Having gone on for seven straight seasons, Frasier is predictably starting to drop off in quality a bit. However, when it comes to the characters, the show's still got it when delivering the show's most pivotal moments.
Season 7 has been a long time coming, a season that's almost entirely about Niles and Daphne. Coming after last season, Daphne is getting married to Niles's divorce lawyer, Donny. Meanwhile, Niles finally tries to move on from Daphne and starts dating a girl named Mel. I don't quite like Mel (definitely not as much as the deceptively kind-hearted Donny), but I think she works to make the viewer desperately want Niles and Daphne to finally get together. And halfway through the season, in one of my favorite episodes in the series, Frasier accidentally tells Daphne about Niles's prior feelings for her. Seeing Daphne have to deal with this revelation and figure out whether or not she likes Niles back is incredibly interesting, and the tension continues to heighten throughout the season. It all culminates in a fantastic finale which has a married Niles and an almost-married Daphne finally confess their feelings for each other and drive away in a winnebago, leaving poor Donny at the altar. It's a fantastic turning point for the series and absolutely deserves its recognition as one of the greatest sitcom cliffhangers ever made. In case you haven't noticed from all my reviews, Niles and Daphne's relationship is one of my favorite aspects about Frasier, and the increased focus on them this season allows for some of the best drama and plot in the series to date.
As for the standalone episodes, however, this season is a bit more hit and miss. There are some highlights like RDWRER, They're Playing Our Song, and Out With Dad, but this season also includes a lot of incredibly rough ones too, such as The Dog That Rocks The Cradle, The Late Dr Crane, and Big Crane On Campus. But even worse than the straight-up rough episodes is the fact that Season 7 frequently ends up feeling kinda mediocre. When this season isn't dealing with Niles and Daphne, there really aren't too many episodes that truly stand out for me. It definitely doesn't help that this is the season where Frasier starts to drop the farcical structure a bit, which is a shame since that's what the series ended up becoming known for. As a whole, it does feel like Season 7 was starting to run out of steam a bit, and the show runners were beginning to run out of ideas (Out With Dad just feels like The Matchmaker but not as tightly-written). Given the fact that the showrunners and writers left after this season, I wonder if they felt the same?
Still, there were some high points this season regardless, some of which being my favorite episodes:
Back Talk: Back Talk starts off so unassuming, it's an episode about Frasier's back pain, what could possibly come of it? And then halfway through, Frasier, high on painkillers, loudly tells Daphne that Niles likes her. It's such a shocking twist because it comes out of nowhere, and the fact that the show only doubles down on this reveal rather than try and return to the status quo makes it even more legendary.
The Fight Before Christmas: Coming right after Back Talk, The Fight Before Christmas is both more subdued and more grand. The episode takes place during a big Christmas party that utilizes all of the characters in entertaining subplots, but it lacks the shocking twist of Back Talk. Rather, this episode is all about Daphne coping with what she learned and what she should do about it.
They're Playing Our Song: One of the few comedic episodes this season that I'd actually call great, They're Playing Our Song feels the closest thing to a sequel to Ham Radio, as Frasier tries to make himself a theme song. The escalation up to Frasier bringing in a giant goddamn orchestra is so fun to watch, and the big performance scene is one of the funniest in the season.
Dark Side Of The Moon: This episode is probably Jane Leeves's greatest performance as Daphne, perfectly selling the stress and frustration that she has to deal with, between the looming wedding, knowing Niles likes her, and her family's arrival. It's a funny episode that also manages to be character-driven, and the ending that reveals that Daphne really might like Niles back was excellent.
Something Borrowed, Someone Blue: As I mentioned above, this is a fantastic ending to the season and my favorite finale of the whole series. Deserving its hour-long length, Something Borrowed, Someone Blue brings the romantic tension between Niles and Daphne to a stunning head in an episode that's funny, dramatic, shocking, and ultimately heartwarming. Once again, the final scene where the two drive off in the winnebago is absolute perfect.
Overall, Season 7's main storyline is probably the best in the series, especially when it comes to Niles and Daphne. However, the season also has far more mediocre episodes than the last few, holding it back from being one of the show's best.
3/5 Stars
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