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The Movie: Already suffering from the loss of "Friends", NBC also lost the long-running and award-winning "Frasier", which focused on Kelsey Grammer's 20-year-old Dr. Frasier Crane character, which originally appeared on "Cheers". Grammer's performance on that show turned a character that was originally supposed to be short-lived into a permanent position. "Frasier" joined Dr. Crane with brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce), as well as their father, former police officer Martin (John Mahoney), who remained baffled at the more refined tastes of his sons. Joining the three were Roz (Peri Gilpin), Frasier's producer for his radio program and Daphne (Jane Leeves), the housemaid who takes care of Martin. As the final season rolled around, Niles and Daphne were happily married, if occasionally running into issues. Frasier continued to seek out romance, eventually finding love as the season came to a close. The final shows of the series may not have hit the heights of the best episodes of the show's run, but there were certainly some highlights. The pairing of "Maris Returns" and "Murder Most Maris" drags Niles back into the drama of his ex-wife, although the second episode is somewhat funnier than the first (see Frasier's mistaken outburst to the press when Niles gets in trouble due to Maris.) "The Doctor Is Out" had Frasier being mistaken for gay, then he has his sights set on him by a theater director (Patrick Stewart) who Frasier's a fan of - making fun of Frasier in their coffee shop, Pierce's Niles has some hilarious lines. "Frasier Lite" has Frasier's office competing in a weight-loss contest at a local network, but Frasier is not "The Biggest Loser" of the bunch. "Match Game" starts Frasier's flirtation and eventual romance (Niles to Frasier: "Do you get a discount if she sets you up with herself...a floor model sort of thing?") with dating service owner Charlotte (Laura Linney). While some of the shows infrequently seem familiar after all these seasons, the show often comes up with inspired new stories for the characters. The chemistry between the actors is still certainly present, and the characters are brought to a solid wrap by these largely successful final hours of this terrific series. 1. No Sex Please, We're Skittish 2. A Man, a Plan and a Gal: Julia 3. The Doctor Is Out 4. The Babysitter 5. The Placeholder 6. I'm Listening 7. Maris Returns (1) 8. Murder Most Maris (2) 9. Guns N' Neuroses 10. Sea Bee Jeebies 11. High Holidays 12. Frasier Lite 13. The Ann Who Came to Dinner 14. Freudian Sleep 15. Caught in the Act 16. Boo! 17. Coots and Ladders 18. Match Game 19. Miss Right Now 20. And Frasier Makes Three 21. Detour 22. Crock Tales 23. Goodnight, Seattle The DVD VIDEO: "Frasier" is presented by Paramount in 1.33:1 full-frame, the show's original broadcast aspect ratio. The picture quality looked very good, as these recent episodes looked crisp and clear, with no noticable instances of softness or inconsistency. Still, while sharpness and definition appeared consistently first-rate, I did encounter some minor issues. A few minor traces of pixelation were spotted a few times, but no edge enhancement was visible. Not surprisingly, no wear or other concerns regarding the source material were seen. Colors appeared bright and warm, with very nice saturation and no smearing. SOUND: "Frasier" is presented here in Dolby 2.0. The show's audio was perfectly fine, if nothing to write home about - not surprising, given the material. Dialogue is nicely balanced with audience chatter and the show's score/theme music. Dialogue seemed well-recorded and easily understood throughout, with no concerns. EXTRAS: Surprisingly, rather little in the way of supplements are included for this final season set of the series. "Observations, Analyses and Goodbyes" is a 16-minute visit with the writers and producers of the series, who discuss what they were trying to attempt with this wrap-up season and avenues they wanted to explore. "Frasier Says Goodbye" is a 13-minute piece that offers interviews with the cast. Overall, these are nice enough features, but I would've liked to have heard more from the cast and creators - a commentary or two would have been appreciated. Final Thoughts: Although there are a few rather uneven episodes, this final season of "Frasier" finds that cast and writers mostly going at full strength, with a lot of great moments. Paramount's set for the final season disappoints in the supplemental section, but audio/video is just fine. Recommended. |