Friends (30th anniversary)

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Straw Hut Media.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Hey friends, how you doing?

Speaker 3 (00:07):
How you doing you?

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to the eighty fifth episode of Release Date Rewind,
a podcast that celebrates milestone movie and TV anniversaries. I'm
your host, Mark J. Parker, and I'll be there for
you if you also love TV and film like I do,
especially old stuff that's celebrating a big anniversary. Thank you
for listening to the show on the straw Hut Media

(00:32):
Network wherever you get your pods or watching on YouTube.
Each episode, I like to bring on a friend or
two to discuss something we both love from the past,
and sometimes we have a special episode about a television series.
One of the biggest series ever, quite possibly the biggest
sitcom ever, premiered thirty years ago in September nineteen ninety four,

(00:55):
totally owning the phrase must see TV with its memorable
lines and stellar cast who all went on to become
very famous and very rich. That's right, everybody, We are
talking about Friends for its big birthday, the one where
the show turns thirty now. If you want to watch
or rewatch old episodes, Friends is currently and I guess

(01:17):
forever streaming in the US on Max all Right. Roommates
neighbors and smellycats. Let's chat over a cup of coffee,
because it's time to rewind, all right, live, studio, audience,

(01:43):
air and air. Should we sing the theme song? Do
you know the lyrics? I'm sure you do.

Speaker 4 (01:48):
I'm sure I do too, but I don't think anyone
wants to hear it.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
I noticed that Courtney Cox in the lineup would often
get the moment where it was the moment in the
theme song.

Speaker 5 (02:02):
She was like supposed to be it's an it was
always an ensemble, but she was kind of like the
star at the time.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
This cast is so great. I know some people, you know,
like my husband Greg doesn't love the show. Although he
was laughing a little bit with me, he doesn't love
the show. Some people I know are like and I
get it. Sometimes I'm like yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, but no,
watching like these key episodes that we're about to get
into now, this cast was like they are like cream

(02:32):
of the crop. Tell me Mel, yeah you well, first
of all, I have to I didn't even introduce my guest. Everybody,
we have Nurse mel Ward back on the show. Nurse
Mel is back. Hi Mel, thanks for coming back. It's
a Tuesday morning. While Gigi's out at no is she
at pre school?

Speaker 4 (02:47):
Pre pre k?

Speaker 5 (02:49):
Yeah, that's pre school, but so she's only gone a
couple hours, so we're limited on yes.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
So you know we're not going to talk about all
two hundred and thirty six friends holds everybody. Yeah, you
could absolutely, Oh.

Speaker 4 (03:04):
You know what I was thinking.

Speaker 5 (03:05):
It's funny how every classic show now has a rewatch podcast,
but absolutely with this.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
One, because because who would do this.

Speaker 4 (03:15):
Is actually one?

Speaker 2 (03:16):
I would be, oh, yeah, I agree. I would listen
to it because I would love to hear like an
insider's look, But none of the remaining living main five
now that's very sad would do it. No way, and
then like maybe a guest star like who want? But yeah,

(03:38):
like who would you? Would you want anyone to do it?
You should do it?

Speaker 4 (03:41):
The girls? No, I would want like Jen and Courtney.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Right, it would be so fun to actually have friends
like real life if.

Speaker 4 (03:52):
They really retire from acting, but of course they're not.
I don't.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
All of them is the most I mean you we
share her videos often. She is such a like social
media star to meet, like, she's very much out there
coming up with ideas. I could see her hosting it well,
but I think she's just too rich.

Speaker 4 (04:11):
And yeah, I don't know, none of them need to
do that. Yeah, maybe in ten years if they're bored.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
But is this your number one sitcom?

Speaker 4 (04:19):
Oh? Yeah, Sitcomb was definitely.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Now what about like number one show or maybe.

Speaker 5 (04:25):
I would say my number one shown changes? Yeah, probably, yes,
if I had to pick one.

Speaker 4 (04:32):
It's hard.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yeah, I know it's hard. There's so many good ones,
but I think.

Speaker 5 (04:36):
This one, yes, because unlike some other shows that I
would also call out, it doesn't have like a season
that I want to like entirely skip, except I would
say maybe the first season. But as a whole, the
show really is amazing from start to finish, whereas other
shows they you know, they have a few.

Speaker 2 (04:55):
Like dips, yep, lots of ups and down they.

Speaker 4 (04:58):
Land the ending.

