Frasier discovers that an old acquaintance from Boston has written a steamy romance novel that includes an incident from Frasier's life, an affair with his piano teacher when he was only 17. Fearing the exposure could embarrass his teacher, Frasier pays her a visit and finds she's not quite what he expected.
Frederick is coming to visit and he wants to visit Microsoft. Frasier has been unable to book the visit and so takes Frederick to KACL instead. Frederick meets Bulldog and finds out that the KACL softball team is one man down as Roz injured herself during a game. Frederick suggests that his father play, and not wanting to let Frederick down, Bulldog says Frasier is too good for the team. Frederick insists to his father that he should play, since he's "really good." Frasier doesn't want to let his son down and so agrees. Of course, he knows nothing about baseball, so Martin takes him down to the park for some practice. Can Frasier learn how to play in just a few hours? Not very likely... Meanwhile Niles is jealous of his nephew's crush on Daphne, and how much attention she's paying him.
Niles attends a benefit hosted by Frasier in the hopes of meeting an eligible woman. Unfortunately, Niles has to contend with Frasier, the self-professed "babe magnet," who manages to catch the eye of every attractive woman. Frasier calls Norm to gloat. Martin breaks up with Sherry over an inconsequential offense.
Frasier, still unemployed, is hesitant to attend his high school reunion due to what he deems 'Frasier's Curse'. Every five years, when reunion time comes up, Frasier is temporarily down on his luck; losing his job at KACL is just another symptom of the curse. Frasier fears if he attends, he'll sit at the last table with the chess club barbershop quartet.
Valentine's Day experiences for Niles, Frasier, and Martin and Daphne comprise this episode. First, Niles' cozy dinner for two at Frasier's apartment is ruined when the couch catches fire. Next, Frasier can't figure out whether his ambiguous dinner companion sees him as a co-worker or a romantic prospect. Finally, Martin and Daphne dine together, commiserating about their loneliness.
Niles dumps his top-notch lawyers for a down and dirty scrapper when Maris moves to postpone their settlement. The new attorney, Donny Douglas, warns Niles that in depositions, Maris' attorneys will be asking about Niles' passion for another woman, Daphne. Niles fears Frasier's compulsive truthfulness will let the cat out of the bag.
Devastated by Daphne's blossoming relationship with Donny, Niles plans for a Crane Boys vacation to his newly acquired (from Maris in the divorce settlement) cabin. Upon learning Roz is still pining for Donny, Niles invites both Roz and Donny to the cabin, hoping to split up Daphne and Donny. When Frasier and Martin arrive earlier than expected, Niles and Roz are forced to pretend to be lovebirds to protect their scheme.
Niles manages to reacquire his prestigious apartment at the Montana, only to find that the tenant's association is trying to evict him due to his sub-tenant's incessant tap dancing. Niles' attempt to throw a luxurious dinner party to win over the board goes wrong when first his bird, then a guest die.
Niles is lonely and desperate when he realizes he has no romantic prospects while Daphne, Frasier and even Martin are all happy. Niles dates a younger woman and adopts her trendy culture. Meanwhile, Roz takes up with Bulldog, but can't bring herself to dump him after he loses his job at the station.
Frasier does not see Daphne again until everyone arrives at the hotel for her wedding. He offers his sympathy about Niles, but she claims that she was just suffering pre-wedding jitters. Frasier doesn't believe her. Martin warns him not to interfere unless he is absolutely sure that it is the right thing. Frasier observes Niles and Daphne sharing a dance after the rehearsal dinner, and realizes that they are obviously in love. He takes Niles upstairs to talk, and tells him about Daphne's feelings. A panicked Niles is unsure of what to do. He tries to talk to Daphne alone, but everyone keeps interrupting them. He finally tells her that he loves her and would leave Mel to be with her. Just as he asks how she feels about him, her family bursts in and takes over the room. Niles and Daphne take refuge on the balcony. She kisses him passionately and admits that she loves him, but then rejects him because she thinks it would be too hard to undo their commitments.
