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Frasier Season 4 Episodes
Season 4 Episode Guide
23 Episodes 1996 - 1997
Episode 1
The Two Mrs. Cranes
Tue, Sep 17, 199630 mins
Daphne's ex-fiancé calls her asking to see her. She tells Frasier and Martin that despite not being impressed by his lack of ambition, she was unable to break up with him and told him that if they were both still single after a certain amount of time, maybe they could get back together. When he shows up, she says she's married to Niles.
Episode 2
Love Bites Dog
Tue, Sep 24, 199623 mins
Things do not go as planned when Frasier agrees to let Roz set him up on a blind date. Pleasantly surprised by the beautiful woman she chose, Frasier is anxious to get to know her - until Bulldog competes for her attention too. Meanwhile, after ruining Martin's favourite shoes, Daphne searches to replace the hard-to-find footwear. Also, Niles realises he needs more patients to make ends meet and considers placing an ad in a local publication.
Episode 3
The Impossible Dream
Tue, Oct 15, 199622 mins
Frasier has been having a recurring dream, one where he wakes up in a cheap hotel room. He has a tattoo on his arm that says "Chesty" and he's obviously not alone as someone is in the shower. Frasier waits in anticipation but is shocked when Gil Chesterton steps out wrapped in a towel. He begins to obsess over what it means and gets a variety of opinions. Niles of course searches for a scientific explanation. Martin thinks he's wasting his time as dreams don't ever make any sense. Roz thinks the whole situation is hilarious and Daphne thinks it has to do with fish. None of it helps Frasier.
Episode 4
A Crane's Critique
Tue, Oct 22, 199623 mins
From an outdoor table at the Cafe Nervosa, Frasier and Niles spy someone they recognise across the street. The man is T.H. Houghton (Robert Prosky), an author they idolised from childhood, whose one and only work was a landmark novel called Time Flies Tomorrow. They try to seize the opportunity to speak to him, depositing their father at a nearby sports bar, where he begins to watch the Mariners game. They return later to find him conversing with T. H. Houghton himself. It transpires that he is visiting Seattle and knows few people, but has much in common with Martin. He also hates talking about his work. These two truths prove a source of great frustration for Frasier and Niles, with increasing frequency as Martin and Houghton spend more time together. Then one day, Martin has plans to go to a Mariners game with Houghton, but when he calls round to Frasier's apartment first, he accidentally leaves his satchel behind. It contains a manuscript of his new book, The Chameleon's Song. When they discover this, Frasier and Niles cannot resist the temptation to read it, but are unable to cover their tracks before Martin and Houghton return. Martin is furious and embarrassed, but Houghton's reaction is ultimately not what any of them expect.
Episode 5
Head Game
Tue, Nov 12, 199623 mins
Frasier is about to spend a week in Aspen at a psychiatrists' convention, and he asks Niles to stand in for him at KACL. Niles has always had a scornful attitude towards radio psychiatry, and initially refuses, but Frasier calls in a favour, reminding him of a previous occasion when he endured a gruesome evening at the opera with Maris' sister, Brie. The first show Niles does is an embarrassing experience for him, though Roz finds it very entertaining. While making way for Bulldog in the studio, Niles meets a basketball player called Reggie, who is having trouble maintaining his focus during the game. Niles gives him two minutes' worth of advice in the corridor, and later that day Martin sees Reggie win a game for the Sonics on television. Niles is hailed as a hero in Seattle, and given VIP tickets to the next game, but he soon discovers that it was not his psychiatric expertise that Reggie believes helped him; it was his hair.
Episode 6
Mixed Doubles
Tue, Nov 19, 199623 mins
When Daphne breaks up with her contractor boyfriend, Niles thinks this may be his opportunity to declare his feelings for her. Unfortunately, Frasier convinces him that he will only be setting himself up for pain - because it's obvious he's not Daphne's type. As Niles hesitates, romance blossoms on another front for both Daphne and himself.
