S2E8- Adventures in Paradise: Part 1

S2 E8: Adventures in Paradise: Part 1
Airdate: November 15, 1994
Director: James Burrows
Writers: Ken Levine, David Isaacs
(episode transcript)
Opening thoughts:
Here we have the series’ first two-parter and another Lilith appearance! The last Lilith show got an enthused response. She is a powerful and captivating villain indeed.

For old times’ sake, I was going to include the scene titles for this episode and comment on whether each of them was cliché, cutesy, and/or incoherent (for those of you who don’t know, this was standard practice for season 1).

However, the episode was light on scene titles, and so will part 2 be. These writers do return with scene titles that are strictly cliché in episode S2 E16 , so I’ll do it then. (Scene 3 of this episode is titled “Busman’s Holiday,” which is so orgiastically incoherent, I wanted to make sure to loop you in).
Episode Synopsis:
Frasier goes on the air after a commercial break, with only a few seconds of air time left. A caller, Chester (voice-over by Art Garfunkel), has been criticized by his wife for not getting anywhere in life. He interrupts Frasier a couple of times, not understanding him. Frasier tells him they can talk in greater detail off the air.

After announcing that Bulldog’s sports show is next, Frasier signs off. Only acting very slightly like a sociopath, he goes into the booth and chats with Roz about Seattle Magazine’s new list of the ‘hottest men and women in town.’
After searching in vain for himself (holy hell, if that isn’t our slogan now), he notices someone named Madeline Marshall and declares that he is in love. Roz suggests that Frasier ask Ms. Marshall out. He refuses and, for some reason, Roz insists again. When he again refuses, she calls Ms. Marshall’s office herself.

Bulldog enters. He brags about how tight his glutes are. It’s… genuinely adorable. I know that sounds impossible, Niles, but SEE FOR YOURSELF!
Bulldog ogles the magazine while Roz gets an answer on the line. She announces that Dr. Crane is coming to the phone. As Roz and Bulldog watch, he stammers and stutters through proposing a dinner date that night. Something funny happens (as of now, we shall cease spoiling jokes that aren’t somehow tied into the plot. I don’t know why this didn’t occur to me until now).
Scene 2
At the apartment, Daphne is writing a letter to her mother while Martin, in his chair, opens a box of Cuban cigars. Niles enters from the kitchen; Martin offers him a cigar. As Niles lights Martin’s, Daphne says that she finds a cigar-smoking man quite attractive and tells a completely horrifying story about her grandfather.
Frasier enters from his bedroom, asking Eddie to give back his socks. Eddie fetches them from under a couch cushion. Frasier brags about Madeline Marshall’s 47^th spot in the hundred-or-whatever ‘hottest’ people in Seattle and exits.

Scene 3: Busman’s Holiday
(on par with the most incoherent of Frasier scene titles. Bravo.)

Frasier and Madeline are seated at Degas, a best-kept-secret type place run by a mother, father, and daughter from France. Madeline admits that she doesn’t listen to The Frasier Crane Show.
She does, however, demonstrate sommelier skills, which impresses Frasier and the restaurant owner. Both Frasier and Madeline reveal that they are divorced.

The owners begin shouting at each other in English (so that it can affect the story). The daughter is pregnant, and the father repeatedly demands that she tell him who her lover is. The… (busman? Yeah? That’s a thing? Well, OK). The busman becomes very nervous. The father can then be heard again from the kitchen, shouting that he will kill whoever is responsible for impregnating his daughter. Our beloved busman then flees.
Daughter and mother enter from the kitchen. The mother recognizes Frasier; calls her husband into the dining room, and loudly asks Frasier for advice. The owners yell at each other in a derogatory crescendo, until Frasier stands and demands silence. He asks them to tell each other how they actually feel, and they all magically melt into a glom of acceptance and peace. The clientele applauds. You know, because those French people are just all like that.

Fan fiction: After this, business was better than ever. The daughter and her five children go on to take over the restaurant. They change the name of the restaurant to Busman after their father dies on an escargot hunt.
Scene 4
At KACL, Roz is doing some paperwork. Frasier enters the control room from the hall and thanks Roz. She exposits that it has been two weeks since Frasier and Madeline’s first date. Frasier is genuinely smitten. Since Roz has had such trouble with dating lately, she is annoyed at his descriptions of how perfectly things are going. Undeterred, he declares that he suspects Madeline may be…you know. Roz doesn’t care.

