First Class

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.

At first an indictment of fluff and then a soft apologist for it. This episode finds Frasier starting his classes at Harvard where he soon discovers he's been hired as the dancing bear. Whilst Frasier is aghast by this prospect, the writing builds on signalling that this is what we the audience really should want. The sequences of Frasier being encouraged to sell out increasingly become cringe-worthy, as it feels this is the episode's only ideal of glory. Rather than explored through incisive humour or even a heart-to-heart with a character who might sympathise, it's just wall-to-wall sell-out gags echoing his TV talk show days after he left radio. It's ironic because the writing and supporting characters in this episode represent the fluff it at first mocks, but what it ultimately settles for. Worst episode, so far.

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!

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.

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.