Musings on Watching the Whole "Friends" Series

[Cat Whisperer]

Just because I like to share with all my good buddies here.

Season One:
- Let's just get this out of the way at the start - holy crap, big pants! Everyone is wearing pants up to their armpits!
- Pilot - Joey's hair is very, very weird.
- Paolo is not that good-looking. He's kind of weird-looking, actually.
- Ross says he's 26 and divorced, but later Monica says she's 26 (when inadvertently dating a 17 year old). Somebody's lying!
- Hey, Phoebe was married to Steve Zahn!


Season Two:
- The One With the Breast Milk - wow, Emily Procter's original face!
- I finally noticed that Matthew Perry is missing the tip of his middle finger on his right hand. I've only watched every episode of a ten year run at least once without noticing that. Now I can't *not* see it.
- Brooke Shields is pretty damned funny as a mentally-unbalanced woman.
- Everyone on the show has gorgeous hair. Really, really gorgeous hair. Man, I love their hair.

Will continue updating my musings as I keep on watching.

[The Other Waldo Pepper]

Originally Posted by Cat Whisperer

- Ross says he's 26 and divorced, but later Monica says she's 26 (when inadvertently dating a 17 year old). Somebody's lying!

Is that necessarily a lie? Say they were born a year and a half apart -- such that Monica is 25, and Ross about to turn 27, in the pilot -- and that Monica only turns 26 "later" (say, "right before dating that 17 year old"). Where's the contradiction?

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by The Other Waldo Pepper

Is that necessarily a lie? Say they were born a year and a half apart -- such that Monica is 25, and Ross about to turn 27, in the pilot -- and that Monica only turns 26 "later" (say, "right before dating that 17 year old"). Where's the contradiction?

Hmmm. Okay, since it happened in the first season when things were not set in stone yet, I will buy your explanation.

[Tamarin]

Originally Posted by Cat Whisperer

Hmmm. Okay, since it happened in the first season when things were not set in stone yet, I will buy your explanation.

Since I just watched this episode and I'm also in the process of re-watching the series, I remember that she tells the guy (Ethan) that she's 25...and 13 months.

[Cat Whisperer]

You can often see a "Reserved" sign on the coffee table in front of the couch where they always sit in Central Perk.

ETA: Hey, re-watching a non-current tv series buddies!

[Cat Whisperer]

Woman still wore pantyhose in those days. Freak show.

The extras in this show are unbelievable - I recognize so many of them. The latest - Frau Farbissina from "Austin Powers" as the wedding planner in "The One With Barry's Wedding."

[WordMan]

Originally Posted by Cat Whisperer

Woman still wore pantyhose in those days. Freak show.

The extras in this show are unbelievable - I recognize so many of them. The latest - Frau Farbissina from "Austin Powers" as the wedding planner in "The One With Barry's Wedding."

She's in everything. I just saw her in a Doctor Who episode...one from the Eccelston and/or early Tennant periods...

[Smid]

Joey and Chandler have the same hair and are quite hard to tell apart in the first season.

It lost a lot when the monkey left.

[SykoSkotty]

If you watch Jennifer Anniston close enough, you can see that the studio they worked in must've been very very cold.

[WordMan]

Originally Posted by SykoSkotty

If you watch Jennifer Anniston close enough, you can see that the studio they worked in must've been very very cold.

"Watch her close enough"?! - what else would we be doing if there were Aniston high-beams on display?

That's, like, Man Rule #27.

[Cat Whisperer]

"I use my breasts to get attention!"
"I do that too!"

My husband calls it "raisin smuggling."

[Cat Whisperer]

A little throw-away line that still makes me snort - Chandler in the bathroom wearing Julia Roberts' underpants. At about 3:10 when Ross comes into the bathroom and tells Joey, who is standing on a toilet, staring into the other cubicle - "Joey, some people don't like that." That just tickles my funny bone!

[WOOKINPANUB]

I didn't kow that about Matthew Perry's finger. Now that's all Ill be looking at when I watch.