Niles is forced to postpone his first romantic date with Daphne due to his marriage obligations with Mel. He has to attend their phony wedding reception and act happy about it so Mel can grant him the divorce. During the party, Mel tells him he can't be seen in public with Daphne while they're still officially married. This comes as a great turn off for Daphne, who thinks Niles is taking Mel's side on the whole thing. Frasier, now threatened to be sued by Donny for revealing to Daphne how Niles felt about her, decides he's done too much harm to the story and no longer wants anything to do with it. But Frasier Crane is Frasier Crane, and he can't help himself. With some help of Martin, he convinces Daphne to go out with him while Martin takes Niles out. They take the two to the roof, where Frasier set a dinner table and a very romantic environment. Just because they can't be seen in public doesn't mean they can't have their romantic dinner.
Following on from where last season's finale left off, Niles and Daphne drive off in the Winnebago, but decide to go back and face the music. They tell Donny and Mel that they are in love with each other and naturally Donny and Mel are upset. Daphne and Roz are sending back the wedding presents (despite the efforts of Simon to keep them for himself) when there's a knock on the door. It's a deliveryman. On behalf of Donny, he's brought flowers for Daphne - and a lawsuit. Donny is suing Daphne for leaving him at the altar! Frasier goes to see Donny and tells him that he too was left at the altar (by Diane Chambers in Cheers); but when Donny finds out Frasier's involvement in getting Niles and Daphne together, he adds Frasier to the lawsuit. Meanwhile Mel has revenge on her mind as well...
When Frasier's car breaks down, he and Roz decide to take the bus. There, Frasier spots an attractive woman whom he tries to start a conversation with, but unfortunately he slips and falls and the woman leaves the bus. But Frasier won't give up so easily: he overheard her conversation with a friend and now he knows her name and job, so he goes after her. She works in a retirement home, where Frasier takes his father to, pretending they're interested in having Martin live there. Frasier scores his date, but spends the entire time worrying about his father when Miranda tells him his father filled an application – later to be discovered that it was only done so Martin could play poker with the residents. Meanwhile, Niles and Daphne are separated during their romantic dinner on the roof when Niles gets locked in the hall.
Frasier tries to make a good impression on the new station owner and ends up becoming his mentor. The guy is a young Sillicon Valley billionaire who has more money than society expertise, and seeks from Frasier the help he needs to enter the high society lifestyle without embarrassing himself. But Frasier sees his dream job go down the drain when Todd starts copying everything about him, his clothes, his furniture etc. Frasier then decides that perhaps he should be the one changing styles, but doesn't find anything that relates to him as much as his old furniture. Lastly, Frasier receives the worst news of all, Architectural Digest is doing a cover story on Todd's apartment. Meanwhile, Niles struggles to be a royal pain in the ass in front of Mel's society friends, as a part of her deal to give him the divorce, but his bad behavior actually brings good results and only makes him look even better for her friends.
Frasier makes friends with Roz's new boyfriend, but when they break up Frasier hides from Roz that he's still hanging out with the guy. Roz gets back together with Luke and feels ashamed to tell Frasier about it since he was so supportive when they broke up. They keep the circle of secrets until they both get locked in Luke's closet and witness Luke making out with another girl. They both feel bad for lying to each other and accidentally get pushed out of the closet when Roz inflates Luke's boat. Meanwhile, Martin is mad at Niles because Niles put Eddie in a kennel while he was away instead of taking him to his house as planned.
Frasier is delighted to hear that he's been awarded a lifetime achievement award, but freaks out after he receives flowers from his mentor with a card that doesn't say exactly what he hoped. Moments before the awards dinner, Frasier goes down to his mentor's office and confronts him about the reason he wrote what he did in the card, and soon beings a ride of self-analysis and looks back on his life, wondering why he feels so empty despite all his achievements. Meanwhile, Martin tries to reassure Niles he's just as good a psychiatrist as Frasier, even though he's not receiving any awards, and Roz wonders why Daphne is putting on so much weight.
Frasier and Niles decide to enter an auto repair class after they embarrass themselves in front of their respective dates when their car breaks down and the women show more knowledge on engines than them. After falling behind on the course, they start to study frantically, until Roz suggests they simple coast the course. Of course the two take it too seriously and get kicked out of class. Meanwhile, Martin is overprotective of Roz's new puppy, which creates a conflict between them.
Now that Frasier has landed a segment on Gil's gastronomic show about wine, he's ready to resign the Wine Club, just as Niles takes over the presidency duties. When no member from the club calls in his show, Frasier fears Niles is plotting against him in a vindictive sort of way, which is proven to be true when he finds out Niles forbid the members to call Frasier's show. The two start a fight and it takes Martin to yell at them in front of everybody so they will peace up again. Lastly, they get so embarrassed that they both quit the wine club and start their own. Meanwhile, Martin struggles with his new, hard-working physical therapist, Frederica.
