Question: As it turns out, Blaine really was lying again, so why did he offer to hurt his "paralyzed" legs with a butcher knife? (After he used Daphne's brooch, and Frasier said it was a parlor trick.) How could he have pulled that off?
raywest
23rd Jun 2024
Frasier (1993)
22nd Nov 2023
Frasier (1993)
Question: What was the point of Mel being written as having a son? He is barely mentioned.
Answer: It fleshes out her character as being previously married, divorced, and having a child – typical for someone her age. It gave her a backstory.
Niles sees the photo of the adult son and guesses that Mel was young when her son was born. One of her employees scoffs at the comment. The joke is that Mel is probably older than Niles thinks and may have had cosmetic surgery, being in the business herself. Maris was also a few years older than Niles, so it's another way in which Mel is similar to Maris. Frasier later says that she is "Maris all over again".
16th Oct 2023
Frasier (1993)
Frasier Gotta Have It - S5-E19
Question: What does Martin mean when he says Caitlin is a flake?
8th Jun 2020
Frasier (1993)
Question: Why did Niles stay with Maris for so long considering they hint she's horrid. That and why did they never show her?
Answer: Niles did love Maris, but he was very much a pushover who let Maris control his life. He accepted that because of Maris' money and connections, which gave him a very good life.
Answer: I forget exactly, but I believe it's along the lines that Niles enjoyed the social status that being married to her brought him, despite her flaws; it's somewhat akin to someone staying in a bad relationship because the sex is good. As for the second part of your question, the producers were planning to cast someone, but as the show wore on, the writers found they enjoyed writing Maris as an unseen character, and as the descriptions of her became more outlandish and contradictory, it was felt that finding the right actress for the part would next to impossible.
Answer: The other answers accurately explain Niles and Maris' relationship. As to her never being seen, Maris is a version of Norm's wife Vera in "Cheers." Vera remained unseen throughout the entire series, but was often talked about and incorporated into various episodes. It was left to viewers' imagination regarding what she looked like and guessing if she'd ever appear. Vera sort of appeared in one Cheers episode when she was hit by a pie that entirely covered her face. Her voice was also occasionally heard. This same plot device was used in "Frasier."
16th Dec 2020
Frasier (1993)
Question: When Roz pretends to be surprised about Niles and Maris separating, why does Frasier call her "Talulah"?
Answer: It's just one of Frasier's little arcane witticisms. Roz is acting over-the-top surprised (hands on her heart, wide-mouthed gasp, etc.), the way theatre actors and actresses would back in the early 20th century. Tallulah Bankhead was a successful American stage actress of that era, so Frasier is comparing Roz to her after seeing her "performance." He (or, more accurately, whoever wrote the episode) probably chose to reference Bankhead out of all possible actresses because it's an unusual name, unlikely to be confused with some other, non-theatre Tallulah.
Answer: When Roz comes into the scene, she's complaining about Christmas shopping because she says that she never knows what to give the men in her life. Frasier replies, "Since when?", making a sly comment on Roz's sex life. Roz was often teased about having many men in her life (it was a different time back then). When Roz overacts in response to Niles' statement about getting back together with Maris, Frasier says, "That's enough, Tallulah." The reference is to Tallulah Bankhead, a stage and screen actress from the '30s and '40s who was also known for her sexual appetite.
29th Jan 2018
Frasier (1993)
And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon (1) - S8-E1
Question: When Frasier is in Donny's office, Donny says that he will sue Daphne for "breach of contract." How is this possible unless he and Daphne, at some point, created a verbal or written contract, in which Daphne specifically promised to marry him? Is accepting a marriage proposal the same as creating a verbal contract?
Answer: There are U.S. states that still have "breach of promise" tort laws, However, these are generally designed for one party to recoup any financial losses they may have incurred during the engagement (cost of the ring, engagement parties, pre-wedding costs, honeymoon expenses, etc). A party cannot sue for emotional damage, and any claims have to be within a certain time period after the engagement is ended. Donny is just upset, and he is mostly making an idle threat out of anger.
15th Oct 2017
Frasier (1993)
Question: Frasier lets his neighbor's cat stay with him. But in the episode "It's Hard to Say Goodbye If You Won't Leave", he was allergic to cats and could not be near Kate's cat.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: Frasier and the others knew Blaine was bluffing and never would have stabbed his leg with a butcher knife. He likely faked the brooch test by sticking himself where he had some hidden padding under his pants.
raywest ★