But, having made his son wait for 11 years, Martin's thank you in Goodbye, Seattle was that much more meaningful and earnest than anything Frasier could have asked for. The Martin of the first episode could not even thank his son face-to-face for taking him in. The character, as did Frasier and everyone else, grew thoughout the years, and a gesture like the one Martin does for Frasier at the end of the episode is intrinsic to his character's overall arc, as well as that of his relationship with Frasier. Sure, the Martin we first met in 1993 would never have done what he does in the former episode.
![frasier the innkeepers frasier the innkeepers](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NpAysaBMDMI/UAQwUJuq2uI/AAAAAAAAAD4/-MP4LXEz93E/s400/2x23-The-Innkeepers-frasier-17159570-720-540.jpg)
It is a crappy episode, but arguing that the Martin of The Good Son would never have behaved that way is both a moot and an interesting point (I put the moron in oxymoron). In the rather underwhelming 7th season episode, Out with Dad, Martin ends up pretending he's gay in order for Frasier to score. They had perfect chemistry again in Season 11 once writers with at least a modicum of clue into the character started writing Daphne. That was why their chemistry looked a bit off with Niles. The problem was that when she got back from the fat camp, she turned into pod-Daphne, and became an insufferable bitch until Season 11. It was not a milestone of shark jumping by any means: rather, just another sad instance of mediocrity in an already underwhelming season (compared to the better days). It wasn't particularly funny, but diminishing returns had already been the trend of the show by then. Jane Leeves was pregnant, and the producers had to find a way out of it and they took a road less travelled. With regards to Daphne's fat camp plot line, one can't overlook the influence of the real world on any given show. However, that is one single instance, and never really affected the show (it was briefly mentioned in the episode Star Mitzvah).
![frasier the innkeepers frasier the innkeepers](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/frasier/images/a/ab/7.jpeg)
The episode itself is well handled, funny, and has a bitter-sweet ending, but I don't like the concept behind it. There is one possible "shark jumping" moment in the show's entire run and that is Niles sleeping with Lilith. It was a secondary plot line anyway no one got out of their way to see a Frasier episode because of a more prominent Roz storyline. As such, I don't see, for example, Roz's pregnancy as a stunt at all: it was an interesting choice to see how this emancipated, obviously single character would deal with having a kid. It is rather a culmination of all those cynical attempts the show gets suckered into in order to try and lure/entice more viewers, or retain the already existing ones. Jumping the shark is not a dip in quality, which the show obviously suffered from Season 6 onwards. I am a Frasier apologist, and even though Season 5 onwards is pretty much downhill until Season 11, I don't think the show ever jumped the shark.
![frasier the innkeepers frasier the innkeepers](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/s11Hh-1dO68/hqdefault.jpg)
![frasier the innkeepers frasier the innkeepers](http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/17100000/2x23-The-Innkeepers-frasier-17160283-720-540.jpg)
Some of these points are a bit too inside, and I pray you indulge me. I feel beholden to that obsessive passion to share my thoughts with you. Now, for those of you who don't know me (and I don't mean just biblically), my love for Frasier knows no bounds (what The Sopranos is for television drama, Frasier is to me for sitcoms). Anyway, going through some old writings on Frasier, I ran into a few thoughts, which I thought I'd share with you. And that's not counting the regular updates I'm working on (the posts on taste I promised will start appearing by the end of next week). I am currently toiling away on two essays, one on the evolution of the characters in Frasier, and the other on arboreal imagery as catharsis in The Sopranos.