Friends - General Discussion

[slf]

It seemed to me that the others mostly only talked about their jobs when something happened, good or bad. But Ross would try to regale them with dino stories time and time again.

[Bort]

One of my favorite teasers was probably quite the example of Ross boring the Friends with work stories. “Who’s singing?”

[slf]

I love that Phoebe can hear Joey. It makes zero sense but still.

[garnet207]

Twins who played Ross and Rachel's daughter on 'Friends' star in new movie, "Us".

[Bort]

I always thought that was good casting with those twins that played Emma. They looked a lot like Jennifer Aniston when they were babies and they still do as teenagers. 

[helenamonster]

3 hours ago, garnet207 said:

Twins who played Ross and Rachel's daughter on 'Friends' star in new movie, "Us".

Just saw Us this weekend (loved it! if you're into horror--well, you've probably already seen it but if not it is a must) and had no clue. I didn't realize they still acted and for some reason learning this has made me really happy. They aren't in it much but my friends and I agreed they were great.

They were adorable on Friends; my ovaries still twitch a bit whenever Emma shows up in later episodes. There's a great blooper with Christina Applegate where Christina says a line, the studio audience laughs, and "Emma" laughs too. It is so genuine and melts my heart whenever I see it.

[Jax7917]

Yeah with Ross , they made fun of him because of his constant talk about dinosaurs and he bored them to tears.. with Chandler they just had no idea what he ever did for a living so that was a running joke, Joey didn't really get made fun of by his friends for the acting gigs but it was more that the audience was supposed to laugh at the jobs he took, no one ever made fun of Phoebe's job, Rachel was made fun of only during her central perk days when she couldn't get an order right, and they never said anything about Monica being a chef. Instead, they enjoyed all the free food she gave them lol.

[Madding crowd]

They made fun of Joey constantly for his acting gigs. VD Boy, butt double, commercials etc. Joey even pointed out that he knew Chandler didn’t watch his commercial reel because he would have made fun of the lipstick for men. They didn’t make fun of the women and there jobs but I still disagree that Ross talked about his job more than the others.

I am a Friends fanatic and have seen every episode about 50 times so I am a bit obsessive lol! 

[Bort]

What about the episode where Phoebe told Ross she didn't believe in evolution? He would not stop pestering her about it. Lecture, lecture, lecture... he even brought fossils in from the museum to try and show her.

[RainbowBrite]

17 hours ago, kariyaki said:

What about the episode where Phoebe told Ross she didn't believe in evolution? He would not stop pestering her about it. Lecture, lecture, lecture... he even brought fossils in from the museum to try and show her.

I may not support his approach totally, but I was 100% on Ross's side (I also appreciate that Phoebe was just teasing him to get him going, which is totally something my husband does to me sometimes).

For example, if a physician was friends with someone who was anti-vax, I wouldn't be surprised if that physician lectured that person and provided examples to support their position.

Edited March 28, 2019 by RainbowBrite
Edit to add example

[MadyGirl1987]

3 hours ago, RainbowBrite said:

I may not support his approach totally, but I was 100% on Ross's side (I also appreciate that Phoebe was just teasing him to get him going, which is totally something my husband does to me sometimes).

For example, if a physician was friends with someone who was anti-vax, I wouldn't be surprised if that physician lectured that person and provided examples to support their position.

Honestly, Phoebe bothers me more with that whole thing. Not the not believing in evolution, but the way that when he finally relents she rubs it in his face.

[Danny Franks]

15 hours ago, MadyGirl1987 said:

Honestly, Phoebe bothers me more with that whole thing. Not the not believing in evolution, but the way that when he finally relents she rubs it in his face.

Well, Phoebe was just generally mean to Ross and Chandler, through most of the later seasons of the show. I put it down to the writers thinking that Lisa Kudrow was really good with the mean pregnancy stuff they gave her, so they just kept writing to that.

Ross was often arrogant and dismissive of the intelligence of other people, but the way Phoebe 'put him in his place' about evolution and about that stupid ghost possessed cat storyline just made me dislike her, not feel glad that she'd humiliated him. Ross might have attacked her intellect, but she attacked his qualities as a human being and as a friend, and for the evolution thing, she apparently did it for no other reason than she thought it was funny.