Madeline enters the booth. Frasier rushes to her frantically, yammers indecipherable introductions, and closes the door between the booth and control room. Madeline asks him if he would like to spend a weekend away with her. Let me remind you that in the 32 episodes so far, the only person whom Frasier has known biblically has been his ex-wife.

Attempting to find some mutual free time in their schedules, they come up short for months to come. Saying goodbye, they make out fervently, finally deciding to fly to Bora Bora the very next day.
At the apartment, Niles is playing the piano, and he and Martin are smoking cigars. Niles exposits that they have been doing this for many nights in a row. Daphne enters from her room, with a cigar of her own. The whole main living area is downright cloudy with cigar smoke.
Frasier enters. He chides Martin for not smoking on the balcony. I don’t know if this is because everyone else would surely follow him out, like a small, stogie-puffing gang, but Frasier doesn’t really seem to care anyway. He’s also pissed about the fact that he has promised to take the trip to Bora Bora the next day. He talks through it and is unhappy with all of the potential outcomes.

Niles exits. Martin asks Frasier if he has genuine feelings for Madeline. Martin reminisces about meeting Frasier’s mother. Still puffing thick clouds into the air, Daphne recommends that Frasier go on the trip.
Scene 6
At a grass hut in Bora Bora, Frasier and Madeline enter with suitcases. They begin to kiss on the bed; Madeline pulls away and goes into the other room to get, like, ready. Frasier goes out onto the balcony. Madeline calls for Frasier. On the neighboring patio, Lilith says “Frasier?” and stands up. Frasier shouts in horror.
Credits vignette:
Roz continues to look through the pages of Seattle Magazine for a hot person that might say “yes” to a date as easily as Madeline did to Frasier.

Closing thoughts:
The cigar thing is so kooky and fun. I wonder how late in the writing process they decided to lace that subplot in there. Niles! I quite approve.

This is the first of seven episodes to that were written by Ken Levine and David Isaacs, who have also written together for M*A*S*H, Cheers, and The Simpsons.

Here is an unsolicited refresher on the TV schedule at the time this episode aired.
Here is the Frasier Denied facebook page, for “liking” and updates and such.

Unnecessary conflicts:
Frasier and Madeline thinking they have to travel all the way to Bora Bora just to fool around is balls-brains insane— straight out of a 1950s sitcom. They could have booked a nice hotel right in town. That wouldn’t have cost $5300.00
Continuity errors, etc.:
Of course, we’re calling bullshit on Lilith being in the next hut over, after Frasier has traveled thousands of miles.

Niles uses a butane lighter for Martin’s cigar, instead of wood matches.

The Degas family scream at each other in English.

# of women Frasier has dated:
Episode: [1]   previous cumulative: [3]   series: [4]

# of women Frasier has slept with:
Episode: [0] Close though!   previous cumulative: [1]   series: [1]

# of jokes about how Roz sleeps with everyone:
Episode: [0]   previous cumulative: [20]   series: [20]

# of actual references to Roz sleeping with someone:
Episode: [0]   previous cumulative: [6]   series: [6]

# of “Dad’s chair is awful” jokes:
Episode: [1]   previous cumulative: [11]   series: [12]

# of times Frasier shouts “NILES!”:
Episode: [1]   previous cumulative: [16]   series: [17]

# of mentions of Maris:
Episode: [1]   previous cumulative: [83]   series: [84]

# of times Frasier or Niles (both psychiatrists) exhibit mentally ill tendencies:
Episode: [0]   previous cumulative: [16]   series: [16]

# of tender pauses:
Episode: [0]   previous cumulative: [14]   series: [14]

# of times Niles has smiled:
[Episode: [0]   previous cumulative: [10]   series: [10]

Kind of great TV moments:
(none)

Kind of great Frasier moments:
Niles playing the piano while he and Martin smoke cigars.

TV Guide version (© Netflix): “Frasier reveals his infatuation with Madeline Marshall, a stunning MBA who’s been named one of the city’s ‘hottest’ women.”