Frasier's Mother - Frasier (1993) Discussion

[–] peeaecee 8 years ago

Nope. They weren't planning a spinoff when she appeared on Cheers. It's true, what was seen on that show was totally different from what was talked of, and seen via flashback, on Frasier. Perhaps we should assume she was going senile or something?

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[–] ClayGorgon 8 years ago

The creators wanted to distance Frasier from Cheers as much as possible; that's the reason for all the incongruity.

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[–] TheButlerDidItYes 8 years ago

The creators wanted to distance Frasier from Cheers as much as possible; that's the reason for all the incongruity.

Why would they want to do that? Cheers was a VERY popular show and Frasier was a continuation of it to a certain extent.

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[–] TheButlerDidItYes 8 years ago

And Cheers was mentioned on Frasier a lot. Various characters from it appeared on the new show. So how were they distancing the two shows?

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[–] peeaecee 8 years ago

They didn't totally "distance" them. They kept many consistencies between the two shows but they did make some changes here and there to accommodate the Frasier show. Besides the issue of Frasier's mother, Frasier's own personality was altered somewhat; on Cheers, he was able to bring himself down to fit into the "layman" personality and activities; on his own show, he's always in complete stuffy mode and seemingly cannot comprehend how people live below his own (perceived) class.

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[–] jezfernandez 8 years ago

I've always thought Frasier became more high-brow when he moved to Seattle - fine dining, world class symphonies, etc. Since Niles was his best friend, the two of them fuelled each other's pomposity. Roz summed it up when she affirmed to Frasier, "I don't think they meant [your obituary] in a bad way - you are loveably pompous!"

I do like that episode (Love Stinks?) when Frasier tries to "get down" with the laymen and finds it all horrendously draining. I love his concluding speech to his new (soon to be old) friends:

"Let me tell you a little something about a few things I don't like: Boxing for one. Sporting events of any kind. Barbecues, office parties, buddy movies. Any dish made with marshmallows. Things that I DO like: the opera, the symphony, Elizabethan revenge dramas et cetera. So, if you're not inclined toward any of these interests, well, then, our association can be civil at best. Are we all clear on this concept?"

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[–] alanjobe 8 years ago

Wasn't Frasier's mother portrayed as mentally unstable on Cheers? She is portrayed as the exact opposite of that on this show. Was this ever addressed?

Yes, it was addressed in the season 9 episode Don Juan In Hell. Even though it was all in Frasier's mind, Diane did confront Hester about threatening to shoot her.

Hester was more like the woman in Cheers in this episode than the way they had tried to portray her in other seasons of Frasier.

Al - Alicia
An - Andrew
Jo - Joseph
Be - Benjamin

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[–] Deenglow 8 years ago

In the very first episode of Frasier, Niles remarked how their mother always said "a handshake is as good as a hug". Doesn't sound too warm and loving from old mom. I think the idea was that Martin, Niles and Frasier idolised Hester and so remembered her after death for the good they saw in her, and none of the bad. A lot of what we actually saw of her (in Cheers and Frasier) made her out to be pretty nasty. She even cheated on Martin. It was pretty ironic that Martin's wife was actually a bit of a bitch (given how much he hated his sons' partners).

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[–] jezfernandez 8 years ago

Once we get to Mama Mia and Fathers And Sons (I guess coupled with Rita Wilson's tender performance as Mia), Hester doesn't seem like the sort of mother who'd say "A handshake is as good as a hug". Hester from Cheers absolutely would, but then I'd argue that Marty would never have married Hester from Cheers.

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[–] kane-3 8 years ago

On Cheers, Frasier had no brother and his father was also a psychaitrist (or scientist of some sort) and was deceased.

The episode of Frasier where Sam visits makes fun of this inconsistency in continuity.

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[–] Rockhound6165 8 years ago

Dad was a research scientist. His parents were much older than they should have and his mother wasn't played by the very attractive Rita Wilson but rather Nancy Marchand who is better known as Livia Soprano.

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[–] SkiesAreBlue 8 years ago

In the episode, The Show Were Sam Turns Up. S 2 Ep 16. Sam is introduced to Niles as Frasier's brother and he remarks that, You never old me you had a brother? Then when Martin turns to Sam and says, Did he say anything about me? And Sam said, Yes and that you were dead or some kind of scientist. So there by transcending the two inconsistencies. Hope that makes sense.

SkiesAreBlue

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[–] hide86 8 years ago

In the episode, The Show Were Sam Turns Up. S 2 Ep 16. Sam is introduced to Niles as Frasier's brother and he remarks that, You never old me you had a brother? Then when Martin turns to Sam and says, Did he say anything about me? And Sam said, Yes and that you were dead or some kind of scientist. So there by transcending the two inconsistencies. Hope that makes sense.

I thought that was clever.

**~Not my circus, not my monkeys...~**

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