Kelsey Grammer played Frasier Crane for 11 seasons on Cheers before he got a spinoff and played him for eleven more. For half of his life as this character, he sat in a bar with a gaggle of friends and they talked nightly about their lives, creating memories that I’m sure were fond. Then he moved to Seattle and on with his life. When it comes to the idea of growing apart from friends, I wanted to talk about this Kristen Bell Redbox favorite, The Lifeguard – but after watching “The Show Where Woody Shows Up,” it was clear that this episode of Frasier was the obvious better choice.
Frasier has always been a more uppity man but he seemed a lot more laid back in Boston. Once he moved to Seattle, his love of the grander things in life grew and he was clearly a world away from the man he once was his first eleven seasons on air. So when Woody from Cheers shows up things get awkward. They have a great time that first night together reminiscing about old times but after Woody kept hanging around, Frasier realizes their memories are the only thing they really have in common. He wants nothing more than to make Woody go back to Boston BUT the twist comes when we find out that Woody feels more or less the same about Frasier. The simple fact was that they were in different places and mindsets, and they’d simply grew away from one another. Now, it doesn’t mean they were going to cut ties altogether – oh no.
Everyone has those old friends who instantly make you smile due to the nostalgia but then again, you have to realize that may be the only thing you guys share in the present day. When that happens, you have to be adult about it like Frasier and Woody and agree that staying friends can happen, but perhaps we don’t have to stay on top of one another; a reunion of sorts can happen every so often and when it does – it’ll be like no time has passed just so long as the reunion does not wear out its welcome.
Whether it’s because you move away, or move on from a certain chapter of your life – you’re going to leave some people behind. That’s a fact, but the realization that you can still keep them in your life – but at a distance, shows a maturity. Don’t ever force yourself to stay friends with someone just because there’s history. You have to know when it’s time to loosen the ropes on the relationship, or else you’ll be tied together too tight with nothing but incessant nostalgic chatter to keep you going.
"I Guess This is Growing Up" 