Jennifer Anniston changed quite a bit physically at around the third season, IIRC. Aside form the obvious - aging and weight loss- something happened to her face. I imagine she might have had some work done, but I can't quite put my finger on what. Her voice and mannerisms also changed.

Ross is my least favorite character but he can be pretty funny when they write him as a goofball. "PiVOTTTTT!".

I think my favorite episode is Thanksgiving when Ross and Monica's parents come over and they don't know Monica and Chandler are dating. At the end, everyones' secrets are revealed."No, you weren't supposed to put beef in the trifle. It did not taste good.

I don't care for any of the episodes in the Rachel's pregnancy story arc.

Whenever I hear anyone talking about something happening in London I have to fight the urge to yell "in LONDON!", Joey style.

[chrisk]

Originally Posted by WOOKINPANUB

I think my favorite episode is Thanksgiving when Ross and Monica's parents come over and they don't know Monica and Chandler are dating. At the end, everyones' secrets are revealed."No, you weren't supposed to put beef in the trifle. It did not taste good.

Yes, that's a great little moment, especially because Mrs Gellar just knocks it outta the park. "I'm sorry, Phoebe, but I'm afraid that Jacques Cousteau is dead. Joey, if you want to leave... just leave!"

[Cat Whisperer]

Season Three, The One With the Flashbacks, has Marissa Ribisi as Rachel's old friend - Marissa Ribisi is apparently Giovanni Ribisi's twin sister. Who knew?

The elder Gellars are amazing throughout the whole series.

[Helena330]

If any kitties are around when I'm cleaning boxes they get a round of "Smelly Cat".

[borschevsky]

Originally Posted by WOOKINPANUB

Whenever I hear anyone talking about something happening in London I have to fight the urge to yell "in LONDON!", Joey style.

Me too! I think my wife was ready to throw me out by the end of the olympics.

[Push You Down]

One thing I noticed a lot in the early seasons... "unattractive" people regularly appeared and even dated the core cast.

Paulo--already mentioned.
An early episode had Monica with a new boyfriend who she was afraid to introduce to everyone... that dude was off looking (really gangly, long hair and a beard) even for the early 90s. Yet...those weren't the jokes.

Eventually once the show was an uber-hit, it was all models all the time.

[Sally Mander]

Originally Posted by Push You Down

One thing I noticed a lot in the early seasons... "unattractive" people regularly appeared and even dated the core cast.

Paulo--already mentioned.
An early episode had Monica with a new boyfriend who she was afraid to introduce to everyone... that dude was off looking (really gangly, long hair and a beard) even for the early 90s. Yet...those weren't the jokes.

If we're thinking of the same guy, that was Fisher Stevens. The one who sort of psychoanalyzed all of them? Yep, Fisher Stevens.

[SaharaTea]

Seasons 2-5 were the best, IMO.

It's an unpopular opinion but Ross was always my favorite character. The episode where he tries to wear leather pants on a date, only to have it go horribly awry, still makes me howl with laughter.

Monica started out as loveably OCD but became annoyingly uptight and shrill by the end.

[Cat Whisperer]

I'm developing a new appreciation for Ross - I'm getting the feeling that the actor, David Schwimmer, was having a really good time making Ross ridiculous.

[enalzi]

Originally Posted by Sally Mander

If we're thinking of the same guy, that was Fisher Stevens. The one who sort of psychoanalyzed all of them? Yep, Fisher Stevens.

Fisher Stevens was Phoebe's boyfriend. Monica's boyfriend was some other guy.

[Misnomer]

Originally Posted by Push You Down

An early episode had Monica with a new boyfriend who she was afraid to introduce to everyone... that dude was off looking (really gangly, long hair and a beard) even for the early 90s. Yet...those weren't the jokes.

Originally Posted by Sally Mander

If we're thinking of the same guy, that was Fisher Stevens. The one who sort of psychoanalyzed all of them? Yep, Fisher Stevens.

