Daphne-centric Episode Summary
TooGlib
this is in response to (!), but will trust that the lady with the kid in
orchestra will have no problem tracking down the episode summary this way. :)
And since I'm transcribing this account completely from memory, please forgive
any minor omissions or screw-ups.
So without any further ado ...
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As our episode begins, we find Daphne in a shrink's office giving violent (but
entertaining) interpretations of some Rorschach inkblot samples that the shrink
is holding up for her evaluation. (One inkblot Daphne identifies as "two
bunnies beating each other to death over a lima bean" and the other as a woman
"skinning a snake(?) with a hatchet." ) FUNNY stuff there, needless to say.
It turns out that poor Daphne has landed in an anger-management class by order
of a judge, after somehow precipitating a four-car pile-up (the details of
which we are not yet clued into). Although D insists that she's not an angry
person and that she was provoked into causing the accident, the shrink decides
that she may need to "explore a level of emotion" she may be unaware of and
encourages her to talk about her life a little bit..
So D reluctantly obliges and starts off by talking about her wonderful sweet
fiance Donny and this surprise party he'd thrown for her a few days earlier...
At this point the scene shifts to the interior of Niles' apartment, where we
see Daphne sitting alone on Niles' sofa wearing this *quite* fetching
rose-colored dress and looking like a nervous excited teenager on a first date
with some guy she's crazy about. (This proves to be our Clue #1 of what is to
come.)
Anyway, seconds later, Daph just about jumps out of her skin with surprise when
about a dozen of her best friends (all the Cranes, plus Donnie, plus Roz, plus
Mel, plus a few miscellaneous girlfriends we've never seen before) come running
out into Niles' living room screaming 'surprise' and about giving Daph a heart
attack. Donny informs her that this is her surprise bridal shower and notes
when grabbing her after rushing out there that Daphne is trembling (which I'll
call Clue #2). Niles makes the comment that Daphne was onto the big surprise,
but D responds earnestly looking straight at him that he'd had her "completely
fooled."
hmmmm
Following this intriguing little bit, we're treated to a few scenes of the
whole gang playing typical bridal-shower games (like 'toilet paper bridal gown'
and bridal charades), with everybody generally having a great time despite Mel
deciding she's in charge, acting like a Nazi, and running the whole thing with
the aid of this very loud and irritating whistle. The games are followed by
Donny informing Daph that he has another surprise for her waiting outside--this
time, her very favorite brother that he's flown in secretly from the UK.
Only dear sweet DUMB Donny proves to have succeeded at screwing up the
brothers' names. Thus he's imported (instead of D's favorite, Steven) her
deadbeat, boozing, chronicly unemployed, thoroughly unappealing brother, Simon.
Daph is less than thrilled to see this guy, needless to say. And he wastes no
time at embarassing her by giving her noogies in front of everybody, calling
her "Stilts" (apparently she was a giant child), making a bee-line for the
alcohol, and hitting on all her friends. (It takes Roz all of fifteen seconds
to start throwing herself at Simon, since she thinks his Cockney-sounding
accent is sophisticated and makes him sound "like a Prince!"--- Roz really
needs to travel more.;)
In addition to all this, Simon also manages to ruin the dress Daph is wearing
at the shower by jostling her into spilling wine all over herself. Daphne tells
the therapist that this particular dress had been her *absolute favorite* and
one that she saved only for the most special occasions (a little tidbit of info
that proves to be our Clue #3).
Anyway, at this point D shifts her dialogue from a description of the party to
describing for the shrink's benefit events in the days following the party that
she feels provoked her into the whole accident thing...
(And I'm going to mostly summarize this stuff since it's less essential than
the party stuff and the N/D interaction, and since it's already WAY past my
bedtime here..:)
To make a long story short, Simon generally makes a pig of himself in the days
following the party while staying at Frasier's apartment. He leaves his junk
strewn all over the apt, sleeps in Frasier's bed while wearing Fraiser's (gak)
dirty undershorts, makes out graphically with the friend of Daphne's that
Frasier is trying to hook up with, drags home a bunch of dissolute drinking
buddies to watch rugby on TV while Frasier is sick and trying to sleep, et
cetera, et cetera.
All this piggishness on her bro's part causes MAJOR stress for conscientious
Daph, needless to say, and everything seems to come to a head for her on one
particular evening she's supposed to have to herself. Instead of getting to
spend the night prepping for the arrival of Donnie's parents the next day, D
keeps getting barged in on...
