Frasier (season 11)
| Frasier Season 11 | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 23, 2003 – May 13, 2004 |
The 11th and final season of the American sitcom television series Frasier originally aired from September 23, 2003 to May 13, 2004 on NBC.
On May 13, 2004 a special episode, "Analyzing the Laughter" (production code 263) was shown.
Reception
The season ranked 35th in the seasonal ratings and had an average viewership of 10.920 million viewers.[1]
List of episodes
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Millions (millions)[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 241 | 1 | "No Sex Please, We're Skittish" | David Lee | Bob Daily | September 23, 2003 | |
| Roz hates her new job at KPXY so much that she abandons it after one day. She walks back into KACL and disposes of Frasier’s new, wheelchair-bound producer. After recovering from the initial shock of seeing Roz back, Frasier demands to know her reasons for returning, but without success. He consults Niles, firmly convinced that Roz has feelings for him, and is also concerned because he (Frasier) and Julia (Felicity Huffman) are on the verge of taking their relationship to the next level. Niles, however, is having problems of his own. He and Daphne have decided to try for a baby, when it is revealed that Niles once made a contribution to a sperm bank during college. With Daphne worried that Niles may already have a child, Niles goes to the sperm bank to make enquiries only to be told that his sample was discarded due to low motility. Niles then starts taking all measures in order to improve motility. He eventually decides to tell Daphne and the two anticipate a difficult time conceiving, but in the end the worrying was for nothing as it turns out that Daphne is already pregnant. | ||||||
| 242 | 2 | "A Man, a Plan, and a Gal: Julia" | Kelsey Grammer | Jon Sherman | September 23, 2003 | 14.5 |
|
Daphne is pregnant, and she and Niles are keen to make an official announcement to the family over dinner, rather than tell Frasier informally and have the news broadcast for them. Meanwhile, Frasier’s relationship with Julia has run into difficulty, and following a conversation with his brother, Frasier decides to “commit to commitment” and resolve the problems rather than run away from them. His reconciliation with Julia ends up coinciding with Niles and Daphne’s announcement dinner, which they are compelled to relocate to Frasier’s place after their oven breaks down. They agree to let Julia stay for dinner, and even though they find her frankness and general conduct offensive, Frasier is reluctant to find fault because of his renewed commitment. Things get worse when Julia casually announces Daphne's pregnancy to everyone after overhearing her in the kitchen, ruining the announcement. Eventually, Julia mocks Frasier's hand towels and he breaks up with her in disgust. In the end, Frasier apologises for allowing Julia to ruin the evening and the family celebrate Niles and Daphne's happy news. Absent : Peri Gilpin as Roz Doyle. | ||||||
| 243 | 3 | "The Doctor is Out" | David Lee | Joe Keenan | September 30, 2003 | 11.8 |
| Frasier thinks that Roz's new boyfriend is gay. He follows him into a gay bar, which makes everyone think that Frasier is gay. Alistair Burke, a high-profile gay opera director (Patrick Stewart) then becomes interested in Frasier, who may be too enamoured with the perks of a power-couple relationship to set Alistair straight. | ||||||
| 244 | 4 | "The Babysitter" | Kelsey Grammer | Jeffrey Richman | October 7, 2003 | 11.7 |
|
While out shopping for a couch, Frasier and Niles encounter Ronee Lawrence (Wendie Malick), a former babysitter from years ago who turned down Frasier’s affections and used to tell Niles scary bedtime stories. They learn that she is now working as a singer and pianist at a local hotel. Having established also that she is divorced, Frasier takes the opportunity of inviting her round to his house for cocktails that evening. Martin is delighted to see Ronee, and soon both he and Frasier are flirting with her. They both pursue her to the Wellington Hotel to see her play, and continue competing for her attention. Frasier persuades her to duet with him, but is disappointed when she sings directly to Martin – and his mood is reflected in his playing. As Ronee and Martin grow closer, Frasier goes through a spell of depression, and since he is due to start private psychiatry again soon, Niles becomes worried. Absent : Peri Gilpin as Roz Doyle | ||||||
| 245 | 5 | "The Placeholder" | Sheldon Epps | Lori Kirkland Baker | October 14, 2003 | 11.2 |