When Daphne returns from her weight loss class, she realizes Niles didn't notice that she had gained weight because of how he remembered her being the last seven years. Meanwhile, Roz writes a children's book based on a story her mother used to tell her, but finds out it is already a book and a movie.
The hourlong ninth-season opener finds Frasier in a romantic quandary. On one hand, he's attracted to the devoted and doting Claire, his companion on the Caribbean trip in last May's finale. Yet, he's also drawn to the "challenging, sexy" Lana, the enigmatic figure from his past. Now, the torn and agitated shrink seeks help with his plight from family members and even absolute strangers. But the most forthright advice comes from two even more unlikely sources: his former fiancée Diane and ex-wife Lilith, both of whom Frasier confronts in fantasy sequences.
When Daphne and Niles decide to move in with each other, Daphne's mother and Simon arrive on a surprise visit. Daphne and Niles decide to put off moving in together until her visiting relatives are gone. Meanwhile, Frasier feuds with Cam Winston, his neighbor, over where Cam parks his large vehicle.
Daphne and Niles continue to try and hide the fact that they have moved in with each other from Mrs. Moon. She makes such a mess of things that the only way she will leave is if Simon takes care of her, but Simon has left for California. Meanwhile, Frasier's neighbor Cam drapes the American flag over his balcony, and Frasier cannot complain because it would seem unpatriotic.
Niles sets Frasier up with Lisa, a patient who owns a bookstore, but they never run into each other. Roz sets Frasier up with Suzanne, an artist, who ends up hating Frasier. Martin sets Frasier up with Kris, an attractive girl from his building, who seems to know every man at the bar. But Frasier later runs into and hits it off with Lisa.
On his show one day, Frasier tells his caller Jeremy that Niles used to wet the bed. Although he doesn't mention Niles by name, Niles and most of Seattle realize who Frasier was talking about. Niles is of course angry with Frasier. A few days later the Cranes, plus Daphne, head to Boston. Frasier is giving a speech at a conference and Niles will be making the introduction. At the airport, Frasier meets his old friend Cliff Clavin, who thinks Frasier has come for his retirement party. Not wanting to disappoint Cliff, Frasier says that's what he's here for...much to Niles' annoyance, as he has booked seats at an exclusive restuarant. At the party, Martin bonds with Frasier's friend Norm Peterson, Daphne is fascinated with Cliff's stories and Frasier is enjoying telling everyone what it is like to be famous. Only Niles is not having a good time, until Carla, the waitress from Cheers, tells him some embarrasing stories about Frasier, which Niles decides to use in his introduction.
As a birthday present, Niles surprises Daphne with a trip to Hawaii for two. However, Mrs. Moon falls into a state of total despair about her failed marriage, and Daphne feels bad about leaving her alone for the weekend. Niles hatches a plan to reunite Daphne's parents and get Mrs. Moon out of the apartment. He convinces a reluctant Daphne to take her mother on the trip, and secretly heads to England to track down Daphne's father. Niles hopes to at least convince Mr. Moon to come to the U.S. and give Daphne away at the wedding. He finds him at a bar, but Mr. Moon doesn't take too kindly to the idea of reconciling with his wife. Roz, depressed about her break-up with Roger, stays at the apartment to hang out with Frasier after Daphne's party. They end up sleeping together. Roz leaves in a panic the next morning, but promises that they will get together for dinner to talk things over. She promptly skips town and nixes plans for Frasier to join her at her family reunion in Wisconsin.
Niles eventually persuades the reluctant Mr. Moon to come to the U.S. and talk with his wife. He is prepared to leave immediately after Mrs. Moon rejects him, but Niles convinces him to stay for a while. Daphne is furious at Niles for interfering, as she feels her parents would eventually work out their problems on their own. She criticizes Niles for acting without consulting her. Niles and Daphne convince the Moons to join them for a romantic dinner. The plan works initially, but the couple soon gets into a brawl. Mr. Moon talks with Daphne and tells her that he and Gertrude are not going to reunite. A devastated Daphne fears that there is no point to marriage, but her father assures her that Niles is the right man for her. He cites the lengths Niles was willing to take to please Daphne as proof that he loves her much more than Mr. Moon ever loved Gertrude. Daphne realizes that he is right, and heads over to see Niles. She stuns him by telling him that she wants to marry imm
Frasier is desperate to finally win the presidency of the condo board after several unsuccessful attempts. However, he admits that he has no chance because he has rubbed all of the board members the wrong way at one time or another. He decides to get Martin run with the proviso of following his agenda.
