Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
4.5
Three couples and a beach house — what could go wrong??
On Frasier Season 2 Episode 6, Frasier played matchmaker for Freddy and Eve and enlisted Roz as his accomplice in a delightful outing that combined farce with heart.
Yes, that’s right — Roz returned for another visit! That plane she took home to Seattle in Frasier Season 2 Episode 3 barely had time to refuel before heading back to Boston.
Now she and her daughter Alice have joined Frasier and the gang (minus Alan and Olivia) in Cape Cod for an unspecified holiday weekend that seems way too early to be Independence Day.
I feel like it was just Valentine’s Day in the show’s timeline. So maybe this episode takes place on Memorial Day? In any event, there are actual fireworks involved this weekend, if not romantic ones.
Roz Is More Relaxed
It was refreshing to see Roz reclaim her laconic, irreverent persona that was missing when we last saw her this season. She felt like a real person again who fell right back into her familiar rhythm with Frasier.
I have to admit that when I saw Roz was back on the show so soon, I thought, Jeez, why not just have her move to the East Coast already?
Then, when I saw the easy way she interacted with Frasier, I was like, Yes, why NOT have her move to the East Coast, already??
This also made me wonder why Freddy and Eve were aghast at the thought of Frasier and Roz as a couple. Okay, in Eve’s case, she thought they were related, which was incredibly funny.
Where did that notion of hers even come from? I don’t know, but I loved it.
But why would Freddy be against his father finding love with an old friend, even if he apparently doesn’t know they hooked up years ago?
Obviously, something needed to kickstart all the matchmaking misunderstandings, but I wish it had been a more understandable reason.
It was also sweetly silly how Eve and Freddy saw the seductive setting laid out on the porch and immediately thought it was for Roz.
I guess it makes sense that if they think it’s incomprehensible for them to be a romantic pair, they would have trouble accepting that possibility for Fraiser and Roz.
It’s still a little weird, but I will use my Legislature Expansion Pack gavel to give them a pass for now.
Alice In Frasier Land
We finally got to meet Alice, played by Greer Grammer, daughter of Kelsey Grammer (maybe Roz and Frasier are related, after all).
Alice fit into the group seamlessly, and I hope we see more of her this season, even if it seems that she won’t have a love match with Freddy.
Speaking of, why was Frasier so convinced that his son and Eve were perfect for each other?
It’s been nice to see Frasier’s respect for Eve grow this season. But he went straight to pairing her up with Freddy forever and ever based on… her starting to date again?
If it weren’t such a characteristically Fraiser thing of him to do, I’d chalk it up as yet another example of the Harvard Psychology Department staff’s questionable competency.
Back At The Bar
We didn’t get to see much of Alan in this episode, but what little we did was enough.
Alan’s bit about getting scammed went on a bit too long. It was also unnecessary for a scene that just needed to establish Freddy and Eve as a potential couple and explain the Cape Cod trip.
I feel like the show tries to shoehorn the entire ensemble into each episode, whether they’re needed or not.
David played a slightly bigger part in this episode than he has lately, but I wish the show kept its precious few minutes of running time focused on the main players, especially when it has guest stars.
That said, what was up with David’s board game??
I REALLY hoped that Legislature would turn out to be a slightly less chaotic version of the True American drinking game from New Girl.
Alas, it was just a mild common interest for David and Alice that failed to light a romantic spark.
On The Beach
The beach house, with its porch and sliding glass door, was a perfectly compact setting for the episode’s farcical choreography.
This episode’s relaxed stakes, believable misunderstandings, and sharp dialogue provided the kind of low-key farce that makes me laugh without making me roll my eyes.
It was also great to once again see Fraiser in his delusional project mode, waxing poetic about the perceived success of his machinations as they unfold.
But it was bittersweet to hear him casually tell Roz how lonely it’s been to manipulate people all by himself.
He needs a partner in crime who will both support and rein in his more outlandish impulses.
Roz was a willing participant up to a point, with her welcome balance of fun and responsibility.
She has a soft spot for romance and Frasier (separately!), so it made sense that she went along with the plan until Frasier insulted Alice.
That was a wake-up call for Roz, leaving Frasier pretty much on his own as he tried to force a connection between Freddy and Eve.
To its credit, the episode did not plant any seeds of potential romance between Roz and Frasier.
If anything, seeing them together in this romantic setting just highlighted how well they work as friends.
That still doesn’t keep me from wishing Roz would move to Boston!
What Did Everyone Learn?
Freddy and Eve once again mistook romantic advice that was meant for them. It gave them food for thought about friendship turning to love, but they didn’t see it as being about their friendship.
But I don’t know if I see Freddy and Eve as a romantic couple!
They’re obviously comfortable with each other, but to borrow a line from Eve: Aren’t they related?
I mean in a found family way through their shared bond with her ex, not by blood.
Along those lines, Freddy is not interested in Alice, which will be sad news for her.
David, meanwhile, continues to be interested in everyone!
This was another polished episode that felt true to the characters and featured sparkling dialogue.
I feel like it settled the question of Roz and Frasier getting together, and it may have even done the same for Freddy and Eve.
In the best sense, this episode cleared the way for new developments while proving that it can still perform the brand of restrained farce that worked so well in the original series.
Let’s toss it over to you, TV Fanatics: what did you think of this episode? Were you happy to see Roz again so soon? Let us know in the comments!
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