Episode 7
A Lilith Thanksgiving
Tue, Nov 26, 199630 mins
Niles' plans for a 'rustic' thanksgiving retreat for the family (complete with mints on the pillows) are scuppered when Lilith arranges a meeting for Thanksgiving morning, with the headmaster of the Marbury Academy, a very exclusive school, with the aim of getting Frederick in. As a result, the family goes to Boston. Daphne visits her transvestite uncle Jackie (who is a minister of some sort) while Roz is housesitting for Frasier. Lilith leaves Niles in charge of preparing the Thanksgiving meal, and Martin in charge of entertaining Frederick, while she and Frasier go to meet Dr. Campbell. Things start to go wrong at both ends: once at Dr. Campbell's house, Frasier damages a valuable chair; meanwhile, Frederick sustains some injuries while playing with Martin. Frasier and Lilith return home, but then become over-anxious to ingratiate themselves, and go back to Dr. Campbell on the pretext of looking for a missing earring. Dr. Campbell finds their persistence increasingly irritating, but this just makes them more determined, even to the point of bribery. All the while, they never notice the numerous ailments that Frederick has acquired in their absence.
Episode 8
Our Father Whose Art Ain't Heaven
Mon, Dec 9, 199623 mins
When Martin feels guilty that Frasier and Niles are always providing for him, he buys them each a gift. Unfortunately, Martin's taste differs dramatically from that of his sons. Also, Niles competes for guests with his estranged wife Maris when they both plan a party for the same day.
Episode 9
Dad Loves Sherry, the Boys Just Whine
Tue, Jan 7, 199723 mins
Niles meets Frasier at Café Nervosa to hear bad news: Maureen (Jane Kaczmarek), Martin's girlfriend, intends to break up with Martin as she feels they have nothing in common. Niles himself has better news to share: he has won an award for an article he has written about a narcissistic opera singer, but is nervous about bringing Martin to the awards dinner, as he fears Martin will embarrass him in front of his friends and colleagues with tales from his childhood. Martin, as it turns out, reacts to the break-up extremely well: having come to the same conclusion as Maureen, he has in fact found another woman, Sherry (Marsha Mason), whom he has been seeing. Later, at his birthday celebrations, Daphne, Niles and Frasier meet Sherry. It soon transpires that, whilst incredibly friendly and sociable, she is loud, boisterous and brash, and to make matters worse, plays the banjo. Frasier and Niles soon take a disliking to her, but nevertheless pretend to like her for the sake of Martin's feelings; however, as spending time in her company gradually becomes more straining for both of them, they realize that they will have to confront Martin about her. Niles, initially, is quick to back out of the responsibility and leave Frasier to shoulder the burden (and Martin's anger) all by himself. However, he soon learns that Martin intends to bring Sherry as his date to Niles' awards ceremony.
Episode 10
Liar! Liar!
Tue, Jan 14, 199723 mins
A discussion of the moral balance of polite lying leads to the recollection of a transgression the boys perpetrated against a bully in high school. They pulled a fire alarm to avoid P.E. class and blamed the other student, who was summarily expelled. Frasier feels guilt over the damage he caused, although Niles insists that the man would have been expelled sooner or later. The brothers' attempts to contact and reconcile with the man, only to discover that he is a convict. While visiting him, Frasier convinces both himself and the man that his expulsion led directly to his current situation. Frasier also learns that the man possesses a violent temper, and so doesn't tell him the full story of his expulsion. However, his guilt persists, and he decides to assuage it by smoothing over the bully's troubled marriage. Frasier meets with the man's wife, who says that their marital problems are caused by her sexual interest in danger, and then molests Frasier just before her husband arrives. Frasier hides from the violent ex-con in his apartment, then uses his lighter to activate the room's smoke alarm so that he might escape.
Episode 11
Three Days of the Condo
Tue, Jan 21, 199722 mins
Frasier installs an antique Japanese door knocker, but receives a note from Ms. Langer (the head of the condo board) stating that his door knocker violates the building code and is instructed to take it down immediately. So he attends a condo board meeting to explain the situation.
Episode 12
Death and the Dog
Tue, Feb 11, 199723 mins
When Eddie becomes lethargic and refuses to eat, Daphne and Martin try everything to perk him up. Much to the amusement of Frasier and Niles, Martin calls an animal psychiatrist (guest star Zeljko Ivanek) to consult with the dog. Also, Roz meets a handsome young doctor who is a bit too knowledgeable about the female persuasion.
Episode 13
Four for the Seesaw
Tue, Feb 18, 199723 mins
Frasier and Niles share a table at a busy Cafe Nervosa with two women, Beth Armstrong and Laura Paris. The women are kitchen designers which the Crane boys find just fascinating. It leads to them going out on a double date and when Martin is unable to use a mountain cabin he's rented for the weekend, the four of them decide to go. The men fret over the sleeping arrangements to the point that neurotic Niles can't do anything until he gets the okay from Maris. It all drives Frasier crazy and ruins the weekend.