Frasier is infuriated when Bulldog successfully pulls several practical jokes on him. He vows to get revenge, and plots an elaborate prank that he takes way too seriously. Martin and Roz predict that he will fail because he is terrible at carrying out pranks. Frasier seeks the help of an unlikely ally to prove them wrong. Meanwhile, Mrs. Moon wages a prank war of her own against a trick or treater who eggs Niles' door after he forgets to buy Halloween candy.
Niles becomes concerned about a lingering toothache after his dentist assures him that there is nothing wrong with the tooth. He tells Roz that there is a chance that he may be suffering from referred pain; and that the pain could actually be a sign of a heart condition. Roz mocks him upon learning that there is only a one in 10,000 chance of this. However, Niles worries even more after experiencing a series of astonishingly improbable events--such as having his car struck by lightning, and twice winning a contest from a bottled water company for which there is only one winner in 10,000. He goes to see a doctor, who confirms his worst fears by telling him that he must be hospitalized immediately due to an irregularity in his EKG. Meanwhile, Frasier has difficulty finding a suitable housekeeper to replace Daphne. Martin is impressed by a young woman who is a sports fan; and insists on hiring her, in spite of Frasier's objections. However, she proves to be totally irresponsible, and rarely even shows up for work. Martin tries to handle all of her duties himself so that he won't have to admit that Frasier was right about her.
Niles prepares to undergo heart bypass surgery. He is surprised to receive a call wishing him well from Maris, who had learned of his plight from a gossipy acquaintance. Frasier tries to keep Roz and the family at ease by researching the procedure (as well as the doctors' backgrounds) and printing out detailed descriptions for everyone. However, he winds up getting on the surgeon's nerves by questioning his approach to the operation. Martin tries to act as though everything is fine so that he doesn't have to deal with the fear and uncertainty of the situation. Roz tries to help the terrified Daphne stay calm. She refuses to think of other things, stating that she has no future until she knows that Niles is all right. Niles' drug-induced comment about the possibility of hospitals having "memories" about their patients prompts everyone to think back on past experiences in that hospital, from Niles' birth to a time that Roz mistook lipstick on Alice's cheek for a rash. Daphne grows more and more tense as they await word on the surgery. When Martin and Frasier repeatedly bicker about a candy bar stuck in the vending machine, Daphne smashes the machine with a fire extinguisher. She breaks down crying, and everyone does their best to console her. Niles' surgery goes even better than expected, and he begins his recovery. A relieved Daphne is finally able to bring herself to think about their future.
Niles recovers rapidly from his heart surgery and receives the go-ahead from doctors to resume normal activities, but seems reluctant to do this. He maintains his strict post-operative diet, and refuses to exercise or share a bed with Daphne. He annoys everyone by constantly going around making speeches about his near-death experience and how much he appreciates life. Frasier refuses to argue with Niles because he promised God that he would never quarrel with his brother again if he recovered from his sickness. The frustration of having to agree with everything Niles says begins to drive Frasier crazy, especially when Niles starts monopolizing his radio show to give his own advice to callers. Frasier believes he has found a way to back out of his promise after he learns that Daphne had already made her own deal with God. In the meantime, Martin talks with Niles about the feelings he experienced after his shooting, and forces his son to overcome his fears and go on with his life.
Frasier mistakenly receives some of Cam Winston's mail, including a mysterious invitation to an exclusive locale. Frasier and Niles are surprised to have been left out of the loop about this new hot spot, and become obsessed with finding out more information. Frasier heads to the address on the invitation, but cannot get the receptionist to tell him anything. Niles finally shows up and poses as Cam, and is told that the business is a spa. He and Frasier enjoy all of the amenities, but are disturbed to learn that the spa has a "gold level" area to which they are denied access. They constantly complain about being left out. Roz believes that they only care about the gold level because they are not allowed there, but uses her connections to a senator who has a membership to get them inside. The brothers are appeased, until they spot a platinum door. They ignore an attendant's warning and barge through the door, but aren't too happy with the result. Meanwhile, Daphne ruins Martin's enjoyment of The Rockford Files when she says that he reminds her of Rockford's father, rather than the title character.
