| The Candidate | |
|---|---|
| Season 2, Episode 7 | |
| Air date | 8 November 1994 |
| Written by | Chuck Ranberg & Anne Flett-Giordano |
| Directed by | James Burrows |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous The Botched Language Of Cranes |
Next Adventures In Paradise - Part 1 |
Frasier is disappointed that his father has recorded a promotional video for congressional candidate Holden Thorpe, of whose policies Frasier disapproves. As a result, Niles suggests that he publicly support rival Phil Patterson. Frasier is reluctant to publicly take sides in politics due to his public position, but when Thorpe demeans him on the radio show, Frasier agrees. The problem is that Patterson confides in Frasier that six years earlier he was abducted by aliens. When Frasier attempts to record his speech (including "I like the way [Phil's] mind works. He's a visionary, and he cares about the little people") he loses his cool. Niles realizes something is wrong, and gets Frasier to tell him what Phil said (using a trick to get around their professional ethics). Niles manages to make Frasier see that it isn't something which destroys him as a politician, so the shoot goes ahead. The day before the election, Bulldog (a Thorpe supporter) storms into the studio laughing that people have found out about the aliens. Frasier attempts to rescue what he feels the situation is, by telling the public that belief in aliens is not stupid. Unfortunately for him, the 'aliens' in question were Guatemalan children without green cards or papers. Phil later explains that they were exchange students he put up as a gesture. Thorpe wins in a landslide.