Season 10 - Order Of Excellence

[Mr Blue Sky]

There was a hell of a lot to like about season 10. Many episodes were 'growers' for me (especially the heart story trilogy) and it took a while for me to realise what a 24 carat classic 'Fathers and Sons' was as well. I initially dismissed 'Daphne Does Dinner' as a wannabe David Lloyd/Jeffrey Richman style Montana farce but I enjoy watching that episode in season 10 almost as much as any other. I used to think 'Star Mitzvah' was a classic but while it remains an enjoyable ep the gloss does fade after repeated viewing. Anyway, here's my season order in full:-

1) Fathers and Sons
2) Roe to Perdition
3) Daphne Does Dinner
4) Rooms With a View
5) Don't Go Breaking My Heart
6) Bristle While You Work
7) Star Mitzvah
8) Proxy Prexy
9) Fraternal Schwinns
10) The Ring Cycle
11) Kenny on the Couch
12) The Harassed
13) Enemy at the Gate
14) Tales From the Crypt
15) Lilith Needs a Favor
16) The Devil and Dr. Phil
17) We Two Kings
18) Door Jam
19) Kissing Cousin
20) Farewell, Nervosa
21) Trophy Girlfriend
22) Analyzed Kiss
23) Some Assembly Required
24) A New Position for Roz

Having just sung the praises of the best of season 10, I'll redress the balance now by saying that the bottom 6 or 7 episodes had an awful lot to hate about them. The poorest eps are the ones in which characters we know and love metamorphosized into annoying, unlikeable people (Roz in 'A New Position For Roz' and Frasier in 'Some Assembly Required') Saladin K Patterson has his best season here, but I still rate his episodes a lowly 14th, 21st and 22nd respectively, so that's not saying much. No doubt some people will rate 'Tales From The Crypt' pretty highly but I still think there is an unmistakeable stamp of SKP crap dialogue in an otherwise entertaining episode.

Just be careful not to say the heart story episodes were a ratings ploy - we may just get an unexpected guest show up and chastise us all!

[Jocelyn]

I always feel more positive about this season than 8 & 9 as there was much more that I really enjoyed and, although the bottom few episodes here are very weak, overall I felt the writers seemed to be trying a bit harder this time around. Here's my order:

1. Fathers And Sons
2. Roe To Perdition
3. Daphne Does Dinner
4. Fraternal Schwinns
5. Don't Go Breaking My Heart
6. Star Mitzvah
7. We Two Kings
8. Kenny On The Couch
9. Bristle While You Work
10. Rooms With A View
11. Lilith Needs A Favor
12. The Harrassed
13. Tales From The Crypt
14. Proxy Prexy
15. The Ring Cycle
16. Door Jam
17. Enemy At The Gate
18. The Devil And Dr Phil
19. Farewell Nervosa
20. A New Position For Roz
21. Analyzed Kiss
22. Some Assembly Required
23. Trophy Girlfriend
24. Kissing Cousin

[Bee Gees Fan]

1: Fraternal Schwinns
2: Enemy at the Gate
3: The Harassed
4: Star Mitzvah
5: Fathers and Sons
6: The Ring Cycle
7: Daphne Does Dinner
8: Farewell, Nervosa
9: We Two Kings
10: Bristle While You Work
11: Lilith Needs a Favor
12: Rooms With a View
13: Don't Go Breaking My Heart
14: Kenny on the Couch
15: Roe to Perdition
16: Proxy Prexy
17: Tales From the Crypt
18: Some Assembly Required
19: Analyzed Kiss
20: Kissing Cousin
21: A New Position for Roz
22: The Devil and Dr. Phil
23: Trophy Girlfriend
24: Door Jam

[Ali 75]

I much preferred this season to the previous two, but as has already been said there were still some shockers.


1. Fathers And Sons
2. Star Mitzvah
3. Daphne Does Dinner
4. The Ring Cycle
5. Fraternal Schwinns
6. Tales From The Crypt (sorry, I liked this!)
7. Roe To Perdition
8. Kenny On The Couch
9. Proxy Prexy
10. Enemy At The Gate
11. Trophy Girlfriend
12. The Harrassed
13. Rooms With A View
14. Don't Go Breaking My Heart
15. Bristle While You Work
16. Lilith Needs A Favor
17. Farewell Nervosa
18. Door Jam
19. The Devil And Dr Phil
20. Analyzed Kiss
21. We Two Kings
22. A New Position For Roz
23. Some Assembly Required
24. Kissing Cousin

[Cake for Brains]

