Frasier: Episode 7 Fills In An Important Plot Hole About His Marriage To Lilith

Contains spoilers for "Frasier" Season 1, Episode 7 — "Freddy's Birthday"

Over the course of three series and multiple decades, perpetually battling exes Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) and Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth) have tangled over everything from their clashing points of view on therapy to how their son, Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott) ought to be raised. While most of their biggest battles have taken place on screen, at least one important milestone took place in the nebulous time between Season 6 and Season 7 of "Cheers": their marriage. While the sitcom does show what happens at the couple's bachelor and bachelorette parties, the wedding itself never makes it into the sitcom — they behave as newlyweds from Season 7 onward.

"Frasier" has retroactively explained why fans of "Cheers" never got to see the couple's ceremony. While expressing his consternation to Lilith over the fact that she doesn't recognize him even though he's met her before and been an important part of Frasier's life for decades, Alan Cornwall (Nicholas Lyndhurst) says that he attended Frasier and Lilith's wedding in Aruba and gave a toast. While the series' producers have never explained why they didn't fake a location shoot, transporting the sitcom's entire cast to the island would have likely been cost-prohibitive for NBC.

It's worth noting that one episode of "Cheers" revolves around Frasier and Lilith marrying — though in here, they march down the aisle again years after they've originally tied the knot.

While fans never got to see Lilith and Frasier marry onscreen, one Season 10 episode of "Cheers" — "Smotherly Love" — deals with them having a vow renewal ceremony to please Lilith's hectoring mother, Betty (Marilyn Cooper). Lilith has never been good at saying no to Betty, and the woman doesn't get along with Frasier, either. Yet the couple goes through with the wedding, with Betty pushing Lilith through every single step. Lilith finally rebels when Frasier enters the bridal suite and compliments Lilith's polished look. Declaring that the entire look – and the ceremony itself – is Betty's idea, Lilith finally rejects the wedding and her mother's interference. It's an action Betty approves of, finally winning Lilith her mom's respect. Frasier and Lilith respond to the victory by skipping out on the ceremony to share a buss. 

Of course, all of this talk of marriage only serves to remind viewers that Lilith and Frasier have been divorced for years. But since "Freddy's Birthday" ends with Frasier and Lilith making out on their son's bed — disgusting him and ruining a one-night assignation that he had planned — perhaps someday the twosome will walk down the aisle one more time. Hopefully, the next time will happen on-camera.