AllMovie

It now appears that the separation between Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and his wife Maris has reached the permanent stage. This doesn't prevent Niles from still holding out the faint hope that Maris will return. It also prevents Niles from asking Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) point-blank whether or not he should press for a reconciliation -- forcing Frasier to do some very, very deep thinking over the next several days. As usual, the role of Maris is unfilled, and the character remains an invisible but very powerful force.