[7.5/10] There’s parts of this one that haven't aged well. Bulldog convincing a stripper to harangue Frasier while he tries to read his holiday parable is sexual harassment. Fraser declaring he’s not made of stone and planting a big kiss on her is treated with hooting rather than as something low key horrifying. And there’s the standard, unpleasant “Roz is a ho” jokes.
But once you get past that, “Frasier Grinch” is a treat. The patter and humor of Frasier and Niles reacting with horror to Marty’s tacky holiday decorations is great. The two of them frantically trying to get the right nerdy presents for Freddie at the mall makes for a superb comic set piece. Even Frasier eagerly awaiting his son’s arrival is cute in an unassuming way.
But it’s the ending, the morall, and the heart that really put this one over the top There’s a steady theme here -- that Frasier gives gifts to people as he’d like to see them, not as they are. His classy, froufrou presents to his father are an example of that, and they end up in the bottom of a box in the storage unit. Martin helping his son to see that is a nice sign that, for all he may be more blue collar than either of his sons, he still has some wisdom and insight they don’t quite possess, is a nice throughline.
It’s driven home when Frasier goes over the top to find a group of educational toys, only to discover that Freddie has his heart set on the latest action figure du jour, and now will be disappointed on Xmas morning. The fact that Martin anticipated this, and has the action figure for his son to give to his grandson, is sweet and cathartic, giving Frasier the only present he really wanted, and cutting a nice tone of intergenerational togetherness. Their embrace and warm feelings at the end befit the holidays.
When you start this episode, it’s easy to worry that Frasier is too of its time to resonate today; but by the end, you remember the fun farce, sharp patter, and sharper character work that are timeless.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-12-19T02:56:49Z
[7.5/10] There’s parts of this one that haven't aged well. Bulldog convincing a stripper to harangue Frasier while he tries to read his holiday parable is sexual harassment. Fraser declaring he’s not made of stone and planting a big kiss on her is treated with hooting rather than as something low key horrifying. And there’s the standard, unpleasant “Roz is a ho” jokes.
But once you get past that, “Frasier Grinch” is a treat. The patter and humor of Frasier and Niles reacting with horror to Marty’s tacky holiday decorations is great. The two of them frantically trying to get the right nerdy presents for Freddie at the mall makes for a superb comic set piece. Even Frasier eagerly awaiting his son’s arrival is cute in an unassuming way.
But it’s the ending, the morall, and the heart that really put this one over the top There’s a steady theme here -- that Frasier gives gifts to people as he’d like to see them, not as they are. His classy, froufrou presents to his father are an example of that, and they end up in the bottom of a box in the storage unit. Martin helping his son to see that is a nice sign that, for all he may be more blue collar than either of his sons, he still has some wisdom and insight they don’t quite possess, is a nice throughline.
It’s driven home when Frasier goes over the top to find a group of educational toys, only to discover that Freddie has his heart set on the latest action figure du jour, and now will be disappointed on Xmas morning. The fact that Martin anticipated this, and has the action figure for his son to give to his grandson, is sweet and cathartic, giving Frasier the only present he really wanted, and cutting a nice tone of intergenerational togetherness. Their embrace and warm feelings at the end befit the holidays.
When you start this episode, it’s easy to worry that Frasier is too of its time to resonate today; but by the end, you remember the fun farce, sharp patter, and sharper character work that are timeless.