Originally Posted by enalzi

Fisher Stevens was Phoebe's boyfriend. Monica's boyfriend was some other guy.

Monica's boyfriend was Alan, played by Geoffrey Lower. It was the third episode of the first season: everyone winds up liking Alan more than she does.

[suranyi]

Originally Posted by SaharaTea

Seasons 2-5 were the best, IMO.

It's an unpopular opinion but Ross was always my favorite character. The episode where he tries to wear leather pants on a date, only to have it go horribly awry, still makes me howl with laughter.

Monica started out as loveably OCD but became annoyingly uptight and shrill by the end.

Yeah, Ross was my favorite character too. I think because he reminded me of myself, with all my flaws magnified tenfold.

[Helena330]

Originally Posted by SaharaTea

::snip::
Monica started out as loveably OCD but became annoyingly uptight and shrill by the end.

She did, and Courtney Cox became alarmingly thin, IMO.

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Helena330

She did, and Courtney Cox became alarmingly thin, IMO.

As did Jennifer Aniston. She started the series being adorable and sexy (to my hetero woman's eyes, anyway) - I've heard rumours that she lost 30 pounds during the series' run, which was 30 more than I thought she should have lost.

[River Hippie]

Favorite quote..."Yesterday I was at rock bottom. Today, there's rock bottom...then thirty feet of crap...then me."

[River Hippie]

Another favorite line was when Tom Sellick was telling Monica about the conversation with her father when Sellick confessed he was dating her.


"It's been a long time since your father and I went running."

[RickJay]

Originally Posted by SaharaTea

Seasons 2-5 were the best, IMO.

It's an unpopular opinion but Ross was always my favorite character. The episode where he tries to wear leather pants on a date, only to have it go horribly awry, still makes me howl with laughter.

Ross's inherent stupidity when it comes to relationships worked best when they introduced new things for him to be embarassed by. There's also the terrific episode where he gets his teeth over-whitened (Chandler: "What was wrong with your human teeth?") and terrifies his date when they glow under blacklight.

Where he became tiresome was in his dealings with Rachel, where he simply didn't develop, at all, for eight or nine years. Right to the end he remained a selfish oaf.

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by River Hippie

Another favorite line was when Tom Sellick was telling Monica about the conversation with her father when Sellick confessed he was dating her.


"It's been a long time since your father and I went running."

Hah - that was a great line. Tom Selleck was very good in the show - I didn't know he was that funny. Julia Roberts, on the other hand, was not excellent in her guest role.

Originally Posted by RickJay

<snip>
Where he became tiresome was in his dealings with Rachel, where he simply didn't develop, at all, for eight or nine years. Right to the end he remained a selfish oaf.

Most characters on sitcoms are not very well-balanced, nice people.

[WOOKINPANUB]

Originally Posted by River Hippie

Favorite quote..."Yesterday I was at rock bottom. Today, there's rock bottom...then thirty feet of crap...then me."

I meant to bring this up back when Moneyball first came out, but did anyone notice that Brad Pitt says almost this exact line in that movie? I didn't see the film, but I saw a preview with him saying this - I don't really know the context- and I immediately remembered Jennifer Aniston saying it on Friends.

I think Friends was best when it remained light hearted. The worst episodes / story arcs were when it tried to take itself too seriously. I suppose a show that goes on that long has to show the characters aging and tackling life issues such as marriage and pregnancy but for me that's when it's not particularly enjoyable anymore.

[Meyer6]

Originally Posted by RickJay

Ross's inherent stupidity when it comes to relationships worked best when they introduced new things for him to be embarassed by. There's also the terrific episode where he gets his teeth over-whitened (Chandler: "What was wrong with your human teeth?") and terrifies his date when they glow under blacklight.

Where he became tiresome was in his dealings with Rachel, where he simply didn't develop, at all, for eight or nine years. Right to the end he remained a selfish oaf.

There was another good one where he went to a tanning booth and accidentally got a really dark tan on the front of his body and no tan on the back.

