After the premature death of Martin's physician, who was similar to Frasier in physique, behavior and temperament, Frasier begins to obsess about his own mortality.
Examples:
- An Aesop: Frasier ultimately comes to the conclusion that spending all his time worrying about the possibility that he might die isn't going to prevent it. He should simply try to enjoy life while he can.
- Afraid of Doctors: Martin apparently hates going to the doctor, and Frasier has to drag him there after he fakes going on his own.
- Analogy Backfire: Martin tries to pull Frasier out of his funk by confiding that he went through a similar funk when his partner was killed during a drug bust.Martin: When you're a cop, you've got to be able to handle things like that, but I... I just couldn't get over it. Every time I had to go in a blind alley, or in a dark building, I just froze. And I knew if I kept being afraid to die, I'd never be able to do my job.
Frasier: So what did you do?
Martin: I just forced myself to forget about it.
Frasier: Just like that?
Martin: Just like that. Next time I came across one of those doors, I went right through it. [Beat] The fact that I got shot in the hip was purely coincidental.
Frasier: You were this close to helping me there, Dad. - Cringe Comedy: Frasier at the doctor's shiva, first grilling one of his relatives about his health and then awkwardly making an off-color joke.
- Identical Stranger: What sets Frasier's worrying off is realizing that he and the deceased Dr. Newman were disturbingly similar in terms of age, build, and behavior, with the only difference being that said doctor actually led a healthier lifestyle, meaning Frasier is theoretically even more at risk of dropping dead than he was.
- If You Die, I Call Your Stuff: To ease his own tension, Frasier calls the family to a meeting and invites them to stake claims to his possessions, to avoid any messy legal disputes after he's gone. Niles surreptitiously applies several naming labels to Frasier's things, earning him a Death Glare from both Martin and Daphne.
- Not So Above It All: Frasier attends his first shiva, and is confused by the black drapes over the mirrors.Aunt Bobbie: We always cover mirrors at a Shiva, so those grieving don't have to be concerned with their own appearances.
Frasier: Ah. Oh well, you look very nice.
Aunt Bobbie: [exhales] Oh, thank you. It's been driving me crazy! - Running Gag: "You're not Jewish, are you?"
