fortune
This episode was a testament to the fact that I should immediately cease watching commercials for television programs. I would argue that in some cases these ads are even more misleading than movie advertisements. Frasier ads fall into this category. Whenever the commercial could use clips from the show to portray a life-changing event, it does, and the episode, though satisfying, is completely different than the commercial implies. The audience manipulation in such commercials is even more insulting than using Simpsons characters to sell Burger King Whoppers, because, although the familiar characters probably win over some previously uninterested consumers, at least the audience generally expects manipulation when watching advertisements aimed at persuading them to buy a product. Though ads for TV programs ultimately have the same goal but with one intermediate step (i.e., persuading the audience to watch another program featuring even more product advertisements), advertisements for TV and movies sometimes give the audience the utterly wrong impression and let them down in the end.
At first I expected this episode of Frasier to follow that pattern, that Niles would find out he had nothing to worry about. As it turns out, though the bulk of the episode maintained the usual lighthearted atmosphere, this plot was indeed meant to segue into the health issues he has to deal with in the following episode. One might expect forcing a serious issue into a sitcom would be tasteless, but judging from this episode (and from the more tasteful ad for next week's Frasier) the humor used is tasteful and poignant. It is impressive when a sitcom can evoke emotion than a few laughs, and I shall look forward to my emotions being manipulated more next week.
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