Episode 14
To Kill a Talking Bird
Tue, Feb 25, 199730 mins
Frasier has been striking out a lot lately and decides to give up the dating game. Niles has moved into a swank new apartment however and Frasier takes an interest in one of his new neighbors, Stephanie. Frasier invites her to a dinner party Niles is having but his new pet cockatoo latches on to his scalp and won't let go. Frasier tries to keep the guests occupied but the bird has a few choice comments about the guests, which brings the party to an abrupt end.
Episode 15
Roz's Krantz & Gouldenstein Are Dead
Tue, Mar 11, 199723 mins
Roz serves her community service sentence - the result of a traffic ticket - by assisting in a retirement home where she quickly earns the nickname 'Angel of Death'. While accompanying her on a visit, Frasier meets an interesting older gentleman who was inspired by Frasier to commemorate his wife in a special way. Meanwhile, Niles invites his estranged wife to be his date for a wedding.
Episode 16
The Unnatural
Tue, Apr 1, 199723 mins
Frasier's son, Frederick, is visiting him in Seattle for the week. He has requested a tour of Microsoft, which Frasier is having difficulty organising. He remembers that Roz used to date a Microsoft executive, and hopes she can help, but it turns out that he resigned soon after Roz dumped him. While on a tour of KACL, Frederick meets Bulldog, who is in need of another player to join the KACL softball team. Not wanting to disillusion the boy, Bulldog claims that Frasier is an expert softball player, but that he is unavailable for the next game because of the Microsoft tour. Frederick promptly informs his father that he no longer wants to visit Microsoft; rather, he wants to see Frasier play in the softball game. This leaves Frasier with, as he sees it, only one option: he must learn to play. Meanwhile, Niles is having some trouble dealing with the fact that Frederick has a crush on Daphne, and she enjoys spending time with him.
Episode 17
Roz's Turn
Tue, Apr 15, 199730 mins
When Roz decides to audition for her own radio show, Frasier casually mentions to his agent Bebe that his show wouldn't be the same without Roz producing it. Misconstruing Frasier's remarks, Bebe takes charge of the situation in an effort to keep her client happy.
Episode 18
Ham Radio
Tue, Apr 22, 199723 mins
On KACL's 50th anniversary, Frasier is assigned the task of directing an old Agatha Christie-like radio drama, "Nightmare Inn". Unfortunately, very much like Niles predicts, the performance takes a disastrous turn when Roz's mouth is Novacained, Bulldog gets stage fright, a monologue from Gil's role is cut out and Niles needs to replace the actor portraying six different accents.
Episode 19
Three Dates and a Breakup
Tue, Apr 29, 199760 mins
Frasier is hosting a benefit evening for the Seattle Theatre Ensemble, and he has managed to secure tickets for an ice skating event so that he can get Martin and Sherry out of the way. Niles is reluctant to attend unless he has an assurance that there will be available women there. Once at the benefit, he makes several unsuccessful attempts to flirt with the women, using an expression that makes him look more like he has eaten something unpleasant. Meanwhile, Frasier is approached by three attractive women in the course of the evening, and each one gives him her number. He therefore finds himself with a three-day weekend coming up and a date on each day, and spends some time gloating to Niles and Roz. However when the first date comes on the Friday night, everything is going well with Frasier claiming to be a dog-lover and an vegetarian only for Martin and Sherry to come back and Sherry to reveal that Frasier loves veal and he locked Eddie in a back-room, bringing the date to an abrupt end. The next morning, Martin picks a fight with Sherry and breaks-up with her. This combined with Martin's reaction (acting like it doesn't matter and that it was a long-time coming) leave Frasier worried. As Frasier and Niles celebrate the break-up, Martin seems happy enough as well despite Daphne's insistence he is upset. That evening, Frasier has his second date however Sherry comes by to pick up her banjo and ends up accidentally ruining two dates in a row by revealing that Frasier had another date the previous night and the second date leaves. Sherry is confused, and ends up confiding in Frasier that the night before the break-up the two declared their love for each other. Despite his own relief that she will not be around his apartment all the time any more, Frasier cannot work out why the break-up happened, nor how his father can take it so well. Despite Niles's encouraging Frasier to keep out of it, Frasier cannot let it lie and tries to talk to Martin about the break-up. Sherry calls by to drop something off, just before Frasier's third date arrives. Despite his worry that Sherry will wreck this date, Frasier continues trying to get to the bottom of Martin's feelings and finds out that the break-up was due to Martin's guilt over falling in love with someone else other than his late wife. Frasier tells him of a time when Hester assured Frasier it was possible to fall in love with more than one person, and helps Martin through his issues. As a result, Martin and Sherry get back together and Frasier and his date leave for the restaurant only to be followed by the two. As Sherry talks to Frasier's date, Frasier leaves the apartment with feelings of dread.
