It's Leap Year and Frasier inspires Martin, Daphne and Roz to do something outside of their comfort zone and he decides to 'take a leap' himself by singing a very complicated aria at a pledge drive.
Examples:
- '80s Hair: Daphne's ugly hairdo makes her look like a hair metal groupie.
- Angrish: Daphne is not at her most eloquent when yelling at Frasier after her "leap" backfires.Daphne: [sobbing] Take a leap! Mr. Maurice hair-designer! Trust me! Children pointing! Your fault!
- Comically Missing the Point: After Martin tells Frasier and Niles about the plane having to make an emergency landing, the only thing that the sex-obsessed Niles wants to know is whether the stewardesses were covered in foam.
- Cringe Comedy: Frasier's performance of Buttons and Bows
is so bad viewers will struggle not to cringe. - Dirty Coward: Frasier, scared that something might go wrong if he sings the aria, decides to not go through with it a few seconds before the pledge drive begins. He pays for it though.
- Failure Is the Only Option: Frasier encouraging everyone to 'take a leap' has resulted in each of their 'leaps' going horrifically wrong.
- Roz falls for a man named Gary that she met on the bus, but when he buys flowers for her and asks her out, he reveals that he is married.
- Martin tries to visit a friend in Montana for his birthday (Leap Day), but when he gets on a plane to go there, a flock of geese fly into an engine, resulting in his plane almost crashing and when he evacuates the plane, a large woman falls on him.
- Daphne tries to get a new hairdo, but the hair stylist does a rather horrible job (though that doesn't stop Niles for still seeing Daphne as beautiful).
- Frasier tries to back out of his leap and regress to singing the song Buttons and Bows for the pledge drive, only to end up embarrassing himself when he can't remember the whole song.
- Extreme Libido: As Niles reveals in this episode, prolonged withdrawal from sex leaves him utterly desperate for it to the point where he acts creepy to all women.
- Is This Thing Still On?:
- Frasier angrily yelling out "who watches PBS?!" winds up being broadcast to everyone watching PBS in the Seattle area.
- Referenced by Frasier earlier, when Niles bursts into the studio just after the show breaks for the news.Niles: Good news! I've figured out a way I can have sex and we can all be happy!
Frasier: As I pause to make sure the "on air" light is off…..
- Jerkass Has a Point: Frasier may be snobbish, but he's right when he says that if Niles has sex with Maris, they won't be getting any closer to solving their marriage problems.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Frasier's attempt at backing out of his leap just makes things worse for him.
- Parental Sexuality Squick: Inverted with Martin's reaction to the news that Maris wants to "get together" with Niles:Martin: You know, Niles, remember when you were a kid and your mother and I wouldn't discuss the Cuban Missile Crisis in front of you because we knew it'd give you bad dreams?
Niles: Yes.
Martin: It's a two-way street. - Rage Quit: After seeing how Daphne's leap spelled disaster, Niles decides to go and have sex with Maris against Frasier's advice.Frasier: You will rue the day-!
Niles: I don't care! Niles gotta have it! - Shout-Out: Roz at one point compares herself to Marsha Brady. She also mentions Big Bird and Lamb Chop.
- Something Something Leonard Bernstein: Frasier's performance of "Buttons and Bows" quickly devolves into this as he can only remember half the lyrics, forcing him to come up with some truly bizarre improvs to fill the gaps.
- Spoof Aesop: Frasier's excuse for not following through with his own leap.Frasier: It may be an unwise man who doesn't learn from his own mistakes, but it's an absolute idiot that doesn't learn from other people's!
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Sorry Frasier, but forgetting the words to a song and embarrassing yourself on television is what you get for not practicing.
- The Show Must Go Wrong: Frasier switching back to "Buttons and Bows" at the last second immediately bites him on the ass because, thanks to not rehearsing it, he's forgotten most of the lyrics.
- The Tag: Niles visits Frasier to console him after his embarrassing scene at the PBS pledge drive. Frasier asks if he actually had sex with Maris and Niles says no. But after, Frasier leaves the scene, there's some whipped cream on Niles, which implies he did as earlier, he said that whipped cream is one of his wife's favorite sex toys.
- Think Unsexy Thoughts: Niles starts getting twitchy at Frasier's when he comes over for breakfast, so Frasier tells him to imagine Grandma in a teddy.
- Vocal Dissonance: Roz says that she will be upset with Frasier when his encouragement to 'take a leap' backfires until she gets married in the happiest voice there was.
- Vocal Range Exceeded: The pianist set to accompany Frasier is extremely skeptical about his ability to hit the high notes in the aria. His negativity is the final nail in the coffin that convinces Frasier to change songs.Pianist: I've been going over your music, and when we get to this section here, either I can play really loud or jab you with a pin, because between you and me, you're not hitting this note without a pole vault!
