A chef comes up to him and hands him two lobsters.] Bill: The worst part is we're going to miss dinner with Mike Shaw. Daphne: Well, he was upset since I took over his job as Lord Mayor of Party Town, but he did offer his help. Fade out.] Frasier is working at the stove and Martin comes in the back door carrying a sack.] Frasier suggested we throw a farewell dinner party for it. Guests are leaving and the woman slaps Frasier.] Is this the Crane place? It's your painting. Niles: Really...
[Bill and Sharon leave as everyone starts to talk excitedly. Niles: Well, throwing dinner parties is an art. Roz is in the kitchen with Daphne as she is preparing the hens.] Sharon: We are so sorry, we have to go. We've invited some fellow collectors. [Niles and Daphne stay behind as the others leave.] [Roz grabs the painting, Daphne replaces it with one of Alice's drawings and covers it with a cloth.] [The others all make sounds of agreement, Niles takes a swig of his drink.] [They head off to the bedroom just as Niles and the others come back in from the library.]
Plan: A: The Crane brothers; Q: Who has a history of holding disastrous dinner parties? A: artist Mike Shaw; Q: Whose painting is Niles donating to a museum? A: a farewell dinner party; Q: What is Niles planning to hold for the painting he is donating? A: his brother; Q: Who does Daphne want Niles to co-host the dinner party with? A: Frasier; Q: Who agrees to help Daphne with the dinner party? A: his services; Q: What does Frasier offer to Niles in case he needs it? A: Daphne's cooking; Q: What starts to go wrong at the last minute? A: her crayons; Q: What does Alice bring to the dinner party? A: his presence; Q: What does Niles need to be unaware of for Frasier to help? A: The situation; Q: What becomes more complicated by the minute as the guests arrive? A: the artist; Q: Who shows up unexpectedly at the dinner party? A: Daphne's mother; Q: Who takes a shine to Frasier? Summary: The Crane brothers have a history of holding disastrous dinner parties, and the episode opens with one such occasion, just as all the guests and caterers are walking out. Niles is donating a painting by artist Mike Shaw to a museum, and plans to hold a farewell dinner party for it, with some fellow art collectors in attendance. When Daphne learns of this, she persuades him to co-host the party with her, not his brother. Frasier is upset, but offers his services in case they are needed. Consequently, when Daphne's cooking starts to go wrong at the last minute, and the painting suffers after an encounter with Alice and her crayons , Frasier agrees to help, as long as Niles is unaware of his presence. The situation becomes more complicated by the minute as the guests arrive, particularly when the artist turns up unexpectedly (and Martin is misidentified as him) and Daphne's mother takes a shine to him.