Frasier butts heads with the new station manager, Kate Costas. When Kate suggests ways to liven up Frasier’s show, he views her ideas as low-brow commercialism and refuses to concede to Kate’s wishes. In response, she “banishes” Frasier and Roz to the 3:00 a.m. timeslot. While Frasier battles sleep deprivation and Roz pleas to get them back into their regular time slot, his home life is just as chaotic. Eddie is locked in an ongoing fight with a neighbor’s Doberman; Niles disrupts Frasier’s sleep by accidentally setting off his starter’s pistol; and Martin goads Frasier about his inability to take orders from a woman. In a display of fatigue-inspired camaraderie, Frasier and Roz decide to give Kate exactly the kind of titillating show she wants, by discussing sex, sex, and more sex! Appalled by the smut-filled show, Kate and Frasier are able to broker a mutually satisfying compromise that maintains Kate’s authority and puts Frasier back in his original time slot.

Dissatisfied with the limits of talk radio, Frasier decides to join psychotherapeutic forces with his brother Niles. The deal? Frasier will share office space, therapy groups and speaking engagements with Niles. Martin sees only disaster ahead, and his premonition seems on target when Niles and Frasier fight over everything from the placement of a plant to the printing of their names on the office door. During their first joint therapy group, Frasier’s constant quips and the patients’ fascination with his radio show sparks a jealous confrontation with Niles. The brothers take their argument into the hallway, where a nearby couples’ therapist, Dr. Schacter, overhears them bickering, and invites them to step inside for a session. After engaging Frasier and Niles in a disastrous series of trust exercises, Schacter states that the Cranes are a hopeless case, and should avoid each other at all costs. The brothers are disheartened until they learn of Dr. Schacter’s sketchy schooling in the Caribbean. Dismissing his diagnosis in light of his inferior education, Niles and Frasier decide to celebrate their reconciliation over lunch, and depart bickering over where to eat.

The death of great aunt Louise puts the Crane men in a philosophical mood about the meaning of life. Under Daphne’s prodding, Martin reveals that he’s been secretly writing song lyrics for the past thirty years, hoping to someday submit one of them to Frank Sinatra. After Niles and Frasier put the lyrics to music, Martin sends the song to his singing idol. Aunt Louise’s will stipulated that Frasier must deliver the eulogy at her memorial service, while Niles is in charge of disposing of her ashes. Driving to the service, the Cranes stop to spread the remains in a wooded area, but Niles can’t open the lid on the urn, and winds up covering himself and Frasier with the ashes. Martin, meanwhile, is blue after receiving a rejection letter from “Ol’ Blue Eyes.” At the memorial service, Frasier struggles to find something nice to say about his “busybody” aunt, but manages to come through with a tactful speech about her. Then, in a tribute to his father, Frasier leads the choir in a rousing rendition of Martin’s song.

After falling for yet another of Bulldog’s childish, on-air practical jokes, Frasier asks station manager Kate Costas to talk to the radio jock. Sniffing a ratings bonanza, she advises Frasier to retaliate on the air, and when he refuses, she accuses him of having no sense of humor. To Frasier’s chagrin, his friends and family members agree with Kate’s observation. Determined to show them all, Frasier recruits Roz in his “payback” plan. He knows that Bulldog is deathly afraid of lizards, so Frasier plants one in the contest prize drum from which the reptile-phobic prankster will draw a winning postcard. But when Kate pulls out the winning card instead, Roz and Frasier watch in horror as the hidden lizard bites off the tip of Kate’s finger! Later, she vows revenge on the unknown assailant as she vents to the presumably innocent Frasier from her hospital bed. Frasier’s conscience gets the better of him and he ‘fesses up when Kate’s pain medication takes effect. As she drifts off to sleep, he thinks he’s in the clear -- but he’s wrong: Kate has heard every word!

Hoping to impress the members of his wine club, Frasier offers to host an upcoming wine-tasting event at his home. His first task: to get Martin’s tacky plaid armchair out of sight. But when he enlists his brother’s help in moving the chair, Niles drops it and scratches the floor. A frazzled Frasier contacts Niles’s contractor to buff the blemish before the guests arrive in twenty-four hours. Unfortunately, Joe the contractor and his crew encounter one problem after another, and by the time Frasier comes home, his condo is in a shambles. Minutes before the wine-tasting, Martin’s quick thinking -- and his sons’ cash -- send the workmen into high speed and put the living room back together just in time for the event. Meanwhile, sparks fly between Daphne and Joe. A jealous Niles first tries to dissuade Daphne from pursuing a romantic relationship with Joe by telling her he’s a womanizer. In the end, Niles admits he was lying, and Daphne accepts a date with Joe.

