Creators
David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee
Cast
Kelsey Grammer………Dr. Frasier Crane
David Hyde Pierce………Dr. Niles Crane
John Mahoney………Martin Crane
Peri Gilpin………Roz Doyle
Jane Leeves………Daphne Moon
DVD Release Date: December 11, 2007
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 528 Minutes on 4 discs
The Show
Let me first catch you up rather quickly. Although, if you don’t know who Frasier Crane is by now, then you probably shouldn’t be checking out the tenth season of his show. Dr. Frasier Crane used to be a regular at the bar called Cheers and later would have his own series. It shows the good doctor living the good life as a radio psychiatrist. He lives with his elderly father Martin Crane and housekeeper Daphne. Frasier’s brother Niles is a cut from exactly the same cloth and has a deep love affection for Daphne. Roz is Frasier’s assistant and producer on the radio show and also ends up in a lot of the strange situations the others get into.
For a series that is centered on the mental stability of people being treated by a doctor that has even more serious problems, it is extremely funny. Perhaps that type of thing shouldn’t be seen as amusing but you just can’t help but laugh at the predicaments the Cranes and their closest friends get themselves into. Niles in particular is downright hilarious in his extremely nervous way of dealing with all that life brings him. This is a season that fans of the series will truly enjoy as Niles and Daphne’s relationship is featured predominately. The couple finally ties the knot by eloping. Then they do it again and again and again.
Other incredibly funny moments from this season include Frasier and Niles both learning how to ride bikes. Quite amazing that psychiatrists can sit down and help evaluate the problems people are going through in their lives but never learned how to make it down the street on a ten-speed. Bob Hoskins also guest stars in the episode entitled “Trophy Girlfriend” for some real side-splitting times. Frasier has a new girlfriend that happens to be a gym instructor, but his past comes to haunt him when all he can see before him is the gym teacher (Hoskins) that tormented him when he was younger.
This season certainly isn’t without its much more serious moments either as Niles gets a big scare when he finds out he is having some problems with his heart. A three-episode arc takes the entire Crane family and their loved ones through the good times and the possibly bad as Niles has surgery and learns a new way to look at life. It doesn’t change him completely as that would take away from the charm that is Niles, but he seems to get much more determined in knowing what he wants out of his life. The drama continues later on as Roz may finally be leaving the radio station and moving on with her life. As if things weren’t complicated enough for Frasier, his ex-wife Lilith returns and has a huge favor to ask of him. She wishes to have him make a certain donation so that she can have another child. While this is a very serious request, it isn’t without a funny path to the final outcome.
The tenth season of Frasier is not the last, but is the last one to be released on DVD. Season eleven, the final season, was released on DVD in 2004 when the series aired its last episode. For someone that didn’t care at all for Cheers, Frasier has become one of my all time favorite sitcoms. It takes away all the annoying aspects that made Cheers so popular to millions and adds in a lot more intelligence, humor, and drama. It not only is able to entertain you but it makes you think all at the same time. In a weird way, each episode teaches a lesson much in the same way The Brady Bunch used to but on a much more adult level.
Episodes
Disc One:
The Ring Cycle
Enemy At The Gate
Proxy Prexy
Kissing Cousin
Tales From The Crypt
Star Mitzvah
Disc Two:
Bristle While You Work (Part 1)
Rooms With A View (Part 2)
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (Part 3)
We Two Kings
Door Jam
The Harassed
Disc Three:
Lilith Needs A Favor
Daphne Does Dinner
Trophy Girlfriend
Fraternal Schwinns
Kenny On The Couch
Roe To Perdition
Disc Four:
Some Assembly Required
Farewell, Nervosa
The Devil And Dr. Phil
Fathers And Sons
Analyzed Kiss
A New Position For Roz
The Video
The episodes are shown in Full Screen format and all look as if they’ve made a good transition to DVD. Brighter colors look sharp for as little as there are. The darker colors blend nicely and everything is good.
The Audio
The episodes are heard in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Sound and with nothing but dialogue to pass along each episode, all sounds fine. You aren’t going to find any real problems here although it doesn’t appear as if any sound has been remastered and what not. Not that it needs to be for this series.
Special Features
None
The Inside Pulse
As hard as it was to watch the final episode air some three years ago, it’s just as hard to let go of the series that has entertained me for so long. I’ve seen every episode that was ever created for Frasier and now I hate knowing nothing new will ever come from the good doctor. Still, I’ll always have the different season sets to look back on and enjoy whenever I need a good laugh or to be taught something about life. It really is rather disappointing not seeing some kind of special features here. Even the Seinfeld gang got together to produce a few interviews and retrospectives about the series. You figure that Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce could have come back and done maybe a commentary or two. The lack of special features here means that the final season is the only DVD set to include any at all and even those were just short featurettes. Frasier is so good that it needs nothing added to it, but call me greedy because I would have liked something at least. It has been a fantastic ride and not only did Seattle benefit from your advice but so did the entire world. Good night Dr. Crane.
