Fourth season of TV's best live-action sitcom (Frasier - The Complete Season 4 (DVD))

Member Name: Wezzo

Product:	Frasier - The Complete Season 4 (DVD)
Date:	26/07/07 (80 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Almost every episode is outstanding

Disadvantages: No extras

--this review contains some superficial plot spoilers--

As anyone who has given the show a chance will know, "Frasier" is one of television's finest sitcoms. This set features 23 episodes from the 1996-1997 season, the series' fourth, and is a perfect example of a TV show at the peak of its game.

First, a quick background to the series for the uninitiated. A spin-off from "Cheers" (1982-1993), the sitcom follows radio psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane about his daily life in Seattle. Lovably pompous, Frasier is one of television's all-time greatest characters, and is played to perfection by the immensely talented Kelsey Grammer. The supporting cast are just as important as Frasier, however: Dr. Niles Crane (the fabulous David Hyde Pierce) is Frasier's brother, fellow psychiatrist and his rival from birth. He begins the series married to the unseen Maris, a woman who makes his life a misery - sometimes to comic effect; sometimes on a rather sadder level.

Martin Crane is their father, ex-policeman who now lives with Frasier having been shot by a criminal while on the job - and with Martin comes cuddly Jack Russell terrier Eddie. This also necessitates the presence of quirky English live-in healthcare worker and all-around housekeeper Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves), the blissfully unaware love interest of Niles. At work at the KACL radio station, meanwhile, Frasier must get on with his producer, man-obsessed Roz Dyle (Peri Gilpin).

It's among the finest ensemble casts the television world has seen - the interaction between the five main characters is completely natural - and the array of acting ability on tap here combined with the sharp, witty scripts is a recipe for hilarious television. So hilarious was it, in fact, that "Frasier" won the "Best Comedy Series" Emmy every year for its first five seasons - they eventually decided to change the rules so other shows would get a chance!

So, onto some highlights of the season presented here.

Season opener "The Two Mrs. Cranes" is one of the show's all-time greatest episodes. A farce of "Fawlty Towers" proportions (in fact, I'd argue it's more successful than any "Fawlty Towers" episode), it sees Daphne's ex-fiance Clive return to her in a desperate bid to win her back. Uninterested in continuing the relationship, she pretends she is now married to Niles (fodder for some of David Hyde Pierce's finest moments in the entire run of "Frasier" as Niles takes advantage of this dream-come-true scenario gleefully). The lies escalate to ridiculous, unmaintainable levels and everything plays out in a final act among the funniest seven minutes on television.

Disc 1's closer, "Mixed Doubles", is another superb example. While waiting for the right moment to tell Daphne of his affection for her, Niles is distraught to learn she's found a new boyfriend. What's worse, this Rodney fellow appears to be the exact doppelganger of Niles in almost every way! It's another classic farce.

"A Lilith Thanksgiving", the first episode of disc 2, sees the cast travel to Boston so Frasier can meet up with ex-wife Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) to join her in her attempts to get son Freddie a place at a prestigious school, leaving Niles and Martin home to look after him. "Hilarity ensues" once again.

"Dad Loves Sherry, The Boys Just Whine", aside from being a fabuolously sharp episode title, is another that rates among the season's funniest. Martin gets involved with the loud, brash, brassy, banjo-playing Sherry (Marsha Mason), much to his sons' disdain. The episode plays out brilliantly, with every cast member getting a chance to shine.

"Three Days of the Condo" sees Frasier run for condo board president when he grows tired of her arbitrary authoritarian ways. In a scene reminiscent of season 2's "The Botched Language of Cranes", the episode is rounded off with a laugh-out-loud sequence that sees Frasier dig himself deeper and deeper.

The second disc is rounded off with "Death and the Dog", another hilarious episode that sees Martin call in a dog psychiatrist to find out why dog Eddie has been 'depressed' lately. When it is concluded that Eddie has been picking up negative vibes around him (much to the derision and chagrin of Frasier and Niles), the Crane clan are forced to assess their own situation.

Disc three kicks off with "To Kill A Talking Bird", which sees Niles decide to get a pet cockatoo to complement his new apartment at the prestigious Montana building. Unfortunately, the bird proves something of a hindrance when Niles throws a housewarming party in a bid to meet his new neighbours..