Lilith comes to Seattle, and tells Frasier that she would like to have another child. She wants him to father the child through artificial insemination so that Frederick could have a full-sibling. Frasier is hesitant to go along with this, so Lilith tries to manipulate him by bringing up touching stories from Frederick's childhood. She says that creating another person as wonderful as Frederick would be the best possible legacy they could leave. Frasier agrees to do it, much to the surprise of his family. When Frasier and Lilith argue at the clinic, he begins to fear that their second-born could inherit all of their worst qualities. He believes that they are trying too hard to re-create the past. He doesn't feel this would be a good reason to bring a child into the world. Frasier worries that Lilith is missing something from her life. However, she seems to make a connection with a fellow passenger, whom she had first met on the trip to Seattle, during her flight home. Meanwhile, Daphne, Roz, Mrs. Moon and Alice embark on a road trip to a Canadian amusement park, with disastrous results. Niles obsesses over a blurry photograph at the end of a roll, which he believes to be an illicit photo of Daphne. He is more than a little disturbed when he discovers the truth.
Niles and Frasier plan a party to celebrate the unveiling of a painting that Niles has just purchased. However, Daphne notes that every event the brothers host inevitably ends in disaster. She suggests that Niles instead host the party with her. Frasier is hurt to learn that he will be excluded, and says that he will not even attend the party. Daphne believes that she has everything under control, but things quickly begin to unravel. Alice writes her name in crayon on the painting. Daphne remains calm, and gives Roz the name of a man whom Niles uses to restore artwork. However, the game hens catch fire in the meantime. The caterers are too busy to replace them, so Daphne must turn to Frasier for help. He comes over to assist with the food preparation, but must hide in the pantry whenever Niles comes in the kitchen so that his role will remain a secret. Frasier becomes angry when he overhears Niles and others complimenting the food and saying how much better off they are without Frasier's involvement. Mike Shaw, the artist responsible for the painting, shows for the party after earlier declining his invitation. He doesn't care for the stuffy guests, and decides to go upstairs and watch pay-per-view boxing with Mrs. Moon. Niles hears a couple's description of Shaw (white-haired man in a flannel shirt using a cane) and assumes they have him confused with Martin. The couple who met Shaw has to leave. Martin arrives to bring Frasier some dishes, and winds up having to pose as Shaw for the other guests. Roz asks Daphne to stall the unveiling because the art restorer is painfully slow. Niles insists that dinner must be served immediately. He discovers Frasier, and they begin to argue, leading to more chaos. Daphne tries her best to salvage the evening, but an unexpected event prompts her to give up. Frasier consoles her by telling her that the disastrous party means she is officially part of the family.
Tired of being humiliated in his club's annual squash tournament, Niles ditches Frasier and pairs with a younger partner. A P.E. teacher named Chelsea asks Frasier to team with her in the mixed doubles competition. They win the championship. Martin is overjoyed that one of his sons has finally earned a trophy for athletics. Niles winds up begging for Frasier to take him back after his new partner yells at him on the court. Frasier assumes that the tournament's conclusion means the end of his relationship with Chelsea, but they soon begin dating. Niles is surprised that Frasier would date a P.E. teacher after all of the abuse the brothers endured in gym class as children. When Frasier goes to Chelsea's school to pick her up, he sees her berating one of the students. This causes him to have flashbacks, and he can no longer look at Chelsea without seeing his old gym teacher, Coach Fuller. Frasier tries to convince Chelsea to be more sensitive to the children. Meanwhile, Frasier tries to persuade Roz and Julia to be more civil to one another. They cannot find any common ground, until they realize how much they enjoy insulting each other.
KACL organizes a bike-a-thon to raise money for AIDS research. Frasier plans to just make a financial donation, but is goaded into participating after Julia announces her intention to take part. Daphne suggests that she and Niles also enter the event. Frasier and Niles try to hide the fact that neither of them knows how to ride a bike, and hope that they can figure it out before the bike-a-thon. After the truth comes out, Daphne tries to help them, but finds that it isn't easy. Meanwhile, Martin receives a frosty response from Cam Winston's mother, Cora, when she comes to the building to visit her son. When he asks why she never called, he learns that Mrs. Moon posed as his girlfriend and scared her away. Martin explains the situation, but Cora already has a boyfriend. A furious Martin gives Mrs. Moon the silent treatment, but she eventually goes to Cora to make amends.