Episode 20
Daphne Hates Sherry
Tue, May 6, 199723 mins
A heat wave is sweeping Seattle, Frasier is recovering from the flu and in no mood to help anyone, Sherry is staying over with Martin more frequently, and she and Daphne are finding themselves embroiled in minor clashes over Martin's breakfast. Over the day, the tension between Daphne and Sherry continues to rise: irritated by Sherry's constant undermining of her attempts to get Martin to do his exercises and eat healthier food, Daphne is in a sour enough mood when she receives a phone call from a complete stranger, asking her out on a date. When she finds that Sherry has been giving her phone number to strangers to try to set her up, Daphne is furious at this unwelcome intrusion into her life, and the two women are soon engaged in a heated argument. In the end, Daphne storms out of the apartment, and unable to stay with friends, she is forced to try Niles' apartment, and Niles is thunderstruck when she asks to stay the night he faints. He is more than willing to accommodate Daphne, but his apartment is scorching hot, and following the argument, Daphne reflects that she has been without sex for some time.
Episode 21
Are You Being Served?
Tue, May 13, 199723 mins
Niles is in good spirits; his separation from Maris could soon be over, as he is suggesting marriage guidance counselling. Unfortunately, a courier arrives with ill tidings: Maris has served Niles with divorce papers. Niles appears to take this bombshell with remarkable calm, but his façade of cool disintegrates rapidly as he attempts to call Maris and beg her to take him back. Frasier reminds him not to allow her to push him around any more, which was the reason for the separation in the first place. While Daphne unsuccessfully attempts to throw out a box of old rubbish belonging to Martin, Frasier and Niles discover an old journal belonging to their late mother, which details with remarkable accuracy what appears to be the relationship between the brothers. Niles is shaken by his mother's assertion that he "constantly allows himself to be cowed and dominated, especially by females", and at this point reveals that he has not signed the divorce papers, but instead sent them back with a grovelling letter. Fortunately, Maris is out of town until later that day, so the brothers break into her house, only to be trapped by Maris' new Dobermans. They retrieve the letter before she reads it, but Niles discovers that Maris is already removing him from her life, even having a painting they'd posed for together edited to replace him with a tree. Before escaping, determined not to be pushed around any more, Niles signs the divorce papers. However, another glance through their mother's notes reveals something very significant about the case study: the Frasier and Niles described are laboratory rats.
Episode 22
Ask Me No Questions
Tue, May 20, 199730 mins
When Niles casually asks Frasier if he thinks Niles and Maris are meant for each other, the older sibling carefully contemplates the question and even does a bit of research. Also, Daphne upsets Martin when she surprises him with a special gift.
Episode 23
Odd Man Out
Tue, May 27, 199730 mins
Frasier has reservations at an Italian restaurant for dinner, to celebrate Roz's birthday. She tells him she has a date, so he offers the opportunity to Niles (who has plans with Maris), then Martin (who has plans with Sherry), then finally Daphne (who has a date). In the end, he turns up to the restaurant alone, and can hardly help feeling self-conscious when surrounded by couples, especially when one couple stand up and announce their engagement. The biggest disaster is when a startled waiter spills his Cabernet over his shirt. He returns home after dinner feeling depressed about being forty-three and single. However, he finds a possible solution in a very unlikely place: his answering machine contains two messages from a woman called Laura, who is flying to Seattle that evening to meet her sister, and has called his number by mistake. He also learns from the messages that she speaks French, plays the cello, and has been on her own too much recently. Encouraged by Daphne, he makes a snap decision and heads, exhilarated, to the airport, only to find that Laura is happily married.