The ninth episode of Frasier ended with Dr. Frasier and Freddy admitting that they both need each other on this journey. Dr. Frasier would need Freddy more. As a father, he felt he was always absent, and Dr. Frasier now compensated by being as present in Freddy’s life as he could. The tenth episode is the Christmas episode. The holiday season has just begun, and it will be interesting to watch how father and son celebrate Christmas together this year as a team.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Dr. Frasier Plan A Last-Minute Christmas Party?
Dr. Frasier did not realize Christmas was around the corner, which made him miss his father, Martin, the most. Dr. Frasier probably had plenty of traditions that he followed with his father, and ever since he passed, there has been a void that the man is unable to fill. He was slipping into a slump of pain amidst the holiday season. Freddy wanted to help him process the pain and make sure to be there for his father. Dr. Frasier, to avoid being hit by the pain of losing a parent, decides to host an impromptu Christmas party to have his friends over. Even though a lot of arrangements were made at the last minute, Dr. Frasier seems to have everything ready, and all Freddy will have to do is manage a fancy Christmas dinner. Dr. Frasier, being a psychiatrist himself, never tried to use his therapy methods on himself to understand how grief works. He went ahead and chose to suppress the pain by planning a gathering so that he wouldn’t have to think of the pain of losing his father.
Was Eve Not Invited To The Party?
Eve was invited to the party by Freddy and Dr. Frasier, but she stayed away from the festivities this year owing to her boyfriend’s death. It had hardly been a year since his death, and she wanted to stay away from the merriment because it would remind her that he wasn’t around anymore. She would rather spend the night watching a movie and taking care of her son, John. Freddy understood her predicament and respected her choice. The man also realized he had some residual pain from the friend he lost. Freddy had also not processed the pain of losing his grandfather, and like his father, he managed to sweep the pain under the rug. Freddy is imitating the same behavior that Eve caught on to. Freddy wants to do something for both his father and Eve so that they will cheer up and not sulk in case things do not go as planned. Freddy is trying to hide his pain as well by micromanaging both. It was his way of coping with the grief of losing two people he genuinely loved.
Why Was Dr. Frasier Panicking?
Dr. Frasier, in a fit to organize an impromptu party, made a lot of blunder bookings. The string quartet he booked was wrong, and the bird they ordered was not cooked, and he ended up ordering one too many Christmas trees as well. Dr. Frasier went into panic mode because he was a perfectionist, and everything went pear-shaped very quickly. Freddy helped him bring the situation under control, but Dr. Frasier had already reached a stage where he could not believe things at the party were not going as he had planned. Dr. Frasier was spiraling because he had refused to deal with the grief. The party not going as planned was the trigger that was causing him to go into panic attack mode.
How Was Freddy Helping Eve?
Eve was feeling down as the night went on, and in a bid to make her feel better, Freddy sent over some of his friends from work to keep her engaged. Slowly, he started sending over some fancy food his father had ordered to her, along with some expensive alcohol. Soon, Eve’s home became a party central, as many considered Dr. Frasier’s affair way too dull for Christmas. Freddy, as a friend, wanted to be there for her because he could put himself in her shoes and understand the amount of pain she must be going through. They both lost a person they loved the most, and not having them around during the holiday season put them in a state of dismay.
Freddy was keeping himself busy by running both parties simultaneously, while Eve was happy to have company. Eve is lucky to have a friend like Freddy, and as an audience, we wonder if there would be a love angle between the two of them later in the series. There are times when it is pointed out that Freddy may be harboring feelings for Eve, but the man is respecting the memory of his best friend and trying to keep those sentiments at bay. Nevertheless, an unexpected party at Eve’s place was a success, while the planned party at Dr. Frasier’s ended up being a dud. Everyone eventually went off to Eve’s to celebrate.
Why Was Dr. Frasier Mad At Freddy?
Dr. Frasier quickly understood his party was a disaster, so everyone from his place moved to Eve’s. He was even more livid when he realized Freddy was accidentally responsible for organizing the party at Eve’s. Dr. Frasier was already anxious about a lot of things in his party that did not go as planned, and he was trying hard to salvage the gathering. He was angry at his son because he felt Freddy did not involve himself as much as he did with Eve.
Dr. Frasier figured, as a son, he would understand what his father was looking for through this party. Dr. Frasier was trying but was in denial about the lot of suffering he was going through and things he could not control in his life. This was the only situation he could bring under his control. Even though Freddy flew his father’s old colleague and friend Roz over to Boston to cheer him up, Dr. Frasier refused to see how much hard work Freddy put into making his father and his best friend happy.
Was Dr. Frasiers’ Christmas Party A Success?
Initially, the party was not a success because all of them eventually got bored, which is surprising. Dr. Frasier’s parties are usually filled with intellectuals who love to hear his talk on high-profile subjects. This time everything was a misfire because Dr. Frasier was trying too hard in a short time. It seemed desperate just because he did not want to deal with the grief and have a quiet Christmas.
Dr. Frasier ended up spending a lot of time with his old friend Roz, who was trying to talk some sense into him. Roz was the one who asked to sympathize with the fact that Freddy was also having his first Christmas without his grandfather and best friend by his side. It was more difficult for him, but still, as a son, he was trying to make two people who meant the most to him happy. Instead of expecting Freddy to do everything for his happiness, her words implied that perhaps, as a father, he should understand his intentions as well. The party was indeed a success, and the episode ended with all the remaining guests of Dr. Frasier and Freddy joining at their apartment for the Christmas Eve dinner, which Freddy arranged for, and Dr. Frasier was happy to see them. Frasier could finally see Freddy with an empathetic eye and appreciate the fact that he would do anything for his father. This was a moment of happiness he was seeking for the first time in the last 48 hours. He was feeling content and happy.