Kenny becomes extremely depressed after his divorce is finalized. Frasier offers to refer him to another psychiatrist, but Kenny says that he would prefer to discuss his problems with Frasier. Frasier reluctantly agrees, but doesn't take any money. Frasier is thrilled about getting to work with a patient again, and quickly delves into Kenny's childhood issues and cites them as the source of his relationship problems. Kenny remains depressed, so Martin lets him tag along to McGinty's. They have a good time drinking and hanging out. Kenny decides to follow Martin's advice and start getting out of the house so that he can take his mind off his problems. He tells Frasier that he doesn't want to come in to see him anymore. Frasier is furious with Martin, and takes issue with his father's comments about psychiatry. However, Martin finally reminds him that Kenny is far from the only person with problems, and suggests that Frasier start treating patients again. Meanwhile, Niles and Daphne begin practicing yoga with an instructor who caters to Seattle's elite. Although he won't admit it, Niles grows jealous when Daphne proves to be much more flexible than he is.
Frasier's co-workers cajole him into helping them build a house for Habitat for Humanity. Frasier mostly seems to get in the way, and his participation is limited to stirring paint and a little bit of sanding. However, he somehow views himself as having played some huge role in the process. He becomes very attached to the house, and keeps showing up to offer the inhabitants unwanted decorating advice. Roz tries to convince him that they should be allowed to furnish and decorate the house in whatever way they see fit. Martin and Eddie give a presentation about safety to an elementary school class. They are a big hit, and the school asks them to return for an assembly. However, Martin comes down with a fever and is unable to go through with the speech. A reluctant Niles is forced to take his place. He blames the children for making Martin ill, and winds up impressing the kids with a lecture about germs. Daphne and Mrs. Moon get into a huge argument about her mother's increasingly difficult behavior. After Daphne suggests that she help around the house, Mrs. Moon responds by getting a job at Cafe Nervosa. She hopes to publicly embarrass Daphne and shame her into apologizing. Daphne, however, is nonplussed by her mother's behavior and gladly accepts her paycheck.
Frasier consults his old friend Avery for advice on his finances. Avery says that Frasier's spending habits are out of control. Frasier becomes depressed and heads out to Cafe Nervosa to think about a solution. He is disgusted to discover that the owner has hired an eccentric folk singer to perform every afternoon.
Niles accuses Frasier of sabotaging his relationships whenever things start to get serious. Frasier vows to "commit to commitment," and tries to win Julia back. She accepts his apology and sleeps with him, and the pair seems to be getting along well. However, Julia proceeds to offend the entire Crane family during a dinner that Niles and Daphne had scheduled to announce her pregnancy. She even inadvertently spills the beans about the pregnancy (she overheard Niles and Daphne discussing it) before the couple can make the announcement. Frasier tries to excuse her behavior because of his new dedication to commitment, but ultimately dumps her.
Frasier and Niles go to a furniture store to pick out a couch for Frasier's new office. Niles cannot stop rambling; Frasier believes he is suffering from anxiety because of his impending fatherhood. Frasier, meanwhile, is experiencing doubts about his return to private practice, as he believes he has grown rusty. Frasier spots Ronee Lawrence, the boys' old babysitter. He invites her to come over to the apartment and catch up, as he hopes this will lead to romantic involvement for the pair. However, Martin also finds Ronee attractive, and decides to make his own move on her. When Ronee is called away to work, both men follow her to the club where she performs. Frasier is devastated to find that Ronee likes Martin, and falls into a depression. Frasier and Niles accidentally learn that Martin has been taking Viagra. Martin returns for his pills, but the brothers cannot put them back in time to hide their discovery. Martin is embarrassed, and explains that he could not perform with Ronee because he keeps picturing her as a teenager. Within the span of a few minutes, Frasier is able to diagnose and solve all three of the men's neuroses. He gloats about this and declares himself fit to return to private practice.
