Product Description
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All 24 episodes from the third series of the sitcom about a
middle-aged Seattle psychiatrist beset by problems largely of his
own making. In 'She's the Boss', Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) falls
out with Kate (Mercedes Ruehl), the new station manager. 'Shrink
Rap' has Frasier and Niles (David Hyde Pierce) deciding to work
together - with disastrous results. 'Martin Does It His Way' sees
Frasier discover a half-finished song written by his dad (John
Mahoney). 'Leapin' Lizards' finds Frasier turning the tables on
Bulldog (Dan Butler) and playing a practical joke all of his own.
'Kisses Sweeter Than Wine' has Daphne (Jane Leeves) get very
excited about the man from the floor polishing service. 'ing
With the Enemy' sees Frasier attempt to represent the staff in a
pay dispute. 'The Adventures of Bad Boy and Dirty Girl' finds
Frasier and Kate taking their relationship onto the airwaves. In
'The Last Time I Saw Maris', Niles is thrown out of the house by
his wife. 'Frasier Grinch' has Frasier embark on some last-minute
Christmas shopping. 'It's Hard to Say Goodbye If You Won't Leave'
sees Frasier and Kate spend the night in an airport lounge when
she announces that she's leaving for Chicago. 'The Friend' finds
Frasier looking for a new friend. 'Come Lie With Me' has everyone
concerned that Daphne might leave the Crane household. 'Moon
Dance' sees Daphne and Niles dance the tango together - but does
it mean as much to her as it does to him? 'The Show Where Diane
Comes Back' finds Frasier agreeing to finance the Seattle
production of his ex-fiancee's (Shelley Long) play about a bunch
of losers in a bar. 'A Word to the Wiseguy' has the Crane
brothers get involved with a shady character. 'Look Before You
Leap' sees Frasier getting ready to sing an operatic aria in
public. 'High Crane Drifter' finds Frasier involved in a cafe
dispute. 'Chess Pains' has Frasier suffer a chess beating at the
hands of his her. 'Crane vs Crane' sees the Crane brothers
back sing sides in a court case. ' Story' finds Frasier
falling for a woman. In 'Where There's Smoke There's
Fired', Frasier must help his agent Bebe (Harriet Sansom Harris)
give up smoking. 'Frasier Loves Roz' has Roz (Peri Gilpin)
mistakenly believe that Frasier is declaring romantic intentions
towards her. 'The Focus Group' sees Frasier get uptight when a
focus group member declares his show less than perfect. And
finally, in 'You Can Never Go Home Again', Frasier remembers the
day he first came to Seattle.
.co.uk Review
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With this third season, Frasier scored an impressive hat trick,
winning its third successive Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
You don't need too much analysis to get to the bottom of this
unprecedented success. The series was a primetime oasis of wit
and sophistication, with welcome forays into farce that pricked
Frasier's bubble of pomposity. His priceless reactions to the
assaults on his dignity are worthy of Jack Benny. Frasier (Kelsey
Grammer) can be infuriating, as in "The Focus Group," in which he
is obsessed with knowing why a lone focus group participant
(guest star Tony Shalhoub) doesn't like him. But he is also
endearing in his delusional view of himself as, in the words of
one mocking bystander, a "man of the people." Frasier meets his
match in new station owner Kate Costas (O-winner Mercedes
Ruehl). Their combative relationship turns to lust over the
course of the first 10 episodes.
But the season's most pivotal story arc is the separation of
Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Maris. "Moon Dance," which marked
Grammer's directorial debut, is a series benchmark, as a
crestfallen Niles tangos with his unrequited love, Daphne (Jane
Leeves), at a high society ball. Not that the Crane family still
doesn't have issues to work out. Frasier cannot abide being
beaten at chess by Martin (John Mahoney) in "Chess Pains."
Frasier and Niles ill-advisedly go into joint practice in "Shrink
Rap," and find themselves on the site sides of a sanity
hearing in "Crane vs. Crane." Lilith is sorely missed, but in
this season's blast-from-the-past episode, Shelley Long returns
in "The Show Where Diane Comes Back." It is a joy to see Cheers
resurrected, if only in Diane's self-absorbed new play, which
Frasier agrees to back. And any episode with Frasier's amoral
agent Bebe (Harriet Sansom Harris) is must-see television.
Frasier's humor was character-based, rather than topical, giving
it a longer shelf life. For those who lament the end of one of
television's gold standard series, this box set will be excellent
therapy. --Donald Liebenson