Season 10 was definitely a marked improvement over 8 and 9, and although it fell far short of capturing the brilliance of the Christopher Lloyd helmed seasons, I did (on the whole) really enjoy watching this season, and found that it was more like typical 'Frasier' after the temporary dip in quality. BN said this season is a grower, but I feel I can't really comment on this fairly because all the episodes are still relatively new to me (November/December 2005) and perhaps I need a few more viewing to appreciate certain episodes. I'm maybe too generous, but I actually found Season 10 had several classic episodes, the wonderful 'Fathers and Sons', another Jon Shermon coined effort with 'Roe to Perdition' and 'Daphne Does Dinner', which I think is very enjoyable if you're willing to judge it on its own merits and not make comparisons with JK's far superior work.

My list:
1) Fathers and Sons
2) Roe to Perdition
3) Daphne Does Dinner
4) Star Mitzvah
5) Fraternal Schwinns
6) We Two Kings
7) Proxy Prexy
8) Bristle While You Work
9) Tales from the Crypt
10) The Harrassed
11) The Ring Cycle
12) Don't Go Breaking My Heart
13) Farewell Nervosa
14) Kenny on the Couch
15) Rooms with a View
16) Lilith Needs a Favor
17) The Devil and Dr. Phil
18) Enemy at the Gate
19) A New Position For Roz
20) Analyized Kiss
21) Kissing Cousin
22) Door Jam
23) Trophy Girlfriend
24) Some Assembly Required

All in all a nice batch of episodes, with 3 classics, and 13 episodes that I enjoy watching. The bottom 8 are hideous though.

[roz11]

I've seen nearly every episode in season 10 with the exception of 3 episodes so I don't really want to make a list because I wouldn't really be able to place them anywhere. The best 3 episodes though from season 10 are definitely (for me):
1.Daphne Does Dinner
2.Roe to Perdition
3. Rooms With A View

Love these three episodes.

[tenpercenter]

the worst season
just lacks what i love about frasier . the fact that it was never a "domestic" drama. it was urban, and cultured. here it feels too much like if it wasnt in the apartment it would be based in the suburbs. too much domestic crap. however there are a few good ones.

1. Fathers and Sons (wonderful, a classic)
2. Roe to Perdition
3. Rooms with a View ( i cried)
4. Bristle While You Work
5. Door Jam
6. Proxy Prexy
7. Don't Go Breaking My Heart
8. Lilith Needs a Favor
9. Kenny on the Couch
10. The Ring Cycle
11. The Harrassed
12. Star Mitzvah (i love noel)
13. We Two Kings
14. The Devil and Dr. Phil
15. A New Position For Roz (thought it was good)
16. Trophy Girlfriend ( see you at ten...ok)
17. Kissing Cousin ( zooey is the cutest)
18. Daphne Does Dinner ( why all the love for this ep?)
19. Fraternal Schwinns ( learning how to ride bikes....really?)
20. Some Assembly Required ( slighty amusing)
21. Tales from the Crypt ( frasier turns in a fuddy duddy)
22. Farewell Nervosa
23. Analysed Kiss
24. Enemy at the Gate ( one of the worst eps ever)

[tenpercenter]

a weak list of eps isnt it? but there are many guilty pleasures in the second half, kinda like frasier lite

[Moon-Crane]

01. Fathers and Sons
02. Roe To Perdition
03. Star Mitzvah
04. The Ring Cycle
05. Bristle While You Work
06. Door Jam
07. Daphne Does Dinner
08. Don't Go Breaking My Heart
09. Kenny on the Couch
10. The Harassed
11. We Two Kings
12. Rooms With a View
13. Fraternal Schwinns
14. Enemy at the Gate
15. Lilith Needs a Favor
16. Farewell, Nervosa
17. Proxy Prexy
18. Analyzed Kiss
19. Trophy Girlfriend
20. Tales From the Crypt
21. Kissing Cousin
22. The Devil and Dr. Phil
23. A New Position for Roz
24. Some Assembly Required

[CatNamedRudy]

Definitely agree with your bottom two MC except that I would switch them around.

[mickeba]

It's all in all a horrible season. The worst of 10. Star Mitzvah was alright, probly the best but not classic level stuff. Fraternal Schwinns was okay too. The rest was... eh.

[Dr Arnold Shaw]

Surely you liked Fathers and Sons? That one was great!