Roz tries to convince Frasier to go out with her friend Ann. She feels that Frasier is too particular about who he dates, and adds that there is nothing wrong with continuing to date around until the right person comes along. Frasier is reluctant, but soon grows tired of tagging along with Niles and Daphne and Martin and Ronee or hanging around the apartment alone. He agrees to a date with Ann, which proves to be a disaster. In the middle of the evening, he runs into Kenny, who is trying to persuade his beautiful and interesting cousin, Liz, to take a job in Seattle. Liz is leaving town the next day, so Frasier tries to ditch Ann so that he can spend time with her. Meanwhile, Niles and Daphne suspect that their maid is stealing from them.
Frasier overhears Ronee making a date with another man. He tells Martin, who is furious at him for eavesdropping. Ronee later breaks the news to Martin herself, explaining that she didn't think they had an exclusive relationship. He covers by claiming to be dating a woman named Sheila. Frasier gets stuck in the kitchen and overhears the conversation, and Martin accuses him of being a chronic eavesdropper. Martin runs into Ronee and her date at Cafe Nervosa, and tries to make her jealous by having Roz pose as the fictional Sheila. Frasier urges Martin to tell Ronee how he feels about her. Ronee comes over to talk to Martin, and Frasier leaves to give them some privacy. However, Roz inadvertently drives Ronee away, and Frasier somehow finds himself listening to another private conversation as Ronee and Martin sort things out in her car.
Niles receives a phone call from a panicked Maris, who asks to meet him for lunch. She asks for advice on how to handle her violent, philandering lover. Niles recommends that she leave him immediately. Frasier and Martin warn Niles not to tell Daphne about the lunch, as she is experiencing severe mood swings due to her pregnancy. Niles wants to tell Daphne anyway, but changes his mind after she freaks out about a phone call from Maris. Niles ends up having to pile lie upon lie to keep the news from Daphne, and even has to throw her a baby shower at the last minute after she suspects that is the reason for his odd behavior and nervousness. Maris's lover, Esteban, shows up at the shower in search of Niles. He mistakenly punches out Frasier as he tries to retaliate for Niles' advice. Daphne is furious to learn that Niles lied to her, and storms out. She later returns, and Niles promises that Maris will never come between them again. Just then, a radio report announces that Maris has been arrested for Esteban's murder. Meanwhile, Frasier reconsiders his decision to return to private practice after his first two days are marred by a series of disastrous (and short) sessions.
Niles is questioned by the police because he loaned Maris the murder weapon--an antique crossbow--for use in a play. Maris insists that she acted in self-defense. She continually calls Niles from jail, leaving Daphne extremely angry. The media scrutiny surrounding the Cranes intensifies after Frasier--the self-appointed family spokesman--accidentally says that Niles and Maris will be "executed" rather than "exonerated." Niles and Daphne have to come stay with Frasier, and Daphne makes Niles sleep on the couch. Frasier worries that Niles is reacting too calmly, as he believes that the anxiety will build up and eventually lead to a breakdown. Overcome with stress and sleep deprivation, Niles winds up stripping off all his clothes in Cafe Nervosa. Roz and Frasier manage to handle the situation. Niles finally begins to display some anger about his predicament, and asks Maris to back off and stop calling him so often.
Lilith comes to town for a one-day conference. She and Frasier try to get together, but keep having to cancel. Lilith discusses her romantic problems with a colleague at Cafe Nervosa before having to return to the conference. The woman then meets Frasier and arranges a blind date between an unwitting Frasier and Lilith. Frasier and Lilith plan to meet for drinks at her hotel before their date(s). When it takes longer than expected, Frasier calls the woman who arranged the date and says that he has to cancel. Lilith tries to save face by cancelling the date herself. She and Frasier each believe they have been stood up, but are hesitant to admit it to each other. They have a wonderful evening together, and even help the couple in the next room deal with relationship problems. Frasier winds up falling asleep and staying overnight. Meanwhile, a frantic Niles, Martin and Daphne try to undo the damage after Martin's gun accidentally discharges in Frasier's apartment.
Niles gains notoriety throughout Seattle because of his involvement in Maris's murder case. He and Daphne mingle with the city's social elite (including Bill Gates), and he is able to finagle reservations at booked restaurants. Frasier grows very jealous, but hopes that his two Sea Bee nominations (which break the record for most nominations in a career) will help him return to the spotlight. Kenny arranges for an interview, and Frasier invites the reporter to the ceremony. However, everything quickly begins to go wrong. Frasier loses his date because the event has to be scheduled for the morning due to Kenny's gaffe. He then loses both of the awards, and the attention of the reporter, who is much more interested in Niles. Roz, on the other hand, experiences the thrill of a lifetime when her judgmental sister--who has a seemingly perfect life--finally gets knocked off her pedestal.
