Inside Jokes!

[bingbangbaby]

After reading our recent discussion about why Bulldog was scaled back after season six, I noticed something when I was watching "Fortysomething" on Lifetime this morning. Carrie, the girl at the store who flirted with Frasier, drops his suit off at the radio station and meets Bulldog. Bulldog comes on to her in usual fashion and after he leaves the room she says, "is he gay? It just seems like he's overcompensating..." This was 1994, the same year Dan Butler came out. So, is this another hint dropped by those writers? I think so! I'm beginning to see how this show works... that's three times now that we've been able to identify lines that appear to be inside jokes or maybe clues to the audience about something having to do with the actors' personal lives:

1) In "My Coffee with Niles" the comment from Frasier about Niles being "a gay man"
2) The whole deal throughout "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue" about Daphne being pregnant
3) This instance described above with Bulldog

I wonder what else we can find??

[704Hauser]

Originally Posted by bingbangbaby

After reading our recent discussion about why Bulldog was scaled back after season six, I noticed something when I was watching "Fortysomething" on Lifetime this morning. Carrie, the girl at the store who flirted with Frasier, drops his suit off at the radio station and meets Bulldog. Bulldog comes on to her in usual fashion and after he leaves the room she says, "is he gay? It just seems like he's overcompensating..." This was 1994, the same year Dan Butler came out. So, is this another hint dropped by those writers? I think so! I'm beginning to see how this show works... that's three times now that we've been able to identify lines that appear to be inside jokes or maybe clues to the audience about something having to do with the actors' personal lives:

1) In "My Coffee with Niles" the comment from Frasier about Niles being "a gay man"
2) The whole deal throughout "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue" about Daphne being pregnant
3) This instance described above with Bulldog

I wonder what else we can find??

Thanks for pointing these out, I'll have to keep my eyes peeled in this last season and 8 episodes!

[Kristen]

Along the lines of the "SB, SB" comment, there's one in one of the "Daphne-less" episodes (while Daphne was at the "fat farm" and Jane was on maternity) where Niles mentions that Daphne has lost so many pounds and so many ounces, which was the weight of Jane's baby! Wish I could remember the exact episode, but I'm sure others here can!

[bingbangbaby]

Originally Posted by Kristen

Along the lines of the "SB, SB" comment, there's one in one of the "Daphne-less" episodes (while Daphne was at the "fat farm" and Jane was on maternity) where Niles mentions that Daphne has lost so many pounds and so many ounces, which was the weight of Jane's baby! Wish I could remember the exact episode, but I'm sure others here can!

Oh, I forgot about that one! I was trying to remember which episode that was and all of a sudden it came right on Hallmark tonight. It was "It Takes Two to Tangle."

[caladon]

In the final season episode "Caught In The Act," Nanny G. asks Frasier, "Do you have any idea what it's like to play the same character for 20 years?" An inside joke to Kelsey Grammer having played the character Frasier for 20 years.

Take a look

[Kristen]

Ah, thanks! I would've been trying to remember forever. The one that caladon mentions is great, too, b/c you can totally tell the audience got it!

[Schmoopie]

There's also "The Matchmaker" where Frasier tried to set Daphne up with that station manager Tom who was gay and was attracted to Frasier. Remember when he leaves he's looking at Frasier in disbelief when Frasier told him he was straight and says "But Niles... come on!" And Frasier says "Fraid not." You can hear the audience about to die with laughter when he says that. It definitely makes one wonder. But at least it was all in fun and not an attempt to make fun of the subject.

[ajgenard]

Originally Posted by caladon

In the final season episode "Caught In The Act," Nanny G. asks Frasier, "Do you have any idea what it's like to play the same character for 20 years?" An inside joke to Kelsey Grammer having played the character Frasier for 20 years.

Take a look

OMG I still think that is the funniest and most relevant inside joke ever written into a sitcom. I remember watching the whole final season during it's original run on NBC with my dad (the last "appointment show" we both had). When that line came up we both nearly busted a gut. You have to remember that right around the time this episode aired it was either confirmed or heavily speculated this would be the final season of Frasier. So it was getting some attention in the press, despite sagging ratings and being completely overshadowed by NBC's support of the Friends finale.

[Kristen]

Originally Posted by Schmoopie

There's also "The Matchmaker" where Frasier tried to set Daphne up with that station manager Tom who was gay and was attracted to Frasier. Remember when he leaves he's looking at Frasier in disbelief when Frasier told him he was straight and says "But Niles... come on!" And Frasier says "Fraid not." You can hear the audience about to die with laughter when he says that. It definitely makes one wonder. But at least it was all in fun and not an attempt to make fun of the subject.

Ah, I'd forgotten that one! And they turned it into a joke about Maris a moment later, which made it all work so seamlessly into the show. Just another example of this show's amazing and brilliant writing!