| Frasier seems to have become a lonely bachelor who spends his evenings eating vegetable soup and looking after a friend’s cat, Mr. Bottomsley. Dining out with the family is also now an embarrassment for him, being between two couples: Niles and Daphne, and Martin and Ronee. Roz offers to set him up with a friend of hers, a divorcée who works in insurance, saying she would be the perfect “placeholder”. Frasier is not keen, but desperate not to turn into a solitary old man, agrees to a date with Ann (played by Julia Sweeney). Halfway through what he finds an insufferably dull meal, Kenny appears with his attractive cousin Liz Wright (Krista Allen) who works in the arts, and offers Frasier a way out. All he has to do is get rid of his date. | ||||||
| 246 | 6 | "I'm Listening" | Sheldon Epps | Heide Perlman | October 28, 2003 | 11.0 |
| Martin’s relationship with Ronee seems to be going well, although Frasier does not appreciate being woken up in the morning by Ronee’s musical stylings. Then, quite accidentally, Frasier overhears Ronee arranging a date with another man in a phonecall. He is at first not sure whether to tell Martin or not, but in the end is unable to stop himself. Martin’s reaction is to chastise him for eavesdropping, despite his protestations that it was accidental. Later, when Martin asks Ronee to go with him to a doo-wop concert and she claims to have made plans, he elicits the truth from her, and she tells him she was not under the impression their relationship was exclusive. This leads Martin to pretend he also has another woman, called Sheila (a rôle that Roz finds herself cast in before long). Frasier overhears this conversation too, and suddenly finds this happening to him rather frequently. | ||||||
| 247 | 7 | "Maris Returns" | Kelsey Grammer | Chris Marcil | November 4, 2003 | 10.2 |
| Frasier makes a return to practicing private psychiatry, and although he is most excited, his first day turns into a sequence of disasters. Niles, who is doing his best to cope with a pregnant and hormonal Daphne, receives an unexpected phonecall from a hysterical Maris. He agrees to meet her for lunch, and learns that she has problems with a new boyfriend, an Argentine polo player who has a violent temper. Niles advises Maris to leave him, and is worried how Daphne will react to hearing about the meeting. Both Frasier and Martin advise him to keep it to himself, so when Daphne starts asking questions about lunch, Niles pretends to be organizing a surprise baby shower for her. However, the deception becomes progressively more difficult to sustain. | ||||||
| 248 | 8 | "Murder Most Maris" | Scott Ellis | Sam Johnson | November 11, 2003 | 11.9 |
| Maris has been arrested for the murder of her Argentine boyfriend, and the police have called in Niles for questioning. It soon becomes apparent that the murder weapon was an antique crossbow belonging to Niles, which he had lent to Maris for an artistic re-enactment. Even though Niles emerges unscathed from the police interview, he and Daphne have to endure several days of persecution by the press and sleep deprivation, not to mention endless phonecalls from Maris in prison. The situation becomes worse when Frasier offers to make a television statement on Niles’ behalf, and once on camera makes a horrendous malapropism, mistakenly saying his brother should be “executed” (meaning to say “exonerated”). All this time, Niles is dealing very calmly with the whole situation – almost too calmly, in fact, and Frasier knows the dangers of repression. Things finally break down in Café Nervosa, when Niles suffers a nervous breakdown. He undresses and ends up sitting at a table, completely naked, reading a newspaper. Roz defends Niles, keeping everyone in the restaurant from calling the police, while Frasier is able to get him to safety. | ||||||
| 249 | 9 | "Guns N' Neuroses" | Scott Ellis | Jon Sherman | November 18, 2003 | 11.6 |
| Lilith is in town for a psychiatric conference, and Frasier reluctantly assumes his obligation to meet with her. Before he does so, an interested colleague of Lilith's sets him up on a blind date with her, not knowing who he really is. Meanwhile, Martin's pistol accidentally discharges inside the apartment, creating a trail of destruction that he, Daphne and Niles try to hide from Frasier. | ||||||
| 250 | 10 | "SeaBee Jeebies" | Kelsey Grammer | Patricia Breen | December 2, 2003 | 10.7 |