The radio station staff is in an uproar after Kate nixes their annual fivepercent raises. Frasier finds himself leading the employees’ revolt, even though he and the rest of the on-air talent are unaffected by the decision. It’s up to Frasier to confront “the Nazi in nylons” and hammer out a deal for the staff. But the negotiation takes an unexpected turn when Frasier and Kate discover an untapped, animal-like passion for each other. He leaves her office without an agreement -- but with a lipstick-streaked face! Surprised by his attraction to Kate, Frasier seeks the advice of Daphne, Niles and Martin. They convince him that Kate is just using him to get w hat she wants, but when Frasier questions her motives, she accuses him of the same thing. Soon, they find themselves once again locking lips, and discuss the raises during breathing breaks. Fortunately for the employees, their lusty twist on labor relations renders the staff triumphant.

The morning after Kate and Frasier succumb to their passion, they both have second thoughts about an office romance. But when they start reminiscing about their fling, Frasier admits he enjoyed feeling like a “bad boy” and Kate agrees she liked being a “dirty girl.” They sneak into a sound booth, but in the midst of their lovemaking, Frasier realizes their cries of ecstasy are being broadcast to all of Seattle! Meanwhile, Martin is being pursued by Dierdre Sauvage, a neighbor who also happens to write steamy sex novels. Dierdre is moving out of the building, but continues to make unwanted advances toward Martin. The next day, Frasier receives some good-natured ribbing from Roz and Bulldog, who want to know the identity of the “dirty girl.” Kate hears the joking, and suspends Frasier for a week. She later visits Frasier’s apartment to apologize, but reminds him that she had to keep up appearances. They vow to stop their romance, but when they become stuck in an elevator, they can’t help but fall into each other’s arms again.

Niles calls Frasier in a panic: Maris is missing! With the help of one of Martin’s police buddies, Maris is found in New York on a shopping spree. Niles feels relieved until Frasier points out how inconsiderate it was of her to leave without telling Niles. When Maris returns, Niles gives her a piece of his mind. That night, Niles turns up at his brother’s door, saying that Maris has kicked him out of the house, and that he will be staying at Frasier’s until she calls to apologize. But when Maris finally does call, it’s to tell Niles that she wants a divorce. After renting a bachelor pad, Niles bids a fond farewell to his house staff, only to receive word that Maris will take him back if he’ll apologize. Niles asks his father for advice, and just when it looks like he’s about to return to Maris, Niles grabs his car keys and leaves the house for good.

Frasier is thrilled that his son Frederick will be coming to Seattle for Christmas. Grandpa Martin decorates Frasier’s condo to excess -- and then some. But when there’s a mail order mix-up with Frederick’s presents on Christmas Eve, Frasier and Niles are forced to go to the mall in search of new gifts. Meanwhile, Niles discovers that Maris has cut off all of his credit cards, which he takes as a sign that she still loves him; and Daphne tries to decide what kind of gift she should give her new boyfriend. The toy store is a zoo, with shoppers fighting over the few remaining Outlaw Laser Robo-Geeks, the top-selling toy of the season. That toy is of no interest to Frasier, who purchases intellectual gifts for his son. At home, Frederick chimes in that he’s really looking forward to getting the Outlaw Laser Robo-Geek for which he asked Santa, and Frasier feels terrible, until he discovers that Martin bought the toy for Frederick. Happily, Frasier re-wraps the toy and presents it to his son.

Although they’ve agreed to stop seeing each other, Frasier can’t get Kate off his mind. His family encourages him to let her know how he feels. But when Frasier tries to talk to her at the office, Kate informs him that she has accepted a job in Chicago. Unable to let Kate le ave without pouring out his heart, Frasier keeps a blind date waiting at his apartment and goes to Kate’s place. Unfortunately, he finds her with another man, so he comes home -- but when Kate arrives at Frasier’s to tell him she still has feelings for him, she sees him with his date and storms out. Fed up with Frasier’s behavior, his blind date also leaves. Frasier is finally able to track down Kate at the airport, where she is about to depart for Chicago. The two admit their true feelings and spend time before her flight getting to know each other better. But after only a few minutes, they realize they have little in common besides their sexual chemistry, and in fact, can’t wait to be apart.