First Frasier comes home sick (and self-absorbed as usual) and demands tea ...
then Simon drags in a bunch of drinking buddies... then Daph discovers that her
favorite dress (THAT dress again) has been ruined in the wash... then Donny
shows up with his parents in tow to meet her a *full night earlier* than
expected, the jerk. (And you have to get a visual picture of Daphne here to
fully appreciate the horror of this scene. She's decked out in a granny robe
and pajamas--complete with mustache cream, zit cream, spit curlers, and her
hair up in a bun--and holding a giant bottle of liquor, as Donny's parents walk
in to meet their new daughter-in-law for the first time.)
Then to make matters even more glorious, just after Donnie's parents arrive a
neighbor shows up with a basket of wet laundry that Daph has dumped on the
laundry-room floor in retaliation for them having ruined her best dress by
throwing it into a puddle of bleach. At this point D finally snaps, poor girl,
grabs the basket of wet laundry from the lady with the suggestion that she "air
dry" it, and then throws the whole basket of laundry off the balcony like a
maniac. We then hear screeching in the street below, followed by a series of
deafening thuds, and finally come to realize how it is that D' s anger has
managed to provoke a four-car pile up.
At this point the scene shifts back to the shrink's office where D insists that
she had no idea that the laundry would fall on all those people's windshields,
and the Law & Order lady concedes that she can see how D was provoked into what
she did. Daphne seems quite satisfied with herself at this point until the
shrink brings to her attention an inconsistency in her story regarding the
party and *the dress*.
The shrink wants to know *why* exactly Daphne had gone over to Niles' apt
decked out in her most special dress if she'd had no idea that a surprise
bridal shower was awaiting her. As the shrink puts it "What exactly were you
expecting to happen when you went over there?" At this point the scene shifts
from a curious expression on Daphne's face to an event that happened just
prior to the surprise party...(This is the good stuff.)
As this scene begins we see Niles opening his apartment door to welcome in a
decked-out and *positively-beaming* Daphne. He helps her off with her coat
(checking her out in a cute fashion as he does so), and we find Daphne standing
there alone (she thinks) with Niles in his apartment positively radiating
nervous excitement and wearing that special dress.
It is then revealed in their conversation that Niles has asked Daphne over to
his place that night under the pretense of having her teach him how to make
"sticky toffee pudding...yum yum" as he calls it, but that Daphne is clearly
not buying this pretense. It's apparent to us that she thinks he's invited her
over there to tell her how he feels about her, and she seems to be positively
lit up by the prospect of this. The two of them share a sweet little exchange
together on the sofa.And then Niles departs with Daphne's coat--leaving her
awaiting him expectantly on the sofa and apparently savoring the prospect of
spending an evening alone with Dr Crane.
It is at this point that all the partygoers rush out and startle Daphne with
the big surprise and that Donnie notes that Daphne is trembling (and not for
Donnie's sake, we believe). Again we see Niles insist that Daphne had been onto
the surprise-party thing, followed by Daphne's (now-poignant) assertion that
she'd been "completely fooled." Apparently, Niles had thought that Daphne had
figured out there was a party awaiting her, when in actuality she'd thought
his reasons for getting her there under pretense had been entirely personal.
In the following (and final) scene we shift back to a shot of Daphne in the
shrink's office looking like she's (finally) in the midst of an epiphany
regarding her own emotions. She mumbles "Dr. Crane?," to which the shrink
replies "Don't you think it's time you started calling him Niles?!" (our
sentiments exactly)
Then D says something like "But it's so confusing. What about Donny? He's the
man I love," to which the shrink responds pointedly "Are you sure about that?"
After a brief pause, Daph answers "No" in an emotional fashion.But before she
can explore the issue further, the shrink announces regretfully that their
"time is up," thereby bringing to a close (finally) this daphne-centric
episode.
Anyway, THAT is all, and I hope you enjoyed it! This (near) transcript should
prove most helpful to me as well if ever my tape gets eaten in the VCR.
Katherine
Too...@aol.com
impu...@yahoo.com
> After a brief pause, Daph answers "No" in an emotional fashion.But before
she
> can explore the issue further, the shrink announces regretfully that their
> "time is up," thereby bringing to a close (finally) this daphne-centric
> episode.
Bitch.
"Regretfully." *shakes head*
Great summary. Thanks.
--Kevin Riley
TooGlib
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Bitch.
"Regretfully." *shakes head*
Great summary. Thanks.
>>>>>>>
Ha! I think I may concur about how "regretful" she was.
(... "Time's up, dear, so afraid you'll have to deal with that shattering
realization all by your lonesome.. Bye now!" ...)
Thanks,
Katherine
Too...@aol.com