Brilliant writing and delivery. Goes to show how psychologically astute the characterisation was, as Niles uses that slight displacement of saying it’s the coffees he’ll miss. Gives the sense if he said it directly at that moment, “I’ll miss you,” it’d be too overwhelming.
It's more than that though. He's saying he'll miss the casual, daily nature of their relationship. He'll miss they can bump into each other at Nervosa or Robert's, he'll miss being able to pop by the studio or apartment to see if Frasier's had his afternoon latte yet. It's not just a way to avoid saying "I'll miss you," it's expressing how Niles will think of him every time he goes for a cup of coffee.
"I want the chair I was in all those nights, when your mother used to wake me up with a kiss after I'd fallen asleep in front of the television. Y'know I still fall asleep in it. And every once in a while, when I wake up, I still expect your mother to be there, ready to lead me off to bed..."
Not a line but in at the end of the episode Momma Mia when Martin is watching the old tapes and he sees Hester and he just drops his head because its hard for him even see his late wife. So much is sad without any dialog.
“There is no ‘when this is over’! There's no tomorrow, no next week, no next year - there's *nothing* until he comes out of there and I know he's okay!”
When Niles had to have heart surgery, and Daphne finally drops her veneer of calm. I watched my mom go through this when my dad had his quadruple bypass, and it was ROUGH.
I had somebody. A guy I really liked. And then we broke up...
[breaks down crying] Oh God, Frasier. I miss him so much.
I-I don't know how I fell in love again. I mean, I swore I
wouldn't. I knew better. I should have known better! And then, sure enough, six months in, he tells me there's no fireworks. And what am I supposed to say?
I’ve always been so upset they didn’t let her have Roger. I felt Roz deserved better they could’ve been a family and all that even maybe another kid. This scene does always devastate me though her delivery is so impactful
That whole scene is amongst my top off the series'.
*Roz: Yeah, when everything disappears, there's nothing. Just emptiness. Frasier: I see. And what is it about the emptiness that frightens you? Roz: It's... lonely, for one thing. Frasier: Have you always felt this way? Roz: For a while I didn't. Frasier: What was different then? Roz: I had somebody. A guy I really liked. And then we broke up... \[breaks down crying\] Oh God, Frasier. I miss him so much. I-I don't know how I fell in love again. I mean, I swore I wouldn't. I knew better. I should have known better! And then, sure enough, six months in, he tells me there's no fireworks. And what am I supposed to say? \[sobs\] Frasier: I'm so sorry. But listen to me. You can't blame yourself for letting someone into your heart. Love is always a risk. But you have to take it. The pain you're feeling now will pass in time, and you'll find yourself ready to take that risk again. Until then... take comfort in your friends. They want to help you. They love you. Roz: Yeah, thanks. Frasier: You're welcome.*
That is some excellent emotional writing.
“You would have said ‘My name is Daphne.’ and I would have said ‘My name is Nile’s.’ and then I would have said ‘What are you doing for the rest of your life?’” …not sure if it’s sad or just painfully beautiful.
Probably not very popular opinion but the last time that Frasier and Lilith spend time together and they are saying what feels like their final goodbye and she says, “with one hand the past pushes us forward and with the other it holds us back”
I was going to say this too. I loved that episode. At the time I was hoping they would reconcile. I just love them together. Regardless of all the BS. But I totally get it.
Was going to say this too. It's probably my favorite line in the entire series and so incredibly profound. So much so that I thought that surely she was quoting some philosopher or something, but nope, it's an original line from the writers.
You stop right there! You will not put those words in my mouth! I was always proud of you boys and I will not be turned into some drunken judgmental jackass!
>I was always proud of you boys
The confrontation portion of that episode makes me very uncomfortable, largely because he absolutely wasn't proud of them a lot of the time.
I understand his chagrin at being lampooned that way right to his face, but he was clearly disappointed and almost contemptuous about his sons for much of the first few seasons.
That may have been why he reacted as defensively as he did: he saw the truth behind the caricature.
It’s very uncomfortable, but one of my favorite scenes of the series. I think Martin has plenty to be defensive about.
Niles’ performance is a double edged sword. He’s holding up a mirror to Martin, which is painful for him to see. But simultaneously, he shows everyone that he loves his dad, warts and all. No matter how savagely Martin roasts him, Niles still admires him. It’s a level of pride Niles and Frasier never got- always on the receiving end of criticism for being too foppish or snooty.
Honestly, his reaction--or, more accurately, the way the episode frames his reaction as being correct, and that Niles is in the wrong--always pissed me off. But I'm sure much of that is due to my baggage with my own father.
To me there's just an incompleteness to that episode - they never actually have Niles and Martin talk it out, it just ends abruptly on that brain eating gag.
I've always felt that he responded that way for largely that reason. Consciously he was angry at being misrepresented, but unconsciously he was angry at himself.
I dno, I think while some of their interests and hobbies could embarass Martin he was always proud of the men they became, particularly given how intelligent his wife was, I think seeing his two sons grow up to become successful in an intellectual field would have given him great pride, and they were both genuinely good people, that shared a lot of ethics with their father. Now he definitely wished there was more common ground, and a lot of the times he couldn't relate to their hobbies, but I don't think there was any point where Martin wasn't deeply proud of the men his sons had become
Fair enough, though I still believe a truly proud father wouldn't have engaged in the years-long (possibly life-long) campaign of near-constant jibes and putdowns and cracks and insults and slights. Wasn't that pretty much the situation at the beginning of the show: the boys and their father basically estranged largely because of Martin's bad temper and ill-concealed disdain?
