Warning: Spoilers for the Frasier season 2 finale
Frasier wrapped up its second season with an emotional episode centered on Frasier’s co-star Alan Cornwall. Although Alan starts out in this Christmas episode acting like Scrooge, he admits his regret for abandoning his family for work long ago, wanting nothing more than to see his estranged daughter, Nora, again.
Alan and his plight constitute one of the most moving stories in the history of Frasier. It also sets up Dr. Crane’s most daring scheme yet, like the Frasier The season 2 finale shows Frasier and the gang trying to reunite Alan with Nora. Although the Frasier reboot struggled to match the quality of its predecessor without the whole original cast, especially Niles, FrasierThe season 2 finale established Alan as the series’ new secret weapon.
Frasier Season 2 Finale Makes Alan the Heart of the Show
Alan’s family drama made for a heartwarming yet uplifting Christmas special
FrasierThe season 2 finale injects a lot of pathos into its story through Alan. Her mourning for Nora and her rejection of him midway through the episode made for some deeply moving moments. Although Alan learned to find happiness with his new family from Frasier and company, the way Nora made peace with him and introduced him to her granddaughter made this holiday episode hopeful and touching.
This Alan-centric story also strengthens the bonds his classmates have with each other. Alan’s strained relationship with Nora mirrors the one Frasier and Freddy had before they reconnected as adults. As the two Cranes bring Alan and Nora together, their bond also grows stronger. It turns out that Freddy is just as loving a schemer as his father, as the former managed to encourage Nora to reconcile with Alan.
The way Alan helps her look beyond Frasier and decide what she wants proves that Alan is the glue that holds the reboot’s cast together.
Alan even helped resolve a problem between Frasier and his new girlfriend, Holly. The latter felt that Frasier was moving too fast in their relationship by inviting her to his family’s Christmas party. However, Alan eased Holly’s fears by saying that “No one loves with a bigger heart than Frasier Crane.” The way Alan helps her overcome Frasier’s flaws and decide what she wants proves that he’s the glue holding the reboot’s cast together.
Alan was already the funniest character in the Fraser Reboot
Alan is the comedic opposite of Frasier and is played by a veteran sitcom actor
FrasierThe season 2 finale may have been Alan’s best episode, but he had already proven that he was the reboot’s best character. He may be a long-time friend of Frasier and they may share many interests in good culture. However, as Frasier’s anxious brother Niles, Alan is a comedic foil to the show’s protagonist, playing him exceptionally well with his witty banter and sarcastic comments.
However, Alan distinguishes himself from the cast by his tendency to slack off in his work at Harvard and his fondness for drinking heavily. He’s not as passionate about his work as Frasier and his colleagues, but his opposite personality makes for more hilarious moments in the series. The character is also elevated by actor Nicholas Lyndhurst, whose comedic timing is honed by decades of acting in TV series, especially Just fools and horses.
Frasier Season 3 Needs to Give Alan an Even Bigger Role
A great character like Alan deserves bigger stories in Frasier’s future
One of the reboot’s biggest weaknesses was that David Hyde Pierce didn’t return to play Niles, as his strange, demanding, and silly antics made him the funniest character in the original series. Although the show’s writers attempted to replace Niles with Alanit took a while for the latter to stand out from its predecessor. This was especially difficult because his character was sidelined for most of the second season.
Still, Alan quickly became one of the reboot’s best characters and is expected to receive a larger role in future episodes. As the end of season 2 of Frasier highlighted Alan and his family dramathe show proved that Alan can single-handedly carry the main story of an episode. Although Frasier helped resolve the conflict between Alan and Nora, Alan is more than capable of leading a story without Dr. Crane’s help, as he has already displayed his comedic and dramatic prowess on screen.
Now that season 2 has come to an end, Frasier it showed that it is heading in the right direction as it gave Alan a greater focus in the story. His emotional journey back to his daughter made the ending an instant classic, and the way his character reflects and supports those around him makes him an essential addition to the series’ cast. Since Nicholas Lyndhurst is such a talented actor, his character deserves a bigger role, he should Frasier be renewed for a third season.