Frasier (Season 5)

For me, Seasons 4-6 of Frasier are the show at its peak. They all contain some of the funniest episodes of the series. However, I think Season 5 is the weakest of the three, since can be pretty uneven at times.

Frasier's fifth season is the first to really have a concrete storyline throughout, as early on in the season, Roz reveals she's pregnant. As far as pregnancy storylines go, Roz's isn't anything amazing as it does stay in the background a lot. However, I think the most interesting part is Roz learning that she is pregnant and dealing with that revelation. The show spends a lot of time on Roz discussing the pregnancy with the father and figuring out if she wants to raise it on her own, and I think that leads to some really fascinating character work for her. Meanwhile, Martin's and Niles's relationships finally come to an end this season. It's a shame Sherry had to leave since I really liked her as a foil to the Crane brothers, and Martin doesn't get quite as much to do after their breakup. On the other hand, I'm so glad Maris and Niles are finally getting divorced as it leads to some of my favorite storylines in the series, though that comes next season. Oddly enough, this season's finale doesn't actually deal with any of the season's major storylines. Rather the season ends with Frasier accidentally getting the entire KACL staff fired. Don't get me wrong, this is a fantastic cliffhanger, but it also has pretty much no set-up throughout the season. 

Still, this is Frasier, and most of the season is still comprised of standalone farcical episodes. Season 5 has a ton of strong episodes, some of which rank among the best and most iconic in the series (The Ski Lodge, in particular, is easily the definitive Frasier episode). However, I think this season also has some pretty low weak points as well, especially compared to the season that came before it. Beware The Greeks is a particular sticking point for me, since I'm not a fan of episodes that introduce never-mentioned-before family members who will never appear for the rest of the show. It's especially noteworthy given that it comes directly after three of the best episodes in the season. I also felt Frasier as a character was pretty weak this season, as his flaws (like his ego) are way more prevalent than they usually are. This results in some episodes like "Desperately Seeking Closure", "The 1000th Show", and "Frasier's Gotta Have It" where I just ended up feeling really frustrated with him. Still, I don't want to sell this season too short, as it is still absolutely one of the best so far. The high points are so unbelievably high that they do a solid job of cancelling out the weaker episodes.

Even with the weaker episodes, this season of Frasier has some fantastic episodes at its best:

Halloween: This was such an incredibly entertaining episode that managed to balance a farce full of hilarious misunderstandings, goofy Halloween costumes, and Niles/Daphne shenanigans with a massive plot development about Roz being pregnant. Easily one of the most iconic episodes of the series, Halloween is a really strong start to the season's main storyline.

Perspectives On Christmas: This episode is incredibly well-constructed and clever, with each main character telling their own story about a disastrous Christmas, with each storyline connected with the other four. Even without the gimmick, this would be a super entertaining episode, but the nonlinear and experimental structure makes this episode far more memorable than it would have been otherwise.

The Maris Counselor: I'm a big fan of the "Niles freaks out about Maris" episodes because they manage to mix frantic humor with genuine drama. Similarly to episodes like The Last Time I Saw Maris and Are You Being Served?, Niles discovering that Maris is cheating on him with their counselor is incredibly funny until it hits you that their marriage truly is over. 

The Ski Lodge: While my favorite episode is Ham Radio, The Ski Lodge is a close second for me. Once again, this is a brilliantly constructed Rube Goldberg machine of a farce about unrequited love, with each character involved having feelings for a completely different person. Martin accidentally stoking the fires was great, as was the frantic running through rooms that ended off the episode.  

Room Service: I know this episode is a bit divisive as why would Niles and Lilith sleep together at all? Aside from the fact that it makes perfect sense since both of their marriages are over, I love that this episode pairs up two characters that you'd never expect to share an episode together, and Niles and Lilith play off each other incredibly well. The second half where the two try to hide that they've slept together was just such entertaining and frantic, making this a strong followup to The Ski Lodge. 

First Date: The token Niles/Daphne episode is yet another series highlight, as Niles and Daphne get a lot of adorable moments together as they set up for Niles's fake date with his neighbor. Even with the farcical humor and hilarious payoff of Niles's neighbor actually showing up, the moment that really stuck to me was just Niles and Daphne singing "Heart And Soul" while chopping up food, a testament to how strong their chemistry is.

Overall, Season 5 has a solid main storyline and a ton of fantastic episodes, but its weak points make the season a bit more uneven than the one that came before.

4/5 Stars