As a long-time fan of Frasier and a connoisseur of behind-the-scenes trivia, I must say that the latest episode was a delightful return to form for the show. The intricate plotting and clever twists were reminiscent of the golden days of sitcom storytelling.
Warning: SPOILERS for the Frasier episode “The Squash Courtship of Freddy’s Father” are ahead!
For those who recall the original Frasier, Harriet Sansom Harris’ character Bebe Glazer was a cunning and underhanded woman. In her role as Frasier Crane’s agent, she employed various deceitful tactics, some beneficial to him and others to herself. Fast forward two decades, and it appears that Bebe hasn’t changed one bit. During the latest episode of the Frasier revival series, exclusively available on Paramount+, we re-encounter Harris’ Bebe, and meet her daughter Phoebe, portrayed by Rachel Bloom. It seems the proverbial apple doesn’t stray far from the tree in this case.
In the upcoming episode “The Squash Courtship of Freddy’s Father” airing in 2024, Kelsey Grammer‘s character attempts to determine if Phoebe is his daughter, as they had a brief relationship around the time of her birth. Interestingly, Phoebe shares similar interests with him, which adds intrigue to the situation. However, it turns out that this entire storyline was part of a clever deception, details of which will be revealed later. I had the opportunity to preview this episode last month before the Frasier Season 2 press tour and spoke with Grammer and co-showrunner Joe Cristalli about Bebe’s reappearance in the series and the addition of Bloom, a dedicated Frasier fan, to the cast.
What Kelsey Grammer Said About The Latest Frasier Episode
Kelsey Grammer revealed to me that when I asked him about working with Harriet Sansom Harris again for the Frasier revival (one of the best shows on Paramount+), they have a long history together, dating back before the original Frasier series and even before he portrayed Frasier Crane on Cheers. In fact, they attended Juilliard School together. During their time there, Grammer sensed that Harris exuded a Bebe-like presence, as he shared with me.
It was sort of classic Frasier-esque, wasn’t it? The character of Bebe Glazer, she’s a one-off, but the surprising thing about it is I’ve known Harriet since she was 18. I was 18. We went to school together, and she played that role from the time she was 18 years old. She was that kind of weird, wonderful, twisted woman, and she just knows how to play them. When we were doing plays together at school, she was doing Madame Arkadina in The Seagull… and it fit her. She wasn’t 57, she was 18! She’s a magnificent actress and a wonderful person. Whenever I see her, it’s such fun.
I’m a die-hard fan, and among the stars that shine brightly in the TV firmament, none have shimmered quite like Rachel Bloom. She’s the one who co-created and starred in the captivating series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and her talents didn’t stop there. She graced The School of Good and Evil and Reboot with her presence as well.
When Rachel arrived at the performance, I found myself questioning how the event would unfold. I wasn’t confident it would be successful. However, she nailed it. She delivered an outstanding performance.
In essence, throughout the show, Phoebe pretended to be Frasier’s daughter in order to blend in while helping her mother strategize the publication of Frasier’s memoir. Towards the end, Bebe exposed her trickery by concocting a clever scheme to persuade Frasier to revive his talk show. Nevertheless, Phoebe managed to impress Frasier with her understanding of his memoir and publishing ideas, leading him to invite her onto his team. Yet, there was one more twist yet to unfold, but let me elaborate on that later…
What Joe Cristalli Said About The Latest Frasier Episode
During my conversation with Frasier’s showrunners Joe Cristalli and Chris Harris, Joe shared that they had been meticulously preparing for quite some time to bring Bebe Glazer back into the fold. They believed Rachel Bloom would be an ideal choice to embody Phoebe in this return. In simpler terms, he mentioned that they’d been eagerly planning for Bebe’s comeback and thought Rachel Bloom was just right for playing Phoebe.
We’ve been talking about that one since Season 1. We knew we wanted to bring Harriet back to play Bebe, and then immediately we were like, ‘Well, she should be doing something deceitful. So let’s give her a daughter.’ And we came up with that con in Season 1. And we knew right away, because we know Rachel, we’re friends with her, but we’re also fans of her work, and we knew she was a superfan of Frasier. And she kind of has a Bebe Glazer feel to her. She kind of looks like Harriet. It all just lined up really well ‘cause she really wanted to do it, and it was really just getting Harriet and Rachel’s schedules.
It seems feasible that Bebe and Phoebe could have been incorporated into Frasier‘s first season, but the early episodes were less likely to feature guest stars. Bebe Neuwirth returned as Lilith Sternin in the seventh episode of that season, and Peri Gilpin made a comeback as Roz Doyle in the finale, setting up her recurring role in the second season. However, Chris Harris explained their decision to delay introducing Bebe and Phoebe until this current season:
As a fan, I can appreciate that the creators didn’t intend to bring back all characters from Season 1 immediately. Instead, they wisely waited until at least Season 2 to reintroduce some familiar faces. The way Rachel handled her scenes opposite Harriet and Kelsey in Season 1 was nothing short of remarkable. She essentially played three distinct versions of herself within a single episode, which was quite a challenge for any actor. I’m thrilled that the outcome was as successful as it was, given how demanding that role must have been for her.
In this particular episode of Frasier, it was quite fortunate that Rachel Bloom made an appearance. As the credits were about to begin, Phoebe’s true character was unveiled, and the actress delivered a spot-on portrayal. After Frasier departed, Phoebe began speaking in her genuine voice, which closely resembles her mother’s, indicating that they are now engaging in a prolonged scheme to bring Frasier back on television. Here’s what Chris Harris had to express about the numerous surprises and plot twists in this episode:
The situation posed a challenge since we aimed to allow the audience to anticipate it, but in a way that wasn’t factually accurate because they were led to believe it would be deceptive. However, the question remains: which part is deceitful? Is it truly her daughter or his daughter? It was an exciting journey full of unexpected twists and turns that we hope will provide enjoyable viewing.
Similar to how Season 1 of Frasier had only 10 episodes, it’s unlikely Bebe and Phoebe will reappear in the second half of this season unless they’re being kept as a surprise. But if Paramount+ approves another season (Season 3), I hope we get to see them again, causing even more trouble for Frasier. We’ll keep you updated if that happens.
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2024-10-10 19:08