| Since Maris' murder case appeared in the news, Niles has acquired a certain celebrity status in Seattle, socialising with figures like Bill Gates. Frasier cannot help being annoyed by this, and he finds Roz in a similar position; she is receiving a visit from her "perfect" married sister, Denise. Frasier hopes to regain some notoriety when he is nominated twice for the Seattle broadcasting awards (the "Seabees"), and Kenny arranges for a news reporter to shadow him on the day of the ceremony. Unusually, it takes place in the morning, and in the absence of a date, Frasier asks Denise to take the part just for presentation. Niles is also in attendance, and the reporter is keen to ask him questions – although this turns out to be the least of Frasier's problems. | ||||||
| 251 | 11 | "High Holidays" | Sheldon Epps | Christopher Lloyd | December 9, 2003 | 11.7 |
| It is Christmas. Frasier has been asked to act in a commercial for the Seattle Tourist Board, and is more than a little interested in Natalie who is arranging it. He meets her in Café Nervosa, but she also meets Martin and Eddie, and seeing how cute Eddie is, decides that he should be in the video as well – much to Frasier's chagrin. He hopes the arrival of his son Frederick will cheer him up, but when he sees he is now a goth, complete with new goth girlfriend Andi, and wants to spend all his time with her, Frasier is left a little shocked and somewhat downhearted. Niles sees Frederick's goth choice as a phase and typical of a teenage rebellion, prompting a discussion of what everyone did to rebel as a teenager, with Martin pointing out that Niles had never rebelled (even though in season 1 it is stated he was arrested for mooning president Nixon). This leads Niles to take some drastic action: he is "going to get high on reefer!". Frasier questions where he is going to get hold of some – answered when Roz delivers Niles a "pot brownie". Niles' car alarm goes off at that point, and neither Frasier or Roz can stay so Roz gives the brownies to Martin who is just arriving in the Café. He tries to stop himself eating them, as he is trying to cut down on junk food, but can't help himself. Of course, he does not know they are laced with cannabis, but having eaten it, buys a normal one to make sure Niles doesn't know he has eaten the one destined for him. Niles, therefore, is none the wiser and eats his normal brownie still under the impression he will get high, while Frasier cannot believe his eyes when he finally sees the advert for the Seattle Tourist board – they have made Eddie the star with Frasier narrating what Eddie is saying. Undaunted, he leaves to go out on a date with Natalie after Niles arrives "high" on his pot brownie. Martin arrives soon after, and Niles believes that the crazy way his father begins acting is just the pot kicking in. It takes a sober Frasier to point out that it's their father that is high, claiming to Martin "You're stoned off your ass!", which leaves Niles somewhat deflated until his brother points out that he did get their cop father high. Meanwhile, Frasier is a bit depressed as his date (Natalie) left him midway through the date to meet another man. Freddie also experiences the same thing and the similarity in incidents help father and son to bond again. | ||||||
| 252 | 12 | "Frasier-Lite" | Sheldon Epps | Sam Johnson & Chris Marcil & Jeffrey Richman and Jon Sherman & Bob Daily & Patricia Breen | January 6, 2004 | 10.9 |
|
The KACL team has a weight loss competition with a competing radio station. The whole team pigs out just before the first weigh-in just in order to bloat the original numbers. Frasier, however, refuses to participate in such an act of “blatant unsportsmanship”. In the episode’s sub-plot, a pigeon flies into Frasier’s glass window. Niles and Martin take it upon themselves to nurse it back to health. At the initial weigh-in, Frasier recognizes one of his “mortal enemies” from his high school days participating on the opposing team. The two make a bet on the outcome of the winner, with Frasier’s dignity pitted up against a new chess set. The KACL team undergoes increasingly extreme measures to lose weight, including a complete fast 24 hours before the final weigh-in. Furthermore, Frasier has converted his bathroom into a steam room, and invites the entire KACL team to use it to shed some more weight before the final weigh-in. In conclusion of the sub-plot, Eddie takes the pigeon out of the box and eats it unbeknown to Frasier. Shortly afterwards, Kenny Daly says he needs to get a glass of water from the kitchen. Suspicious of his intentions, the KACL team suggest Frasier monitor that he doesn't eat anything. He then finds Kenny eating something and feathers all round the pigeon's box. Frasier's shocked cries bring the others. Martin then reveals it was Eddie who ate the pigeon.This news makes everyone lose their appetites for the final few hours of the competition. But at the final weigh-in, the KACL team loses by a mere 2 ounces. So Roz cuts off her hair and KACL wins the competition. Guest voices: Hilary Duff and Stanley Tucci | ||||||