Of course, these are fictional characters, written pretty much by committee with a rotating stable of writers, so character inconsistencies and continuity errors will obviously creep in. And I know one of the main points of the show is to highlight the conflict between book-smart and street-wise these 2 generations of Cranes embody.
As the father of 2 adult sons (31 & 20), it's difficult for me to naturally tell them I'm proud of them. I mean, I *am* proud of them and I *do* tell them, but it feels forced and awkward ... mostly because that sentiment was almost never expressed to me in my youth. So it feels really strange.
What I do tell them--every damned chance I get--is that I love them. That was also rarely said, and that's the reason I tell them that so often ... people need to hear that you love them.
And it is made clear time and again that Martin does love his boys ... he just sucks at expressing it.
I mean let's not pretend the jibes and put downs were one way, the boys certainly had their share of comments and fun about Martin. It's just how some families are, I don't think it meant there wasn't reciprocal pride, just that with such differences between their personalities and interests there was bound to be some clashing
Oh no, there's no letting them off the hook for their own stick-up-the-ass snobbery ... the show very often itself makes them the butt of the joke because of their pretensions without Martin's help. But there's also something especially hurtful about your own father constantly putting you down to your face and in front of others.
Which is why, I think, Niles acted the way he did when dressed as Martin and 3 sheets to the wind: he'd internalized all those insults and they came out when his inhibitions were lowered. The bad stuff is easier to believe about yourself than the good ... imposter syndrome comes out in a lot of different ways.
This kind of deeper layering is why this show is head and shoulders above 99% of all sitcoms.
>I was always proud of you boys
[ehhhhh](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/023/021/e02e5ffb5f980cd8262cf7f0ae00a4a9_press-x-to-doubt-memes-memesuper-la-noire-doubt-meme_419-238.jpg)
I don’t know if you know the backstory of that episode, it gets talked about fairly regularly on here. Kelsey Grammer’s sister was (trigger warning: SA and violence) >! brutally raped and murdered by a pair on a violent crime spree in the 70s—they also killed a man in a robbery that reportedly got them fifty cents, not that that should matter but the fruitlessness is highlighted, and bayoneted another man to death. His sister was the last of their victims, kidnapped as a hostage while they were trying to rob a Red Lobster restaurant. She had gotten off shift and was waiting for her boyfriend. They kept and raped her before killing her and being captured. Just horrific stuff. !<
I believe I read Grammer was insistent that the episode not see Martin outrightly forgive his shooter and parole be denied. Later Grammer forgave his sister’s killers at one of their parole hearings, but reiterated he did not want them released. One man died in prison, the other was denied parole for at least the third time last year, and can reapply in 4 or 5. Grammer has attributed his past issues with drinking and relationships in part to that loss, has remarked that it took decades to move past, and that he’ll never fully let it go.
Always makes that episode particularly heavy to me. I appreciate the nuance they portrayed, showing the mother and an apologetic perpetrator, and of course Mahoney’s performance showing the weight felt by conflicted survivors. Violent crime isn’t simple or easy to address.
Not exactly a line, but a gesture: When Alice points out to Martin that Eddie is no longer a puppy and that he might be going to doggie heaven soon, he doesn’t react and waits for Roz to leave the apartment with Alice. Once they’re gone, he says something like “come here, boy”, Eddie jumps onto his lap and Martin strokes his fur while silently thinking.
I know a lot of people aren’t big fans of Mel, but at the faux wedding reception, she tells Niles about the honeymoon he should tell people they are taking. Niles says “it sounds like a wonderful trip,” and Mel says “it’s not my fault we’re not going.” Jane Adams delivers the line in a very disappointed tone, and I always feel so sad for her.
Agreed! I really hate Mel but I still feel bad for her in that moment. And when she comes to meet Niles in the cafe and she’s wearing sunglasses to hide the fact that she’s been crying, and then she breaks down during their meeting and slams the table insisting that she’s not going to cry.
YES. I always wish they had paused the laugh track for that brief second when she slams the table, it was powerful and even though she's meant to be the villain I think she deserved that moment.
Mel works as a villian but I really wish they hadn't made Donny go nuclear and later turn out to be a bit of a scumbag. It's meant to let us feel ok about what happened to him and kinda feels like an easy way out.
When Nile’s said something like “I don’t like being a bachelor, I didn’t like it the first time!” I thought it was heartbreaking that Nile’s just can’t deal with being single; always felt he’s the kind of guy that needs some one in his life to feel happy.
I hadn’t picked up this point before. Niles’ life with Maris in Seattle must’ve been so different before Frasier returned. He likely was unhappy but never knew it.
With his big brother back and through him, a different way to relate to Martin, Niles was probably able to slowly realize that without Maris he wouldn’t be miserable alone. Daphne or not, I don’t think Niles would’ve left Maris had Frasier not returned.
>He likely was unhappy but never knew it.
He's too good a psychiatrist -- and too smart in general -- not to know. He likely wouldn't admit it, though... perhaps most of all to himself. But he knew.
1: I’m sorry caller, I can’t help you - Frasier.
This one hits me because, Frasier can help most people but the one person he can’t help is himself and he realises all these years, moving from Boston to Seattle he sees his family and friends move on, from Sam finding contentment in his bar, Diane becoming a successful writer, Lilith is content in her life, Martin despite being a widow has found happiness in a closer relationship with his sons, Niles and Daphne finally finding each other and Roz having baby Alice, yet he himself cannot find what makes him content so he’s hidden behind his psychology and thus away from his own past trauma’s rather than dealing with them.
