Fraiser 2023 Review

 

The original Fraiser series is a classic sitcom. I love the witty and odd Fraiser & Niles Crane, the down to earth Martin Crane, the sarcastic Daphine Moon, and Roz. While as a Christian I take issue with Freud, Karl Jung, and the rest of the psychological pantheon, I do agree we need to talk about our problems with someone we trust. In Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism confession is mandated, and so congregants are encouraged to unburden their souls before a priest or pastor.  I say a Christian Counselor is sufficient or a Christian friend you trust, but not go to a secular therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or counselor, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,  “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: 

Alt translation: Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil (anyone who does not believe in Jesus is under the devil’s power, see Ephesians 2:1-8 NLT)? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16). I think it is very dangerous to see someone like Fraiser Crane who is secular-humanist psychiatrist, I even know women named Sharon who is a Christian, she told a secular psychiatrist she heard God speak to her mind and she was diagnosed schizophrenic and prescribed meds that made her schizophrenic; if you give meds for someone who doesn’t have bipolar or schizophrenia they will get those disorders from the meds. You see we can hear God’s voice when we pray, “Jesus said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me,” (John 10:27), “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God,” (John 8:47), “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd,” (John 10:16), “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly,” (Psalm 85:8), “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come,” (John 16:13), “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you,” (John 14:26), “Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live,” (Isaiah 55:3), “The Lord said, Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known,” (Jeremiah 33:3), “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart,” (Hebrews 4:12), “And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?,” (1 Kings 19:11-13). This is my chief issue with Psychology that is used by Satan to make people think hearing from God is schizophrenic and crazy, which in effect is an attack on your relationship with God The Trinity! We are suppose to hear our Lord God’s voice! The reason secular psychologists and psychiatrists are dangerous are because they are not of God, “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (John 8:47). 

Granted we have to test the spirits we hear, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.” (1 John 4:1-3). God will not tell you to violate his commandments, “thou shalt have no have other gods than Me, thou shalt not make idols, thou shalt honor thy parents, thou shalt not murder,  you shall not steal, do not bear false witness, do not covet your neighbor’s wife.” (Exodus 20:1-27). Discernment is crucial when hearing God’s voice, and The Scriptures are one of the ways we hone knowing its His Voice and filtering out our own inner voice and the deceptive spirits. Also learning to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice is crucial, and you can test any word or spirituality or spiritual act or deed or behavior with the fruit of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23). If it isn’t kind, if it isn’t gentle, it it isn’t self control like someone manhandling you and slaying you in spirit, its not safe. 

Back to Fraiser, the new series focuses on Fraiser reconnecting with his son Freddy in Boston. This is a beautiful sitcom parable of the verse, “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” (Malachi 4:6).  The writers have done a brilliant job of having Fraiser be in place of Martin Crane, and Freddy taking Fraiser’s place as the younger son, however it differs in that Fraiser is an erudite intellectual with great sophistication and Freddy is more like his grandpa Martin who was a cop and Freddy being a fire fighter; however Freddy has an academic and intellectual side he explores in secret with David Crane, his cousin and son of Niles Crane, Fraiser’s brother. I must say I enjoy Freddy grown up and David, they do a great job of echoing their parent’s neuroses and elitist snobbery while having a blend of warmth and unique personality that isn’t a carbon clone of Niles or Martin Crane. The rest of cast who are newcomers does a great job adding humor and a homeyness to the show. What is brilliant is unlike The Gilmore Girls Revival which felt disjointed and not a good continuation, this Fraiser 2023 feels like a natural next step, Fraiser has always adapted well from Cheers to Fraiser 1993-2004 to this continuation. Much of that has to do with tight writing, cleaver and high humor, lovable characters, and the heart and soul that is always there because the show is about relationships.  

I actually like this newer Fraiser more, it has a feel like How I Met Your Mother, but elements of 1993-2004 series. The cameo of Lilith was hilarious but did not make you yearn for her to be in series more, for when she arrived you have bonded with the new cast interacting with Kelsey Grammar’s Fraiser. 

I understand some people wish to boycott this series because of Kelsey Grammer’s political leanings, but if you boycott every actor on the basis of their religion and politics you will have no movies or shows to watch. Some of my favorite actors and actresses have politics or faiths I do not agree with. We have to remember like ancient Rome, actors play characters, you arn’t requires to love the real person to enjoy the masquerade. 

I am quite pleased that Fraiser 2023 had less sexual promiscuity and jokes. While “The Adventures of Dirty Girl and Bad Boy,” and the sexual tension between Niles and Daphine who Niles secretly loves and gets into antics with as his subconscious feelings bleed out in moments was hilarious, this series does not emphasize sexuality, and really only Alan, Fraiser’s Harvard Colleague and best friend is a alcoholic. Alchole has always featured in Sherry, Wine, and Beer in this series and Cheers which took place in a bar, so really Fraiser was birthed (he first appears in Season 3 of Cheers), baptized, and build up in vintage, so that is not radical departure to have alcohol so prominent in the series since Fraiser is connoisseur of spirits. 

What I appreciate about this series is Fraiser and Freddy feel organic. Their dysfunctional relationship seems more realistic than Martin’s was with Fraiser and Niles. What I enjoy is you feel as if home, with old friends you laugh with again, but its not old jokes and looking to the past, its a new feel and new jokes and adventures built on the old ones. I am so pleased that the easter eggs for fans of original series do not distract or dominate, they feel as if they fit in new Fraiser. The biggest carry over other than Fraiser and Freddy is David Crane who is so funny in his clumsiness, goofiness, and perfectionism. I really love the dynamic of the Three Cranes, just as there was Three Cranes of the original series. 

I can recommend this series, its refreshing that it has minimal sexual references (this season at least), and really only alcoholics may react to some of drinking which is tasteful and not overdone like in other sitcoms.  I will say psychology is a minefield, it does have some truth, but it also does harm as aforementioned. I say in real life see Christian Counselors and Christian Therapists who trust in The Triune God, do not see secular ones or like my friend Sharon you could get misdiagnosed and mistreated.  Its fun to laugh at Fraiser, but do not go to a Fraiser in real life, instead a Pastor or Christian Counselor. Amen.