| 253 | 13 | "The Ann Who Came To Dinner" | Scott Ellis | Sam Johnson & Chris Marcil | January 13, 2004 | 10.8 |
| Martin discovers an envelope in the pocket of one of his jackets, which contains a cheque for Frasier’s home insurance renewal and should have been posted months previously. Realising this, Frasier makes a hasty call to the company, and is horrified at the amount he would have to pay now to renew. Roz advises him to consult Ann Hodges, whom Frasier remembers from their disastrous date (The Placeholder). He reluctantly agrees, and invites her round to survey his home, where she slips on a mayonnaise spillage in the kitchen and breaks her leg. Anxious to avoid a lawsuit when he has no insurance, Frasier decides to invite Ann to stay at his place for a few days while she recovers – a decision he soon regrets. Meanwhile, Maris has been released on bail, and is being kept under house arrest with an electronic tracking device on her wrist. Niles learns that she plans on auctioning some possessions to help pay legal costs. She offers him the chance to look over them first, so he seizes the opportunity to reclaim a “quasi-erotic” portrait of himself as Pan. Little does he realise that he is about to act as a decoy in her escape plan. | ||||||
| 254 | 14 | "Freudian Sleep" | Cynthia J. Popp | Lori Kirkland Baker | February 3, 2004 | 12.2 |
| Frasier’s radio show is receiving very few calls, and Niles has been losing patients and arguing with Daphne. Martin, on the other hand, is offered the chance to spend the weekend at a house in the mountains with Ronee, courtesy of her boss. They inadvertently end up inviting Frasier, Niles and Daphne to join them, and seeing the state those three are in, Martin and Ronee feel compelled not to let them down. They all go to the house determined to have a relaxing time, but once there Frasier has a nightmare in which he has murdered Niles and is married to Daphne. Soon afterwards, Niles has a nightmare about the stresses of being a father, and then Daphne also has one in which she puts on copious weight after childbirth and Niles sleeps with other women. The three of them all end up in the kitchen in the middle of the night arguing, and it falls to Martin to sort them out. | ||||||
| 255 | 15 | "Caught in the Act" | Kelsey Grammer | Joe Keenan | February 24, 2004 | 10.1 |
| Roz is disappointed when she is unable to get Alice tickets to a concert by children's performer Nanette Guzman a.k.a. Nanny G (played by Laurie Metcalf). After his family reveals that he used to be married to her, Frasier agrees to help Roz secure tickets. He accompanies Roz and Alice to a bookstore appearance, and continually drops hints to Nanny G about the fact that he is single. She doesn't seem interested. However, she soon has everyone in the store cover their eyes as part of a song. She gooses Frasier and kisses him passionately. They plan a rendezvous at his apartment. Much to his surprise, Nanny G shows up with her producer, Donald, who is also her husband. She claims that the marriage is only a business arrangement, and laments how frustrated she is with her life. She makes several passes at Frasier, and asks him to meet up with her after her concert the next day. Although he is in the midst of a dry spell and desperately wants to go through with it, he realizes it is wrong. He stops by before the show to share his decision, and Nanny G asks him to go down to the prop room to talk. She seduces Frasier, and he takes off his clothes and jumps into the prop bed with her, only to have it rise to the stage as the show begins. Meanwhile, Niles buys an expensive sweater, breaking a promise to Daphne to be frugal and save money for their child's college fund. Daphne, who believes the sweater is from Gap, quickly proceeds to ruin it, leaving Niles frustrated but with no recourse. | ||||||
| 256 | 16 | "Boo!" | Katy Garretson | Jeffrey Richman | March 2, 2004 | 10.4 |