[readster]

4 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Well, Phoebe was just generally mean to Ross and Chandler, through most of the later seasons of the show. I put it down to the writers thinking that Lisa Kudrow was really good with the mean pregnancy stuff they gave her, so they just kept writing to that.

Ross was often arrogant and dismissive of the intelligence of other people, but the way Phoebe 'put him in his place' about evolution and about that stupid ghost possessed cat storyline just made me dislike her, not feel glad that she'd humiliated him. Ross might have attacked her intellect, but she attacked his qualities as a human being and as a friend, and for the evolution thing, she apparently did it for no other reason than she thought it was funny.

Completely agree and then you add in how Phoebe at times defended the woman she thought was her mother. The woman had issues, like major damn issues and I get that it was the only person she knew as a mother, but hell it was her grandmother who basically raised her and Ursla. As for Ross, I did get tired of everyone putting him down on his career, I get when Ross at times would talk about how he was a paleontologist and so forth. However, that's not an easy field to go into and requires a lot of schooling and writing. Yet everyone acted like it was stupid. There is not being interested in his career and then there is acting like he sent in a form and was given a PhD. Then again, half of everyone didn't know what Chandler did for a living since it was just used in season 1. But he made some DAMN good money in what he did. I get he didn't want to be "the man in charge" however. Even in 1994, most people would kill for that type of promotion in New York and he DID go to school for that type of work. Yet they wrote it like Chandler just fell into the career. It was stupid.

[Bort]

19 minutes ago, readster said:

Then again, half of everyone didn't know what Chandler did for a living since it was just used in season 1. But he made some DAMN good money in what he did. I get he didn't want to be "the man in charge" however. Even in 1994, most people would kill for that type of promotion in New York and he DID go to school for that type of work. Yet they wrote it like Chandler just fell into the career. It was stupid.

Didn't he? I mean, we don't know what Chandler's actual major was, but they did say that after college he initially took that cubicle farm job with the frame of mind that it was temporary. 

[readster]

38 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Didn't he? I mean, we don't know what Chandler's actual major was, but they did say that after college he initially took that cubicle farm job with the frame of mind that it was temporary. 

Yeah, but he had talked about data entry and statics in college. That usually means business or book keeping. I think it was more he was in a start job with never planning on being there for as long as he was. However, didn't sound like he made really any effort to do something career wise, which was odd. I get Rachel and Phoebe's career choices of just having a passion for something and then just kind of fell up to success. However, Ross, Joey, Monica had definite career plans and passions. Chandler was a  bit of in-between things. 

[Danny Franks]

I can never decide whether the Friends' jobs were realistic for a group of twentysomethings, or a bit silly. At least, for the first few seasons, before Rachel became a fashion executive and Joey became a soap star who also made movies.

Chandler is the one who immediately makes sense, having taken a job out of college and still being there a few years later. The quick promotion (did he already have his own office in season 1, or was he promoted to it?) was a bit odd for someone so disengaged with work.

Joe as a jobbing actor, taking roles in low rent plays and auditioning for commercials made sense. But why did he have to be such a bad actor? It was funny, but kind of implied that was the reason he wasn't succeeding. In real life, I'm sure there are plenty of people in the same boat as him, who are actually good but just haven't had the breaks.

Monica as a chef was fine, as was the fact that she was pretty low on the totem pole. But why did she end up working in a 50s themed diner? Surely she could find a better restaurant to work in, even as a junior chef.

Ross works at the museum as a curator of some kind. That works, and it's in the field he's studied in.

Rachel has to get a job for the first time in her life, with no CV, no experience, no real qualifications that we know of. Waitressing in the city and living with a friend makes complete sense.

Phoebe... okay her job made no sense, and I don't know how she wasn't continually on the verge of destitution.

[Bort]

Chandler didn't like his job but he was good at it. In fact, when he first got promoted, he was staying late at work in his office (that he got with the promotion, he was in a cubicle before), yelling at someone about the WEENUS.

I never got the impression that Joey was a bad actor (though several not-so-nice people such as Amy would tell him so). To me, it was a combination of having a shitty agent and the sheer competition there is to succeed in such a career.

ETA: Monica might have had a hard time getting another chef job because she got fired from the previous one for taking a kickback.

