Frasier Season 2 Episode 8 Has Two Heartwarming Tributes You May Have Missed

Contains spoilers for "Frasier" Season 2, Episode 8 — "Thank You, Dr. Crane"

Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) learns an interesting lesson about the importance of looking forward and avoiding the powerful pull of nostalgia in "Thank You, Dr. Crane." The episode itself isn't afraid to look backward; it takes us to a remade Café Nervosa and back to KACL, revisiting old friends and old foes. But nothing has stayed still since Frasier returned to Boston, even as he goes back to Seattle to celebrate his beloved station's anniversary. During this visit, "Frasier" celebrates the past and the future at the same time. In a positive example of the show's choice to give tribute to its past while looking forward, there are some quick, background tributes to two of the show's fallen figures of import.

Take a closer look at the background when rewatching the scene in McGinty's Pub where Frasier and Freddie (Jack Cutmore-Scott) talk things out. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice that the bar has a picture of John Mahoney posted in the background. The actor — who played Frasier's father during the NBC version of the series — passed away at the age of 77 in 2018 from complications related to throat cancer. His photo hanging in the bar is a wonderfully fitting gesture since McGinty's was Martin Crane's favorite hangout during the original show.

There's also a photo of late "Frasier" co-creator David Angell on display. Angell and his wife, Lynn, passed away in the September 11 attacks, and it's nice to see them remembered here. But this is just one of many tributes "Frasier" has paid to its past in general and to Angell in particular.

One of the biggest tributes to David Angell in "Frasier" can be seen in every episode — Daphne (Jane Leeves) and Niles Crane's (David Hyde Pierce) son, David (Anders Keith), is named after the series' co-creator. When he's born, Daphne even refers to him as their "little angel." A grown-up, college-bound David is now a regular on the "Frasier" reboot. Additionally, in another tribute to the late John Mahoney, the sports bar where Frasier and the gang hang out is called Mahoney's.

Other parts of the show's legacy have also been given nods in recent episodes. In a deep Episode 2 Easter egg, Les Charles — a fancy French restaurant Frasier yearns to haunt during Valentine's Day — is named after "Cheers" co-creator Les Charles. All in all, it paints a picture of a sitcom that's not afraid to look backward while looking forward, even if remembering those who are no longer able to be an. active part of the series is such a bittersweet prospect.