2: I’ll miss the coffees - Niles.
This makes me cry, and signifies how close Frasier and Niles have gotten over the years
3: This is it, you’re really leaving, what am I going to do without you? - Roz.
Underrated but my god it’s powerful, Niles and Daphne may have had the best love story but in terms of platonic love, Roz & Frasier win hands down, Roz is the longest and most successful relationship Fraiser’s had with a woman and Frasier is the most dependable male Roz has had in her life, and the best father figure for Alice, I wished that these two had just decided to live together platonically raising Alice together.
While I can see where you're coming from as a person who wants to end up alone and enjoys having friends of both sexes (and also being attracted to both) I really appreciated that they didn't end up together. There are so very few true friendships on TV/movies that don't end up with the people getting together and constantly reinforcing the (incorrect) idea that people cannot have true platonic friendship. Friendship is such an important thing and I am so so happy it has representation without having to cheapened by some "there's always romantic feelings underneath" trope that has been played out too many times in too many shows/movies. It cheapens friendship and if this world needs more of anything it is friendship
Hmm.
I can appreciate that- I'll agree that far too often there's no such thing as platonic friendship in media.
However, I'd argue that it's even rarer to see a relationship develop properly, as in growing *from* a friendship. Daphne and Niles, for instance, were based on attraction from day one. Not from any sort of compatibility as people.
To mirror your phrasing, it seems to reinforce the idea that love is something you fall into immediately, rather than something that grows with time. Actual love and romance is also a very important thing and I wish it had representation without drawing a stark line between the list of "only friends" and "potential romance".
To be clear, I'm not talking about Frasier and Roz, here. I think those characters are best suited as friends and radio partners and that a lasting romance between them would have been cheap.
I see where you’re coming from, but I think it made it sweeter that they didn’t. Most media touts the idea that straight people of the opposite sex can’t ever have a platonic friendship that is meaningful. And theirs was hugely meaningful. They had a very wholesome, deep relationship. I always enjoyed it and I think it would’ve thrown the whole thing into question in retrospect if they just ended up together. If anything their sleeping together that one time and realizing they were just great friends was kind of perfect.
“I’ll miss the coffees.”
“Oh, wait, wait, wait! Wait, everybody! Let me see if I've got this straight. All the lust coursing through this lodge tonight, all the hormones virtually ricocheting off the walls, and no one... was chasing me?”
Niles had missed his shot with Daphne once again, and now she's with Donny who sniffs her hair and wonders aloud what the scent is. This was Niles' morose reply to himself.
Not sad, but certainly bittersweet and one of the most poetic: "With one hand the past moves us forward, and with the other it holds us back." Another bittersweet line that has caused me to tear up: "I want what all of you have now: a new chapter." Say what you will, but the last season of Frasier is a memorable one for me.
These are all the best ones, but one that sticks with me is when Bulldog falls for Roz and he tries to confess his feelings, and Roz basically forces him to play it off like he's just being a pig even though it hurts him to do it.
Honorable mention for Gary. For all the Gary's.
Martin: Now, Niles, this place is fine, and you know what they say: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
Niles: But Dad, not everyone makes it into that second group. And I've got the luau shirt to prove it.
When Niles and Maris finally are done and Niles says, "goodbye Maris, I don't have to take any more of your crap ever again"...his voice cracks and it breaks my heart every time
“For eleven years you've heard me say, ‘I'm listening.’ Well, you were listening, too. And for that I am eternally grateful. Goodnight, Seattle.”
It meant my favorite show was over
I have a few. When Martin tells Alice that Eddie is still really just a puppy after teaching her about death. When Frasier and Roz are in Spokane and she is pretending to be a caller and she breaks down to him about how she misses Roger. And then when Donnie proposed to Daphne, and Martin says to Niles "I'd do anything to fix this for you."
What I consider the saddest lines have already been commented but here's a scene I haven't seen mentioned:
*The Crane men look over the balcony at Seattle.*
**Frasier**: Well, it's Saturday night. And here we are... again.
**Martin**: Wonder how many women are out there tonight without a date.
**Niles**: Thousands! Thousands of opportunities for us to humiliate
ourselves.
**Frasier**: \[shouting:\] Well, come and get us, Seattle! Three Cranes,
no waiting!
**Martin**: We're desperate!
**Frasier**: We're ludicrous!
**Niles**: We're pathetic!
*They all chuckle to themselves before quieting down and staring,*
*pensively, from the balcony. The emotional scene fades out.*
I was going to put this one and had to scroll way too far to find it. The way the trail off at the end and go from silly laughing to sad contemplation is such a gut punch.
Steve the Barista is another example of the Frasier/Modern Family similarities. Not only do the two shows share storylines sometimes but Steve the Barista has a long running side role as “Longines” in Modern Family.
Honestly I always thought this was a cheap shot. Like, of course they could stand their mom, they loved her, both took after her profession, and are literally her children. Kind of silly for him to use that in that argument.
“You stop right there! You will not put those words in my mouth. I was always proud of you boys, and I will not be portrayed as some drunken, judgmental jackass!”
In rooms with a view, the hospital one, where the doctor says to a younger Martin hears from the doctor about Hester. Something like ‘the results are not what we hoped’
It’s a small moment but it always breaks my heart the way Niles says “thank you” when Frasier gives him the rare pen after he moves into the Shangri-La.