To his dismay, Frasier realizes that he hasn’t really made any new friends since moving to Seattle. In an attempt to remedy the situation, he announces on his radio show that he is open to meeting new people. After receiving a number of bizarre phone calls and faxes from potential “friends,” Frasier agrees to meet Bob. They rendezvous at Cafe Nervosa, where Frasier quickly comes to realize that he and Bob have very little in common -- particularly after Bob goes into excruciating detail about his love for barbecue. Just when Frasier is about to tell Bob he doesn’t want to be friends after all, he notices that Bob is in a wheelchair, and doesn’t have the heart to “dump” him. As time wears on, Bob’s friendship becomes suffocating. For his own sanity, Frasier “comes clean” with Bob, explaining to him that they just don’t have anything in common. Bob is crushed, and tells Frasier that if he was being dumped because of his wheelchair, then he would understand. Willing to say anything to get Bob off his back, Frasier decides to blame the wheelchair. With that, Bob and the rest of the patrons of Cafe Nervosa turn on F rasier in dis gust.

After Daphne’s boyfriend Joe is discovered sneaking out of the condo at dawn, Frasier finds himself uncomfortable with the thought of what Joe and Daphne are doing in her bedroom. When Frasier tells Daphne how he feels, she offers to move out and only work weekdays. That weekend, Daphne and Joe go away on a trip, leaving Frasier and Martin to fend for themselves. By Sunday night, they’re driving each other crazy, and realize that Daphne is the glue that holds their relationship together. Meanwhile, Martin insists that his clothes are too tight because the dryer is shrinking them, and Niles contends that the chairman’s dog ate his invitation when he isn’t invited to the social event of the season, “The Hoe-down for the Homeless.” After giving his family a hard time about being in denial, Frasier realizes that if he can just be in denial himself about what Daphne and Joe do behind closed doors, he’ll be much happier.

Seeing how upset Niles becomes when he reads about Maris’s new romance in the society pages, Martin tells Niles it’s time he started dating, as well. Niles responds by asking a woman to the upcoming “Snow Ball,” but frets that his dancing skills aren’t up to snuff. Daphne offers to give Niles dance lessons. As the days pass, Niles enjoys the lessons so much, he doesn’t even tell Daphne when his date calls to cancel. Martin warns Niles that he might blurt out his true feelings for her if they continue dancing together, so Niles tells Daphne that his date has backed out. To Niles’s delight -- and Martin’s chagrin, Daphne suggests that she go to the ball with him, and Niles readily agrees. At the dance, former friends of Niles rub in the fact that Maris is dating up a storm. This prompts Daphne to dance even closer with Niles. Just as Martin predicted, Niles slips and tells Daphne that he adores her. She replies that she adores him as well, and they kiss. Niles is ecstatic -- until Daphne remarks that they sure put on a good act to fool his friends. At first crushed by Daphne’s comment, Niles perks up when an attractive woman slips him her card and tells him to call her sometime.

Diane Chambers comes back into Frasier’s life when a play she wrote is being staged in Seattle. Although Frasier denies any hurt feelings over once being left at the altar by Diane, Niles suggests Frasier confront her over his resentment at her abandonment. He does so only after Diane admits that her life is a shambles, and that she needs Frasier’s financial backing to produce her play. Over Niles and Martin’s objections, Frasier agrees to finance Diane’s play, and tells his brother and father that he and Diane have both changed. However, when Diane invites Frasier to a dress rehearsal of her “feminist odyssey,” he instantly recognizes it as a thinly veiled reprisal of her time at the Cheers bar, complete with a bartender named “Stan” and a pompous psychiatrist character named Dr. Franklin Crean. When Frasier sees his stage character struggle with being jilted by Diane’s doppelganger, he erupts with an outburst in which he refers to Diane as the Devil. Later, Diane apologizes, and they part as friends.