KACL employees face off against another station in a weight-loss competition, with the winning team to receive a trip to Las Vegas. Tensions rise among the staffers, who become extremely cranky due to hunger as the contest proceeds. Noel starves himself and repeatedly faints after Roz suggests that he might get lucky with her in Vegas if they win the trip. Frasier refuses to get into the competitive spirit until he discovers that their opponent's general manager is a man who bullied him in high school (stealing his chess set). Meanwhile, Niles and Martin try to nurse an injured pigeon back to health; and Niles repeatedly suffers injuries of his own because the pregnant Daphne rolls over onto him in her sleep.
Frasier discovers that his home insurance policy has been cancelled because Martin forgot to mail the payment several months earlier. After learning that it would cost a fortune to renew with that company, Frasier tries to get a better deal by making nice with Roz's insurance agent friend Ann, with whom Frasier had a disastrous date several months earlier.
Frasier grows depressed because no one is calling into his show. He mistakenly believes that Martin is inviting him along on his weekend in the mountains with Ronee, failing to realize that Martin was actually talking to Eddie. Niles and Daphne also come along after Niles overhears a sarcastic remark by Ronee and mistinterprets it as an invitation. Frasier is plagued by anxieties and cannot sleep during the trip. He first dreams that he has killed Niles and married Daphne. Niles mocks him for having such a simple dream, which he says is clearly a sign that he envies his brother's life. Frasier also has a nightmare about his problems with the show. Niles dreams about being a bad father, while Daphne suffers a nightmare in which she continually gains weight and Niles fools around with other women. Martin also has an unusual dream in which he chides his family members for letting their worries overcome them, before bursting into a song and dance number about his positive attitude. Unlike the other Cranes, Martin sleeps soundly.
Roz is disappointed when she is unable to get Alice tickets to a concert by children's performer Nanny G. After his family reveals that he used to be married to her, Frasier agrees to help Roz secure tickets. He accompanies Roz and Alice to a bookstore appearance, and continually drops hints to Nanny G about the fact that he is single.
Frasier treats a woman who has a phobia about clowns. He plans to don a clown costume and full make-up as part of her treatment. Martin sneaks into Frasier's office and scares him by coming up behind him with one of Frasier's masks over his face. Frasier does not find this amusing, so Martin repeatedly teases him about being a "fuddy-duddy." Frasier decides to retaliate for the prank. He tells Martin that he is leaving the apartment, then puts on the clown costume and rings the doorbell. When Martin comes out to answer it, Frasier jumps out, wielding a cleaver. Martin collapses and suffers a mild heart attack. Frasier feels incredibly guilty about his actions, and is humiliated in the waiting room when the nurse reads off an account of what happened. Martin recovers quickly and returns home, but doesn't want to tell Ronee about his health crisis.
A panicked Frasier calls Niles over to the apartment and says that he has committed a crime. He explains the series of events that led up to this. When Frasier was overcome by a coughing fit, Roz took over the show and advised a caller to seek counseling to deal with kleptomania, which she described as being the result of someone needing the thrill of stealing to deal with the emptiness in his or her life. Frasier congratulated her on knowing what to say, but Roz said that it was easy because he is so predictable.
Martin worries about a visit from Ronee's mother. She dislikes him because she once saw Martin innocently comforting the teenage Ronee and assumed he was trying to "take her virtue." Meanwhile, Frasier continues to find himself consumed by thoughts of Charlotte. Roz recommends that he get over it by going to a bar and picking up someone. Frasier quickly makes a connection with a woman named Kim, and they go back to his apartment.
Frasier offers Charlotte a ride to the train station, as she is headed to Portland to give a speech at a businesswomen's convention. She seems evasive when he tries to make future plans, so he insists that she explain what is wrong. She tells him that she is moving back to Chicago in three weeks, and doesn't think they should keep seeing each other because it will just make saying goodbye more painful. Charlotte ends up missing her train as they talk.
As Frasier prepares for a dinner party, he considers throwing away an old broken crock pot. However, the crock pot stirs many memories of past experiences with his friends and family. Among the times he recalls are getting accidentally super-glued to a blind date after Martin tried to repair the pot; a birthday party for Roz that found Niles and Daphne feeling especially amorous.