Ep 11. Door Jam

In season 10 episode 11 of the hit sitcom Frasier entitled "Door Jam," the Crane brothers, Frasier and Niles, find themselves in a bit of a predicament after Niles locks himself in his own panic room.

The episode starts with Frasier and Niles sitting at Café Nervosa discussing their father, Martin's, upcoming birthday party. Niles mentions that he's been working on a surprise gift for their father: a new, high-tech panic room. Frasier scoffs at the idea, calling it excessive and unnecessary.

Later on, Frasier and Niles arrive at Niles' luxurious apartment where Niles shows off his newly built panic room. The brothers begin to argue over the room's usefulness and Niles, in a huff, storms inside and locks the door. As it turns out, the panic room has a malfunctioning lock which causes Niles to become trapped inside.

The rest of the episode sees Frasier and Martin attempting to rescue Niles from the panic room while Niles is left to his own devices inside. Niles, who is a bit of a germaphobe, becomes increasingly paranoid about the bacteria and germs that he thinks are lurking on every surface of the room. He tries to sanitize everything with a bottle of hand sanitizer he had brought in with him, but the obsessive-compulsive behavior just gets worse as time goes on.

Meanwhile, Frasier and Martin try everything they can think of to rescue Niles from the panic room. They attempt to pick the lock with various tools, but the door remains stubbornly closed. They even try to drill through the door, but to no avail.

Eventually, Frasier remembers that there is a back entrance to the panic room that can only be accessed from the outside. The catch is that it's located on the side of the building and requires them to climb up several stories to reach it. Martin, who is not in the best shape, initially balks at the idea of climbing up the side of the building, but Frasier convinces him to give it a try.

After a perilous climb up the side of the building, Martin and Frasier manage to reach the back entrance to the panic room. They are able to pry the door open and rescue Niles who is more than a little worse for wear. He's become so paranoid and germaphobic that he refuses to leave the room until he's fully sanitized himself and his belongings.

In the end, Martin and Frasier manage to convince Niles to step out of the panic room and confront his phobias head-on. The episode ends with the three Crane men back at Café Nervosa, enjoying some coffee and reflecting on their recent adventure.

Overall, "Door Jam" is a hilarious episode of Frasier that plays off the strengths of the show's talented cast. It's a classic example of the show's signature blend of witty writing and expert comedic timing that keeps audiences coming back season after season.