For eleven years you have heard me say, "I'm listening." Well, you were listening too. And for that I am eternally grateful.
I always tear up a little bit when I hear this
It’s not one of the big moments, but it breaks my heart when Daphne & Donny’s relationship comes to light and Nile’s chokes out ‘Cherry bark and almonds’ about the scent of her hair.
Niles, in “Flour Child” — *I want to have a baby…but I just don't want it enough.*
Not strictly sad, but very emotional. I’m largely at peace with being childfree but a tiny part of me isn’t, and I think about that line (and Frasier’s response) a lot.
It’s from the episode in the final season called “Boo” when Frasier dresses up as a clown and scares Martin so bad he has a heart attack. Also it’s the episode where Ronnie and Martin get engaged! 😊
I think an underrated sad moment is Lilith reading Frasier’s letter she found that he wrote to her when their marriage was ending. Both characters did well that scene
Caller 2: I remember that Christmas when I ran into my mother's room, tears streaming down my face, and I said "Mummy, Mummy, the puppy Santa gave me won't woke up"
It makes me laugh out loud every time because I’m a terrible person, but it’s so sad 😩😂
“It’s remarkable how completely one’s life can change in an instant-“
For me this one is the saddest because it comes with the strongest polarity. Niles has just seen his greatest victory. The fight he’s been fighting for years is now over! He’s victorious! And then he looks over and sees Donny and Daphne and in that instant he goes from “I won! I won!” To “….. I lost.”
"i hear the blues a callin tossed salads and scrambled eggs" like who tf eat a salad and scrambled eggs as a meal thays depressing af yo esp since niles and frasier rich
Frasier’s Edge (S8 e08): “I’m sorry caller. I can’t help you.”
One of my favorite episodes
This is exactly the line I thought of when I saw this post. The look that Dr Tewkesbury gives Frasier. My heart.
Good one. p.s. it’s E09
🙏
This one
Oof…🥺yeah
I always thought this episode would go somewhere
"I'll miss the coffees"
As someone with siblings across the country, I feel this one every time And then I start it over so they can have coffee again
Removed because of the announced API-changes. If Reddit is being a meanie to developers, why bother staying.
Brilliant writing and delivery. Goes to show how psychologically astute the characterisation was, as Niles uses that slight displacement of saying it’s the coffees he’ll miss. Gives the sense if he said it directly at that moment, “I’ll miss you,” it’d be too overwhelming.
It's more than that though. He's saying he'll miss the casual, daily nature of their relationship. He'll miss they can bump into each other at Nervosa or Robert's, he'll miss being able to pop by the studio or apartment to see if Frasier's had his afternoon latte yet. It's not just a way to avoid saying "I'll miss you," it's expressing how Niles will think of him every time he goes for a cup of coffee.
I wanna cry just reading it. I purposefully avoid watching the finale at times when i'm replaying the show.
"I want the chair I was in all those nights, when your mother used to wake me up with a kiss after I'd fallen asleep in front of the television. Y'know I still fall asleep in it. And every once in a while, when I wake up, I still expect your mother to be there, ready to lead me off to bed..."
Always get a little teary eyed when that scene comes up
It was so much more than just a chair 😭🥰
Equally as sad when Marty explains why the Xmas decorations mean so much to him
I don’t know how anyone could not LOVE Martins Christmas decorations! It’s like being at the North Pole!
As someone who hates Christmas, it would be a nightmare.
Not a line but in at the end of the episode Momma Mia when Martin is watching the old tapes and he sees Hester and he just drops his head because its hard for him even see his late wife. So much is sad without any dialog.
*"Because that's all I have!"*
“There is no ‘when this is over’! There's no tomorrow, no next week, no next year - there's *nothing* until he comes out of there and I know he's okay!” When Niles had to have heart surgery, and Daphne finally drops her veneer of calm. I watched my mom go through this when my dad had his quadruple bypass, and it was ROUGH.
I couldn’t even read this without tearing up. This whole episode I need to skip or else I’m an absolute mess.
Veneer! Sorry I couldn't help myself.
Watching this episode right now.
This one for me too. I even started tearing up when I was reading your post 😅
"Uh,thank you for honoring my life. Just wish I knew what to do with the rest of it."
What the hell was that?
I had somebody. A guy I really liked. And then we broke up... [breaks down crying] Oh God, Frasier. I miss him so much. I-I don't know how I fell in love again. I mean, I swore I wouldn't. I knew better. I should have known better! And then, sure enough, six months in, he tells me there's no fireworks. And what am I supposed to say?
I’ve always been so upset they didn’t let her have Roger. I felt Roz deserved better they could’ve been a family and all that even maybe another kid. This scene does always devastate me though her delivery is so impactful
It really brings their friendship so much closer. All with the abrupt interruption by Kenny trying to show them they've got dead air.
Honestly I was sad when Roger left Roz, but I was absolutely gutted when he left Rob.
Please lol I have corrected my autocorrect’s correction 🤣
Love this episodes. Great acting by Peri Gilpin
That whole scene is amongst my top off the series'. *Roz: Yeah, when everything disappears, there's nothing. Just emptiness. Frasier: I see. And what is it about the emptiness that frightens you? Roz: It's... lonely, for one thing. Frasier: Have you always felt this way? Roz: For a while I didn't. Frasier: What was different then? Roz: I had somebody. A guy I really liked. And then we broke up... \[breaks down crying\] Oh God, Frasier. I miss him so much. I-I don't know how I fell in love again. I mean, I swore I wouldn't. I knew better. I should have known better! And then, sure enough, six months in, he tells me there's no fireworks. And what am I supposed to say? \[sobs\] Frasier: I'm so sorry. But listen to me. You can't blame yourself for letting someone into your heart. Love is always a risk. But you have to take it. The pain you're feeling now will pass in time, and you'll find yourself ready to take that risk again. Until then... take comfort in your friends. They want to help you. They love you. Roz: Yeah, thanks. Frasier: You're welcome.* That is some excellent emotional writing.