[tenpercenter]

that guy is a wonderful actor too

[hansenkd]

"Enemy at the Gate" takes a lot of knocks, but I remember REALLY enjoying it on first viewing. A lot of "Frasier obsession" episodes make you really uncomfortable. I can't watch "The Focus Group" without squirming and feeling physically uneasy, for example (that's one of my bottom five episodes, by the way--I despise it, including the "fighting with Daphne turns Niles on" subplot--but I digress). But this one was different. I actually agreed with Frasier on his principle that he shouldn't have to pay to drive in and out of the garage without parking. Yes, it had destructive consequences for many, but I wasn't uncomfortable like in episodes such as TFG. The subplot with Roz at the station was great. Niles's increasing agony was great. Heck, Luis Guzmán was a pretty entertaining guest star as well who played the role straight.

For an episode with essentially a single setting and very little motion, I was entertained throughout. It was in the line of "obsessive Frasier" episodes, but you could actually sympathize with him. A lot of people didn't like the ending either, but I roared with laughter as he plowed through the gate.

All in all, a pretty damn good episode for S10, certainly better than "Proxy Prexy" and "Love Stinks," the two that followed it.

[CatNamedRudy]

I really disliked Enemy at the Gate for a long time. I still want to punch Frasier in the face during most of it but Roz's stuff at the station makes up for it a little. I don't hate it nearly as much as I used to.

[hansenkd]

You see, that's where I think it looks good in comparison to an episode like "The Focus Group," where you wanted to punch Frasier AND you hated him at the end for destroying a man's life. At least in this one, he only destroyed a hinged parking garage gate. And think about it...why the hell SHOULD you pay to drive in and out without parking. Frasier was right. Destructive consequences for insisting on his principles, but damn it, he was right.

[CatNamedRudy]

I like The Focus Group. I do want to punch Frasier in that one too but Tony Shaloub is so good in it that it makes it very watchable for me.

[hansenkd]

And for me, I think Luis Guzmán is part of what elevates "Enemy" with his comically straight performance. To each his or her own.

[CatNamedRudy]

There are two episodes that I really dislike and that piss me off because Frasier is right in them and everyone just shrugs him off. The Crucible and Wheels of Fortune. The Crucible in particular just makes me mad. Frasier was the victim of a crime. Art fraud isn't just some piddly stuff either. That art dealer was selling counterfeit paintings at a high price. That Martin, who is a cop, just shrugs it off as no big deal irritates the hell out of me!

[hansenkd]

"The Crucible" gets it right in the end, though, with Niles throwing the brick through the window--I think that kind of redeems the whole thing. You are right that Martin's attitude in that ep is utterly inexcusable.

As for "Wheels of Fortune"...meh. I really see that one as a vehicle for a ratings-grabbing guest star (oops, sorry Dan O'Shannon--forget I said "ratings grabbing"). And another invented relative we'd never heard of before.

Favorite line from "Enemy at the Gate," from Niles the Wise:

"But no, you won't be satisfied until everyone either agrees with you, or has suffered for failing to!"

[Eddie2012]

"The Crucible" - I found it quite funny when Martin took the p*** out of Frasier by advising him to ask for the 'fine arts forgery department' when calling the police, but you are right, he could still have had his bit of fun with his son, whilst afterwards advising him correctly as to how to best report this obvious crime. I didn't wind me up, but Martins behaviour still left me puzzled.
---
"Wheels of Fortune" - just watched it yesterday after reading so many bad reviews when I could not really remember it all that well. But I have to agree, what a dull episode. Very low on laughs, Frasiers numberous attempts at trying - and failing - to convince the others of Blaines fraudulent intentions soon becoming repetitive and the preaching scene I found particularly terrible (guess who doesn't like Evangelists ). And yes, a completely unnesseccary introduction of a famous actor when any half-skilled actor could have portrayed Blaine.
There really was only one line I laughed at: Frasier: He says, "the Lord will provide" the money. But we all know who that means--me!

(There are some episodes in 8/9/10 that seem completely out of place to me. This is one of them. Now that the Niles-pining-for-Daphne-storyline is no more, the writers seem to have mostly run out of ideas and seem to pick random scenarios out of the blue sky that don't still well with the Crane life. Another one is "Motor Skills". Even though it plays on the Crane brothers inability to do any kind of handiwork, it feels contrived - both them joining the class in the first place and later their behaviour during class.)

[tenpercenter]

enemy at the gate

down the bottom trolls of eps

[hansenkd]

enemy at the gate

down the bottom trolls of eps

I just spent a lot of time explaining why it's not, and you just said that it is without backing it up. I win.

[tenpercenter]

the scene at the end though is very funny

[tenpercenter]

changed my mind
s9 is the worst, this aint too bad

and farewell is great!