Friends - General Discussion

[VagueDisclaimer]

Watching “The One Where Rachel Quits” when Joey is working at an Xmas tree lot and Phoebe makes it all about one of her many  passing quirks. Honestly, Monica bringing home all those fire hazards and indulging Phoebe always leaves me irritated. But that’s probably because my nerves are already on edge from Phoebe screeching over the wood chipper. Aside from her being a vegetarian, the issues Phoebe attempts to ~stand for~ are always short lived and used for hyperbolic humor and a level of cute that never worked for me. 

Edited October 3, 2019 by VagueDisclaimer

[wendyg]

I believe the condoms in the bathroom thing was to highlight the importance of using condoms and safe sex - remember, at the time AIDS was still somewhat new, and it was still lethal.

[FormerMod-a1]

I just wondered why no one when to the drug store to get more.  It's NYC, you can't tell me there are no 24 hour stores.

[Bort]

Well, I guess if you can’t buy a hammer in the middle of the night, you can’t buy condoms either.

[blondiec0332]

3 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

I just wondered why no one when to the drug store to get more.  It's NYC, you can't tell me there are no 24 hour stores.

Or just walk across the hall. Surely Joey had some.

[FormerMod-a1]

^ that, too!

[mojoween]

I don’t know the name of the episode but one of my least favorites is when they are on the roof for the Burger King comet and then they all have their little subplots.  I find everyone really annoying from start to finish.

It’s not 100% bad, I do laugh when the fireman knocks on the door and Phoebe says “fire alarm?!?” and Ross and Joey are debating how to get down and Ross is like “now when you get down there...” but otherwise bleargh.

[chitowngirl]

2 hours ago, mojoween said:

I don’t know the name of the episode but one of my least favorites is when they are on the roof for the Burger King comet and then they all have their little subplots.  I find everyone really annoying from start to finish.

It’s not 100% bad, I do laugh when the fireman knocks on the door and Phoebe says “fire alarm?!?” and Ross and Joey are debating how to get down and Ross is like “now when you get down there...” but otherwise bleargh.

That’s “The One Where They’re Up All Night”.

Edited October 5, 2019 by chitowngirl

[MadyGirl1987]

12 hours ago, mojoween said:

I don’t know the name of the episode but one of my least favorites is when they are on the roof for the Burger King comet and then they all have their little subplots.  I find everyone really annoying from start to finish.

It’s not 100% bad, I do laugh when the fireman knocks on the door and Phoebe says “fire alarm?!?” and Ross and Joey are debating how to get down and Ross is like “now when you get down there...” but otherwise bleargh.

I love Phoebe's fight with the fire alarm. Why do the batteries on those things seem to only die at night?

[blondiec0332]

I read Generations Friends and it was good. Most of the stuff I knew already and had read elsewhere but one thing I had never really thought about was the writers and apparently everyone else associated with the show forgot to have Ben at Ross's wedding to Emily.

[Crs97]

Rewatching some episodes - it is ridiculous that Rachel got and kept her job with Ralph Lauren.  She never should have gotten past her disastrous interview.

[Madding crowd]

Phoebe’s birth mom, sister and Frank and Alice weren’t at her wedding either. It was after a snowstorm but they also weren’t at the rehearsal dinner which was before the storm and seemed to feature a lot of people.

[MadyGirl1987]

5 hours ago, blondiec0332 said:

I read Generations Friends and it was good. Most of the stuff I knew already and had read elsewhere but one thing I had never really thought about was the writers and apparently everyone else associated with the show forgot to have Ben at Ross's wedding to Emily.

Well, to be fair it often seemed the show forgot about Ben. I don't think we ever even saw him with Emma. Did we even see him after Rachel got pregnant?

Just now, Crs97 said:

Rewatching some episodes - it is ridiculous that Rachel got and kept her job with Ralph Lauren.  She never should have gotten past her disastrous interview.

Seriously, her career was just a guide on what not to do in the workplace. Especially Tag(whole thing about hiring someone she wanted to be with is just ick.), spreading rumors about an affair with Ralph Lauren and spreading rumors her boss wanted to buy her baby. Any of those would have been cause for firing or at the least disciplinary action.

