Frustrated with his inability to maintain a stable relationship, Frasier reunites with Julia and “commits to commitment.” A mixup results in her presence at Niles and Daphne’s baby-announcement dinner, and she quickly gets on everyone’s nerves with her boorish behavior.
Tropes:
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: After this episode, Julia disappears without comment. Guess Frasier was really upset about those hand towels.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Julia is the 'girlfriend' nobody likes. By the end everyone is so upset at her that they’re almost willing to let her choke to death on a peanut.
- Get Out!: Near the ending, Frasier says this three times to Julia when he finally loses his patience with her.
- Hollywood Board Games: Frasier attempts to lighten things up with a Pictionary game, which results in Julia screaming and belittling him for his poor art skills and accusing the others of cheating.
- Insult Backfire: Though he successfully dumps and kicks out Julia, she ends up getting the last zinger on Frasier when he makes the ill choice of calling back to their Playing Pictionary:Julia: I can't believe this! You're actually kicking me out??Frasier: You want me to draw you a picture?Julia: (angrily) WE'D BE HERE ALL NIGHT!!!Frasier: (indignant) GET OOOOUUUTT!!!
- Jerkass: Julia blithely says and does what she wants without considering she's a last-minute guest. She even took Martin's Ballantine beer instead of the drink meant for her. Frasier is trying to accept it because he's doesn't want to be single again.
- Playing Pictionary: A game is used to show how incompatible Frasier and Julia are compared to Niles and Daphne. While Niles immediately guesses the answer to Daphne's drawing Julia completely fails to understand what Frasier was trying to draw.
- Rage Breaking Point: After insulting everything from psychiatry to Daphne's work with Martin to classical music, Julia finally goes too far. Frasier's artisan Italian hand towels are NOT for an old lady!
- Refuse to Rescue the Disliked: So put off they are by Julia, that everyone hesitates to help her when she starts choking. Frasier does so and furiously calls them out on it, though they retort that he was suspiciously slow to step in himself.Frasier: That's because I mistook her choking for a sarcastic comment on my Pictionary play!
- Ship Sinking: Frasier and Julia goes down for good.
- Stepford Smiler: Frasier, during the dinner. Everyone else is glowering at him as he insists, against all evidence, that he's having fun.
- Villain Reveals the Secret: Niles and Daphne had planned a private family dinner with a beautifully detailed pregnancy reveal. Julia overhears them deciding to wait for another night (because she's been mocking absolutely everything) and casually congratulates them on the pregnancy as she breezes back into the dining room.
- And to top it off, she tells Martin the Mariners game score he was waiting to watch.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Frasier gets angry at Daphne, Niles and Martin sitting idly while Julia chokes. Martin and Niles snap back that he's clearly having doubts about Julia as he wasn't so quick to rescue her himself.