Edited March 29, 2019 by kariyaki

[Madding crowd]

There were references to Joey being a bad actor. The reviewer who called his acting abysmal, when Phoebe was pretending to be his agent and had many casting directors say he was terrible, his performance at some of his auditions  etc. This was contrasted though by him playing a major character on a soap, getting his own pilot and co-star in a major movie. 

[readster]

4 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Chandler didn't like his job but he was good at it. In fact, when he first got promoted, he was staying late at work in his office (that he got with the promotion, he was in a cubicle before), yelling at someone about the WEENUS.

I never got the impression that Joey was a bad actor (though several not-so-nice people such as Amy would tell him so). To me, it was a combination of having a shitty agent and the sheer competition there is to succeed in such a career.

ETA: Monica might have had a hard time getting another chef job because she got fired from the previous one for taking a kickback.

Oh I got Chandler and even Joey. Trust me, there are still actors I've seen who I could care less about and yet they STILL GET WORK! However, as they say, what one person likes the other doesn't. Part of acting. As for Monica, her kickback really didn't do any major damage. She even got her first job past the dinner because she showed she was a better cook and the other guy didn't know tomatoes from a hole in the ground, but since he was the wait staff's brother, he always got a pass. I still think Monica ending up at a 50's dinner was still crap. She could have gotten a another cooking job almost anywhere, it wasn't like the situation with her getting fired was wide spread. Hell, after everything that happened, all she had to put down was: "Do not contact previous employer." I did that after I noticed I was never getting interviews after I left a job. The manager was giving me bad references. After I didn't, I ended up getting regular interviews. Even worst, I found out after I got a job, they did call my previous job. They ended up saying: "They didn't have good things to tell you, but I don't see why, you are a really hard worker." I eventually walked in and thanked them for giving me such "great references" they were in disbelief I knew. Found out later that said manager left because word had traveled the main office she was giving bad references to people who had quit, not fired, quit due to her managing. 

 The laws have of course changed since then, you either confirm a person worked there or not. You can't high praise or shame them anymore. Companies don't want to get sued unless you say: "He was arrested for stealing." 

[helenamonster]

8 hours ago, kariyaki said:

I mean, we don't know what Chandler's actual major was

He majored in lightning rounds!

[mojoween]

Hank Azaria was on The Dan LeBatard Show on ESPN yesterday and revealed that he had read for Joey before auditioning for David and wow could two people be more different trying for the same role.

That would have been a completely different show.  He said that by the end Matt was absolutely the best and he was very complimentary about Matt.

He also said that David hated the monkey, whose real name was Monkey, in real life because David would be trying to say his punchlines and do it well, but the monkey hit him in the face so they had to re-take.  

And he told a story that they were filming and the monkey started horking like he had a hairball and threw up on the couch. Hank thought the monkey’s trainer was enticing him to act with nuts and berries, but the monkey was actually eating (this is gross so I’m spoiling it)

live maggots and the throw up was moving on the couch

.

Hank made me laugh because he said “David really hated the monkey and by the end, I did too.”  I don’t know why that statement tickled me so much but it did.

[RainbowBrite]

On ‎3‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 8:47 AM, mojoween said:

Hank Azaria was on The Dan LeBatard Show on ESPN yesterday and revealed that he had read for Joey before auditioning for David and wow could two people be more different trying for the same role.

That would have been a completely different show.  He said that by the end Matt was absolutely the best and he was very complimentary about Matt.

He also said that David hated the monkey, whose real name was Monkey, in real life because David would be trying to say his punchlines and do it well, but the monkey hit him in the face so they had to re-take.  

And he told a story that they were filming and the monkey started horking like he had a hairball and threw up on the couch. Hank thought the monkey’s trainer was enticing him to act with nuts and berries, but the monkey was actually eating (this is gross so I’m spoiling it)

  Reveal spoiler

live maggots and the throw up was moving on the couch

.

Hank made me laugh because he said “David really hated the monkey and by the end, I did too.”  I don’t know why that statement tickled me so much but it did.

Don't ask me how I remember, but the monkey's real name was Katie (she was actually female). They talk about it on the DVD commentary.

[Guest]

On 3/24/2019 at 3:45 AM, slf said:

Everyone in the group had jokes made about their professions

I love in The One With the Rumor when Brad Pitt's character says "Remember how into dinosaurs we were?"  and Ross just kinda stands there like "Yeah."  