Niles is ecstatic when Maris seeks his help after missing her court date for 112 parking tickets. Niles sees the situation as a chance to win her back, but Martin refuses to ask his police buddies to take care of the problem. Roz hears about Niles’s dilemma and tells him about “this guy who, you know...fixes things.” Despite Frasier’s warnings that Niles shouldn’t get involved with such a shady character, Niles contacts Jerome Belasco, who eliminates Maris’s problem with a single phone call. In return, however, Belasco expects a favor. His girlfriend Brandy, who’s a huge fan of Frasier’s radio show, refuses to marry him. Belasco wants Frasier to convince Brandy to change her mind. Brandy calls in and tells Frasier that Belasco is so controlling that he won’t even let her work, which compels Frasier to advise her not to marry him. Belasco confronts Frasier that evening and reveals that he has gotten Brandy several jobs that she has been unable to keep, but he is willing to let her work again if she will marry him. In the end, Niles is forced to hire Brandy, whom he can never fire, much to the delight of Frasier and Martin.

In the spirit of the Leap Year, Frasier urges everyone to take a “leap” of their own. Heeding his advice, Martin goes to Montana to visit an old buddy; Daphne gets a new haircut; and Roz makes an on-air plea for a man she met on the bus to give her a call. Even Frasier gets in on the act by agreeing to sing an Italian aria for the PBS pledge drive, instead of his old stand-by, “Buttons and Bows.” Unfortunately, none of the “leaps” turns out well. Martin’s plane makes an emergency landing; Daphne’s haircut is a disaster; and Roz’s dream man is married. At the last minute, Frasier decides to play it safe and sing “Buttons and Bows” instead. But in his frazzled state, he forgets the words and comes across as a total fool -- much to the delight of his friends and family, who blame Frasier for their misery. Meanwhile, Maris invites Niles over for a quick roll in the hay. Niles is thrilled, although Frasier warns him that sex isn’t the answer to their marital problems. At first, Niles follows Frasier’s advice, but then submits to passion. Later, when Frasier is depressed about his embarrassing TV appearance, Niles tries to make him feel better by saying he didn’t sleep with Maris. But when Frasier turns his head, Niles does a dance of glee.

Frasier is having “one of those days.” Someone has taken his parking space; he’s ignored by the clerk in a video store; and he’s irritated by his neighbor’s loud rock music. To cheer himself up, Frasier meets Niles at Cafe Nervosa for a cup of coffee. After waiting patiently for a free table, Frasier is enraged when another customer steals their seats and insults both Crane brothers. In response, Frasier physically ejects the rude man from the restaurant. The next day, Frasier is hailed as a hero in the local paper, but he’s uncomfortable with the attention and with the fact that he r esorted to physical force to solve a problem. As a result, Frasier decides to apologize to the customer he attacked. He invites the man to meet him at Cafe Nervosa, but when the customer arrives, Frasier learns that he’s suing Frasier for “assault.” Niles starts taunting the guy, calling him a chicken. After a while, the angry man pushes Niles, who adds some drama to his fall as he screams: “Counter-suit!”

Frasier buys a new, expensive chess set, and talks Martin into playing a game with him. After Martin wins, Frasier writes it off as beginner’s luck. But when Martin continues to win, again and again, Frasier becomes obsessed with beating his father. Niles believes Frasier is subconsciously allowing Martin to win because he would feel Oedipal guilt if he beat his father. Despite this rational explanation, Frasier keeps badgering Martin to compete in endless rematches. When Martin refuses to play one more time, Frasier offers Martin money if he wins, just to make sure his father doesn’t throw the game to get Frasier off his back. When Frasier finally wins, he rubs it in to Martin, who is a good sport about the whole thing. Later, Frasier reawakens his father to make sure Martin didn’t lose on purpose. Even after Martin reassures Frasier that he won fair and square, Frasier gets an attack of the Oedipal guilt Niles had predicted.

Niles is retained by the son of eccentric millionaire Harlow Safford to prove in court -- and on Court TV -- that his father is incompetent. A lawyer representing the elder Safford persuades Frasier to meet with his client, who convinces Frasier that he’s simply a carefree man with the funds to live out such adolescent fantasies as building a model railroad around his property, and installing a fire pole in his home to slide from the top floor to the bottom. As a result, Frasier agrees to testify on Harlow’s behalf. Niles thinks Frasier is only getting involved in the case to undermine Niles’s one shot at celebrity. Undaunted, Niles prepares an extensive speech, and even dons makeup for the courtroom cameras. Unfortunately, during Frasier’s testimony, Harlow interrupts the proceedings with incessant train noises, and becomes so disruptive that the judge ends the hearing before Niles has a chance to speak. The competition between the Cranes continues at home, as the two brothers argue over who made a bigger fool of themselves in the courtroom. They finally realize how silly they are being, and Frasier sits down to listen to the speech Niles had written for the cameras.

