# Okay, I'll start it. Ahem: Friends 5/6, or The Last One **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 6, 2004, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810 "2004-05-06T12:24:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/41 "2004-05-07T19:32:32Z")
I noticed that Ross had a Siemens phone/answering machine model #2415. We have one just like it. Except our doesn’t make the funny noise when you rewind it–because it doesn’t rewind. You just start the digital message over again. But I _wish_ ours would make funny noises as if rewinding. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/42 "2004-05-07T19:33:50Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Just out of curiosity, what do you (and everyone else) consider the classic closing epiodes? I’m guessing MASH, for starters. I always liked Quantum Leap’s last episode. It was fairly sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@Mr\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/43 "2004-05-07T19:42:43Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Nevermind the confusing sentence construction above, although I agree with the sentiment… I couldn’t figure out why it was okay with Ross to let Rachel take Emma overseas. And they were all, “Boo hoo, we’ll never see each other again…” Hello? Rachel’s kid is Ross’ kid. You think he’s not ever going to want to see his own daughter again? It seemed to me as if the entire cab to airport chase was pointless becuase of course, he’s going to want to see his kid so there will be plenty of opportunity to get back together. > > That was just dumb. Ha! My apologies, that was from a hungover mind. Damn vodka. 😉 Anyhoo…it always bothered me how Rachel always seemed to view Emma as “hers” and never “theirs”. It was her “problem”, she was the one to make all the decisions, she was a single mom all alone in the big bad world. Ross seemed to be (despite never showing poor little ben…lol) a devoted dad and it seemed like his opinion didn’t matter much when contrasted to her career goals\*. \*I’d feel the same if it were ross considering the career move. ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/44 "2004-05-07T19:48:48Z")
I haven’t watched “Friends” in years. It’s a chick show. I thought it was, and it was determined in a thread I started a couple months ago, that it is in fact a chick show. I was further assured that I was right in Bill Simmons’ latest e-column where he writes about the show. Here is a [link](http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/040507). Simmons points out that it wasn’t _always_ a chick show, but it turned into one. > [@From the Sports Guy article](#): > > People were calling “Friends” the “last great sitcom” this week, begging an obvious follow-up question: “Friends” was a great sitcom? > Really? For a TV show to be great, don’t women and men have to watch it? I don’t know any guys who watch “Friends.” (Hey, they might be out there, I just haven’t met them.) Thinking about a guy watching “Friends” always makes me think of that Seinfeld episode when George gets back with Susan, then realizes he can’t get out, and the show ends with them watching “Mad About You” together as she looks happy and he looks like he might throw up at any second. He also mentions how ridiculous it was that Chandler and Monica brought the twins home within hours of their birth (then they moved too). I suppose having the twins was a “twist” too. Now if I were a fan of this show, and had something invested in the characters and liked the sappy garbage that the show has passed for during most of its run, then I’m sure this neatly wrapped finale would have been great. However, I’m not a fan and thought everything was too predictable. From what previous posters have said “on a break” is some sort of inside joke, which I don’t know about. Anyway, as I said in another thread, for fans of the show, I’m sure it was a better finish than Seinfeld. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/45 "2004-05-07T21:29:09Z")
**DeadlyAccurate** asked: > [@](#): > > My coworkers are trying to figure out what song Ross was humming at the beginning of the show (coffee shop scene) when the rest of the cast joined in. Any help? **Eve** responded: > [@](#): > > Theme from The Odd Couple. Wasn’t that scene during the clip retrospective that preceded the actual finale? In an earlier episode, the gang’s rendition of the _Odd Couple_ theme ended, then Ross started humming the _I Dream of Jeannie_ tune, only to be greeted (by Chandler, IIRC) with a rejoinder along the lines of “It’s over, Ross!” ---
**Author:** ![JRootabega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@JRootabega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRootabega)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/46 "2004-05-07T22:58:43Z")
Had to watch this finale since I’ve been semi-sucked into Friends by its slot between Simpsons and Seinfeld. I have two main problems with it: 1. Chandler’s facial paralysis. Now I do hate both Matthew Perry and Chandler, but I’d rather have an annoying crazy-face Chandler than a creepy botox Chandler. This may have been developing in previous recent episodes but I’ve only been watching reruns. 2. Being repeatedly jerked around on the Ross/Rachel issue. Writers, you blew all of your quality suspense the FIRST three times that they might have gotten back together. Was anyone surprised when they found out she got off the plane? Talk about anti-climactic. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/47 "2004-05-07T23:28:03Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Just out of curiosity, what do you (and everyone else) consider the classic closing epiodes? I’m guessing MASH, for starters. MASH is easy, but the closer for “Cheers” was excellent as well, and “The Mary Tyler Moore” show is quite deservedly famous. ---
**Author:** ![TWOTfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@TWOTfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWOTfan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/48 "2004-05-07T23:39:11Z")
kunilou – I like the way you think! 😃 Thanks for that! ---
**Author:** ![TWOTfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@TWOTfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWOTfan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/49 "2004-05-07T23:53:37Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > because the problem was always that Ross is a selfish twit. A selfish twit!?! What planet have you been living on? :wally ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/50 "2004-05-08T01:13:40Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Having Rachel stay means neither character grows (and it made for a lame story, too) which invokes Santayana’s rule about repeating history. Great ending, RickJay! But if Ross went to France, the writers wouldn’t have been able to have the closing scene with all 6 friends together (no Paul…) in an empty apartment. Cafefully staged, of course, so sucky Rachel was hanging all over sucky Ross. Great ending: Bob Newhart Show!!! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/51 "2004-05-08T01:34:13Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > MASH is easy, but the closer for “Cheers” was excellent as well, and “The Mary Tyler Moore” show is quite deservedly famous. “Newhart” should be on this list, if for no other reason than having the best twist ending _evah_. ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/52 "2004-05-08T05:51:12Z")
The twins thing totally surprised me. I don’t know why–that’s a plot that all sitcoms seem to do. Yet it did not even enter my mind that possibly twins could be born until the doc said “the other one is coming”. I went “what?!” That was pretty cool, the twins thing. That birth mom was so dumb… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/53 "2004-05-08T07:33:12Z")
Not great, but good. I wasn’t expecting a spectacular conclusion (and I think the writers lost the aptitute for such a LONG time ago), so having everything simply wrapped up was more than enough for me. About the only thing I didn’t like was what I’m pretty sure all of us wish went differently, Rachel going back to Ross. IMHO, had Ross sacrificed his present life and ties to his friends to be with the woman he loves, that _alone_ would’ve completely redeemed him. Instead, Rachel’s career is in shambles and Ross has learned nothing. How does this benefit anyone? Don’t really care about the “chick show” issues. It takes all kinds. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/54 "2004-05-08T11:35:06Z")
Slate had an interesting take on this…Friends is not a sitcom. It’s a _soapcom_. They end seasons with cliffhangers, situations are not resolved in 22 minutes. If you take 10 Law and Order episodes and shuffled them and then watched them, you would know exactly what is going on. But if you take 10 Friends episodes, shuffled them and watched them, you would be a little lost because you would be watching them “out of order.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that… ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810/55 "2004-05-08T21:35:46Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Theme from _The Odd Couple_. You have very young coworkers, I take it. :smack: THANK YOU! It was driving me crazy. I knew it was the theme from some 70s sitcom, but somehow got stuck on _Barney Miller_. I knew that wasn’t quite it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And _Newhart_ gets my vote for Best Sitcom Ending ever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-ill-start-it-ahem-friends-5-6-or-the-last-one/243810.md?page=2)