are you watching the same shows? are you a real Frasier fan? Recent shows have been the best for years. Average? Sounds like Alison Graham in disguise. Look at the ratings by the fans....very high for many weeks now. I get so fed up with Frasier 'fans' continually knocking the show.

[Dan]

You shouldn't let others opinions get the better of you. If you enjoyed the episode, then that should be enough. Besides, the webmaster of this site has seems to have excessively high expectations that are hard to meet buy even some of the most brilliant episodes. You should go look at the review of "Something Borrowed Someone Blue". Which is hands down a(Frasier at it's best)classic. At other times, some of the episodes that do receive high nods, to me aren't that good. An example would be "Come Lie With Me" from season three. This is the one where Frasier catches Joe comming out of Daphne's room. Basically throughout the entire episode everybody's in denial about something and throw bs excuses and accept any answers but the truth in order to achieve a shaky resolution.

That episode could have been much better. The first and most obvious thing is Niles infatution with Daphne. Imagine having him be there when Daphne and Joe are caught red handed, imagine the jealousy when Niles finds out that not only is Joe in a romantic relationship with the woman of his dreams but now having sex with her as well. There was so much potential for some funny **** there, but no instead they settle for having lame ass story where he's pouting because he didn't get an invitation to some stupid dinner party. The other aspect that didn't get played was that there could have been better confrontational humor that could have been played between Daphne and Frasier other than what was shown. Daphne could have easily made Frasier look like a hippocrite by saying that both he and Martin have had other women stay overnight and that the only reason he's upset is because someone in the house is getting laid and it's not him. Imagine having Frasier struggle to find a bebuttle that actually held water and then having to come to the conclusion that Daphne's right. There was definately much more potential for funnier stuff there then what we got. I think the only real good part about the episode as it exist is the confrontation between Frasier and Martin. But then those are rarely not funny.

[Jem]

I think one of great things about 'Frasier' is that even if there are 'average' plots, there is often a fabulous exchange between characters, one-liner or even a look or gesture. When I think about 'Come Lie with Me', I just crack up over the exchange between Martin and Frasier over sink etiquette and the picture of Frasier berating Martin with the sponge held in the kitchen tongs had me rolling on the floor the first time I saw it. But then, I actually like the episode :]

What I really do like about 'Frasier' is that most episodes are so well crafted. Even if there aren't laugh out lines every minute, the plot is developed so that by the time you get to the end of the show, you can see how the theme has tied everything together. It's where this doesn't happen that an 'average' episode becomes for me a poor episode. I found most of the first half of Season 8 to fail because of the lacklustre crafting of the episodes - it really felt that they were just slapping some of it together to resolve some plot lines. While I really liked 'The Bad Son' and 'Cranes Unplugged' because of the way they were put together and what they had to say about Niles'/Daphne's relationship and Frasier's/Martin's, I disliked 'Legal Tender Love and Care', 'Taking Liberties' and 'Mary Christmas'. Not even any 'moments' in those that I enjoyed. Another test of whether an episode for me is average or great (or even occasionally poor) is whether I watch it again and again. Can't say I've worn out those Series 8 tapes as yet! (I was reading somewhere else someone's comments that they didn't always like 'Frasier' because unlike other sitcoms, sometimes you have to watch it again to get all the jokes - this is actually WHY I like it, because of the depth and subtlety).

Having said all of that, I do enjoy reading the webmaster's reviews (and of course, that's just his opinion which is as valid as any of ours!). I also don't always agree either. (See 'IQ' which I thought was a sparkling script!). I guess that the high note in 'Frasier' are so high and the expectations are also that way, that anything less is seen as mediocre.

Haven't seen any of Series 10 yet, but by reading the transcripts it looks as though it has been a good season by my criteria at least!

Jem

[Jocelyn]

I think the webmaster review I disagree with most is "Author Author" (62%!). Not only do I think this one of the funniest Season 1 episodes but the complaint that the physical fight in the hotel room is too childish misses the point that they are having psychological flashbacks to their younger selves. (Frasier: "You stole my mummy!") There are comparitively mediocre episodes from Seasons 8 & 9 that have higher percentages that this classic episode but then, as has been said, we can't all agree!
Frasier's only problem is that it was magnificent from day one (whereas most good sitcoms take a couple of seasons to hit their stride) and so it set an impossibly high standard for which all subsequent episodes are judged. I think it's true that some of the later episodes lack the ingenius structure of the earlier ones (although the recent "Daphne Does Dinner" managed to stick to one plot throughout as opposed to two unrelated ones). Even so, the current episodes are still funnier than any other sitcom right now. The main five cast members are still there and still delivering the goods.

[Sam]

I think Season 10 has been above average, with many great episodes. For me, Season 9 was way below average, and S.8 was about average. From seasons 1-7, the episodes were exceptionally fantastically amazing:-)

However, a large percentage of 'Frasier' viewers in the UK think the show is now below average because the ratings have dropped majorly:-(

Sam.