Female police officer Maureen Cutler pulls over Frasier for speeding, but lets him off with a warning when she finds out that it’s his birthday. A smitten Frasier asks Martin to go with him to a local cop hangout to find her. Maureen recognizes Martin from an inspiring lecture he once gave at the police academy, and when Frasier steps away, she gives Martin her number and asks him to call her. As an oblivious Frasier returns to the table, Maureen is called away on business. Feeling guilty about Maureen’s interest in him, Martin asks Niles what he should do about the date. Niles advises him to go out with Maureen and gauge their compatibility first, before he hurts Frasier’s feelings unnecessarily. Unfortunately, Frasier bumps into Martin and Maureen during their date, and Martin must reveal that he feels a connection with Maureen. A depressed Frasier heads for the radio station, where, unbeknownst to him, his co-workers are hiding in his unlit studio as part of a belated surprise party. Frasier pours his heart out to Roz over his pathetic love life, and just when he thinks things couldn’t get worse, they do -- the lights come on and everyone yells “Surprise!”

The station is sold to Big Willy, an elderly Texas radio magnate. Hoping to parlay his new boss’s nationwide network of radio stations into a big-time syndication deal for his show, Frasier eagerly agrees to Big Willy’s request to help his fiancee stop smoking. Too bad Willy’s fiancee is none other than Frasier’s barracuda of an agent, Bebe. Having been given just three days to get Bebe to “kick the habit,” Frasier has her move into his condo. Unfortunately, Bebe’s eloquent justification of why she smokes drives Martin a nd Daphne t o light up. Just when it seems that nothing can extinguish Bebe’s desire for nicotine, Frasier reminds her that if she continues to smoke, she can kiss Big Willy’s big fortune goodbye. However, Frasier’s efforts are in vain when Big Willy doesn’t make it down the aisle.

Roz is feeling blue. Her biological clock is ticking, and she fears she’ll never get married and have children. Frasier advises her to start dating men who can offer her more than just sex appeal. Later, Frasier is horrified when he sees Roz with one of Niles’s patients, a compulsive womanizer named Ben. Frasier tries to get Roz to dump the guy, but he can’t tell her why without compromising Niles’s doctor-patient confidentiality. Thanks to Daphne’s prodding, Roz mistakenly thinks Frasier wants her to ditch Ben because Frasier’s in love with her. When Roz is going to reveal her love for Ben, Frasier and Niles frantically search for an ethical rule that will allow Frasier to tell Roz the truth about her boyfriend. Finding an “out,” Frasier rushes to Roz’s apartment, but it’s too late. Roz is in tears, having had her heart broken by Ben. She then “confesses” to Frasier that she knows he’s in love with her, and Frasier goes along with the charade to spare her. They decide to remain friends -- but not before considering the possibilities...

Frasier is on edge when he learns the station is conducting focus group research to learn what listeners think of his show. Later that day, Roz and Frasier watch from behind a two-way mirror as a dozen listeners talk about the show. To their relief, almost every person loved the show and wouldn’t change a thing about it -- except Manu Habib, a newspaper vendor who reluctantly admits that he doesn’t like the show because he doesn’t like Frasier. Obsessed with finding out specifically what Manu doesn’t like about him, Frasier confronts Manu at his newsstand. In his quest for the truth, Frasier manages to break Manu’s hand, pour a drink down the front of his pants, and burn down the newsstand by mistake. In the end, he gets what he came for: Manu doesn’t hesitate to express why he dislikes Frasier!

To celebrate their third anniversary on the air, Roz presents Frasier with a tape of their very first radio show. Listening to the tape takes Frasier back in time. He remembers how Roz threatened to quit after Frasier’s debut because he refused to let her screen calls, and the show was a disaster. Frasier recalls having coffee with Roz at Cafe Nervosa after the show, and how she laid down a list of ground rules which Frasier agreed to follow. Later that day, Frasier ran into Niles, who got Frasier to come along on his weekly visit to their father Martin. Once there, Niles slipped out, leaving Frasier struggling to make a connection with his father. Trying to humor Frasier’s earnest attempts to bond, Martin inadvertently gave Frasier his show’s catchphrase, “I’m listening.” Arriving home after his trip down Memory Lane, Frasier urges a reluctant Daphne to visit her relatives in England, explaining how important family ties really are. She agrees to go home -- after Frasier agrees to pay her way.