[Jax7917]

I watch Friends on Netflix every night and Chandler just feels like a different character in later seasons. He lost a lot of his humor for me .I still find him funny, but a lot of times, his lines fall flat or feel forced. Same with Phoebe except I rarely found her funny to begin with.

[slf]

Chandler was, imo, a much more well-rounded character in the first few seasons. Pretty much they all were. The writers got lazy and reduced them to only two or three personality traits each starting around late season four. Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, and Monica had it the worst.

[Jax7917]

I think the writers did a great job writing Monica and chandler as a couple and I know they weren’t expecting the show to go for 10 seasons , but knowing that it does , I kinda wish they put them together maybe a season later than they did .  I enjoyed the show most when the 6 of them were single , but again I do think M & C were great together . 

[readster]

15 hours ago, Jaclyn88 said:

I think the writers did a great job writing Monica and chandler as a couple and I know they weren’t expecting the show to go for 10 seasons , but knowing that it does , I kinda wish they put them together maybe a season later than they did .  I enjoyed the show most when the 6 of them were single , but again I do think M & C were great together . 

They came off more believable because after everyone knew they were dating, it felt more natural. Considering their history, families, careers, ect. It just flowed better, also they felt more natural and weren't "forced" to have drama until the final season. Even Richard showing up made more sense or even Janice showing up now and again. It was something you would expect to happen to a couple who lived in the same place for years. You run into people now and again, maybe less in the city than in a small town, but it happens.

[Jax7917]

5 hours ago, readster said:

They came off more believable because after everyone knew they were dating, it felt more natural. Considering their history, families, careers, ect. It just flowed better, also they felt more natural and weren't "forced" to have drama until the final season. Even Richard showing up made more sense or even Janice showing up now and again. It was something you would expect to happen to a couple who lived in the same place for years. You run into people now and again, maybe less in the city than in a small town, but it happens.

Yeah I felt like Janice showed up at the right times and not too much where it stopped being funny. Richard only showed up when Monica and Chandler were about to get engaged, so that was good. 

The same writers who wrote M & C and did such a great job, had no idea what they were doing when it came to Ross and Rachel. Did anyone actually care by the end of the show if they got back together or not? I know it's been discussed before, but they only wanted each other when the episode needed them to (about once a season), and the very next episode they fell out of love again. And this happened for 10 years.

[Danny Franks]

17 hours ago, Jaclyn88 said:

The same writers who wrote M & C and did such a great job, had no idea what they were doing when it came to Ross and Rachel. Did anyone actually care by the end of the show if they got back together or not? I know it's been discussed before, but they only wanted each other when the episode needed them to (about once a season), and the very next episode they fell out of love again. And this happened for 10 years.

Enough people cared that the writers forced it, even though they had no business whatsoever being together. It's such a sour note for me that I never watch the last couple of Friends episodes when I rewatch. A moment that should be full of melancholy and bittersweetness, as they all leave the apartment for the last time, is ruined by two things:

1. Rachel and Ross have decided to get back together, without taking any time to consider whether it's a good idea, and it's absolutely doomed to fail in the same ugly fashion as last time.

2. Joey isn't leaving the building. He's staying in that apartment, on his own, and his life has completely changed through no choice of his own. Phoebe is married and "lives far away", Chandler and Monica live even further away, and have two new babies, and Rachel and Ross have decided to shack up with their daughter. No wonder he chose to leave New York.

[Jax7917]

4 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Enough people cared that the writers forced it, even though they had no business whatsoever being together. It's such a sour note for me that I never watch the last couple of Friends episodes when I rewatch. A moment that should be full of melancholy and bittersweetness, as they all leave the apartment for the last time, is ruined by two things:

1. Rachel and Ross have decided to get back together, without taking any time to consider whether it's a good idea, and it's absolutely doomed to fail in the same ugly fashion as last time.

2. Joey isn't leaving the building. He's staying in that apartment, on his own, and his life has completely changed through no choice of his own. Phoebe is married and "lives far away", Chandler and Monica live even further away, and have two new babies, and Rachel and Ross have decided to shack up with their daughter. No wonder he chose to leave New York.