Speaker 5 (04:59):
So yeah, I would say this is probably to me
the best show, my favorite show of all time.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
That's why you're here, That's why you're my guest, you're
my friend's expert, my friends. But many shows that does
not happen, many shows after one season, after the first
few they did you know, Dawson's Creek. So many shows
it's like the key leader, you know, takes a break,
goes elsewhere. So that's why the.

Speaker 4 (05:25):
Shonda rhymes from Grey's Anatomy is not even there.

Speaker 2 (05:28):
Right, that's amazing. Gray's Anatomy. Speaking of, we're gonna talk
about some other shows real quick right now. But Gray's
Anatomy I just read is now the longest running primetime
medical series in history, so it has now ever gonna
be er. I know, I guess not. You don't need
your creator and you don't need your lead anymore, so

(05:51):
just keep going. It's pretty amazing how they keep going.
There are still ideas and that people still watch. It's amazing.
I stopped a long time ago, but yeah.

Speaker 4 (06:00):
It's pretty ludicrous.

Speaker 5 (06:01):
But the most shocking thing is that people still watch it.

Speaker 2 (06:05):
Well, speaking real quick of what we're watching the Emmys,
just as of this recording happened the other night. Big
winners were Shogun, Hacks. I know you don't watch Hacks
even though you should. Season three is talk about comedy
mel Oh wow. I didn't think laugh out loud funny.
Oh my god, check it out please, because it is
think I did.

Speaker 4 (06:25):
The whole first season. I wasn't that into it.

Speaker 2 (06:27):
You weren't into it? Oh. Season three season season three
will make you laugh till you cry and laugh till
you cry laughing like it is both dramatic and hilarious,
but hacks one comedy. Do you watch Shogun? I didn't know.

Speaker 4 (06:43):
Yeah, that was really good.

Speaker 2 (06:44):
Okay, I know you love history, so yeah, maybe I
gotta check it out because that was cleaning up as well.
So yeah, we are fresh off Emmys twenty twenty four. Now, surprisingly,
this show Friends celebrating thirty years came came to NBC
premiered September twenty second, nineteen ninety four. I am shook it.
I am shocked it only won six Primetime Emmys in

(07:06):
its ten years. That seems kind of crazy. I mean,
many shows win six Emmys in one night.

Speaker 4 (07:13):
Yeah, I think things well. It was also was it
the era of Frasier still, because that used to win.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
Yep, Fraser won a lot. Let's see. I'm trying to
think of, like what would have been its main competition
for comedy.

Speaker 4 (07:29):
For a little bit, Brian, a little bit of a cross.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
Over those early years, yep, for Friends, yep.

Speaker 4 (07:34):
Oh, Modern Family, right.

Speaker 2 (07:37):
I don't know if I don't think Modern Family started
yet because this ended in two thousand and four we
were still in high school. The Office didn't start yet,
so like it's hard because Friends was just such a
big deal that it's like, what could have even you know,
beat it? But it got beat a lot. It only
won six Emmys, so it goes.

Speaker 5 (07:56):
To show how those awards really don't matter because this
is a show is.

Speaker 2 (08:01):
So absolutely you hit on the head. It's you know,
you might watch it. It's a big deal in the moment,
but years later you have no idea who who won.
And ultimately that does not mean pop culture power right exactly,
because I would say the show the show feels more
popular in these last few years, long after it ended,
than even when it aired, and it was hugely popular

(08:23):
when it aired, do you know what I mean? It
only grew as younger people got older, Like it only grew.
It's funny every now and then when we have like
a dog sitter or a friend visiting and we leave
Friends was the last thing watched on our mat side.

Speaker 5 (08:38):
I think this is just like a comfort show to everyone. Know, yeah,
if you don't know what else to watch or have
it on the background.

Speaker 2 (08:46):
Welcome to the real world.

Speaker 4 (08:48):
It sucks.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
Before I throw it over to Mel and she died
to tell us what the show is about. For anyone
truly living under a rock, who maybe was just born yesterday,
who might not know. I'm going to set the scene.
I'm going to tell you what was going on at
this time thirty years ago, September nineteen ninety four, So
in the days leading up to Friends starting its ten
year run, these were also brand new, big TV shows

(09:13):
September ninety four. It's crazy how that TV season like.

Speaker 4 (09:18):
I actually remember it.

Speaker 2 (09:20):
Well, yeah, that's why you're on because I want you
to tell me because I was not in the loop
TV wise at this time. I guess I was like
loving Jim Carrey movies. I don't know what I was loving,
but it wasn't these shows yet. So these were the
shows that had just premiered, okay, just days before Er
comparing Gray's Anatomy to Er. I know you love Er

(09:40):
as well. Do you want to give a quick five
second shout out to Er?

