Diane Chambers, the woman who left Frasier at the altar, asks him to help fund her newest play.
Tropes:
- Awful Wedded Life: Seeing Diane's spectacular emotional breakdown prompts Niles to suddenly find himself missing Maris, much to Martin's exasperation.
- Call-Back: Diane's facial tic, which showed up a few times in Cheers, is on full display at the dinner scene. Incidentally, the last time it showed up was also Frasier's very first appearance.
- Damn You, Muscle Memory!: Both Frasier and Diane have trouble with going through the stage door that leads to nowhere after the years of entering and exiting the real door at Cheers.
- Doppelgänger Dating: Frasier finally realizes he has no chance of rekindling his romance with Diane when, during the rehearsal of the play, she is shown to be dating the actor playing "Stan", who is the Fictional Counterpart of her old flame, Sam Malone.
- Failed Dramatic Exit: After Frasier and Diane are honest with each other while on the stage of Diane's play, they say their goodbyes, and Frasier leaves...except he initially tries to exit through the door of the bar stage instead of the actual exit.
- Fictional Counterpart: Diane's play Rhapsody and Requiem takes place at a bar very much like Cheers... and features characters based on Sam, Carla, Norm, Cliff, and of course, Frasier himself. Curiously, neither Coach nor Woody have a fictional counterpart in Diane's play.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: You can actually see Frasier's reflection in the window of his booth when Diane waves at him, so you can see him turn to see who knocked on the window, only to immediately turn back around when he sees her.
- Heroic BSoD: Fraiser's reaction to seeing Diane again is to scream very loudly and barge into Niles' office during a session to ask for advice.
- Her Code Name Was "Mary Sue": When Frasier is invited to a dress rehearsal for Diane's play, he finds that it depicts their old life at Cheers...except that the only thing any of the characters actually care about is Diane's stand-in "Mary Anne".
- Hypocritical Humor: Frasier spends a scene rambling a mile a minute at Niles about how things with Diane are going, then calls Niles an insufferable busybody and storms off. Niles hadn't actually said a single word.
- I Gave My Word: On first visiting Niles, Frasier makes him put his notebook away so he won't be a psychiatrist and take down anything. Niles agrees, though he makes it clear he really wants to, given Fras is displaying all the signs of classic denial.
- I'm Standing Right Here: The whole time Frasier is giving his enraged tirade down on Rage Breaking Point, Diane is standing right behind him on the stage with an outraged look on her face, and it only gets worse when Frasier points at Mary Anne (standing in front of him) and calls her "the Devil" and when the play's cast applauds Frasier as he walks away.
- It's All About Me: Diane's play as a whole is bad enough, since everything revolves around her stand-in "Mary-Ann", but the fact that she doesn't seem to have considered for a second that "Franklin" might have some mixed feelings at least about being dumped at the altar before advising the woman who dumped him to follow her dreams without care for him speaks volumes about how self-absorbed she is. Even "Franklin's" actor questions how easily his character could sway for her like this.
- Mandatory Line: Roz has exactly one line in the entire episode, and it's while the opening credits are still rolling.
- Mood-Swinger: At dinner, Diane starts doing her old fake-as-hell laugh, the one that sounds like she's a moment from crying, which then turns into actual crying as she starts lamenting how her life has gone downhill since the end of Cheers. The others hide in the kitchen to avoid it.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Dinner at Chez Crane doesn't get off to a flying start between Diane and Martin when she tries to make small talk.Diane: Martin, how are you?
Martin: Well, my wife died, I got shot in the hip and had to move in with Frasier because I kept falling down in the shower.
Diane: Well, you look good. (pats him on the leg) Yes, you do.
Martin: That's the bad one.
(Diane scrunches up her hands in embarrassment) - Papa Wolf: Martin really doesn't want Frasier to get back with Diane, seeing how much he was hurt by her and not wanting to see him like that again.
- Pass the Popcorn: In the Crane Brothers' own way, of course. Niles tells Frasier straight up that having dinner with Diane is opening himself up to pain and humiliation and he will have no part of it... but he'll still be there with a "cheeky Bordeaux".
- Rage Breaking Point: For most of the episode, Frasier has some anxiety regarding Diane, but treats her with kindness and sympathy when she comes to him for help. And then Frasier sees the character representing himself in Diane's play, "Franklin", bearing no ill will towards "Mary Anne" for her past actions, and in fact telling her to leave him behind and embrace her passions. When the actor then pauses because the character's motivations are unclear, Frasier states how he genuinely feels.Frasier: I...may be able to illuminate that for you! What you're feeling is that this woman has—REACHED into your chest—PLUCKED out your heart, and—THROWN it to her HELLHOUNDS for a CHEW TOY!!! It's not the last time either, because that's what this woman is—SHE IS THE DEVIL! It's no use running away from her, because no matter how far you go—how many years you let pass—you will never be completely out of REACH of THOSE—BONY—FINGERS!!! So drink hearty, Franklin, and laugh! Because you have made a pact—WITH BEELZEBUB!!! AND HER NAME IS MARY ANNE!!! (Walks out to wild applause)
- Required Spinoff Crossover: Diane becomes the third character from Cheers to appear on Frasier, after Lilith and Sam. Interestingly, though Shelley Long appeared three times total on Frasier, this was Diane's only "real" appearance as the other two were both in dream sequences.
- Serious Business: Niles knows what a touchy subject Diane is for Frasier and sends a patient home to tend to Frasier. The patient, upon hearing the matter involves an ex, tells Frasier to take all the time he needs.
- The Scream: Frasier gives an epic one after seeing Diane at the radio station.
