To Tell the Truth (Frasier)

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“To Tell The Truth”

Frasier episode

Niles finds out that Donny and Daphne are kissing

Episode no.

Season 6
Episode 15

Written by

Rob Hanning

Directed by

David Lee

Guest stars

Saul Rubinek (Donny Douglas)
Aloma Wright (Maria)
Paul Cusimano (Waiter)

Production no.

40571-130

Original airdate

18 February 1999

Episode chronology
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"Three Valentines"	"Decoys"

List of Frasier episodes (Season 6)

"To Tell The Truth" is the fifteenth episode of the sixth season of the American television sitcom Frasier.

1 Main cast and characters
2 Plot
3 Trivia
4 See also

[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
Dan Butler - Bob 'Bulldog' Briscoe
Saul Rubinek - Donny Douglas

[edit] Plot

Niles's divorce proceedings continue to go badly; the lawyers representing his wife, Maris, have motioned to postpone the trial date for eight months in order to drain money from him. To make matters worse, his own lawyers, in no hurry to stop bleeding their client dry themselves, have only bothered to argue the postponement down to seven months, the result being that Niles is forced to have a baloney sandwich and a pre-cupped fruit cocktail for his lunch. The situation is desperate. Frasier recommends he find himself new lawyers, and Roz suggests an ex-boyfriend of hers: Donny Douglas, nicknamed 'The Piranha' by the legal community. Niles is desperate enough to swallow his distaste and go along to meet Donny; at first, the cheery, uncouth, slobby lawyer seems to confirm his worst fears, but he is immediately impressed by the sheer steel and ultra-aggressive manner that Donny displays in dealing with Maris' high-brow lawyers, who are immediately cowed into submission, and this persuades him to allow Donny to represent him.

Proceedings now having been brought forward, Donny begins preparing the family for deposition; the entire family will be questioned, so as to allow Maris' lawyers to discover any potentially incriminating information that will help their case. In the process, however, it is revealed that Frasier is characteristically pompous and verbose in his response to simple questions, and that he is incapable of lying under oath. As it is soon revealed that one of the questions will revolve around Niles' feelings towards Daphne, this poses something of a problem - Maris' lawyers are claiming that Niles was in love with Daphne throughout the period that the marriage was breaking apart, and that this had a negative impact on the marriage. Daphne and Donny are unconcerned, as it seems that this time Frasier's compulsion to tell the truth will not hurt them; knowing that Frasier will be unable to lie under oath, however, Niles is panicked both by the fact that his feelings for Daphne will be made public in a courtroom and despairs that yet again Maris has managed to get her own way against him; he soon retreats to an old childhood coping mechanism and hides underneath Frasier's piano. Martin tries to persuade Frasier to lie in order to spare Niles' feelings - and also, to get him out from under the piano - but as much as he regrets causing his brother pain, Frasier's code of ethics are inviolable, and he feels that he cannot bring himself to lie under oath.

The morning of the deposition sees Frasier still struggling with his conscience; but Niles has decided to bite the bullet and confess the truth to Donny, and face events as they unfold. On cue, Donny bursts in, angrily demanding to know why Niles lied to him - about the true source of Maris' family fortune. It turns out that Maris' family wealth comes not from lumber, as she told everyone including Niles, but from urinal cakes. Naturally, the haughty queen of Seattle's wealthy elite would sooner die than reveal the truth, and when Niles triumphantly calls Maris to reveal that her family secret has been 'flushed out', the wolves are quickly called off. It is a joyful Niles that enters Cafe Nervosa the next day; he is free from his unhappy marriage, he has a generous divorce settlement, and can now buy back his car and move into his old apartment... and most important, he is now free to confess his feelings for Daphne. Or perhaps not - since Daphne and Donny, having become friends during the pre-trial motions, have now began dating. And they have the saddened Niles to thank for introducing them.