[Chas411]

Rewatching the squicky mondler proposal episode and on rewatch I think Monica was really inappropriate in going to Richards apartment and entertaining the idea of reuniting with him. I know she came to her senses in the end but she was years with Chandler at this point she shouldn’t have been so torn. Then the whole thing being played off as Chandlers fault was ridiculous. I think she behaved really badly there.

[WendyCR72]

1 minute ago, Chas411 said:

Rewatching the squicky mondler proposal episode and on rewatch I think Monica was really inappropriate in going to Richards apartment and entertaining the idea of reuniting with him. I know she came to her senses in the end but she was years with Chandler at this point she shouldn’t have been so torn. Then the whole thing being played off as Chandlers fault was ridiculous. I think she behaved really badly there.

Had she slept with Richard or encouraged advances or whatever, sure. But she didn't. And Richard - as much as I was one of the few that was meh about that whole pairing - was not just another guy Monica dated. It was very serious.

So in the midst of Chandler/Monica hitting a rough patch, I could see where second thoughts could creep in.

Still, as you said, Monica came to her senses. So that just seemed like plot-point-itis to give Chandler a scare, thinking he was too late, to help set up Joey helping things along.

[Chas411]

Also how out of it does Perry seem in season seven. Just watched the first episode and Chandler is so.. off. I know he had addiction issues throughout the series but the season seven opener is one of the first episodes I really thought he seemed different. 

[Crs97]

1 hour ago, WendyCR72 said:

1 hour ago, Chas411 said:

Had she slept with Richard or encouraged advances or whatever, sure. But she didn't. And Richard - as much as I was one of the few that was meh about that whole pairing - was not just another guy Monica dated. It was very serious.

So in the midst of Chandler/Monica hitting a rough patch, I could see where second thoughts could creep in.

And it didn’t even seem really like second thoughts, since she told him that fair was either him wanting to marry her then or Chandler wanting to marry her now.  I actually believed her when she said she didn’t know why she found herself at his place that evening.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jennifer Aniston said Harvey Weinstein tried to force her to wear Marchesa

[Nellise]

On 10/8/2019 at 8:38 AM, blondiec0332 said:

I read Generations Friends and it was good. Most of the stuff I knew already and had read elsewhere but one thing I had never really thought about was the writers and apparently everyone else associated with the show forgot to have Ben at Ross's wedding to Emily.

I'm not sure why Ben would have been there. The wedding was announced 4 weeks before it happened and I doubt Ben had a passport yet. Passports can take that long to be processed. Somebody would have been stuck watching him the whole time since he was still only 3. And they were going to their honeymoon straight from London so somebody else would have to take him back home on an international 6 hour flight. It would have been weirder had he been there.

On 10/8/2019 at 5:25 PM, Chas411 said:

Also how out of it does Perry seem in season seven. Just watched the first episode and Chandler is so.. off. I know he had addiction issues throughout the series but the season seven opener is one of the first episodes I really thought he seemed different. 

He's very very off at the start of season 7. I think I mentioned it before that you can see he even has trouble talking normally. It doesn't help they gave him some of his worst plots of the series during this time with the hating dogs one and the one where he can't smile in a picture properly. He does seem mostly back to normal by the middle of that season though.

Edited October 10, 2019 by Nellise

[Chas411]

Yeah his voice and everything is so off. I vaguely remember reading that he had to go to rehab at some point during the series but it was years ago so i could be wrong. I always thought the addiction issues weren’t noticeable in his performance but on season seven rewatch it’s glaring.

[Jax7917]

On 10/8/2019 at 5:48 PM, Chas411 said:

Rewatching the squicky mondler proposal episode and on rewatch I think Monica was really inappropriate in going to Richards apartment and entertaining the idea of reuniting with him. I know she came to her senses in the end but she was years with Chandler at this point she shouldn’t have been so torn. Then the whole thing being played off as Chandlers fault was ridiculous. I think she behaved really badly there.

I thought the writing for that wasn't that good. To start with, Richard saw Monica several times before that episode.. and he never once changed his mind about wanting to marry her or have kids. It's been several years at this point. And now he changes his mind? that just is too plot driven. 