| Frasier is becoming fed up with his father playing tricks on him, and mocking the effeminate scream that his pranks provoke. It happens that Frasier is treating a patient who has the rare condition of coulrophobia – fear of clowns. Part of the treatment he has planned is to dress up as a clown, so he has a very comprehensive costume. In a bid for vengeance on his father, Frasier disguises himself as a clown, which Martin hates. After Frasier jumps out at him wearing the outfit, Martin has a heart attack and is hospitalized. This spurs Martin to propose to Ronee while recovering. | ||||||
| 257 | 17 | "Coots and Ladders" | Kelsey Grammer | Heide Perlman | March 16, 2004 | 8.2 |
|
Frasier is pacing up and down his apartment while a storm goes on outside. Niles arrives, annoyed at being called away from the “gifted infants’ toy expo”, and Frasier confesses that he has committed a crime, punishable by US law. There then follows a flashback while he explains: Frasier has been having a bad day. During his radio show he came down with a coughing fit and Roz had to advise his kleptomaniac caller, Babette, after which she claimed he had been dispensing the same advice for ten years. He was later turned down by an attractive woman who had parked her car in his space, and cornered at his front door by an elderly neighbor (Estelle Parsons) who said she could set her watch by his routine. He also did not appreciate coming home to two happy couples – Niles and Daphne, and Martin and Ronee – while he himself is still single. Calling round to change a light bulb for his neighbour, he learned that even she is still dating at the age of 83. At this point in the story, Niles learns of Frasier’s crime: he surreptitiously stole an item from one of her shelves, just for the thrill. However, now he is plagued by guilt, and wants Niles’ help in returning the item, in case he feels the urge to steal again. Neither of them realises the importance of the stolen object. Guest voice: Helen Mirren | ||||||
| 258 | 18 | "Match Game" | Katy Garretson | Bob Daily | March 30, 2004 | 11.2 |
| Frasier stumbles upon a matchmaking service on the way to his office, and takes some time explaining to the woman at the door that he is there by mistake. However, this is followed by an encounter with a former girlfriend in the elevator, and since Charlotte (the matchmaking agent, played by Laura Linney) witnesses this, Frasier decides to come quietly. After parting with $10 000, he is sent on a series of disastrous dates, and eventually loses patience and demands his money back. It is then that he discovers the business and its agent are not what they seem. Niles and Daphne have been socialising with another couple expecting a child, Brad and Cindy. This couple talk at length about all their plans for the birth, what to do with the placenta and so forth, and Brad even seems to be experiencing a sympathetic pregnancy. Determined not to be outdone, Niles and Daphne decide to hire a doula for their birth. | ||||||
| 259 | 19 | "Miss Right Now" | Scott Ellis | Ken Levine & David Isaacs | April 6, 2004 | 10.4 |
| Martin is soon to meet Ronee’s mother again, and given that she is opposed to pre-marital sex, they have to pretend that they are not practising it. Frasier is distracted constantly by thoughts of Charlotte, the matchmaking agent with whom he had dinner the other night, and who is already in a relationship. Niles agrees with him that his feelings could be transference, but after seeing Frasier when he talks to Charlotte, Roz dismisses that theory instantly. She decides to help Frasier out by taking him to a bar, where he meets a flirtatious woman called Kim. They both go back to his place, but receive several interruptions, the last of which is by Charlotte, who has just had an argument with her boyfriend and wished to be consoled by Frasier. Meanwhile, Niles has developed an uncharacteristic taste for fast food, and it is driving Daphne to distraction. | ||||||
| 260 | 20 | "And Frasier Makes Three" | Scott Ellis | Sam Johnson | April 20, 2004 | 10.8 |
| Frasier plans to work his charms on Charlotte to tempt her away from Frank (Aaron Eckhart), so he invites her for what she assumes to be a working dinner at a high-quality restaurant. For him, Frank also turns up. This becomes the first of several occasions on which Frasier ends up spending time with Charlotte and Frank, and at no point does Frank suspect that his intentions are less than honourable; on the contrary, he thinks of Frasier as a real friend. There is, however, tension between him and Charlotte, and matters come to a head one evening when Frasier has cooked dinner for Charlotte and Frank turns up unannounced. The couple have an argument and Frank walks out, leaving Frasier with just the opportunity he was hoping for. Martin plans to give Ronee her engagement ring, but when Daphne and Roz discover that it is the same ring he planned to give to Sherry, they insist that he sell it and buy one especially for Ronee. This he does, and the new ring is very impressive, but its origins are somewhat unexpected. | ||||||