I agree that Ross and Rachel's relationship was tiresome, and I don't even think it was necessary for the series. I always found it pretty unbelievable that either of those characters would actually choose to date the other.

And, like the OP, I always notice the giant pants in the old episodes. And Monica and Rachel often wear tiny little t-shirts that don't even reach the top of their huge pants. Did we all have our pants up so high back then?

[Strassia]

Originally Posted by WOOKINPANUB

I meant to bring this up back when Moneyball first came out, but did anyone notice that Brad Pitt says almost this exact line in that movie? I didn't see the film, but I saw a preview with him saying this - I don't really know the context- and I immediately remembered Jennifer Aniston saying it on Friends.

I think Friends was best when it remained light hearted. The worst episodes / story arcs were when it tried to take itself too seriously. I suppose a show that goes on that long has to show the characters aging and tackling life issues such as marriage and pregnancy but for me that's when it's not particularly enjoyable anymore.

I think the show really shined in the B plots. Luckily they all took turns being in these lighter, less significant, but more funny portions.

My absolute favorite moment in the whole series is at the end of the episode where the B plot was about Chandler and Rachael stealing cheesecakes from the door of an old woman upstairs (the fist was delivered to them by mistake, but they just couldn't stop taking them after the first taste). They had been arguing about returning the last cake and dropped it all over the floor in the hallway. After a cut away, they are on hands an knees eating any piece that they think is not touching the floor. In walks Joey, to their embarrassment. But Joey pulls a spoon out of his pocket, sits down and asks "So, what are we eating?" Credits.

That completely cracked me up. Know idea what the rest of that episode was about, but that moment was priceless.

[Chef Troy]

Beloved dialogue (Joey has given Chandler a big, ugly gold bracelet):

Joey: (something like) "You know that's really going to change your sex life."
Chandler: "Maybe at first, but once I get used to the extra weight, I'll be right back on top of my game."

[a35362]

Originally Posted by WOOKINPANUB

...I think Friends was best when it remained light hearted. The worst episodes / story arcs were when it tried to take itself too seriously. I suppose a show that goes on that long has to show the characters aging and tackling life issues such as marriage and pregnancy but for me that's when it's not particularly enjoyable anymore.

Yes, the show was originally supposed to be about twentysomethings struggling to succeed: working a lot, dating a lot, trying to figure it all out. Eventually you get your feet under you personally and professionally and really start to get somewhere, your attitudes about things change and mature, and you start making choices that will affect your future.

That's a totally different show.

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Strassia

I think the show really shined in the B plots. Luckily they all took turns being in these lighter, less significant, but more funny portions.

My absolute favorite moment in the whole series is at the end of the episode where the B plot was about Chandler and Rachael stealing cheesecakes from the door of an old woman upstairs (the fist was delivered to them by mistake, but they just couldn't stop taking them after the first taste). They had been arguing about returning the last cake and dropped it all over the floor in the hallway. After a cut away, they are on hands an knees eating any piece that they think is not touching the floor. In walks Joey, to their embarrassment. But Joey pulls a spoon out of his pocket, sits down and asks "So, what are we eating?" Credits.

That completely cracked me up. Know idea what the rest of that episode was about, but that moment was priceless.

That was one of my favourite moments, too. It was especially lovely because of the pairing - Chandler and Rachel were not a usual pairing.

[Sally Mander]

Originally Posted by enalzi

Fisher Stevens was Phoebe's boyfriend. Monica's boyfriend was some other guy.

I stand corrected. I haven't seen some of the older episodes in ages. I wish it was on Netflix streaming!

[Quimby]

I also am a fan of Ross (I always felt I was a cross between Ross' interests and Chandler's personality) but I literally cannot watch the episode where Ross "flirts" with the pizza girl. It's too painful.

Another trivia note: in one of the later season episodes there is a message "Hi Evil Jo" on the boys' apartment message board. That was a shout out to a frequent poster in the Friends Usenet newsgroup. A writer from the show posted often in the group for a while and promised hiding an easter egg and that was it.