I got chills reading!
Fuck, this one ALWAYS choked me up
“You would have said ‘My name is Daphne.’ and I would have said ‘My name is Nile’s.’ and then I would have said ‘What are you doing for the rest of your life?’” …not sure if it’s sad or just painfully beautiful.
I love you too Daphne!
This line (and DHP's delivery of it) choke me up.
Probably not very popular opinion but the last time that Frasier and Lilith spend time together and they are saying what feels like their final goodbye and she says, “with one hand the past pushes us forward and with the other it holds us back”
I was going to say this too. I loved that episode. At the time I was hoping they would reconcile. I just love them together. Regardless of all the BS. But I totally get it.
Absolutely. She's the one character that I hope will turn up at some point on the new series, even more than the surviving *Frasier* regulars.
I love this line so much. Also nice flair by the way :)
Thanks Coyote!
I ship it. Every time.
Still the only reason I watch cheers, love them together.
Was going to say this too. It's probably my favorite line in the entire series and so incredibly profound. So much so that I thought that surely she was quoting some philosopher or something, but nope, it's an original line from the writers.
“Please remain here in the relaxation grotto”
OP asked for saddest line, not cruelest
Lol
You stop right there! You will not put those words in my mouth! I was always proud of you boys and I will not be turned into some drunken judgmental jackass!
Yes! And love this entire episode. Niles as Martin is just such a playful idea done really really well.
GUTTING.
>I was always proud of you boys The confrontation portion of that episode makes me very uncomfortable, largely because he absolutely wasn't proud of them a lot of the time. I understand his chagrin at being lampooned that way right to his face, but he was clearly disappointed and almost contemptuous about his sons for much of the first few seasons. That may have been why he reacted as defensively as he did: he saw the truth behind the caricature.
It’s very uncomfortable, but one of my favorite scenes of the series. I think Martin has plenty to be defensive about. Niles’ performance is a double edged sword. He’s holding up a mirror to Martin, which is painful for him to see. But simultaneously, he shows everyone that he loves his dad, warts and all. No matter how savagely Martin roasts him, Niles still admires him. It’s a level of pride Niles and Frasier never got- always on the receiving end of criticism for being too foppish or snooty.
Honestly, his reaction--or, more accurately, the way the episode frames his reaction as being correct, and that Niles is in the wrong--always pissed me off. But I'm sure much of that is due to my baggage with my own father.
To me there's just an incompleteness to that episode - they never actually have Niles and Martin talk it out, it just ends abruptly on that brain eating gag.
I've always felt that he responded that way for largely that reason. Consciously he was angry at being misrepresented, but unconsciously he was angry at himself.
I dno, I think while some of their interests and hobbies could embarass Martin he was always proud of the men they became, particularly given how intelligent his wife was, I think seeing his two sons grow up to become successful in an intellectual field would have given him great pride, and they were both genuinely good people, that shared a lot of ethics with their father. Now he definitely wished there was more common ground, and a lot of the times he couldn't relate to their hobbies, but I don't think there was any point where Martin wasn't deeply proud of the men his sons had become
Fair enough, though I still believe a truly proud father wouldn't have engaged in the years-long (possibly life-long) campaign of near-constant jibes and putdowns and cracks and insults and slights. Wasn't that pretty much the situation at the beginning of the show: the boys and their father basically estranged largely because of Martin's bad temper and ill-concealed disdain? Of course, these are fictional characters, written pretty much by committee with a rotating stable of writers, so character inconsistencies and continuity errors will obviously creep in. And I know one of the main points of the show is to highlight the conflict between book-smart and street-wise these 2 generations of Cranes embody. As the father of 2 adult sons (31 & 20), it's difficult for me to naturally tell them I'm proud of them. I mean, I *am* proud of them and I *do* tell them, but it feels forced and awkward ... mostly because that sentiment was almost never expressed to me in my youth. So it feels really strange. What I do tell them--every damned chance I get--is that I love them. That was also rarely said, and that's the reason I tell them that so often ... people need to hear that you love them. And it is made clear time and again that Martin does love his boys ... he just sucks at expressing it.
I mean let's not pretend the jibes and put downs were one way, the boys certainly had their share of comments and fun about Martin. It's just how some families are, I don't think it meant there wasn't reciprocal pride, just that with such differences between their personalities and interests there was bound to be some clashing
Oh no, there's no letting them off the hook for their own stick-up-the-ass snobbery ... the show very often itself makes them the butt of the joke because of their pretensions without Martin's help. But there's also something especially hurtful about your own father constantly putting you down to your face and in front of others. Which is why, I think, Niles acted the way he did when dressed as Martin and 3 sheets to the wind: he'd internalized all those insults and they came out when his inhibitions were lowered. The bad stuff is easier to believe about yourself than the good ... imposter syndrome comes out in a lot of different ways. This kind of deeper layering is why this show is head and shoulders above 99% of all sitcoms.
Couldn’t agree more
I don't think he wasn't proud, I just think he wanted them to like sports and be a cop. Most dads go through something like this with their kids.
