"Frasier" Can't Buy Me Love (1994)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

James Burrows

Writers:

David Angell (creator)
Peter Casey (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Frasier" (1993)

Original Air Date:

20 January 1994 (Season 1, Episode 14)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Frasier and Bulldog participate in a bachelor auction to benefit Martin's police association. Frasier is "bought" by a model...

Plot Keywords:

Psychiatrist | Radio | Apartment | Seattle Washington | Dating

Cast

Kelsey Grammer	...	Dr. Frasier Crane
Jane Leeves	...	Daphne Moon
David Hyde Pierce	...	Dr. Niles Crane
Peri Gilpin	...	Roz Doyle
John Mahoney	...	Martin Crane
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ashley Bank	...	Renata Harper
Dan Butler	...	Bob 'Bulldog' Briscoe
Shawna Casey	...	Stage Manager
Ken Levine	...	M.C. (voice)
Brett Miller	...	T.J.
Claire Stansfield	...	Kristina Harper

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:PG

Trivia:

The title is from the Beatles' song of the same name.

Quotes:

[Niles watches Martin working out a chess problem]
Niles: Uh-uh.
[Martin reaches for another piece]
Niles: Mmm-mmm.
Martin: All right, what would you do?
Niles: Well, for starters, I'd take that corn-nut off the board.
Martin: That corn-nut's my bishop. Eddie ate the real one.
Niles: In that case, Corn-nut to Rook Seven.

Movie Connections:

References Can't Buy Me Love (1987)

My least favorite 1st season Fraiser

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

In this episode, Frasier agrees to take part in a celebrity bachelor auction. He is "bought" by a model, whom he invites to his apartment for a home cooked meal. The model shows up for their date and informs him she has to run off to a shoot. She then asks Fraiser if he will sit for her 12 year old daughter while she is away. Fraiser reluctantly agrees. While she is gone the daughter tells Frasier stories about how vain and self-centered her mother is. The daughter's stories turn him against her mother. When the model returns (with a off-screen friend to take over sitting for her daughter) Fraiser confronts her. The model reveals to Frasier that everything her daughter has said is a lie and storms out, annoyed, and we are supposed to feel this is some sort of tragedy.

Overall, I found little to like in this episode. Not only is the model not terribly attractive, she shows incredibly poor judgement by leaving her daughter with a man she does not even know. To make it worse, she is not surprised that her daughter has been lying about her, suggesting that she does this a lot. In that case, why does she set herself up like she did? The bottom line is, we are supposed to feel for Fraiser blowing his date with her. Instead we feel relieved, because even if she is not as bad as her daughter describes, she is still rather stupid and foolish.

The episode gets 2 stars for one amusing scene. Bulldog participates in the auction as well, and Daphne gets talked into offering the sole bid for him. While on their date he tries to get her sauced on champagne, and the results are very amusing, the only real amusement the episode has to offer.