I guess it's not so much that I minded them getting back together, but I didn't like how they were thrown back together the last minute. A lot of shows do this but I don't understand it. At least make the last season about building them back up, because from what we've seen, R & R were very over each other.

[Stiggs]

4 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Enough people cared that the writers forced it, even though they had no business whatsoever being together. It's such a sour note for me that I never watch the last couple of Friends episodes when I rewatch. A moment that should be full of melancholy and bittersweetness, as they all leave the apartment for the last time, is ruined by two things:

1. Rachel and Ross have decided to get back together, without taking any time to consider whether it's a good idea, and it's absolutely doomed to fail in the same ugly fashion as last time.

2. Joey isn't leaving the building. He's staying in that apartment, on his own, and his life has completely changed through no choice of his own. Phoebe is married and "lives far away", Chandler and Monica live even further away, and have two new babies, and Rachel and Ross have decided to shack up with their daughter. No wonder he chose to leave New York.

I checked out around the time Rachel got pregnant, so when they put the episodes on Netflix I finally got to see how it all ended (same thing happened with me and ER). I was so freaking mad when Rachel got off that damn plane. What the HELL was she thinking? I assumed that they broke up a week later and she went to Paris. 

Now I'm super sad about Joey, lol. The DID abandon him!!! Rewatching the whole series, in the end, he was my favorite, even when they took away any intelligence he had in the first few seasons. 

I will never understand the Chandler changes career storyline. I liked that Chandler had the undefined corporate job—I thought it was totally realistic. Most of my friends and I were coming out of college at the time, and we all had various degrees. So many people I know fell into the "_____ analyst" or "______ specialist" entry-level jobs that led to other super specific jobs that weren't terribly interesting but paid well and had great benefits. I always saw Chandler as the one closest to real-life when it came to jobs. I know people (including myself) who started a temp job and "never" left the company, heh. I temped at a place and wound up there for 6 years, 8 years the next place. I LIKED that Chandler was the generic corporate white dude who got ahead with little effort, hated his job and was often rewarded when he didn't want to be—I saw it all the time, lol. Those guys don't leave their jobs because they love the money and perks that come with them. It would have made much more sense to have Chandler get a big VP job he didn't want. 

I also didn't have much of an issue with Rachel's meteoric rise to successful fashion businesswomen. The way there always seemed to be a job for her whenever she got fired was INSANE, but I've seen people get their foot in the door somewhere making coffee (like she did with her first "fashion" job), which leads to a foot in the door at a better company, which could lead to a semi-quick promotion depending on who likes who, who quits when, etc. 

But how Phoebe even had enough money to eat I'll never have any idea. I'm assuming she paid no rent? Or little rent? And at one point she lost her license? And got fired for being a hooker? LOL. In the later season when she got the job at the Massage Envy type place I was like FINALLY, Phoebe has job security. When she had to go to the dentist and was all worried about people dying, I was like, worried about how she'd pay the dental bill, lol. 

[elpresidente]

As much as I love the show, I have to say that all of the characters are horrible human beings. The constantly lie to each other and manipulate each other for the most trivial things. I would never be a friend with anyone who treats me like this. Anyway, we don't watch the show to see realistic human behavior, we watch it to see our favorite actors say funny things, with funny faces, voices and reactions. That's the bottom line of it. I started watching the show and enjoyed it, because as an Eastern European, their world was so far out there, completely different from my own reality. I dreamed of moving to USA back then. I always was fascinated by USA and its biggest cities, like New York - even now it's quite unimaginable that I would ever visit it (yes, I know they didn't actually film it it New York). Also, I was around 16-17 when I first watched some episodes of the show and it did set up some unrealistic expectations about what my future romantic life would be. The 90's were a very different era. Today, watching the show again brings a lot of nostalgia and memories of my youth.

[helenamonster]

On 4/3/2019 at 1:56 PM, Stiggs said:

But how Phoebe even had enough money to eat I'll never have any idea. I'm assuming she paid no rent? Or little rent? And at one point she lost her license? And got fired for being a hooker? LOL. In the later season when she got the job at the Massage Envy type place I was like FINALLY, Phoebe has job security. When she had to go to the dentist and was all worried about people dying, I was like, worried about how she'd pay the dental bill, lol. 

