Frasier – The Good Father

By starrymag | October 19, 2023

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

 

 

We open at an airport and Alan Cornwall “Corny” (Nicholas Lyndhurst) welcomes Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) back to Boston. Corny asks how his father’s funeral was to which Frasier responds that it was hard, but a beautiful send-off. Then we learn that Frasier wasn’t flying solo as he’s been traveling with Niles’ and Daphne’s son David (Anders Keith). When David catches up with the older men introductions are made and we learn that David, who just started at Harvard, is a bit socially awkward. Corny asks David how his first semester of college is treating him and David says it could be better.

 

Corny shares that as bad it is it can’t be as bad as one of his students who showed up late to class, tripped, spilled coffee all over himself and lost a show. Even worse, someone filmed it and posted it online. Corny is about to show it to David, but then realizes he is the “dolt” in question and changes the subject. Corny points out a lot has changed for Frasier recently: he’s broken up with Charlotte and quit his successful TV talk show. Frasier says it was just time, but he’s excited to give a guest lecture for Corney’s class and see his son Freddy. Also, David notes that he has an eidetic memory, which will come up a few more times.

 

Fraiser goes to surprise his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott) and it’s awkward. Fraiser doesn’t like that Freddy dropped out of Harvard and isn’t impressed with his apartment. Freddy gets annoyed and says he doesn’t want to hear again that he’d make more money if he hadn’t left school. Freddy became a firefighter because he wanted to do something important. Fraiser gets annoyed and says his profession, being a psychiatrist, is important too. This leads to a back-and-forth and Eve (Jess Salgueiro) comes in. She’s as surprised to see him there as he is of her. Frasier assumes that Eve and Freddy are romantically together and wonders why Fraiser never told him about her.

 

When he’s gone Freddy apologizes to Eve for letting his father think they’re together as he just doesn’t know how to explain their setup. They both agree that it’s for the best that John was gone before Frasier arrived. But who is John?

 

Later we see that Frasier’s guest lecture went really well. Corny says that he’s never seen his students so engaged. Olivia (Toks Olagundoye), the head of the psychology department, agrees. She really wants Frasier to join the staff because it’ll make the psych department the Harvard of psych departments, which will help her chances of one day becoming the university’s president. Frasier says he’s flattered but declines because he’s going to Paris for book research.

 

A little while later Olivia joins Frasier and Corny at the bar and they talk about Freddy. Fraiser doesn’t understand why his son doesn’t want to spend time with him. Corny asks if he’s considered that he hates him. Frasier decides that they all have dinner before he heads to Paris and leaves.

 

He goes to Freddy’s apartment right away and pitches his idea about the dinner. Freddy wonders if they can’t do this some other time. Frasier reminds him that he’s getting on a plane to Paris in the morning. Plus, he figures they could spend some time together because Freddy didn’t make it to his grandfather’s funeral and he has stakes for dinner. Very reluctantly he agrees, but it gets complicated quickly. David shows up and decides that he wants to join them for dinner. Then, Eve arrives and is shocked that Frasier and David are there.

 

This triggers a sidebar in the hallway between Eve and Freddy and we finally figure out who John is: a baby. They agree to keep pretending to be a couple, but they’re not clear on how to keep John a secret. Freddy is sure that he’ll never understand the three of them. Inside Frasier and David talk about why Freddy still seems so distant. Then they notice that there are cheerios on the floor and question why Freddy is eating cereal on the couch like an infant. The fixation on the Cheerios gives Eve and Freddy the ability to sneak the baby in without the Cranes noticing.

 

There’s cooking and awkwardness and then Olivia and Corny show up. At first, it’s unexpected, but then they seem to agree the more buffers the better. Corny wants to drink Frasier’s scotch and  Olivia still really wants to convince Frasier to teach at Harvard. When she comments on how much Harvard could use him as a professor, he points out that his Paris trip is set in stone. As far as Olivia is concerned, it’s not over until Frasier is on the plane.

 

Freddy continues trying to get Fraiser to leave and Fraiser continues being sad about it. When Fraiser and Eve have a moment alone they talk a little about the distance between them and Eve tells Frasier that his son is a wonderful man and he’s always been there for “us.” Frasier thanks her for saying that and then goes into the kitchen what Corny, David and Olivia are doing Once he leaves the living room Frasier realizes that Eve said Freddy had always been there for “us.” Then, Corny realizes where he knows Eve from – she’s a waitress who was a student, but she had a baby with a fireman. Frasier is shocked!

 

He can’t believe that Freddy could have a baby without telling him. He says he’s always wanted to be a grandfather. Olivia suggests that he go out there and tell Eve and Freddy that he knows. Frasier thinks torturing them for keeping the baby’s existence from him would be more fun. So, he goes back into the living room and drops a lot of not-so-subtle hints about babies to Eve and Freddy to see them sweat. However, he ends up flat out asking when Eve and Freddy will have children. Freddy awkwardly says they’re not quite ready for babies yet. Frasier says since Freddy is thirty-three years old and Eve is twenty-eight years old, the clock is ticking. Freddy tries to change the subject, but then Frasier demands to see his grandson. Freddy denies knowing what his father is talking about and resents the implication. Then, a baby is heard crying and Freddy says he has something to tell him.

 

Frasier thinks he is ashamed of his girlfriend and baby, but Freddy explains that Eve isn’t his girlfriend. She is his roommate. That means the baby is her’s but not his. Freddy explains that they’re just living together to save money. Frasier says if Freddy is struggling he should’ve said something and Frasier would’ve given him the money. Freddy feels judged and says all roads lead back to Frasier thinking his dropping out of school was a mistake.

 

At that it’s time for a private father-son talk in Freddy’s room. However, we see Corny finally get to drink the expensive wine he’s wanted all night. In Freddy’s room Frasier wants to know why Freddy is pulling away. Freddy doesn’t understand why Frasier is suddenly so interested. They haven’t been close in years according to Freddy because he will never be the person Frasier wanted him to be. He adds that their values are just too different. Fraiser agrees because if their values were the same Freddy would’ve been at his grandfather’s funeral. Frasier’s father had every detail planned and it included Freddy, so how could he miss it? Freddy says it’s because he doesn’t have a family.

 

The larger story behind John and Eve is that Freddy had a fellow firefighter whom he loved like a brother, but he died in a fire before his baby was born. Eve was his girlfriend so he was just trying to be there for them. The time after he died was really hard for Freddy and he didn’t understand why his friend who had so much to live for died. During that time his grandfather came to visit him and really helped with the survivor’s guilt because he’d lost friends on the police force, too. Frasier shows him the gift his grandfather left him and it’s a folded and framed American flag. Freddy wanted to be at his funeral and had a plane ticket to go, but when the day came he just couldn’t do it. Frasier says he his father was a great guy and Freddy says he’ll miss him. After that, Frasier shares that he always wanted to be a good father and he’s sorry Freddy feels like he can’t be honest with him.

 

Some time later Frasier shows up at Freddy and Eve’s apartment with champagne. He has something to show them. He shows them a much larger apartment next door and surprises them by telling them that he hasn’t rented it, but decided to buy the whole building. And he wants Freddy to live with them so they can reconnect, at first Freddy says he can’t leave Eve. However, if Freddy moves in with him he won’t charge Eve and Freddy rent. That makes Eve agree, but Freddy doesn’t. However, his objections are forgotten as the champagne is opened. And, yes, Frasier is joining the faculty at Harvard.