[Slade]

Remember the scene where Chandler's locked in a box as punishment for kissing Joey's girlfriend, Kathy? He explains that the meaning of the box is "threefold": time to think about what he's done; proof of his friendship with Joey, and forcing him to endure physical pain.

Later in the episode, Kathy and Chandler have their sad parting-of-the-ways conversation (with him still in the box) and Kathy asks the others something like "Why is he in the box again?"

"Joey had his reasons," someone replies.
"They were threefold," adds Phoebe.

Lisa Kudrow's delivery of that line slays me every time. She manages to convey in just those three words that Phoebe genuinely thinks she's being helpful by adding this - to Kathy - utterly baffling piece of extra information.

[WOOKINPANUB]

Originally Posted by Quimby

I also am a fan of Ross (I always felt I was a cross between Ross' interests and Chandler's personality) but I literally cannot watch the episode where Ross "flirts" with the pizza girl. It's too painful.

That's one of my very favorites. Especially the part where he's explaining how the gas oven works. "A lot of other gas smells..."
Another great example of how funny David Shwimmer is when his character is allowed to do more than obsess over Rachel.

[Sally Mander]

Originally Posted by Slade

Lisa Kudrow's delivery of that line slays me every time. She manages to convey in just those three words that Phoebe genuinely thinks she's being helpful by adding this - to Kathy - utterly baffling piece of extra information.

Her delivery of lines was always spot-on. The episodes in Vegas, I think it's just after they find out Ross and Rachel are married when Phoebe says, "When you get married in Vegas, you're only married in Vegas." Monica corrects her by telling her when you get married in Vegas, you're married everywhere. Phoebe thinks about this for a moment, then just shrugs, says, "Eh" and walks off. She was so delightfully goofy.

[enalzi]

My favorite Phoebe line is from The One Where No One Is Ready. She gets hummus spilled on her dress, and walks out of the bedroom a few minutes later with a gigantic Christmas bow over it.

"I couldn't find anything else to where so I figured I would be political."
"What are you supporting?"
"Duh... Christmas."

[Lust4Life]

Originally Posted by SykoSkotty

If you watch Jennifer Anniston close enough, you can see that the studio they worked in must've been very very cold.

If you mean "Creepily stalking her ", then yes, I guess I watched her closely enough.

[Lust4Life]

I got tired of Chandler and Joey, doing the whole "Hurt married couple "thing.

I always suspected that when the writers had run out of ideas, they'd recycle this joke.

[Raygun99]

I never understood why Ross, the largest friend, never simply ate the other five.

[NoClueBoy]

Ross: (whiny) "My wife is a lesbian."

Joey: "Cool!"

[Chef Troy]

(Chandler and Joey have invited Ross to a hockey game)

Ross: "Thanks anyway, but I guess I'm just going to go home and think about my ex-wife and her lesbian lover."

Joey: "Screw hockey -- let's ALL do that!"

[etv78]

Originally Posted by Slade

Remember the scene where Chandler's locked in a box as punishment for kissing Joey's girlfriend, Kathy? He explains that the meaning of the box is "threefold": time to think about what he's done; proof of his friendship with Joey, and forcing him to endure physical pain.

Later in the episode, Kathy and Chandler have their sad parting-of-the-ways conversation (with him still in the box) and Kathy asks the others something like "Why is he in the box again?"

"Joey had his reasons," someone replies.
"They were threefold," adds Phoebe.

Lisa Kudrow's delivery of that line slays me every time. She manages to convey in just those three words that Phoebe genuinely thinks she's being helpful by adding this - to Kathy - utterly baffling piece of extra information.

Kathy played by a young Emily Prentiss. (Paget Brewster)

[Larry Borgia]

Originally Posted by Raygun99

I never understood why Ross, the largest friend, never simply ate the other five.

Maybe they were saving that for sweeps.

[Cat Whisperer]

I think the more appropriate joke for the series would have been young Monica eating all the other friends.