It wasn’t until I saw the promos with the empty couch at Central Perk with the music by Evanessence (sp?) that I realized this show is going away. Forever. No more new ones.
Yes, I know there are those Dopers that are glad to see Friends go. But there are some who are going to miss it. Yes, there have been some clunker episodes, and Ross has gotten rather annoying, but I’ve had a good time Thursday nights at 8 for the past 10 years.
See you here at 10pm tonight.
I caught the promo in passing, but I think that TBS is airing the first episode tonight at 7:30.
I just heard this morning that the final episode is two hours long. Two hours? Why? Maybe if they’d split the first hour of that, we could have had two more new episodes this year instead of sitting through four weeks of “the best of Friends” before the final two episodes. JMO, of course.
The one at 8pm is called, “The One with All the Others.” I’m assuming it’s some sort of retrospective clip show.
“The Last One” airs at 9pm.
Ah, yes, the beloved “clip show.” (grumble, grumble, grumble) And, of course, they have to put the “real show” right during CSI. (grumble, grumble, grumble) You know, if they don’t shape up their act, I just might stop watching this show … oh, wait! 
I didn’t start watching Friends until about halfway into it’s run, but I love that show.
CSI will air the episode again.
Tonight is the only Final Airing of Friends as a Premier Episode.
No contest.
I’m taping the clip show (that’s when Survivor’s on!) and then watching the finale at 9:00.
So, what’s going to happen? I’m sure we can all figure out that Rachel won’t go and will end up with Ross. The TV previews show him at the airport begging her not to get on the plane. How far will she go? Will she get to Paris and come back? Will she get off the plane and run into his arms?
I think she’ll leave, Ross will be heartbroken, and at some point he’ll answer a knock on his door (expecting the pizza guy or something) and it’ll be her. I also think Phoebe’s phrase, “He’s her lobster!” will be brought up. Not spoilers, I’m just guessing, based on 10 years of watching and knowing how they do stuff on this show.
What about Joey? Will he get a call for some audition that takes him out to LA, so he can leave now for his new show, or will that not even be brought up tonight?
Monica and Chandler. What’s-her-name was in labor, so obviously the baby will be born tonight. Do they know if it’s a boy or a girl?
Phoebe and Mike. Anything more with them?
Gunther… poor guy. Will we even see him?
9:00, huh? So I guess they’re not showing Will & this week?
Eve, I think the season finale of Will & no Grace was last week.
A little final episode “Catch Phrase/Plot Point Bingo”, anyone? List out five phrases/plot points you think will be brought up during the show (not the 8:00 retrospective, which will probably have every one that we could think of). Most right ones wins! 
[ul]
[li]“He’s her lobster”/“She’s his lobster”[/li][li]“On a break”[/li][li]“Joey Special”[/li][li]“How you doin’?”[/li][li]Monica will get very competitive about something[/li][/ul]
I was tempted to go with “Oh…my…gawd”, but they went there just last week.
Of course I’ll watch. I’ll even be taping it for Mrs. Kunilou. But here’s what I think should happen:
Carol realizes she’s really not gay, breaks up with Susan and comes back to Ross. Ross takes her back.
While waiting through teenage mom’s labor, Monica bumps into Richard at the hospital. Richard offers to marry Monica and adopt the baby. Monica briefly weighs life with Chandler vs. life with Richard, and dumps Chandler.
After two months of marriage, Phoebe figures out that Mike is a nice guy, but incredibly dull. She runs off to Minsk to find her scientist.
Joey loses his part on Days of Our Lives (paving the way for him going to LA for the spin-off.) Gunther replaces him.
With Ross out of the picture, Rachel has no reason to stay in New York, and moves to Paris.
Alone and heatbroken, Chandler figures out he really is gay.
And that, my friend, is closure.
I’ll be watching tonight. Have seen the show since the very first episode, no reason not to see the finale.
And though it is too bad that it is going off the air, it was probably time for it to end. Short of having some big dramatic change in characters, they have pretty much run their course.
But I think a lot of people will be very saddened - and without realizing it, it has nothing to do with the ending of the show as much as it does with the ending an era. There was always something comforting about having this show on Thursday nights. Now it is gone. Another sign we are all getting older and Friends, and friends, pass on.
I hope the show goes out on a high note…although I seem to be in the minority and wish that Ross and Rachel would finally admit they have NOTHING in common and should just give it up already. She is witty, beautiful and fun…he is an anal-retentive, pouting geek. Seriously…if they were friends of mine, I wouldn’t wish them on each other.
A) It was six weeks.
B) Part of the deal for them coming back for a final season was that they would only have to do 18 original episodes. NBC executives were heard sobbing all the way to the bank.
Oh. My. Gawd.
I think I just wet my pants.
Thanks for the big laugh.
I’m just thanking the gods that this endurance test of a finale is ENDING. Sweet mother of pearl, what a self-congratulatory wankfest. Makes the last episode of MASH look cynical and heartless by comparison.
I loved the NY Times’ reference today to “teasers for the Friends finale, voiced in the hushed, lugubrious tones usually associated with a space-shuttle disaster or an assassination . . .”
I was thinking about what the final episode would be and came up with a really wierd alternative ending.
Ross is so obsessed with Rachel going to Paris that he shoots her. Then freaks out completely and shoots everyone else, except Joey who moves to LA to forget about all his friends dying, except Ross, who goes to prison and becomes the librarian.
TWINS!!
I loved it. I liked Phoebe trying to sing Broadway tunes, I liked that Gunther finally got to tell Rachel he loves her, I was blown over by the twins, and although I was leaning toward Ross and Rachel going their separate ways, I changed my mind while Phoebe and Ross were frantically trying to reach the airport.
The scene on the plane was somewhat contrived, though. They don’t let you off the plane once you’ve boarded, right? And Rachel left twice.
Still, I liked it. And I liked how they all went for coffee at the end.
I had not seen it in a long while. Could someone please explain to me the absence of Rachel and Ross’ daughter (Emma?) from the final episode?