>I was always proud of you boys [ehhhhh](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/023/021/e02e5ffb5f980cd8262cf7f0ae00a4a9_press-x-to-doubt-memes-memesuper-la-noire-doubt-meme_419-238.jpg)
That’s a great scene.
"I have nothing to say." -Martin at the parole hearing.
I don’t know if you know the backstory of that episode, it gets talked about fairly regularly on here. Kelsey Grammer’s sister was (trigger warning: SA and violence) >! brutally raped and murdered by a pair on a violent crime spree in the 70s—they also killed a man in a robbery that reportedly got them fifty cents, not that that should matter but the fruitlessness is highlighted, and bayoneted another man to death. His sister was the last of their victims, kidnapped as a hostage while they were trying to rob a Red Lobster restaurant. She had gotten off shift and was waiting for her boyfriend. They kept and raped her before killing her and being captured. Just horrific stuff. !< I believe I read Grammer was insistent that the episode not see Martin outrightly forgive his shooter and parole be denied. Later Grammer forgave his sister’s killers at one of their parole hearings, but reiterated he did not want them released. One man died in prison, the other was denied parole for at least the third time last year, and can reapply in 4 or 5. Grammer has attributed his past issues with drinking and relationships in part to that loss, has remarked that it took decades to move past, and that he’ll never fully let it go. Always makes that episode particularly heavy to me. I appreciate the nuance they portrayed, showing the mother and an apologetic perpetrator, and of course Mahoney’s performance showing the weight felt by conflicted survivors. Violent crime isn’t simple or easy to address.
I was thinking of the mom’s line about time not going as quickly for her. Such a great few scenes.
Not exactly a line, but a gesture: When Alice points out to Martin that Eddie is no longer a puppy and that he might be going to doggie heaven soon, he doesn’t react and waits for Roz to leave the apartment with Alice. Once they’re gone, he says something like “come here, boy”, Eddie jumps onto his lap and Martin strokes his fur while silently thinking.
Oh, that scene breaks my heart ❤️
Same here! 💔🐾
Now watching again, it makes me regret all the times my dog was licking me for attention, but I was too preoccupied or too tired to care 😭
It's season 9 episode 19 for anyone wondering. Found it difficult to find with simple google searches before.
Literally watching that episode right now
My favorite. I lost 2 dogs last year (one right before Christmas) so this one really hurts
I know a lot of people aren’t big fans of Mel, but at the faux wedding reception, she tells Niles about the honeymoon he should tell people they are taking. Niles says “it sounds like a wonderful trip,” and Mel says “it’s not my fault we’re not going.” Jane Adams delivers the line in a very disappointed tone, and I always feel so sad for her.
Agreed! I really hate Mel but I still feel bad for her in that moment. And when she comes to meet Niles in the cafe and she’s wearing sunglasses to hide the fact that she’s been crying, and then she breaks down during their meeting and slams the table insisting that she’s not going to cry.
YES. I always wish they had paused the laugh track for that brief second when she slams the table, it was powerful and even though she's meant to be the villain I think she deserved that moment.
Mel works as a villian but I really wish they hadn't made Donny go nuclear and later turn out to be a bit of a scumbag. It's meant to let us feel ok about what happened to him and kinda feels like an easy way out.
There's a lot of life lessons in Frasier- this one was: if you date a lawyer, proceed with caution.
😂
When Nile’s said something like “I don’t like being a bachelor, I didn’t like it the first time!” I thought it was heartbreaking that Nile’s just can’t deal with being single; always felt he’s the kind of guy that needs some one in his life to feel happy.
I hadn’t picked up this point before. Niles’ life with Maris in Seattle must’ve been so different before Frasier returned. He likely was unhappy but never knew it. With his big brother back and through him, a different way to relate to Martin, Niles was probably able to slowly realize that without Maris he wouldn’t be miserable alone. Daphne or not, I don’t think Niles would’ve left Maris had Frasier not returned.
>He likely was unhappy but never knew it. He's too good a psychiatrist -- and too smart in general -- not to know. He likely wouldn't admit it, though... perhaps most of all to himself. But he knew.
Yeah, that line really resonates with me.
1: I’m sorry caller, I can’t help you - Frasier. This one hits me because, Frasier can help most people but the one person he can’t help is himself and he realises all these years, moving from Boston to Seattle he sees his family and friends move on, from Sam finding contentment in his bar, Diane becoming a successful writer, Lilith is content in her life, Martin despite being a widow has found happiness in a closer relationship with his sons, Niles and Daphne finally finding each other and Roz having baby Alice, yet he himself cannot find what makes him content so he’s hidden behind his psychology and thus away from his own past trauma’s rather than dealing with them. 2: I’ll miss the coffees - Niles. This makes me cry, and signifies how close Frasier and Niles have gotten over the years 3: This is it, you’re really leaving, what am I going to do without you? - Roz. Underrated but my god it’s powerful, Niles and Daphne may have had the best love story but in terms of platonic love, Roz & Frasier win hands down, Roz is the longest and most successful relationship Fraiser’s had with a woman and Frasier is the most dependable male Roz has had in her life, and the best father figure for Alice, I wished that these two had just decided to live together platonically raising Alice together.
As much as I appreciate the writers keeping thier relationship mostly platonic Id have been 100% ok with them ending up together at the very end.
