Warning! Spoilers ahead for the Frasier reboot episode 4.
The Frasier reboot fixes Martin and Niles’ darkest story in the original series. 19 years after Frasier Crane decided to leave Seattle, he came back to Boston to start his next act and pursue his new goal. Billed more like a continuation of the character’s arc instead of an actual revival, the new Frasier features a fresh ensemble joining Kelsey Grammer’s beloved therapist. Despite this, the Paramount+ endeavor constantly finds ways to look back on the character’s past, particularly with regard to his father and brother’s impact on his life in the 11 years he spent with them back in the Emerald City.
John Mahoney’s death in 2018 inspired Martin’s fate in the Frasier reboot, which started with Frasier coming back from his father’s funeral in Seattle. Things are a bit more complicated with Niles, however. Grammer did invite David Hyde Pierce to join the revival, with its original story supposed to focus on the Crane brothers running a black-box theater. Sadly, Pierce turned down the opportunity, forcing the show to go on a different creative route. Despite both Niles and Martin not having any physical presence in the Frasier reboot, they remain important pieces to Frasier’s storyline, especially now as it fixes his omission from Niles and Martin’s darkest narrative.
Frasier Admits The Real Reason He Doesn’t Like Freddy’s Job
After focusing on Frasier’s new stint as a lecturer at Harvard in episode 3, the Frasier reboot shifts its focus back towards its core storyline — the relationship between Frasier and Freddy. Inspired by his dynamic with Martin in the original series, the revival sees Grammer’s character trying to connect with his son. Amid all the issues that they need to deal with, the Frasier reboot episode 4, “Trivial Pursuits” focuses on Freddy’s resentment over his father belittling his chosen career. Following an intense argument, Frasier eventually comes clean about the reason he doesn’t like his son being a firefighter.
While Freddy is under the impression that his father is ashamed of the job that he has chosen, the older Crane confesses to Eve that this can’t be farther from the truth. Instead, the real reason he doesn’t like Freddy being a firefighter is because it brings back his old worries about Martin’s work as a police officer. In arguably one of the most unexpected emotional moments in the Frasier reboot thus far, Frasier recalls how he and Niles would stay up late at night concerned about Martin’s safety as he patrolled the streets of Seattle. Now, he has those similar worries for his son.
Frasier’s Concerns Mirrors Niles’ Admission To Martin In The Original Series
It was presumed that Frasier grew up worrying about his dad. Although, since the original series started with the emphasis on how different Martin was from his sons, it wasn’t fully explored. Instead, it was just alluded to several times, and done in a generalized way. However, the original show actually gave Niles his moment to tackle this specific experience as a young boy with a police officer dad. In Frasier season 7, episode 18 “Hot Pursuit,” Martin accepted Donny’s lucrative job to stake out a philandering husband at night. This brought Niles’ old concerns to the surface, causing him to join his dad during his undercover stint.
Martin was initially irked about Niles following him, especially considering how fussy he was during the stakeout. He didn’t like that his son was looming over him, not having any confidence that he could do the job properly. What he didn’t know was that Niles was genuinely concerned for his safety. The youngest Crane brother confessed about how he constantly worried about Martin during his childhood. This eased up Martin’s irritation, resulting in a rather touching moment between the father and son. While this great moment was happening, however, Frasier was attending a broadcasting convention.
The Frasier Reboot Confirms That Frasier Was Also Worried About Martin
Multiple times in the original Frasier, the Crane brothers’ childhood was revisited. Since the series was set in their hometown of Seattle, some of its storylines were tied to their past. That included coming face-to-face with their old bullies and Frasier reuniting with someone he was deeply attracted to back in school. That being said, it never really showed much of their dynamic as a complete family. Frasier never got the same one-on-one with Martin that Niles did, but the reboot giving him the chance to talk about his childhood establishes that he shared Niles’ thoughts about their father’s job.
Niles is missed in the Frasier reboot for several reasons. He is arguably missed the most in this particular moment in episode 4. As great as it was for Eve to give Frasier some fresh perspective, it would have been great for him to process this issue with someone who intimately knows what he is talking about. Having that shared experience with Niles could have helped them navigate through this difficult time of grieving the loss of their father. Niles and Frasier’s serious conversations always made for great moments, but between Martin’s death and Freddy’s situation, the reboot could have used one of those discussions between the Crane brothers.
How Martin’s Story Impacts Frasier & Freddy’s Reconciliation In The Reboot
Martin may be gone, but his legacy will continue to shape Frasier’s life, especially as he deals with his strained relationship with Freddy. In the Frasier reboot pilot, the father and son were finally able to sit down and bond over remembering the Crane patriarch — yet one of the ways that Martin had impacted the new show’s storyline. Frasier’s scheme to get Freddy to move in with him was also inspired by his experience living with his dad when he returned to Seattle, which turned out to be beneficial to mending their bond. Moving forward, expect that Martin will be integral to how Frasier handles his new familial dilemma.
Unofficially, Freddy is the Frasier reboot’s replacement for Martin. While they are not exactly the same, they share some core traits, which helps the new show recreate Frasier’s old dynamic with his dad with his son. Whether Frasier and Freddy’s story follows the same path is currently unknown, especially considering the much shorter 10-episode-per-season run for the revival. That being said, it’s safe to say that like in the old series, the father and son dynamic will be the backbone of the Paramount+ project.
The Frasier reboot airs new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.
