Frasier Fans Are Kicking Themselves After Discovering A Missed Daphne Detail
One of the aspects of "Frasier" that stood out in comparison to its original parent show, "Cheers," was how much the spin-off series relied on classic comedic plots that take the characters into ludicrous situations. Indeed, many of the best episodes of "Frasier" include a plethora of unlikely, and yet hilarious, predicaments.
"The Ski Lodge" from Season 5, for instance, is a classic episode that escalates several romantic misunderstandings over a holiday weekend into an absurd farce. Of course, it helped that the "Frasier" writers knew how to use a dynamic cast to create good chemistry. For example, the excessive snobbery of Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammar) is often contrasted with the working-class candor of Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves), but their mutual friendship nevertheless always feels genuine.
Much like key influences including Shakespeare and screwball comedies, the key to "Frasier" was relying on carefully constructed plot details that eventually cause chaos in the lives of the unsuspecting main characters. However, even veteran viewers of the sitcom were surprised they didn't notice this crucial part of a late-period episode.
The ceiling joke in Daphne Does Dinner is foreshadowed early on
In Season 10, Episode 14 ("Daphne Does Dinner"), Daphne attempts to put on a dinner party in honor of artist Mike Shaw (Harve Presnell), but the "Crane curse" over family parties makes everything a disaster. The climax involves Martin (John Mahoney) impersonating Shaw, while Niles (David Hyde Pierce) is covered with blood-red sauce, shortly before the artist and Daphne's mother Gertrude (Millicent Martin) fall through the ceiling on their bed.
A deleted user on the r/Frasier subreddit noticed a clue early in the episode about the ending. Call it "Chekov's ceiling," maybe? The poster picked up on how there are people in Niles and Daphne's apartment working on the chandelier. Noting this, this Reddit user wrote, "The workmen want to leave and finish the next day, but Daphne makes them stay late — so they rush the job to finish as early as possible which makes the ceiling unstable."
It's a brilliant detail that many other Redditors also didn't see before. In another comment, u/ChuckFromPhilly simply wrote "...crap," and one deleted commenter replied, "Never put those two points together." But u/enmanuelsella really said it best: "I love how after so much time watching and rewatching, every now and then something new manages to surprise."
Jane Leeves brought a lot of herself to Daphne Moon
When the part of Daphne was being cast, Kelsey Grammer was concerned about how a British actress would fit into "Frasier" (via Vanity Fair). But after one reading with Jane Leeves, she had his approval. The former "Murphy Brown" actress fit right into the show's humor, even armed with an inaccurate Mancunian accent (Manchester Evening News).
But Daphne's sillier, daffier moments came easily to Jane Leeves because in some ways she was Daphne. The actress told Vanity Fair, "Daphne was like a pair of comfy shoes. She had a sort of earthiness and honesty that definitely came from me."
Leeves even came up with her own personal history for Daphne, which the writers apparently welcomed. For example, it was Leeves who came up with Daphne having several brothers and being used to living around men. Leeves said, "I think it helps the characters because they become more of a part of you because it's your own creation" (via Los Angeles Times).
Co-star David Hyde Pierce, who remains close with Leeves, agreed that "Jane and Daphne were identical—exquisite and charming with fragrant hair" (Vanity Fair). There are times when an actor fits the part absolutely perfectly, and, as it turns out, Leeves was exactly right for Daphne Moon.