Frasier (TV Series) Dinner at Eight (1993) User Reviews

Dinner at Eight

[studioAT · 8/10 · 25 February 2023]

And we're off! After two episodes of set-up 'Frasier' really kicks into gear with this great episode. It did this set-up so well that we go into episode three knowing everyone, and what makes them tick, so the comedy feels so natural at such an early stage.

We get the introduction of 'class' and 'snobbery' as themes the show would mine throughout all of its eleven year run, we get the planting of the 'Niles and Daphne' ideas, and mostly we get lots of lovely examples of the wonderful chemistry that Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce and the now sadly missed John Mahoney had together.

It's a very good episode indeed, and carries on the great run that 'Frasier' has started its life on.

I would highly recommend this episode.

A different Frasier.

[mikenolte · 7/10 · 31 July 2019]

To me, this episode highlights the differences between Cheers and Frasier. Sure, we're still dealing with the same Frasier Crane, but this episode shows how much of a snob he has become since the ending of Cheers. Going from a bar regular who enjoys a beer and isn't afraid to eat a steak or a hotdog, to someone who drinks sherry and looks down on a steak restaurant and loves to show how refined he is.

It's like they turned Frasier into two separate characters for this show: Frasier Crane and Martin Crane.

Welcome to Martin's world

[smooth_op_85 · 8/10 · 16 November 2006]

With no plans for the night, Niles and Frasier go to a place with nothing but Martins all around! When they go to the rustic Timber Mill, they are surprised to find out that nothing they normally like is there, no chardonnay, no wine or Merlot, Bordeaux or Sauvignon Blanc (I'm not a Winehead although I would like to try some of them). They are there like babes in the woods with car-sick bags and of course as you can imagine, making fun of everything there is. When Martin tells them that even though their Mother liked opera and the things they like now, she was never one to put people down. In light of that, they wonder if they really are snobs and to prove otherwise, clear their plates

An good indication of why Grammer is so good as Frasier

[CubsandCulture · 10/10 · 4 May 2021]

This episode is a comedy of manners in which Frasier's and Niles' snobbery is ruthlessly mocked and rebuked. I especially like the line about their mother having too much class to make others feel cheap. Anyway, I tend to see this episode as the first in a line of episodes that function as a mild parody of latte liberals-a society gathering is named dropped for a reason-and given Grammer's conservative views it makes a lot of sense why he is so funny as that object of derision.

Snobbery

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 20 September 2019]

The boys decide that they should take their dad out for a fine dinner. It doesn't work out because of a booking problem, so Dad takes them to a pedestrian steak house. The two of them practice their condescending behavior, making fun of everything and ignoring basic kindness. These guys are each a piece of work.

Two snobs and a jerk

[esskayess · 3/10 · 13 August 2020]

Overrated early episode that demonstrated how the show was still working its way through the rough spots. Yes, Frasier and Niles were pretentious snobs, but Martin, in an unfunny scene, was a jerk for having their ties cut off, ordering food they didn't want, then throwing a tantrum when they cracked wise about the pushy service (Who here likes being rushed the way they were?). Happily, far better episodes would arrive soon.

I'd Have Sued

[jjnsn · 6 December 2022]

Sorry, but you don't cut someone's tie off like you own the dang thing. Ooh, you're going to give them a free desert for it. Ok, I don't think a $5 cup of ice cream makes up for what is likely a $100 tie. You have no idea how much someone paid for that tie, nor if it was a sentimental piece of clothing someone got from a departed loved one. If you want to keep the place casual, you have a dress code. You don't vandalize and ruin someone's clothes when they walk in, you just turn them away like the other places that won't let you in without a suit and tie. Now, I personally hate dressing up and I don't think ANYONE looks good in those getups, but I would never do what that waitress/hostess did to them.