Secondly, she did seem too torned for someone who has been with someone for years vs. a relationship she was in for a couple of months a few years ago. I also just felt like the proposal was cheesy rather than romantic and they deserved a good one.

[mojoween]

18 hours ago, Nellise said:

I'm not sure why Ben would have been there. The wedding was announced 4 weeks before it happened and I doubt Ben had a passport yet. Passports can take that long to be processed. Somebody would have been stuck watching him the whole time since he was still only 3. And they were going to their honeymoon straight from London so somebody else would have to take him back home on an international 6 hour flight. It would have been weirder had he been there.

It would have been logistically difficult to get Ben to London, but the writers could have still remembered his existence when Ross was arguing about something with his parents and bellowed “no grandchildren!”

[blondiec0332]

2 hours ago, mojoween said:

It would have been logistically difficult to get Ben to London, but the writers could have still remembered his existence when Ross was arguing about something with his parents and bellowed “no grandchildren!”

Or even said something like Ben had an ear infection and couldn't fly.

[Inquisitionist]

It's weirder to me that Ben isn't at Emma's birthday party.  Or at his aunt Monica's wedding (where he would have made a terrific ring bearer).  Those events didn't require a flight.

[chitowngirl]

Ben was at Monica and Chandler’s wedding. He was sitting at the kids’ table where Ross accidentally put himself.

3 minutes ago, Inquisitionist said:

It's weirder to me that Ben isn't at Emma's birthday party.  Or at his aunt Monica's wedding (where he would have made a terrific ring bearer).  Those events didn't require a flight.

[Bort]

3 minutes ago, Inquisitionist said:

It's weirder to me that Ben isn't at Emma's birthday party.  Or at his aunt Monica's wedding (where he would have made a terrific ring bearer).  Those events didn't require a flight.

Ben was at Monica's wedding. They didn't really acknowledge it much, as he was at the kids table when Ross switched his seat to the wrong table.

ETA: *snort* Jinx! @chitowngirl

[Inquisitionist]

See, he was such a non-entity at the wedding that I forgot he was there!

[Mr. Meatball Man]

Serious question: What's the big deal with season eight? It feels like everybody looks at it as some kind of renaissance for the show, like it had been falling off for the last couple seasons and suddenly became good again. Is it just because of Rachel's pregnancy storyline? Because this season also had Joey falling in love with Rachel, but everybody hated that storyline so I don't know where all the season eight love comes from.

In a way, I understand it because of what season eight represents. It was originally going to be the final season before 9/11 happened, and it ended up getting the show its first Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, but I still feel like I'm missing something. 

[WendyCR72]

17 minutes ago, Mr. Meatball Man said:

Serious question: What's the big deal with season eight? It feels like everybody looks at it as some kind of renaissance for the show, like it had been falling off for the last couple seasons and suddenly became good again. Is it just because of Rachel's pregnancy storyline? Because this season also had Joey falling in love with Rachel, but everybody hated that storyline so I don't know where all the season eight love comes from.

In a way, I understand it because of what season eight represents. It was originally going to be the final season before 9/11 happened, and it ended up getting the show its first Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, but I still feel like I'm missing something. 

I think S8 is considered something good based on what you said: The show became comfort food/familiar after 9/11. People were skittish, afraid, and I think the sense of comfort and the safety of the "fictional" NYC and the characters gave the audience something to make them smile after such a devastating, tragic event.

[Irlandesa]

6 hours ago, Mr. Meatball Man said:

Serious question: What's the big deal with season eight? It feels like everybody looks at it as some kind of renaissance for the show, like it had been falling off for the last couple seasons and suddenly became good again. Is it just because of Rachel's pregnancy storyline? Because this season also had Joey falling in love with Rachel, but everybody hated that storyline so I don't know where all the season eight love comes from.

 I wasn't in the country post-9/11 so it wasn't because I specifically needed a laugh. I didn't see that season until later. For me, the season just felt funnier with more jokes compared to the previous seasons.  As for Joey falling for Rachel, I don't think I actually hated the Joey has feelings for Rachel story until late Season 9/early 10 when they revisited it.  I didn't mind it in Season 8.

