the stand
Maybe it was partially the lack of a live audience for most of the scenes that gave this episode such an unusual feel, but the moralistic plot was doubtless involved to some extent. It's always interesting and refreshing to see Frasier take a look at himself from the simultaneous perspectives of a psychiatrist and a human being. Why did he feel the need to protest being cheated out of two dollars in such a way? Maybe that sort of ordeal is the most immediate injustice for someone in his position, but maybe even small injustices are worth fighting for when they reflect a hidden insecurity.
In such a situation, after his talk with his brother, it is admirable that Frasier would finally relent and pay the two dollars in order to be the "bigger man." In reality, or at least in a more realistic medium than the situation comedy, Frasier would have left feeling better and having learned a lesson; the actual plot-destroying ending was merely for the audience's sake.
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