Speaker 5 (09:45):
I mean, well, I want to give a five second
shout out to like, maybe the first eight seasons Okay
probably should have ended once George Clooney left.

Speaker 2 (09:58):
Was he on that long? He was on?

Speaker 4 (10:00):
He wasn't he was on Verse five seasons.

Speaker 5 (10:05):
It's I still like a lot of the characters that
are still there up until like season eight.

Speaker 4 (10:09):
Then it becomes like Gray's Anatomy world. The main people
leave and they're gone.

Speaker 5 (10:14):
But that was a revolutionary I mean some of the
storylines were so like shocking at the time.

Speaker 4 (10:22):
And now have been done by Gray's Anatomy.

Speaker 5 (10:24):
Like there was a character on ear who was brought
into the ER unrecognizable, hit by a train. Then they
realize who it is because of his I think his beeper.
They keep paging him and then they're like, whoa this is?

Speaker 4 (10:38):
It was? That was like, you know, Craise Anatomy did it?

Speaker 2 (10:42):
Like how funny? It's just a reboot, it's just a remake.
How frigging funny.

Speaker 5 (10:49):
Between George Clooney and Juliana Marglea amazing?

Speaker 2 (10:54):
Yeah, I know another right, but but I when I
saw these premiere dates is we have to we have
to talk a little bit about ER. It's crazy that
NBC had these two long running mega shows starting at
the same time. Like, whoever was running the network right
must see to the exactly whoever was running NBC at

(11:14):
the time, Holy cow, you knew what you were doing.
I'm sure there have been many CEOs and heads since then,
but yeah, another great cast and late in the later
years the first time I think, I mean, I did
see Liar Liar in theaters with mare Tyranny, but this
was when I really like, was truly introduced to like
mar Tierney and what a great actress, right.

Speaker 5 (11:36):
Yep, I remember it was like because she was kind
of famous already, so she was brought on to replace
or fill the void of Julianna Margles and that, which
was a.

Speaker 4 (11:45):
Big loss for the show.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
Big loss, but worthy replacement. I know. She definitely pulled
her weight for a while on the show.

Speaker 4 (11:51):
Yeah. Oh, she does end up leaving. I was gonna
say she doesn't even.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
I think she left too. Yeah, yeah, when those last
couple of seasons when I would pop in and out,
it was by then, yeah faces much like now with
grays Face.

Speaker 4 (12:04):
I didn't watch it, but John Stamos ends up.

Speaker 2 (12:06):
Being that's funny, that's really interesting.

Speaker 6 (12:11):
I okay, talk about a guy wat but yeah anyway, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
But so so Eer had just premiered. Party of Five
had just premiered, shockingly a show with a cast another
like casting TV casting at this time, everybody cream of
the crop, like a plus. The awards should have been
given to these casting teams. Talk about a cast I love,
but a show I admit I've never watched a full

(12:37):
episode of Isn't That Wild?

Speaker 4 (12:40):
I've never watched it season personally.

Speaker 2 (12:43):
Right, Like, I don't know what it is, but I
love so many of those people. But I was always like, no,
like it seems maybe too to moody, too heavy heavy,
I don't think there's any maybe a little sappy. Yeah,
you know. So actually at that time, and we were
what we were like seven, well yeah, thirty years ago,

(13:03):
so we were seven. Shit, So yeah, at seven, I
was not really caring too much about this family and
their sweaters.

Speaker 5 (13:10):
And you know, but I think I saw all this
because I had older siblings.

Speaker 2 (13:14):
Yeah, of course, that's why.

Speaker 5 (13:15):
I also remember the first season of Party of.

Speaker 2 (13:17):
Five, not a long running show, but a really momentous show.
My So Called Life had just started a couple of
weeks earlier, Big Big One season Wonder and How Funny
mel This same night it aired the on Thursdays with Friends,
And this same night My So Called Life aired one
of my favorite episodes of all time of any show

(13:38):
the ZiT. That's the one if anyone out there remembers
where man lover hater Claire Danes, the chin wiggle, the cry.
I've talked about it before. I know you hate. We're
going to talk about her in a couple of months
when you have to come back to talk about Little
Women for its thirtieth NFL.

Speaker 4 (13:53):
Oh no, I do.