Edited October 13, 2019 by Irlandesa

[Chas411]

I also thought season 7 was one of the weaker seasons so eight in comparison was quite good.

[Guest]

The only Season 8 episodes that I especially like are The One With The Rumor and The One With Monica's Boots.

The One with the Rumor is one of my top 10 episodes of any season though. 

[Bort]

Season 8’s TOW The Videotape is probably my favorite episode. I love how the two B plots dovetail into the main plot at the end. 

[Inquisitionist]

4 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Season 8’s TOW The Videotape is probably my favorite episode. I love how the two B plots dovetail into the main plot at the end. 

Totally agree.  I think I wrote pretty much the same thing way back in the thread... 🙂 

To me, this episode is perfection, and it stems from the writing.  And it wasn't even nominated for a writing Emmy award.  The nominees that year were:

Quote

Larry Wilmore for The Bernie Mac Show (Episode: "Pilot"), (Fox)

Jennifer Crittenden for Everybody Loves Raymond (Episode: "Marie's Sculpture"), (CBS)

Victor Fresco for Andy Richter Controls the Universe (Episode: "Pilot"), (Fox)

Philip Rosenthal for Everybody Loves Raymond (Episode: "The Angry Family"), (CBS)

Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky for Sex and the City (Episode: "My Motherboard, My Self"), (HBO)

Now, I haven't seen any Bernie Mac episodes (which won the award), but I've seen every other one of the nominees, and I would pick TOW the Videotape above all of them.  And I lurved the Andy Richter show.

[Crs97]

TOW The Videotape is my favorite episode and could probably be studied by aspiring writers.  The plots were all funny in their own right and then their merging was perfect.  

On a non-technical note, Ross is such a sad sack that it was nice to see him win one.  I also hated how it was always played that Ross was a big loser who should count himself lucky that someone like Rachel would be with him (also always hated Phoebe’s “Monica could do better” cracks about Chandler) so, again, I was glad he won the argument.

[chitowngirl]

“I’m so happy right now!”

[MBJ]

"Reunion" 

On 10/12/2019 at 8:24 PM, Mr. Meatball Man said:

Serious question: What's the big deal with season eight? It feels like everybody looks at it as some kind of renaissance for the show, like it had been falling off for the last couple seasons and suddenly became good again. Is it just because of Rachel's pregnancy storyline? Because this season also had Joey falling in love with Rachel, but everybody hated that storyline so I don't know where all the season eight love comes from.

In a way, I understand it because of what season eight represents. It was originally going to be the final season before 9/11 happened, and it ended up getting the show its first Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, but I still feel like I'm missing something. 

Critics like it because Jennifer Aniston got the chance to act, being pregnant, then a Mom, etc.  It's her Mom season.

Personally, it's one of my least favourites, because I hate Joey/Rachel so much.

I'm with @VCRTracking, Rachel and Chandler were always my favourites and I always wanted them to get together or at least flirt with the chance.  The writers/producers thought that Joey and Monica were the most attractive at the beginning and flirted with the idea of them getting together (which I totally get.  Courteney by far was the most famous and Matt was the most conventionally hot.)

I think Season 3, 8, 10 are my least favourites.  Then maybe 6.  I think 7 and 9 are pretty funny.  1, 2, 4, and 5 are classics for me.

Edited October 15, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Crs97]

5 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

“I’m so happy right now!”

“Now I’m so happy!”

[WendyCR72]

Was coming to post that picture. Made me smile!  🙂

[helenamonster]

6 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

"Reunion" 

I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING

[Jax7917]

On 10/15/2019 at 2:07 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

"Reunion" 

Critics like it because Jennifer Aniston got the chance to act, being pregnant, then a Mom, etc.  It's her Mom season.

Personally, it's one of my least favourites, because I hate Joey/Rachel so much.

I'm with @VCRTracking, Rachel and Chandler were always my favourites and I always wanted them to get together or at least flirt with the chance.  The writers/producers thought that Joey and Monica were the most attractive at the beginning and flirted with the idea of them getting together (which I totally get.  Courteney by far was the most famous and Matt was the most conventionally hot.)

