Frasier (Season 6)

Season 6 is my favorite season of Frasier. Even if it doesn't reach the heights of Ham Radio or The Ski Lodge, the way it juggles incredibly compelling drama with tons of hilarious episodes and clever experiments makes it nearly flawless for me.

Frasier's sixth season is far more plot-focused than the ones that came before, and signals a much darker tone for the series from this point onwards. The season starts with Frasier out of a job and Niles's marriage crumbling to pieces, and the first half is mostly about the two of them getting their lives back under control. This segment of the season is really bleak, maybe a bit too bleak given how things never end up going right for the two brothers. However, it's also some of the best drama the series has done yet. The second half of the season is even better, especially once Niles divorces Maris only for his divorce lawyer to end up with Daphne. It's such a painfully cruel twist of fate, but a well-executed one at that, and it all leads to a fantastic final two episodes for the season. Meanwhile, Martin gets a girlfriend in Bonnie (who's fine but nowhere near as entertaining as Sherry), and Frasier ends up with two girlfriends. The season ends on a bit of a downer note as all three Crane men end up alone by the final scene, but I think it works as a low point before some of the characters (Niles specifically) start to really find love in the second half of the series. As a whole, I think the extra dramatic focus this season is fantastic, even if I can understand if it might be too much for some people.

Thankfully, this season still manages to be incredibly funny as well, packing in tons of hilarious episodes throughout. Unlike Season 5, there really aren't too many downright weak episodes, with nothing to the level of Beware The Greeks. Season 6 really seemed like it was willing to experiment with structure a bit more outside of the standard farcical episodes, with episodes like Good Grief, Three Valentines, The Dinner Party, and When A Man Loves A Women playing around with time jumps and vignettes to great effect. Frasier's more experimental episodes have usually been a success more often than not, and I'm glad this season doubled down on them. My only real gripe with the season's comedy is that it does come at odds with the drama at the first half of the season, since it can feel a bit like the show is kicking Frasier and Niles while they're down. However, on their own merits, the episodes in that first half are still really funny, and the sheer amount of fantastic episodes scattered throughout the season are still more than enough to prevent the season from falling into full despair. 

There are so many amazing episodes this season that I can't even begin to describe all of my favorites, but this is a fair list:

Good Grief: I actually really like it when Frasier explores psychiatric subject matter (next season has an Oedipus complex episode), but I think Good Grief does it the best, using the five stages of grief as a framing device to watch Frasier deal with losing its job. It's a nice balance between incredibly funny and really sad, a good mission statement for the season as a whole.

Merry Christmas, Mrs Moskowitz: While Frasier's Christmas episodes are generally well-liked, this is considered by many to be the best in the series. Frasier pretending to be Jewish is a really funny idea for a farce that's executed really well, with tons of memorable scenes like the cartoonishly dramatic parental interactions to Niles popping out of the bathroom dressed as Jesus. But it's the little things that make this episode fantastic too, like the joke about Jewish wine that makes me laugh way more than it should have.

Three Valentines: As a whole, I think the three vignettes for this episode are all funny in their own way, but let's face it, the silent skit with Niles is easily the highlight, and ranks with some of the best moments in the series. It's a fantastic showcase of David Hyde Pierce's physical comedy chops and the way it escalates along with the classical music in the background is nothing short of masterful.

To Tell The Truth: I already mentioned this episode earlier, it's the one where Niles losing Daphne to his lawyer Donny right when he's able to finish his divorce with Maris. As a whole, this episode is pretty tense and dramatic as Niles gets the closest to confessing his feelings to date, and as much of a gut punch as the ending is, it's still such a strong twist.

Decoys: While many people dismiss Decoys as "The Ski Lodge Lite", I think this episode still manages to be really entertaining on its own merits, with Niles's plan to pair Donny up with Roz being incredibly fun. I also just really love the subplot about Frasier not wanting to kill ducks, which intersects with Niles's storyline in creative ways.

The Dinner Party: This real-time bottle episode poses an interesting question: Can Frasier pull off a farce entirely off-screen? As it turns out, the answer is yes. The Dinner Party is pretty much entirely composed of dialogue between Niles and Frasier, but thanks to their performance and the insanely sharp writing, watching their dinner party crumble to pieces before it even starts is hysterical.

Visions Of Daphne: This episode is pretty low on humor, as a matter of fact it's pretty unfunny. However, I think the emotional impact and character drama is absolutely fantastic. The tension throughout the episode builds as Donny's proposal nears and you don't know if Daphne will say yes. Sadly, she does, culminating in that perfect final scene with the dragon which solidifies that she's with the wrong person.

Shutout In Seattle: While it's not as downright shocking as last episode, Shutout In Seattle does a good job of tying up loose ends for the season, as Niles, Martin, and Frasier all end up single in the solemn but hopeful final scene. This episode has Bulldog's departure which genuinely caught me off guard as I had no idea his actor was leaving. It's one of the show's better finales, and the last to lack a cliffhanger.

Overall, even if Season 6 can get a bit too bleak at times, I think it does a great job of blending its dramatic and comedic elements while still allowing the show to experiment in interesting ways, making it my favorite Frasier season of the bunch.

5/5 Stars