Roz is largely sidelined in this season, almost criminally underused in some episodes. But she does get a couple of chances to shine in the above-average "Roz's Krantz and Gouldenstein Are Dead", which sees her community service at an old people's home leave her dubbed "The Angel of Death"; and in "Roz's Turn", when Roz auditions to get her own show on KACL. Peri is standout in both - thankfully her character plays a far greater role in season five.

Disc three's penultimate episode, "Ham Radio" is routinely rated as the all-time best episode of "Frasier". I'd agree (though after around fifteen viewings of the episode, it's hard to remain objective as I know pretty much every line by heart). Frasier recreates one of the radio station's classic "Mystery Theatre" plays, "Nightmare Inn". The final act - the performance of the play, feturing guest roles from all and sundry of the show's recurring characters - will have you in absolute hysterics; every line is timed superbly, everything, simply, works. To reveal more would ruin things - suffice to say, "Ham Radio" is an absolute must-watch for anyone who enjoys comedy.

The double-length "Three Dates and a Breakup" begins disc 4; it's a masterfully plotted, immensely funny romp that sees the return of Sherry as Frasier struggles to maintain the interest of three potential girlfriends. Things take a surprising turn half-way through, however..

"Daphne Hates Sherry" also rates among the season's most entertaining. After an argument with Sherry, Daphne decides to spend the night at Niles' - a plot reminiscent of season 1's "A Midwinter Night's Dream", but with the added cumulative effect of summer heat and three more years of lust on Niles' part..

"Are You Being Served?" plays a key role in one the show's long-running plots, but to go into any further detail would dull the effect of the superbly-scripted, surprisingly emotional episode. Season finale "Odd Man Out" sees Frasier act at his most spontaneous, but whether there will be a payoff is left for the premiere of season five..

I've detailed my favourites here (as you can see, there are quite a few), but almost every episode included here is a resounding success - even the weaker efforts (and there are very few), such as the over-dramatic and under-funny "Liar Liar!", have their redeeming moments. It's as consistent at sitcom gets.

This season four set features all 23 episodes (one is double-length, so it's the equivalent of 24 regular-length episodes) spread across four discs. Originally this set was issued in a fold-out cardboard digipak but CBS-Paramount have recently reissued all of their UK "Frasier" and "Cheers" releases in a "digibook" style packaging: a cardboard slipcover slides off from the top or the bottom, revealing a book-type package (each "page" holds one disc) - you turn the pages to access the disc. This book is mounted in a cardboard cover.

Menus are simple static affairs, with the option to "Play All", play a specific episode, or (on the R2/R4 releases) change language and subtitle options. Each episode is split into four chapters.

Video quality is good. There's the odd bit of grain but nothing you wouldn't expect from a ten-year old TV series; colours are usually nice and there are certainly no defects. Audio is serviceable stereo. There are no extras - a shame, as the first three seasons had featurettes and the odd commentary. More detailed specs below.

Prices for this season (in UK Region 2 format) are currently around the £15 mark. I've seen it on sale for as cheap as less than £10 (in one of WHSmith's online sales earlier this year) but generally the best price around will be in the £12-£14 range.

"Frasier" Season 4 is a must-buy for any fan of the show - it's one of the show's strongest seasons - but even those who only casually enjoy the occasional episode on Channel 4 or Paramount will find plenty to love here. The peak of sitcom: highly, highly recommended - especially at the decent prices it can now be found at.

-- SPECS --

Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment (now CBS-Paramount)

Discs: 4
Episodes: 23 (1 double-length) spread 6-6-6-5
Length: 8 hrs 48 mins (PAL - UK Region 2 / AUS Region 4) / 9 hrs 13 mins (NTSC - USA Region 1)

Video: Colour / full frame (1.33:1)

Audio: Stereo
- USA R1: English only
- UK R2: English, French

Subtitles:
- USA R1: None (Closed-captioned)
- UK R2: English (Hearing Impaired), Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish

Menus: Static
Chapters: 96 (4 per episode)
Extras: None

Classification: Contains mild to moderate sex references and mild language
- USA R1: Not rated
- Canada R1: TV-PG
- BBFC R2: 12 (one episode, "The Impossible Dream"), PG (22 episodes)
- OFLC R4: PG

Summary: Probably the best season of one of TV's funniest shows