Recap / Frasier S 05 E 24 Sweet Dreams

When Frasier and his co-workers discover that their new manager, Kenny is about to be discharged, he rallies them up to protest.

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Tropes:

• Downer Ending: The season finale ends with KACL being changed to all salsa radio and Frasier and his coworkers all losing their jobs.
• Dirty Coward: Frasier tries joining in with a protest rally, but when the police start arresting people, he high-tails it, leaving Daphne to be dragged off by the police.
• Disaster Dominoes: Fraiser chickening out of a protest rally to save a bookstore not only leads to Daphne's arrest, it also makes Frasier realize how he's become less willing to fight for his morals as he's grown older. This leads him to protest against reading an advertisement on his show, which leads to Kenny getting fired, which leads to the entire station staff getting replaced when Frasier tries to get Kenny rehired.
• Extreme Doormat: Kenny Dally is generally too nice and bumbling to go against people.
• From Bad to Worse: Just to pile on Frasier's guilt over getting Kenny fired, he reveals he's got cash-flow problems thanks to that extension to the house. Oh, and his wife's also been fired, and is pregnant. With twins. And he's lost his insurance, too.
• Hypocritical Humor: When Niles tries to psychoanalyze Frasier's current issues, Frasier interrupts him by guessing exactly what Niles is about to say, and then claims he hasn't considered it applying to himself at all.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: While Frasier's praising Kenny for standing up to KACL's owner and the sponsors, stating that "He took on the big guys and won", Roz immediately spots a recently-fired Kenny passing by with his belongings in a cardboard box.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: As Roz notes, you don't really want to confront a station manager when they work out of somewhere known as "The Black Tower".
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Frasier's attempt to protest against Kenny's firing by asking the owner of KACL, Joe Martin, what kind of radio station he wants gives him the idea to turn the entire station into Latino music broadcasts (and also to use his non-anglicized name, Jose Martinez), leading to Frasier and his co-workers being out of a job.
• One-Steve Limit: Daphne's habit of addressing both brothers Crane as "Doctor Crane" leads to a moment when she's calling Frasier out for not being gentlemanly.
  Daphne: Shame on you, Doctor Crane! Why can't you be more like Doctor Crane [meaning Niles]?
• That Came Out Wrong:
  • Frasier tries to make a high handed speech about his principles, but Kenny and Roz cut him off mid-stream. When Frasier asks just how much got out, Roz shows him.
    Recording: "Those who know me best will know... I am not a man."
    Frasier: ... perfect.
  • When Daphne yells at Frasier for leaving her to the police, and therefore "handcuffed and helpless", Niles is a little too quick to jump in and say if that ever happens again, she can count on him... for help, obviously.
• The Tag: A new Latin employee sings a Spanish version of "Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs" as Frasier leaves the station with a box of his belongings.
• Under New Management: Kenny is the latest manager at KACL, but unlike Ed, Tom and Kate, he'll stick around for the remainder of the show.
• Wham Episode: At the end, Frasier, Roz, Bulldog, Gil and everyone at KACL loses their jobs.
• Wham Line: When Frasier and his KACL co-workers enter the black tower to speak with Joe Martin in an attempt to get Kenny Daley rehired, it takes a turn for the worst that no one saw coming:
  Frasier: This will only take a moment, Mr. Martin. This morning you fired Kenny Daly, a wonderful station manager and a man of integrity. That is a very rare quality in this industry, I promise you. You fire all the Kenny Dalys, what are you left with? A bunch of sycophants and "yes" men. Am I right?
  All: (agreeing with him) Yes, you're right.
  Frasier: Now, it would be a great risk to hire Kenny back, but I'm here to tell you that the man who stops taking risks in life pays a very dear price indeed. I know whereof I speak. I can see that I'm getting through to you, so let me just leave you with one last question: what kind of radio station do you want?
  Joe Martin: You know, Dr. Crane, that is the exact question I've been asking myself all through that board meeting. As you know, our ratings are down and the number crunchers in there think they can fix this thing by sucking up to our sponsors. He-he, well that's not what I think!
  Frasier: Bravo!
  Joe Martin: Thanks to you, I'm going with my gut on this one.
  Frasier: You bet you are!
  Joe Martin: I'm going to march right in there and tell them that we're doing it my way. No more talk!
  Frasier: Exactly, action!
  Joe Martin: No, no more talk radio. From this moment on, the station is all Latina music, all the time.
  Frasier: I beg your pardon?
  Joe Martin: Thank you, Dr. Crane, I'm going back to my roots. I may have walked out of that meeting Joe Martin, corporate sellout. But I'm walking back in José Martinez, risk-taker. (he exits the room)
  Frasier: (still reeling) What the hell just happened?
  Roz: You just got us all fired!
• What the Hell, Hero?: Frasier gets this twice; from Daphne when he leaves her to be arrested at a protest rally at the beginning, and at the end by his co-workers when he unintentionally gets them and himself fired.