Speaker 2 (13:57):
Oh well, yeah, she's perfect as best. I mean, she
just she just does a great dier. But but no
with her red hair, Angela Chase in the ZiT a
great episode where there's a mother daughter fashion runway show
in town. All these shows back then Dawson's there was
like a runway show. I'm like, what that didn't happen
a few years later as we were growing up in Morriston,

(14:18):
New Jersey. But no, it's just such an emotional episode
and Angela does not feel pretty enough and oh and
return to Innocence that song plays, and it's just an
excellent episode. So how crazy same night in television, Big
TV year, right, So that's that's what was happening on
the TV side. On the music side, the number one

(14:39):
song on the Billboard chart was I'll Make Love to
You by Boys to men. Oh wow, that was a
big one. Yeah huh. And then I know, right, does
that seem that seems later to me than this?

Speaker 5 (14:52):
Do you agree or as friends to me?

Speaker 2 (14:55):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (14:55):
You know.

Speaker 2 (14:55):
And it's so interesting in the early nineties, as I
was looking at the billboard chart, like a lot of
black artists really were popular. So it's a lot of
R and B exactly like early nineties people loved R
and B. And of course it came back here and there.
But yeah, absolutely super memorable Boys to Men. And then
just the popular movie was a movie I don't really

(15:16):
know that well, time cop. I think it was with
Jean Claude Ban Damn, an action sci fi movie that
was number one for a couple of weeks. And another
this is a movie, a movie I still to this
day have never seen. I know, I know, I don't
know how I'm doing this podcast and I never saw
the Shawshank Redemption. Oh wow, I know, I'm embarrassed to

(15:36):
admit that. Maybe I'll delete that.

Speaker 5 (15:37):
I mean, I know.

Speaker 2 (15:39):
Right, I know later today, Okay, I'll by the time
this is out, I've watched it's about to hit. I've
heard nothing but good things. So there's a lot of
hype thirty years later.

Speaker 4 (15:50):
Or so, it's a lot to live up to at
this point.

Speaker 2 (15:53):
I hope it it. It is as good as all
the hype for sure. So yeah, Shawshank came out, well,
it was about to come out the next day theaters
and become obviously a massive, massive movie that only I
have not seen.

Speaker 4 (16:04):
It, but.

Speaker 2 (16:06):
Will be right back. I don't want to be single, Okay,
I just I just I just want to be married again.
Tell us in your own words for anyone out there.
It's a pretty simple story. But what's what's like the
basic little log line plot of friends. What's it about?

Speaker 5 (16:27):
Yeah, And it's about six singles in their early twenties
living in New York City trying to just make their
way into adulthood essentially, and they're doing it together. They're
really close friends, they're like family, and it's just we're
seeing them basically over the ten seasons.

Speaker 4 (16:47):
Grow up from young adult to middle age ish like yeah, yeah,
basically by the.

Speaker 5 (16:55):
Time it ends, you know, people are married, they're having.

Speaker 4 (16:58):
Kids, is they're moving yep.

Speaker 5 (17:01):
So I think that's why it's really in a way
touches a lot of people because it's a stage in
life that.

Speaker 4 (17:10):
We all basically go through.

Speaker 5 (17:11):
At one point when you're younger watching it, you're like
looking up to them, like thinking like this is your twenties,
and then when you are at the same agent as them,
you relate, you're living it, and then looking back, it's
nostalgic in a nutshell, that's what it is. But Joey
and Chandler live across the hall from Monica.

Speaker 4 (17:32):
And Rachel, so they're neighbors.

Speaker 5 (17:34):
They're all you know, there's a reason why they all
hang out. Monica's brother, Ross is best friends with Chandler.
Ross has always been in love with Monica's best friend Rachel.
Rachel and Monica grew up together, so they're.

Speaker 4 (17:49):
All have long histories together.

Speaker 5 (17:51):
And as we all know, what makes the show so
amazing is the chemistry between all the the actors. There's
nothing like it. I don't I can't think of a
show that has, right, this magical chemistry between all six.

Speaker 2 (18:06):
Absolutely between all the leads. You're right, and how lucky
were we Also that they like actually love each other,
you know, and that they even you know, I was
reading about salaries because of course everyone you know, if
you know friends, you know that by the last season
they each were making one million dollars each and how
they were kind of the first or at least an

(18:27):
early very famous group to go to the network together,
you know, as as a group and say we should
be paid equally, because that doesn't happen on TV shows.

Speaker 5 (18:35):
Yeah, you know, aarly that was They all attribute that
to David Swimmer. He was after like the first season,
he was kind of emerging as kind of you know,
obviously is an ensemble, but like more of a lead,
like the A stories I guess would be his. And
after the first season, when renegotiating whatnot, it was.

Speaker 4 (18:55):
His idea to say, guys, let's all go in together.