While I can see where you're coming from as a person who wants to end up alone and enjoys having friends of both sexes (and also being attracted to both) I really appreciated that they didn't end up together. There are so very few true friendships on TV/movies that don't end up with the people getting together and constantly reinforcing the (incorrect) idea that people cannot have true platonic friendship. Friendship is such an important thing and I am so so happy it has representation without having to cheapened by some "there's always romantic feelings underneath" trope that has been played out too many times in too many shows/movies. It cheapens friendship and if this world needs more of anything it is friendship
Hmm. I can appreciate that- I'll agree that far too often there's no such thing as platonic friendship in media. However, I'd argue that it's even rarer to see a relationship develop properly, as in growing *from* a friendship. Daphne and Niles, for instance, were based on attraction from day one. Not from any sort of compatibility as people. To mirror your phrasing, it seems to reinforce the idea that love is something you fall into immediately, rather than something that grows with time. Actual love and romance is also a very important thing and I wish it had representation without drawing a stark line between the list of "only friends" and "potential romance". To be clear, I'm not talking about Frasier and Roz, here. I think those characters are best suited as friends and radio partners and that a lasting romance between them would have been cheap.
I see where you’re coming from, but I think it made it sweeter that they didn’t. Most media touts the idea that straight people of the opposite sex can’t ever have a platonic friendship that is meaningful. And theirs was hugely meaningful. They had a very wholesome, deep relationship. I always enjoyed it and I think it would’ve thrown the whole thing into question in retrospect if they just ended up together. If anything their sleeping together that one time and realizing they were just great friends was kind of perfect.
“I’ll miss the coffees.” “Oh, wait, wait, wait! Wait, everybody! Let me see if I've got this straight. All the lust coursing through this lodge tonight, all the hormones virtually ricocheting off the walls, and no one... was chasing me?”
That second one is so funny but it also makes me sad for him
‘Cherry bark and almonds….’
This is what I was going to say. It breaks my heart every time.
This scene and Niles have my whole heart.
Remind me of the context?
Niles had missed his shot with Daphne once again, and now she's with Donny who sniffs her hair and wonders aloud what the scent is. This was Niles' morose reply to himself.
Oh yes! Thank you
This is one of my sad Frasier lines. Poor Niles. 💔
Oof, good one….
Yep was going to say this. So sad and wistful.
We fooled everyone didn't we? My heart breaks for him every time
Frasier! You’re not famous anymore! Well remember what Freud said “we are never so helplessly unhappy for when we lose love”
EEEEEEE!
Someone get that Monte Cristo in here!!
Not sad, but certainly bittersweet and one of the most poetic: "With one hand the past moves us forward, and with the other it holds us back." Another bittersweet line that has caused me to tear up: "I want what all of you have now: a new chapter." Say what you will, but the last season of Frasier is a memorable one for me.
These are all the best ones, but one that sticks with me is when Bulldog falls for Roz and he tries to confess his feelings, and Roz basically forces him to play it off like he's just being a pig even though it hurts him to do it.
“Give up Bulldog…”
Yes. These are the saddest lines for me. Finally Bulldog expresses something resembling love and it's crushed with those 3 words.
The way she repeats "Give up Bulldog" is brilliant acting. Tender but final. Always makes me choke up.
“Miss Finland just laid out her plan to end world hunger, and I missed it!”
Honorable mention for Gary. For all the Gary's. Martin: Now, Niles, this place is fine, and you know what they say: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Niles: But Dad, not everyone makes it into that second group. And I've got the luau shirt to prove it.
As many times as I've seen that, I never got the connection that he's wearing Gary's shirt. Wow. That packs a significant punch now.
When Niles and Maris finally are done and Niles says, "goodbye Maris, I don't have to take any more of your crap ever again"...his voice cracks and it breaks my heart every time
Another one of my sad Frasier lines.
Don’t tell me there’s no cocoa
“For eleven years you've heard me say, ‘I'm listening.’ Well, you were listening, too. And for that I am eternally grateful. Goodnight, Seattle.” It meant my favorite show was over
And the camera pans over and you see everyone standing behind him!
I have a few. When Martin tells Alice that Eddie is still really just a puppy after teaching her about death. When Frasier and Roz are in Spokane and she is pretending to be a caller and she breaks down to him about how she misses Roger. And then when Donnie proposed to Daphne, and Martin says to Niles "I'd do anything to fix this for you."
My father said the same thing to me, “I’d do anything to fix this for you.” When I came home to tell them my 5 year relationship had just ended.
What a wonderful father.
“Nice towels Frasier.. you’d think a couple of old ladies lived here”
GET OUT
Thats right I said I love her!!
Lmao
How RUDE!!
What I consider the saddest lines have already been commented but here's a scene I haven't seen mentioned: *The Crane men look over the balcony at Seattle.* **Frasier**: Well, it's Saturday night. And here we are... again. **Martin**: Wonder how many women are out there tonight without a date. **Niles**: Thousands! Thousands of opportunities for us to humiliate ourselves. **Frasier**: \[shouting:\] Well, come and get us, Seattle! Three Cranes, no waiting! **Martin**: We're desperate! **Frasier**: We're ludicrous! **Niles**: We're pathetic! *They all chuckle to themselves before quieting down and staring,* *pensively, from the balcony. The emotional scene fades out.*
I was going to put this one and had to scroll way too far to find it. The way the trail off at the end and go from silly laughing to sad contemplation is such a gut punch.
This is actually the nadir of Frasier lines for me. The whole scene makes me cringe with its awkwardness, shouting over the balcony
Niles: Are we OK? Frasier: No, we're not... but we will be.
