First Class

Having watched the first two episodes of the fairly enjoyable reboot, it did have me pining for the old formula that made fraiser so funny. I can happily say that episode 3 has brought back a lot of what makes Frasier comedy gold. I think there is still room to improve, however, we have only gotten 3 episodes thus far, so I can happily say that the future is looking good

Of course Frasier is in fine form and I quite like David as a character and I am glad he got more screen time in this episode. I think my only issue with the series is the miscast Freddy and Eve. I'm happy they were relegated to a B plot but even the short screen time they had was easily the worst of the episode. I think with time I can accept these two characters, but if Freddy is supposed to be the "new Martin" then he will need to work on his delivery as I am not buying it right now.

The character David is especially funny as Sheldon, and character Freddy is especially funny as chandler from Friends!

You know those episodes of Frasier from the 90's featuring Kirby, where now suddenly Frasier and Niles seem ancient by comparison? Well this is like that, but permanently.

And when Kelsey did his "dancing bear walk" in this episode, I can just see Frasier from the 90's act it out like that, instead of just saying it dramatically. Also when Freddy said "Wait a minute... you are DROPPING OUT?!!!", then I spit out my popcorn laughing, because I had never considered the irony until the show painted it out for me.

-Better than the original show, and only getting strong with each episode so far!

It felt like a weakened version of the Selling Out episode from the original which had some really clever writing. While there were a few entertaining moments, there were many more that were irritating. This episode focuses a little too much on David, who for me is the weakest character so far. What worked in the first couple of episodes were the Eve and Freddy dynamic being a fitting break from the Freddy and Frasier dynamic. It was lacking here.

There were intentionally cringeworthy scenes but they weren't particularly brilliant, just painful. I just hope that the upcoming episodes will give the characters a chance to shine and not rely on the messiness that this episode gave us.

Sad to see that such a great program has devolved into an empty husk of its former self. The jokes come at a mile a minute, and I know they're jokes by the incessant shoe-horning of canned laughter to remind the mindless masses that have been fed on propped up pandas for the past decades that this is where you're supposed to laugh. Even the self-pandering reference to the former show fails in its weak and parodic misfiring. No wonder that none of the former show's cast chose to go anywhere near this with a barge pole, careening down the Charles River loaded with the script's own so aptly and ironically penned "meaningless fluff".

Comedy ... has left the building.

Alan: If you would just stop trying, I promise you will stop failing.

The show could take the professor's advice. Kelsey Grammer keeps trying to be funny. (He always did, but he used to have better writing to work with.) All of the characters are awkward and don't work, reaching too far, the cast trying too hard. Freddy would not have turned out the way he does here.

In one scene, the back and forth between Frasier and Alan ends with Alan saying, "And I question your rejection of my projection suggestion". This sort of thing used to work, but now it sounds like going through the motions.

Frasier's return to Boston raises many problems. He never ever runs into anyone from "Cheers". Also, they keep talking about Boston as if Harvard is there. (It's across the river in the fouth-largest city in Massachusetts--Cambridge.