| 261 | 21 | "Detour" | Kelsey Grammer | Chris Marcil | April 27, 2004 | 12.4 |
| Having spent the night with Charlotte, Frasier is very pleased with himself. However, his good mood disappears when, while driving her to the station to catch a train to Portland, she tells him that in three weeks she will be moving back home to Chicago. Neither wants a long-distance relationship, so they are compelled to consider breaking up before things get more serious. In the midst of this conversation, they miss the train, so Frasier drives to the next station. Owing to his over-careful driving, they miss it again, and then the car breaks down on the way to the next station, leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, they find the house of an experienced car mechanic and his family, but they turn out to be rather eccentric. Meanwhile, in Frasier’s absence, Niles is left to organize the entertainment for Martin’s bachelor party, and Roz has found him a stripper. For Niles that she is coming round to be interviewed on the same day as Daphne’s new nanny, while the stripper is mistaken for Martin’s new physiotherapist. | ||||||
| 262 | 22 | "Crock Tales" | Sheldon Epps | Jon Sherman & Bob Daily | May 4, 2004 | 14.3 |
|
Frasier chips an old earthenware crock pot while preparing dinner, and is about to throw it away, when he pauses, and remembers the dinners associated with the item, going back in time until finally remembering the first dinner he had made for his father, Niles, Daphne and Roz. The show invented new scenes from previous seasons, with the cast wearing the hairstyles, clothes, and vocal and semiotic mannerisms from those previous seasons, in some cases wearing wigs.
After the flashbacks, Frasier repairs the crock pot, warmly places flowers in it, and gives it an honored place on the dinner table, as the gang arrives. When he fills it with water, the pot immediately begins to leak from all the cracks. | ||||||
| 263/264 | 23/24 | "Goodnight, Seattle" | David Lee | Christopher Lloyd & Joe Keenan | May 13, 2004 | 33.7[3] |
| While on a plane, Frasier meets a woman named Anne. They engage in conversation and in flashback, Frasier recalls the events preceding his plane ride: Frasier and Niles volunteer to put together a quick wedding for Martin and Ronee when the venue is only available for one day. Meanwhile, Frasier says farewell to Charlotte as she departs for Chicago. The wedding ceremony gets off to a rocky start when the guests are stranded outside in the heat and things get worse when Eddie swallows one of the rings. Daphne and Niles rush him to a nearby veterinarian and while there, Daphne goes into labor and gives birth to her and Niles' first son, whom they name David. Ronee and Martin get married at the vet clinic. Frasier's agent Bebe Glazer gets him an offer to do a television show in San Francisco, which Frasier initially declines but after realizing that he wants to start a new chapter in his life, he accepts. A case of communication breakdowns lead Martin, Ronee, Roz, Daphne and Niles to believe that Frasier is dying, an error given more substantial backing when he begins giving them each some of his most prized possessions, and when a doctor phones and leaves a message saying that Frasier's 'results weren't good.' The misunderstanding is soon cleared up and the family celebrates Frasier's new opportunity in San Francisco. Before he leaves, Frasier and his family share a tearful farewell and Frasier explains to him that with Martin and Ronee newly-weds and Daphne and Niles' newborn, David, and Roz getting the job of station manager at KACL they each have begun a new chapter in their lives and that he wants that for himself now. He then goes on to recite Tennyson's "Ulysses" which flows into him saying it in his last show. Frasier records his last show, with the people who work at KACL and his family watching him, his final words on his talk show are "For eleven years, you have heard me say 'I'm listening'; well you were listening too, and for that I'm eternally grateful...Goodnight Seattle", and hangs up his headphones before the episode flashes back to the plane, where Frasier has just finished relaying his story to Anne. In a final twist, the plane touches down not in San Francisco, but in Chicago. Frasier turns to Anne and says "Wish me luck..." | ||||||
References
| ||||||||||||||||||||||