I'm hazy on the exact timeline but Phoebe did live with her grandmother for a while. I'm assuming she wasn't paying rent (or not a lot of it) at the time. This part is realistic to me as I have a friend currently doing the same thing. She definitely gets paid more than Phoebe did, but while being able to live rent-free in New York is an option she's doing it to save money.

[Bort]

Also, Phoebe’s grandmother didn’t look like she was too bad off. Presumably, Phoebe inherited all that when she died.

[chitowngirl]

Phoebe lived with her grandmother, played by Audra Lindley (Mrs. Roper from Three’s Company), until grandmother died in the grocery store in The One With Joey’s Bag in season 5. Where this grandmother was when her daughter died and Phoebe was on the streets is anybody’s guess.

[Stiggs]

13 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

Phoebe lived with her grandmother, played by Audra Lindley (Mrs. Roper from Three’s Company), until grandmother died in the grocery store in The One With Joey’s Bag in season 5. Where this grandmother was when her daughter died and Phoebe was on the streets is anybody’s guess.

Yeah - I know all this, and if she inherited a rent-free apartment (which when it caught fire it still seemed like it was on a lease? I dunno.), then sure, it would be much easier making a living in NYC without paying rent. I like the idea that she inherited money from her grandmother, because otherwise I still don't see how she was able to always look so cute, lol. 

[Bort]

34 minutes ago, Stiggs said:

if she inherited a rent-free apartment (which when it caught fire it still seemed like it was on a lease? I dunno.), then sure, it would be much easier making a living in NYC without paying rent.

Phoebe would have to pay the property taxes if she owned that apartment after her grandmother died, which I'm sure ain't cheap. But while her grandmother was alive and owning it, plus paying the property taxes, perhaps letting Phoebe live there rent-free to make up for not being around when Phoebe was homeless, hopefully Phoebe was using the opportunity to save her money. She didn't have much during the early seasons, hence the episode where she, Joey and Rachel had to put their feet down about the extravagant nights out that Ross, Chandler and Monica were always insisting on. But several seasons later when Monica was unemployed (and so was Phoebe), Phoebe was the one funding their fledgling catering business.

[strippedhalo]

1 hour ago, Stiggs said:

played by Audra Lindley (Mrs. Roper from Three’s Company)

Oh! I never made that connection, and it's so obvious now that you have pointed it out.

[Stiggs]

1 hour ago, kariyaki said:

Phoebe would have to pay the property taxes if she owned that apartment after her grandmother died, which I'm sure ain't cheap. But while her grandmother was alive and owning it, plus paying the property taxes, perhaps letting Phoebe live there rent-free to make up for not being around when Phoebe was homeless, hopefully Phoebe was using the opportunity to save her money. She didn't have much during the early seasons, hence the episode where she, Joey and Rachel had to put their feet down about the extravagant nights out that Ross, Chandler and Monica were always insisting on. But several seasons later when Monica was unemployed (and so was Phoebe), Phoebe was the one funding their fledgling catering business.

I just watched the "we don't have as much $ as you" episode the other day—and I remember the first time I saw it I thought it was VERY realistic. I totally related to it. I was broke, working my way through college, eating ramen, drinking 50 cent drafts and barely getting by, and I had friends who couldn't understand why I couldn't brunch with them every Sunday, or go to Panama City for Spring Break, lol. 

I give sitcom a lot of leeway when it comes to how people make their livings and such—kind of like cartoons—but what you said about the taxes on the apartment and such are the things that drove me nuts about Phoebe (and her hilariously convenient roommate Denise). She had time to give free massages in front of the UN, so I always felt like she was never terribly busy, lol. I'm going with the story that Phoebe inherited $ from her grandma. That works. That would have actually been a good episode...

All that said, I loved Phoebe, and every so often, "...please don't name your baby Phoebo..." pops into my head and I can't stop laughing. Tried to name my dog Phoebo years ago and my husband was like, hard pass. 

[mojoween]

I hand wave so very many things on this show which I love very much, but I don’t think I will ever get over the sheer stupidity of shark porn.

That is not a thing!

One of these days I'm going to pay attention to who wrote that absurdity to see if they were responsible for anything else that irritates me.

[Crs97]

I think I said this before, but as stupid as that plot is (and it is very stupid), I love the exchange:

“Let me be a part of this.”

