Frasier (season 6)

After losing his job at KACL, Frasier has taken up a number of projects (including painting, writing his memoirs and composing an operetta). Niles thinks that he is dealing with the loss of his job the way people deal with a death, and is currently stuck in denial. He progresses through anger after Gil steals a new job offer out from underneath him, and bargaining, but gets himself stalled in depression when he finds out that his fan club has only three members who humiliate him by holding a public rally to protest Frasier’s firing. Frasier starts drastically overeating and the family, worried about his food habits, stage an intervention and force Frasier to finally let out his grief and accept the loss of his job.

Frasier believes reunions are cursed as they always happen when he is at a low point in his life, such as his divorce with Lilith and being left at the altar by Diane. He is thus not keen to go on a reunion of the Bryce Academy, where he expects to be humiliated for being unemployed, single and living with his father. Although Niles and Roz encourage him to go, a catastrophic job interview at another radio station on the same day makes Frasier change his mind, about which Roz is very cross. But Frasier reconsiders after a former classmate sees him walking outside the supermarket in shabby clothes pushing a shopping trolley and may spread rumors at the reunion that Frasier is homeless.

Martin has arranged for Frasier to meet up again with Duke's daughter, Marie (Teri Hatcher), whom he first met when they were both children. Frasier is pleasantly surprised at how beautiful she has become, and enjoys having dinner with her, but cannot help noticing that she has some neurotic tendencies. She meticulously arranges her cutlery and food, and avoids even looking at the balcony owing to acrophobia. Later on, she tells him in great detail about a recurring dream she has. When Frasier relates these idiosyncrasies to Niles, his brother posits the suggestion that Marie is attracted to him because of his psychiatric expertise. Frasier is indignant, but cannot get the idea out of his mind, and later finds his suspicions confirmed, causing him to break up with Marie. Martin is angry, fearing the possible repercussions on his friendship with Duke, and Niles suggests Frasier give the relationship another chance. This he does, but Marie's recurring dream is still exercising his mind, causing Niles to change his opinion about the source of the problem.

Frasier has always believed that people are fundamentally decent and good, but he now finds his beliefs and patience tested when he attempts a series of acts of kindness and they all turn out badly. Firstly, he finds and returns a lost wallet in Café Nervosa, and the owner accuses him of stealing money from it; secondly, he helps a woman load a dog into her car at the airport, and she drives away without thanking him; thirdly, he stops to help a man with a flat tire, and the man calls in to KACL threatening to sue him for damage to his car. Later, driving home in the rain, he comes across a stranded woman and considers whether or not to give her a ride. Despite the events of the day, he decides to help her, only to discover that she is a prostitute (and also a transvestite), and that the police are watching everything. He is arrested and held at Martin's old precinct, where Martin and Niles must bail him out. Upon returning home Frasier has to explain what happened to Frederick since the incident gained media attention. When Frederick asks; "So are you saying you shouldn't help people?," we return to Frasier in the car contemplating whether or not to give the woman a ride. He decides to help her, the dialogue reveals that the preceding events had simply been "a bad daydream." He discovers that the woman, highly appreciative of his good deed, is not a prostitute but actually a fellow resident of his building.

Frasier is in Café Nervosa interviewing candidates for a new radio psychiatrist at KACL, whose show will run alongside his own. He thinks he has found an unbeatable contender (Dr. Gordon Edelstein), and Niles, who knows his work, expects him to be right. In the end, however, he recommends Dr. Nora Fairchild, who spends most of her interview paying him compliments, even pretending to think Niles is the older brother. Frasier feels proud to have a protégé, until he actually hears her in action. She turns out to be an advocate of old-fashioned values, condemning pre-marital sex, divorce, single parenthood and the like, and her approach to therapy is not so much constructive criticism as outright abuse. Frasier is embarrassed and angry and withdraws his recommendation, however it turns out that this is no longer a factor; Dr. Nora attracts so much attention (positive and negative) that Kenny wants to keep her on and decides to make her a permanent fixture. When she openly criticises Frasier's advice to one particular caller on air and makes clear her intention to undermine and embarrass him at every opportunity, he and Roz decide on a declaration of war. Fortunately, Niles has been listening to this caller and the way Dr. Nora dealt with her, and he has a more subtle way of approaching the problem.