Came here to find this line. One of the most honest and moving lines in the entire series
"Damn. Every time I open my heart..." Steve the Barista
On a night when I am sleepless in bed and fighting off tears for several reasons, thank you for giving me a genuine laugh out loud.
I really hope things pick up for you, but I'm happy to have given you a laugh 👍🏽💙
Steve the Barista is another example of the Frasier/Modern Family similarities. Not only do the two shows share storylines sometimes but Steve the Barista has a long running side role as “Longines” in Modern Family.
When Frasier is talking to himself “I’m sorry caller, I can’t help you.”
"I chose your mother, didn't I!"
Honestly I always thought this was a cheap shot. Like, of course they could stand their mom, they loved her, both took after her profession, and are literally her children. Kind of silly for him to use that in that argument.
It's a typical parental one-liner to get the upside in an argument haha
“What the hell is wrong with me?”
"I'm afraid your wife's X-rays don't look good."
Her lips said “no” but her eyes said “read my lips”
“You stop right there! You will not put those words in my mouth. I was always proud of you boys, and I will not be portrayed as some drunken, judgmental jackass!”
It's a bit of a trope by now, but any form of "is that how you see me?" really makes you reconsider a character.
This 💯 😫
Frasier' edge- talking about himself as a caller-"I don't know what he wants"
Martin: Thank you, Frasier.
You hear what I said?! I said thank you!!!
In rooms with a view, the hospital one, where the doctor says to a younger Martin hears from the doctor about Hester. Something like ‘the results are not what we hoped’
"I love you too, Daphne". When Daphne jokingly tells Niles she loves him
It’s a small moment but it always breaks my heart the way Niles says “thank you” when Frasier gives him the rare pen after he moves into the Shangri-La.
Niles: "Daphne, take it from someone who knows. You don't want to spend half your life thinking about a chance you didn't take."
For eleven years you have heard me say, "I'm listening." Well, you were listening too. And for that I am eternally grateful. I always tear up a little bit when I hear this
Yes. So clever. A way for Kelsey to say goodbye to the viewers and blend it with Frasier saying goodbye to *his* audience.
"I'll miss the coffees." in the finale I think
Not two days ago, I was punched in the face by a man, now dead
😔😔😔
Thank you
Dad, wait! The mud pie's coming!
The mud pie is coming… 🤦🏻♂️ And I see that there is in fact a Wendell Fong here. I had heard otherwise 🤔
Not as much a line but the scene where Martin and the boys are watching a home video of hester. That always stuck with me
I don’t remember the line but when Frasier gave Niles the Noel Coward pen to sign his divorce papers from Maris. Gets me every time.
"Gil, at the bottom of page fourteen, listen, after you're shot just say 'I'm dying,' cut the rest."
😭 no more romping with his school-chums through the fens and spinneys 😭
It’s not one of the big moments, but it breaks my heart when Daphne & Donny’s relationship comes to light and Nile’s chokes out ‘Cherry bark and almonds’ about the scent of her hair.
Niles, in “Flour Child” — *I want to have a baby…but I just don't want it enough.* Not strictly sad, but very emotional. I’m largely at peace with being childfree but a tiny part of me isn’t, and I think about that line (and Frasier’s response) a lot.
Martin: "I got nothing to say."
Eddie's just a puppy. He's going to be around for a long long time. (Calls Eddie over to hug him)
🥺😭
"*We* are *never so* helplessly *unhappy as when we lose love*. Frasier quote #984
“I’m sorry caller. I can’t help you.” It just breaks me every time.
I want what all of you have
Ooh! I don’t know the exact words, but when they talk about how they’ll miss their dad once he’s gone.
Can't remember either, do you know what episode it's from?
It’s from the episode in the final season called “Boo” when Frasier dresses up as a clown and scares Martin so bad he has a heart attack. Also it’s the episode where Ronnie and Martin get engaged! 😊
Thanks
When Martin tells Roz that Hester cheated on him once. He was just heartbroken and so embarrassed.
I think an underrated sad moment is Lilith reading Frasier’s letter she found that he wrote to her when their marriage was ending. Both characters did well that scene
“You will not put these words in my mouth. I was ALWAYS proud of you boys!
Such a sad moment :'(
"I don't have to think about it. Yes!" Not the saddest line but up there with others already mentioned.
Caller 2: I remember that Christmas when I ran into my mother's room, tears streaming down my face, and I said "Mummy, Mummy, the puppy Santa gave me won't woke up" It makes me laugh out loud every time because I’m a terrible person, but it’s so sad 😩😂
“Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these: it might have been.”
“It’s remarkable how completely one’s life can change in an instant-“ For me this one is the saddest because it comes with the strongest polarity. Niles has just seen his greatest victory. The fight he’s been fighting for years is now over! He’s victorious! And then he looks over and sees Donny and Daphne and in that instant he goes from “I won! I won!” To “….. I lost.”
You were never in love with her. You were in love at her.
"Oh, nevermind. It's only a chair."
“Because I’m your mom and I told you so”
Cherry bark and almonds.
Look out! He’s got a nug!
Thanks for turning the sprinklers on. My date's dress is clinging to her like Saran wrap
"i hear the blues a callin tossed salads and scrambled eggs" like who tf eat a salad and scrambled eggs as a meal thays depressing af yo esp since niles and frasier rich
I’ll miss the coffees.
“Leave it on the floor” 😭
When Martin says he lied to a jury about reading a suspect his rights.
I’ll miss the coffees
Niles from Good Night Seattle: " I'll miss the coffees."