“Let me be a part of this!”

Chandler’s delivery is perfect.

[Danny Franks]

On ‎4‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 6:44 PM, mojoween said:

I hand wave so very many things on this show which I love very much, but I don’t think I will ever get over the sheer stupidity of shark porn.

That is not a thing!

One of these days I'm going to pay attention to who wrote that absurdity to see if they were responsible for anything else that irritates me.

It's so incredibly dumb. Monica knows that he was masturbating, and says something like "you know how many times I've seen him jump up like that?" Okay then, on each of those occasions, did she immediately think that whatever was on the TV or in front of him at the time was what he was masturbating to?

"Oh my god! Chandler gets off to cooking shows/DIY shows/Jeopardy!"

It never occurs to her that he changed the channel on the TV, and it's just so stupid. I really hate that plot.

[Bort]

For some reason, the complete absurdity of the shark porn plot makes it funny to me. 

[WendyCR72]

I completely forgot shark porn. I wish I could forget it again.

[Jax7917]

I thought the dumbest plot was Joey “ proposing “ to Rachel in the hospital . That whole thing was absurd and it made no sense how any of them took that seriously and how Joey wouldn’t have said something right away . 

[Bort]

One that was on last night, where Phoebe was seemingly unable to tell her boyfriend that his dick kept hanging out of his shorts. For pete's sake, just tell the guy to wear underwear, it's not that big a deal.

Also, I didn't understand his answer when he was asked why he was wearing shorts in cold weather. "I'm from California." And?... Wouldn't that mean you're not used to cold weather and should be wearing long pants?

[Mr. Meatball Man]

On 4/20/2019 at 7:03 PM, Danny Franks said:

It's so incredibly dumb. Monica knows that he was masturbating, and says something like "you know how many times I've seen him jump up like that?" Okay then, on each of those occasions, did she immediately think that whatever was on the TV or in front of him at the time was what he was masturbating to?

"Oh my god! Chandler gets off to cooking shows/DIY shows/Jeopardy!"

It never occurs to her that he changed the channel on the TV, and it's just so stupid. I really hate that plot.

I think the lesson here is that occasionally, Monica was an idiot. That doesn't excuse the episode at all, but that's all I got.

I just think it's funny how all the way back in the first season, the show made fun of Three's Company for repetitive plots, but the shark porn episode is exactly the kind of thing that you would see on a show like Three's Company. Friends was running on fumes at that point. 

[Jax7917]

On 4/27/2019 at 8:31 PM, Mr. Meatball Man said:

I think the lesson here is that occasionally, Monica was an idiot. That doesn't excuse the episode at all, but that's all I got.

I just think it's funny how all the way back in the first season, the show made fun of Three's Company for repetitive plots, but the shark porn episode is exactly the kind of thing that you would see on a show like Three's Company. Friends was running on fumes at that point. 

I think in the later seasons, all of the characters got dumbed down or made more into caricatures. 

Phoebe and Ross specifically. Sometimes Monica. They dumbed down Joey even more than in earlier seasons, but they made him more 3 dimensional, so I think his character improved. And Rachel's character grew, though her love interests were terrible and made her seem desperate.

I think the whole show is great, but the first few seasons of most shows are generally much better/funnier, including this one.

[slf]

I hate that they never gave Rachel a respectable love interest. It's like they didn't want to write a relationship for her that could potentially draw as much support as Ross/Rachel. I think when they were starting down the Joey/Rachel road they didn't anticipate that some people would embrace is as much as they did.

[Jax7917]

37 minutes ago, slf said:

I hate that they never gave Rachel a respectable love interest. It's like they didn't want to write a relationship for her that could potentially draw as much support as Ross/Rachel. I think when they were starting down the Joey/Rachel road they didn't anticipate that some people would embrace is as much as they did.

Yeah that's why they probably didn't, although they gave Ross Emily which was obviously serious and Ross seemed genuinely smitten by her. From what I heard, they wanted to keep Emily around for a while longer but the actress didn't want to stay in the United States so she left the show. 

Putting Rachel and Joey together was grasping at straws. Whenever a main character is first put with someone romantically in season 9 of a 10 season show, it's never meant to be long term. I didn't like them together but then again their relationship lasted a total of one episode, so who knows if it would have been good.