How to be direct

Frasier Season 8 Episode 9

Frasier's Edge

Conversation between Frasier and William Tewksbury:

Frasier went to see his mentor.  Frasier was hung up on Dr. Tewksbury's words of "You must be very proud of yourself." 

Dr. Tewksbury:  All right!
The caller is...You! 

Frasier:  Fine! 

Dr. Tewksbury:  On line one...we have Frasier Crane from Seattle. 

Frasier:  Hello, Dr. Crane, I love your show,  a big fan. 
I won't bore you with all the details of my life, because...you know them.  Suffice to say... I am a successful psychiatrist.   My problem is...in spite of the life I've built...I feel...empty. 

Frasier:  Ah, emptiness.  The eternal void.  If I'm not mistaken, it was John Keats who once wrote...

Dr. Tewksbury:  Stalling, deal with the feelings.

Frasier:  Alright, fair enough. 

Frasier:  Perhaps, caller, if we reframe the issue, we can...

Dr. Tewksbury:  Redefining the problem.  Deal with the feelings. 

Frasier:  Uh...  Let's run down the Beck Depression Inventory. 

Dr. Tewksbury:  Re-diagnosing.  You know what the problem is:  the caller feels empty.  Go on. 

Frasier:  Last month in the New England Journal...

Dr. Tewksbury:  He's already read it. 

Frasier:  How do you know?! 

Dr. Tewksbury:  The caller is Frasier Crane, if you did, he did. 

Frasier:  I can suggest certain visualization techniques that might help...

Dr. Tewksbury:  He knows them already. 

Frasier:  Look, if he knows all this, then why is he calling? 

Dr. Tewksbury:  He told you--because he is empty.  Keep going. 

Frasier:  Well, uh, sometimes it helps to...yourself a letter...

Dr. Tewksbury:  He's already got himself on the phone...

Frasier: But I don't know what he wants! 

Dr. Tewksbury:  Then why do you keep trying to bury him in psychiatric exercises? 

Frasier:  Because that's all I have! 

Frasier:  I am sorry, caller, I can't help you.