Things I’ve Learned From Frasier

People are often surprised to find out that a 25-year-old bi-racial "alternative" woman from South Carolina would have such a deep love for a sitcom about a wealthy middle aged man living in Seattle, but here are some things the hoity-toity radio psychiatrist has brought to my attention:

-It's okay to feel intense grief over losing a partner. (As Dr. Crane expresses to a radio caller, with a breakup comes the death of the way you thought your life was going to be)

-Sometimes we sabotage the good things in our life because we are afraid that we will lose them anyway. (There's a great two part episode called Don Juan in Hell that gets this point across magnificently)

-Status means little, especially when it is based on the opinions of those who only care about what you're wearing and where you're going. (Frasier and his brother Niles try embarrasingly hard to stay mixed in with the upper crust)

-It's okay to be who you are and pursue the things you like. (Their father wanted them to be "manly men", but Frasier and Niles like operas and fine art, and are quite talented vocalists and pianists)

-Take some things with a grain of salt and be wary of your sources. (like when Frasier lost out on the date with the model because he allowed her teenaged daugher to manipulate him)

-Things don't always go the way you want, but sometimes they still work out okay. (Frasier's average joe dad, Marty, was forced to move in with him after getting hurt, chaos ensues, bonds are often stretched and repaired)

-Don't judge a book by its cover. (Frasier was put off by the woman Marty hired as his live-in physical therapist, but Daphne soon became one of the family and Niles fell madly in love with her)

-When it's broken, just let it go. Some things aren't worth the hassle and never were. (Just...Maris. That's all I'm going to say about that)

-People can surprise you. (One of the radio hosts, Bulldog, is known for being a misogynistic overcompensating womanizer but as it turns out, he's great with kids)

-What was familiar in the past does not always suit you in the present. (Woody from Cheers came to visit and ugh GOD so did Diane, and it was very clear that it was time to let go)

-Just be honest about your limits and your needs. (Frasier attempts to sing an operatic number for a televised event and when it fails, he makes it worse by butchering a different song)

-Communication is key. (Daphne thought Marty was dying, Frasier was mistaken for a gay man...twice, maybe three times. One of those mistakes was made by a character played by the great Patrick Stewart, and Frasier, being the ever deseperate clout-chaser that he is, just rolled with it until the time came for a romantic getaway)

-It's okay to share the spotlight and don't take it personally if others like someone else more. (Dr. Mary comes on the show and propels to fame. Frasier has a VERY hard time with it, but eventually comes to accept it and embraces Mary's presence in his life)

-It's okay to be a nerd. (Frasier is a psychology nut and it obviously works out okay for him, and Noel, one of the employees at the station is a die hard Trekkie who teaches Frasier to speak Klingon...even if it that wasn't his intention at first)

-"With one hand, the past moves us foward, and with the other it holds us back." (This is a quote from Frasier's ex-wife Lilith, in the last episode she's seen in before the show ends. I liked it so much I got it tattooed on my feet)

-Presenting low-brow humor in a high-brow way is feasible and palatable. (There are many silly and deceptively simple one liners dressed up in poly-syllabic words and I giggle at them the same way I would a crudely worded fart joke)

I need to go now though. Frasier's been taken off of Netflix and I have to figure out how to talk my husband into buying me the DVD box set for my birthday...I could write more on the topic right now, but I think I'd rather just watch through the series again. You know, to uh...refresh my memory.

Who says you can't learn anything from television?