Frasier Online Episode Guide -> Season 6-> Episode 6.22

Visions Of Daphne

Roz is trying to choose a gift for Niles to thank him for getting Alice on a presitigious pre-school list, but is unsure whatr to get. Meanwhile, Martin tells Frasier he has been to see Hank, an old buddy who is now the security guard at a jewellery store, and he saw Donny buying an engagement ring on the security cameras. Unsure whether to tell Daphne, she overhears them telling them not to say anything and wants to know what they are talking about. They tell her the truth and Daphne is overjoyed. However, Martin and Frasier now worry about how to tell Niles who arrives just as they say don't tell Niles at the apartment. They panic and tell Niles that Daphne's mother is dying, so when Daphne comes in and asks if he has heard the news, Niles is a little shocked when Daphne says it's even better than she thought it would be. However, Daphne does then go on to say she can't wait to get married, and Niles seems devastated.

Daphne then turns up at Niles's psychiatrist offices and says that she can't marry Donny because she has seen in a vision that she is meant to be with someone else - all she could make out was that he was wearing a red bow tie. Niles makes her see that if she feels this way, she should break it off with Donny to which she agrees. On the night Donny is supposed to propose, Frasier and Martin learn from Daphne that she is going to break it off with Donny because of the vision, adding that Niles thought it was a good idea. Frasier tries to make her see that her vision could be a fear of committment when Niles turns up - wearing a red bow tie, intent on making her see that she should be with him. Frasier is appalled at Niles's actions and says that as her friend he should try and make her see the fear of committment that the visions embody. This he does but Daphne rejects it out of hand, so everyone is a little nervous when Donny finally arrives and pops the big question. To the surprise of everyone, Daphne says yes, explaining later to Niles that when Donny asked her to marry him she realised it was fear and the best way to overcome them was to leap right into it. Sometime later that evening after Niles had gone home, Daphne has another vision where her mystery man now has a dragon - which is exactly the gift that Roz has bought for Niles ....

- Niles comforts Daphne after Frasier and Martin cover up her engagament with a story about Daphne's mother dying:
Daphne: I've dreamed about this day since I was a little girl. It's even better than I dreamed of.

- Daphne decides she needs to break it off with Donny after her vision:
Niles: If you want to break it off with him, I have stationary and a fax machine.

- Eddie watching TV upside down.

- After Daphne says Niles agrees with her decision to break it off with Donny:
Daphne [to Frasier]: Unlike you he believes in my visions. He knows I have a gift.
Frasier: Yes, he's been trying to unwrap it for 6 years.

An episode that is short on laughs but high on emotion as Daphne has to decide whether to accept Donny's marriage proposal or follow her vision and turn him down. It is nicely written and performed but also suffers from some tiresome jokes like the 'Don't tell Daphne' as Daphne walks in, etc. The ending with Niles and the dragon I also felt was a bit tacked on and unnecessary. Nevertheless, it remains an oddly moving episode much helped by David Hyde Pierce's performance as he realises he may be about to lose Daphne forever.

Rating

76 %

Avg. Viewer Review: 87.0%
Total Number of Reviews: 5