Good Grief

Good Grief is the premiere of Season 6 of Frasier.
== Synopsis ==
GOOD JOB HUNTING -- In the sixth season opener, which picks up where last season's cliffhanger left off, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) is struggling with becoming gainfully employed again. In between job hunting, Frasier keeps himself busy by hosting a picnic for the other unemployed KACL staff, writing an opera and generally annoying everyone he encounters with his new, overzealous attitude. Martin (John Mahoney) and Niles (David Hyde Pierce) try to help Frasier deal with the emotions he won't face on his own.
== Recap==
Since Frasier's show at KACL was cancelled and he lost his job, he has been throwing himself into various other projects, like writing a novel, designing furniture and composing a musical about Robert and Elizabeth Browning, while looking for another job in broadcasting. When Martin expresses concern about this behavior to Niles, he attributes this to Frasier still processing the loss of his job; because people like Frasier have so much of their identity tied up in their job, losing it hits them as badly as the death of a loved one would, meaning they have to process it in stages. Frasier is currently on the first stage, denial. The same day, Frasier arranges a picnic in Seattle Park for the other KACL employees who were fired because of his suggestions to the station owner as a way of apologizing. However, he and Roz are dismayed by the fact that everyone else has gotten new jobs. When Gil gets one that Frasier had been vying for, Frasier finally cracks and takes out his pent-up frustrations on a piñata he'd brought.
When Martin tells Niles about the incident the next day, Niles actually sees it as progress that Frasier has reached the anger stage, meaning the next one will be bargaining, which entails trying to make a deal with some higher power to get out of a difficult situation and will be followed by the stages depression and acceptance. In Frasier's case, his way of doing this is reaching out to his online fan club for the first time. He has invited them to his apartment, where he has prepared a big dinner, and they will be holding a rally demanding that Frasier's show goes back the air. Unfortunately, when the fan club shows up at the apartment, it turns out to just consist of three people. Since just the three of them staging a protest in Frasier's name will make him look worse, Frasier tries to call it off; however, it turns out that they've already held it this afternoon and it was all caught on camera.
Sometime later, Frasier, now firmly stuck in the depression stage, has been overeating and putting on weight. Martin, Niles, Roz and Daphne stage an intervention at the apartment, showing Frasier a video filmed by Roz's nanny cam when Frasier babysat Alice and wound up eating the baby food he tried to feed her. When Frasier admits that he is depressed, Niles confronts him with how he is grieving the loss of his job and everything that came with it and that he needs to properly mourn and move on. Frasier is initially unresponsive to this, with Niles figuring that he isn't ready yet, but then Frasier starts breaking down into tears. Niles presses on, sending him into full-on crying on the couch. Later, having lost the extra weight he gained, Frasier meets Niles at Café Nervosa and thanks him for helping him come to terms with his situation. Niles then tells him that he just got back from a meeting with Maris' lawyers and says he thinks his divorce will go smoothly... only for the title card "Denial" to appear, suggesting that Niles is about to go on a similar journey as the one Frasier just had. 
===CREDITS===
When Frasier has a meal and Eddie starts begging for food, Frasier imitates a trick Martin has been trying to teach Eddie, pointing a pretend gun at Eddie so he will play dead.
===TITLE CARDS===
*Denial
*Anger
*Bargaining
*Depression
*Acceptance
*Denial
==Starring==
:Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane
:Jane Leeves as Daphne Moon
:David Hyde Pierce as Niles Crane
:Peri Gilpin as Roz Doyle
:Dan Butler as Bulldog
:and John Mahoney as Martin Crane
Guest starring
:Tom McGowan as Kenny Daly
: Kandis Chappell as Doris
: Fran Kranz as Aaron
: Marsha Kramer as Tooty
: Timothy Omundson as Director
:Edward Hibbert as Gil Chesterton
Co-Starring
:Robert Arce as George
:Dawn McMillan as Waitress
: Craig Green as Caterer
==Trivia==
*In the premiere of the sixth season, the show took over the time slot previously occupied by Seinfeld. It opens with Frasier auditioning for a TV show after being fired from his radio show, and his opening speech is a reference to the acquisition of "Seinfeld"'s slot: "Before we begin, I'd like to say how honored I am to be taking over this slot. Obviously, I have some rather big shoes to fill - my predecessor here was much beloved. But I have never been one to shrink from a challenge and I'm sure we'll enjoy many happy years here together in my new home."
*'I have some big shoes to fill', was also a line used by Sideshow Bob, a character in The Simpsons who is voiced by Kelsey Grammer.
*The title is the expression of exasperation by the Charles Schultz Peanuts character Charlie Brown.
*Gil calls parts of Frasier's picnic "The Sorrow and the Pita" which is a reference to "Le chagrin et la pitié" (The Sorrow and the Pity).
*Frasier wrote the song, Love, during the episode.
Category:Episodes
Category:Season 6