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Episode reviews for Episode 11.06 - I'm Listening

Avg. Viewer Review: 75.2%
Number of Reviews: 6

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I have no control over what Sheila does, May 27, 2013

Reviewer: Sammy J from Melbourne, Australia


"I'm Listening" is a surprisingly complex episode that feels more like a "greatest hits" package of previous moments than a "Frasier" script in its own right, but still earns a fair number of laughs from the ever-willing cast.

In her third straight episode as Ronee, Wendie Malick brings her usual zesty energy, automatically proving to be Martin's best pairing since the days of Sherry Dempsey. The primary joke - that Frasier keeps getting caught accidentally eavesdropping - begins to wear thin, suggesting to me one of those "one-joke wonder" episodes during the worst excesses of the show's wilderness years. Each one, however, provides some great physical comedy moments for Grammer and Malick, while John Mahoney almost single-handedly holds this episode up with his increased outrage. Like "The Show Must Go Off", "I'm Listening" chooses the unusual decision of ending before Frasier's final exposure. Yet here, it just about works, because it leaves the audience picturing in their head exactly the worst moment at which Frasier could choose to reveal himself (or be revealed).

(Martin calling Roz Frasier's "secretary" is indeed one of the show's most egregious errors although, I'll admit, I assumed it was a deliberate line until I came to this website. While it could've been an interesting tell about Martin's character, he has always respected Roz far too much to be so dismissive. Unfortunate.)

Still, while I don't think "I'm Listening" stands out, the script is surprisingly complex. The central plot knits together Frasier's eavesdropping, a missing money clip, a sincere development in the Martin/Ronee relationship, Niles and Daphne's attempts to secure a nursery artist, Roz's equally pathetic dating life, and a grand little bit of mistaken identity with Roz and Sheila. (Not to mention a possible Cam Winston reference with the fact that part of Frasier's final predicament is brought on by how small the gap is between cars in that parking garage?) While Jane Leeves remains on the fringes of the series this year, Peri Gilpin gets my favourite line readings of the episode as she blithely defends herself against whatever Sheila does, as she realises her date is a terrible tipper, and in her justifiably confused "maybe it is, maybe it isn't" on arriving at Chez Crane. Not a classic episode, but still an example of the season 11 cast being able to fire on all cylinders, no matter what material they're working with.


Rating: 70%

 

Worth watching, Mar 27, 2011

Reviewer: Jim from Dublin, Ireland


While not the best episode, and with some weaknesses (that nonsense subplot about the tickets) there are enough good moments, and funny situations to make even a less than wholly successful episode of Frasier far ahead of almost any other comedy on television.

It isn't the sort of episode to hook someone on the series, but is more than enough to feed the habit of those of us who are hooked on it.


Rating: 88%

 

I'm Watching Too, Oct 28, 2006

Reviewer: David Jones from North Wales, Great Britian


A rather watchable if laugh free episode from Season 11.


Rating: 100%

 

Review for 'I'm Listening', Oct 24, 2006

Reviewer: Nick from U.K.


This episode is perfectly watchable but it also feels like Frasier by numbers. The idea of Frasier repeatedly overhearing Martin and Ronee's conversations is amusing but not hilarious and the scene where Roz has to pretend to be Martin's date has been seen many times before. It is nice to see Martin finding true romance however and it makes for a touching end to the episode.


Rating: 75%

 

I'm Listening (but not to Daphne's whiney voice!), Sep 06, 2006

Reviewer: David Jones from North Wales, Great Britain


Probably the best episode in Season 11, which, in other words, means it was "enjoyable."

Daphne's accent (which, as we UK viewers have always known, is a whiney standard English accent) gets dropped altogether in this series by Jane Leeves. A pity her character wasn't dropped too.


Rating: 40%

 

'I'm Listening' review, Oct 29, 2005

Reviewer: Jocelyn from London, UK


Frasier's radio show catchphrase is a most appropriate title for an episode in which Martin keeps finding Frasier accidently eavesdropping on his and Ronee's private conversations. John Mahoney is on terrific form in this episode, and the highly amusing confrontations between Martin and Frasier go some way to making up for the sense of 'been there, done that' about much of the script, as almost all the situations seem to be replays of those from earlier episodes. Martin inventing a girlfriend, 'Sheila', echoes Niles doing the same thing with Phyliss in 'First Date', while Roz getting roped in to play Sheila repeats the situation where Frasier got her to play Maris in 'The Two Mrs Cranes'. The most obvious inspiration though is 'Daphne's Room', not least the closing scene where, hiding behind Martin and Ronee in the car, Frasier hands Ronee a blanket - which is so similar to the shot of Frasier handing Daphne her bathrobe in that Season 2 classic that it was presumably intentional. The episode also features one of the most glaring errors in the show's history when Martin refers to Roz as Frasier's 'secretary'; quite why this wasn't corrected by anyone on the production team is hard to fathom. However, despite the general lack of originality, I still enjoyed this episode a lot. The reinvigorated cast this season could probably make even the most stale situations seem fresh and lively and this episode gets by on it's sense of fun alone.


Rating: 78%