Dark Victory (Frasier)
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| Frasier episode | |
|---|---|
| “Dark Victory” | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 24 |
| Guest star(s) | Shelley Duvall (Voice of Caroline) |
| Writer(s) | Christopher Lloyd Linda Morris Vic Rauseo |
| Director | James Burrows |
| Production no. | 40571-048 |
| Original airdate | 23 May 1995 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "The Innkeepers" | "She's the Boss" |
Dark Victory is the twenty-fourth episode and season finale of the second season of the American television sitcom Frasier.
Contents |
[edit] Main cast and characters
Kelsey Grammer - Frasier Crane
David Hyde Pierce - Niles Crane
John Mahoney - Martin Crane
Jane Leeves - Daphne Moon
Peri Gilpin - Roz Doyle
[edit] Plot outline
After dealing with his final caller for the week - a woman who feels that she's gone as far as she can with her rather stuffy therapist, thus prompting Frasier to advise her to move on and find someone else - Frasier triumphantly hangs up his headphones, looking forward to a relaxing weekend of fun with his family. Roz receives a present of a brick of cheese that tearfully reminds her of the family reunion in Wisconsin which - for the first time ever - she is unable to attend. To comfort her, Frasier invites Roz to his apartment, as it is his father's birthday and, in order to compensate for forgetting his birthday the previous year, Frasier is throwing him a party which he is eagerly anticipating.
Unfortunately, Frasier and Roz arrive at Frasier's apartment to discover that Martin and Daphne are arguing bitterly over Martin's exercises to the point that they are threatening to fire / quit the other, thus souring the atmosphere. Matters are not helped when Niles storms in, calling Frasier a 'charlatan' and accusing him of deliberately sabotaging Niles' career; it turns out the caller who decided to drop her therapist on Frasier's recommendation was a patient of Niles. Upset even more by the bitter and petty fighting, Roz leaves, and in order to get the birthday celebrations over and done with, Martin sarcastically blows out his candle - and at that exact moment, the apartment, and Seattle beyond, is plunged into darkness. The entire city has been plunged into a blackout, and after a momentary confusion - during which Niles takes the opportunity to allow Daphne to 'accidentally' bump into him several times, and Frasier trips over Eddie several times - the apartment is lit by candles.
Roz manages to return to the apartment - fortunately, the elevator door was open to a floor when the power went out (although when faced with the choice of going back to the 'party' or facing the dangerous streets, she did briefly opt for the streets). Niles takes the opportunity to check up on Maris, who is remarkably calm about being on her own in the dark during a blackout - until she removes her sleep mask, that is. That done, Frasier attempts to lift everyone's spirits with a party game, which everyone else unenthusiastically joins in. In playing this, Roz details some of her past wild sexual behaviours, explaining that "I was in college. I was trying to find myself", to which Niles curtly replies "Why didn't you just look under the nearest man?". Everyone else is sullen, sulky and uncooperative, and it isn't long before more petty bickering breaks out.
Everyone splits up, Niles leaving to brave the streets and return to his wife. Frasier takes this opportunity to try and find out why everyone's so miserable. Roz is upset not only because she's missing her family reunion, but because she feels the burden of her family's high (and, she feels, unfulfilled) expectations of her life; Daphne is troubled by why she doesn't feel the need to find her own place and why she seems content to remain a personal healthcare assistant instead of reaching for greater things; Martin is insecure about his hip, and how it makes him feel that he will never fulfil his desires to travel in Europe; and Niles (who has returned, after a brief adventure with the locked garage doors, miscounted steps and the unpleasantly big dog of the neighbour upstairs) blames Frasier for his departed patient because he is upset that it wasn't him who was able to see that she no longer needed him. Talking to his family and friends one on one, Frasier manages to comfort them and solve their emotional problems.
An impromptu blackout barbeque has broken out in the apartment directly below Frasier's, and everyone - now feeling much more like partying - decides to go downstairs. Everyone except Frasier, disappointed that they are abandoning the party he had been looking forward to all day. Admonished for being a party-pooper, Frasier - who has been the only one present actually trying to create a party atmosphere, despite the negativity - finally snaps after a sneery comment from Martin ("He's always been like this!") and angrily gives them an insight into 'this particular party-pooper'. Having spent the entire week (indeed, his life) administering to 'the troubled, the neurotic and the just plain goofy', people even taking opportunity of his celebrity and abilities to approach him with their problems even on his time off (despite what this costs him emotionally), he was looking forward to getting away from it all and having a weekend of fun with his family, only to find them bitterly sniping at each other. And even after he has once again taken time out of his life and given away himself to make them feel better, they're all quite willing to abandon him despite all that he's done for them - and make matters worse, not one of them has even said thank you.
Admonished and apologetic, everyone tries to make Frasier feel better and get him to accompany them; but whilst accepting their apologies, Frasier by now is tired of people, and just wants to spend time by himself. Whilst his family and friends leave to go to the party, Frasier settles down to an evening of not having to help anyone but himself - but he hasn't counted on Eddie needing a belly scratch.
[edit] Trivia
- The episode's title is borrowed from the 1939 film Dark Victory.
