Elf Blood

Seeing as how I’ve thus far been too lazy to set up any kind of streaming channel as I draw, many of you will probably be entirely unaware that as I draw I like to have something on as background noise. Occasionally this will be music, but more often than not it will be a TV show – preferably a TV show that I’ve already watched halfway to death, so that I don’t get distracted by it and can follow the story without actively paying attention to it.

Now, if there’s one series I can class as having watched halfway to death it’s definitely Frasier. I love Frasier. I still consider it one of the absolute pinnacles of television – with its unique wit, charm, and sheer intellect, it elevated the art of comedy to something beyond that of a regular sitcom in a way that has not yet been matched.

It achieves this distinction not by pandering to the lowest common denominator, but by getting us emotionally involved with all the characters, no matter what their station or intellectual level. There are elements of the characters that we all identify with, and there are no pure winners or losers. The show is so well-loved because we see so much of ourselves in every part, whichever side of the argument we lie in.

I strongly believe that the real success of Frasier’s writing is that it is not written as a television sitcom, but rather as a stage play in the classical mould. At times it is farcical, at times inspired classic commedia dell’arte, and more often than one might expect from a long-running comedy show, deep and painful tragedy. It draws us closer into the world of Frasier’s characters with its intimate roots, allowing us to experience things as if we were part of his inner circle, characters ourselves within the show.

I just finished another cycle of watching Frasier – I can never help but get a little emotional upon watching the final episode. There are so many masterful little strokes in there that, without too much in the way of cliché, let us know that the fun is over, but that we had such a good time getting to the end. The phrase that always gets my tears streaming? Niles’ “I’ll miss the coffees.” It’s such a simple thing to say, but it’s charged with the kind of intense joy and sadness that’s only earned by the finest of character development. It’s also so relatable – it’s not the culture, or high society aspects of their relationship that Niles will miss. It’s the conversations, the company, the person himself that he will miss.

We’ve all had goodbyes like that. And I know at least one of you reading this knows exactly how that feels. And I do miss the coffees, my friend. I really do.

M.