 Diane is nervous: she is meeting Frasier s mother, the woman who could end up being her mother-in-law, for the first time. Frasier, his mother - Dr. Hester Crane - and Diane are having dinner together at Melville s. Diane is nervous enough meeting her because she s his mother, but Dr. Crane senior is also an imminent psychiatrist who may analyze every minute detail of Diane s behavior. When they meet, everything is rosy as they both seem to like each other. "She s lovely", is what mother says to Frasier. However, the first moment Hester gets Diane alone, she threatens to kill her if she continues dating Frasier. Diane is shocked and stunned, and Hester continues the threat through what seem to be harmless innuendos to the uninformed. When alone with Sam, Diane mentions to him the threats from Hester. Sam thinks that she must be misconstruing the threats as harmless fun, which an unconfident Diane thinks must also be the case. When Hester, Frasier and Diane meet for lunch the next day, Diane returns the verbal jabs and tells Frasier that they should commit mommy dearest to a rest home where starvings and beating are the order of the day - or as a compromise, they ll have her stuffed. Frasier is incredulous and Hester feigns incredulity and ignorance. In private, Diane says that she is kidding just as Hester was kidding with her; and if Hester wasn t kidding, she threatened Diane s life. Again Hester feigns ignorance. Diane gives Frasier an ultimatum: believe her, or else they re through. Frasier sides with Diane, so Hester finally admits her threats. She reasons that Frasier marrying a "pseudo-intellectual barmaid" would ruin his career. But as Frasier stands up for Diane and their love, Hester re-examines what she concludes are her irrational feelings and vows to start anew with Diane. They are now like three peas in a pod, that is until Hester gets a private moment with Sam, who she tries to bribe to start dating Diane again. So, the world with Diane Chambers is not all right with mommy dearest. Elsewhere in the bar, it s Norm s 36th birthday, and he drops hints to everyone as such. Although his words say that he wants no special treatment, the tone of his words, which everyone picks up, is that he wants special attention. Sam offers a bottle of champagne to celebrate, the cork from which beans Norm in the forehead. Sam suggests he go to emergency to check things out, and offers to pay for whatever medical expenses he incurs. Norm, who ends up being OK, gives himself an extra birthday present via Sam by getting a mole removed while at the hospital.