I think Season 3, 8, 10 are my least favourites.  Then maybe 6.  I think 7 and 9 are pretty funny.  1, 2, 4, and 5 are classics for me.

Personally , I didn’t like Rachel having a baby and it annoyed me that her and Ross didn’t get back together after that. It just felt so contrived to keep them apart but then 2 years later have them magically realize how in love they are and end up together . If having the baby together didn’t make Them want to be together then that should’ve been it 

[Chas411]

I agree on some level. Having done a rewatch it’s evident that they care a lot for each other the whole way through. I think they could just never get passed the issues that broke them up originally - Ross had trust issues and wouldn’t admit this and Rachel rightfully couldn’t deal with his controlling behaviour. They flirted with the idea of getting back together after the baby was born but that ended when Ross deleted that guys number who called Rachel and Rachel made out with Gavin because Rachel felt he was being controlling again... although I think he had a bit of a reason to be mad that she was making out with a coworker while living with him. As usual he just handled it arseways.

[Jax7917]

They definitely cared for each other as best friends , and I felt like Rachel was in love with Ross throughout the whole series But I always felt like Ross got over Rachel at a point . There was even a time when Rachel was pregnant and Ross was talking to Joey and Joey asked him honestly , if Rachel was the girl he wanted And pictured his life with and Ross said no but he wishes she was because it would make things easier ... and he seemed like he genuinely wished that he could still be in love with her But he just wasn’t . 

[Crs97]

Like I mentioned with regard to Monica, Ross had girlfriends that I could picture him marrying - Julie was terrific, I liked Emily and their whirlwind romance, and Mona was nice.

 I hated that it seemed Rachel only decided she wanted Ross when she saw him happy with someone else.

[Chas411]

4 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

hated that it seemed Rachel only decided she wanted Ross when she saw him happy with someone else.

This bothered me too. Especially in regards to Emily and while i ultimately didn’t want Ross/Emily to end up together I hated, HATED how they basically rewrote and vilified Emily to justify Rachel trying to break them up. I know she didn’t go through with it but she was happily ready to move in once Ross managed to mess up on his own. Emily was the only innocent one in that whole drama so I always hated how the made out like she was the one in the wrong. 
 

[Crs97]

I also hated that Rachel got mad at Ross for taking her advice and agreeing to Emily’s request not to see Rachel.  It’s one thing to be upset about the situation, but she actively blamed him.  I thought one of his better scenes was his telling her she would not be cut out of the group, that he would take a step back.

[MadyGirl1987]

8 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I hated that it seemed Rachel only decided she wanted Ross when she saw him happy with someone else.

7 hours ago, Chas411 said:

This bothered me too. Especially in regards to Emily and while i ultimately didn’t want Ross/Emily to end up together I hated, HATED how they basically rewrote and vilified Emily to justify Rachel trying to break them up. I know she didn’t go through with it but she was happily ready to move in once Ross managed to mess up on his own. Emily was the only innocent one in that whole drama so I always hated how the made out like she was the one in the wrong. 
 

I totally agree! I feel Ross and Rachel were just toxic together. Apart from Rosses trust issues, which were understandable given his first wife had cheated on him and dumped him, Rachel seemed to be extremely possessive of Ross when he was in happy secure relationships with other women. There’s the whole Emily thing(which I feel Rachel should have gotten more flack for then a passing mention by Monica that she only goes after guys 15 before they’re married), and she’s the worst to Julie when all the poor women did was be together with the guy she wants. Even calling it a betrayal when Monica is friendly to her brothers girlfriend. 

Edited October 19, 2019 by MadyGirl1987

[Chas411]

Yeah I do love Rachel but she could be such a mean girl. I’d love to say it was just when it came to Ross but she was the exact same to Charlie when Joey was dating her.

[Guest]

She also was pretty awful to Bonnie, in my opinion.

[mojoween]

Speaking of Rachel, when she had Braxton Hicks contractions and Joey took her to the ER, the line that she left her underwear in the exam room is beyond stupid.  No pregnant woman is going to forget to put her underwear back on at any time.