Speaker 5 (18:59):
And say if you want one of us, then you
have to have all of us at the same hey. Right,
And that's basically what started it and what I think
was one of the key factors to the show success
because I kept everyone united, It didn't create any weird animosity.

Speaker 4 (19:18):
No one wanted to leave, and.

Speaker 5 (19:20):
That's why I think it was also so successful and
stands the test of time. Yeah, because they all banded together.
There's really no drama behind the scenes, and they were
a unit and it really works on camera.

Speaker 2 (19:37):
You know, you bring up a good point that with
so many shows, especially longer running shows, there's always usually
drama like two people did not get along, But you're
so right. The only drama I would say, sadly was
Matthew Perry's addiction.

Speaker 4 (19:52):
Issues, and even in that, they all came together to
try to help him.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, And maybe it's because they had such
a meteoric rise to popularity with the show early, like
it didn't take long for those first medium that maybe yeah,
like luckily they all held onto each other rather than
you know, sort of have like side you know, even
with the with with Courtney and and Jen being like

(20:18):
such best friends where Jen is the godmother to Courtney's daughter,
I mean, like they are close, but even that, like
they still you know, yeah. Absolutely.

Speaker 5 (20:25):
The other thing is the writers never tried to, you know,
make one character.

Speaker 4 (20:31):
Above anyone else. They used to actually like keep track of.

Speaker 5 (20:33):
The jokes that they would give each person and make
it even throughout every episode. So I think that's another
reason why everyone is just so funny, because the writers
paid special attention to that kind of thing where they
did make it really fair and everyone has their moment
in every single episode.

Speaker 2 (20:51):
I would say, wow, Yeah, that's really interesting, and that
makes sense. Someone some writer's assistant was probably counting the
jokes on and making sure they all were equal. Out
of the six obviously they're all equal. And I also
read that they always wanted to do like magazine covers together,
very rarely, at least in the early years, you know,

(21:12):
of course, because then, yeah, like Jennifer, pretty much all
of them, but especially Jennifer and Courtney, you know, started
having big movie careers as well, you know, And and
Matthew Perry.

Speaker 4 (21:21):
Was a really hot streak.

Speaker 2 (21:24):
Absolutely, yeah, but I think I.

Speaker 4 (21:26):
Read he was the only or he is maybe the
only actor so far to.

Speaker 5 (21:30):
Have a number one TV show and a number one
movie at the same time with the whole nine Yards.

Speaker 2 (21:35):
Yes, those that movie and then it's sequel, that was
a big deal for sure. That's interesting. Wow, love that.
And then and then that had to happen, I guess
also with Courtney because then like Scream two was number one,
and yeah, you know, going back to the Emmys, I
think it only won one Emmy for Outstanding Comedy and
that was later in season eight. So interesting, yeah, right,

(21:55):
how it didn't come out of the gate, you know,
it was always nominated but didn't win Best Comedy until later. Yeah.
But now, out of the six, obviously they're all equal.
And and for the Emmys, I read that they always
submitted themselves as supporting, you know, which was interesting. So
they always were kind of like competing with each other,
which is interesting. But out of the six, would you say,
are the leads Ross and Rachel?

Speaker 4 (22:19):
That to me?

Speaker 2 (22:19):
No, Okay, Oh I love this because because I feel like,
you know, with the with the finale, you know, and
all that, like it's sort of okay, But but are
there leads or in your mind they're really everyone's equal?

Speaker 5 (22:33):
They are pretty much equal, I would say, except maybe
Joey and Phoebe are more supporting. Yeah, I would say
Monica Chandler, Ross and Rachel are more central.

Speaker 4 (22:46):
But they're all.

Speaker 5 (22:48):
They all are essential to the show being successful. Like
they're all hilarious. Like there's not one character that I'm like,
oh I hate when they're own screen right right?

Speaker 4 (22:58):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (22:58):
No, I completely agree.

Speaker 5 (23:00):
And there's no way that I ever like fast forward
through an episode with other shows, I definitely do that.

Speaker 4 (23:06):
Oh yea.

Speaker 5 (23:07):
But yeah, in terms of I think probably character development
and just what happens to them throughout the show. Those
Monica Chandler, Monica Chandler's me are the number ones. The
rest of the world probably would say Ross and Rachel. Yeah,
I was remember into Ross and Rachel.

Speaker 2 (23:23):
Oh, that's so funny. I love that. Phoebe always made
me laugh out loud. Lisa Kundro is and she, out
of the six actors, seems to have been nominated and
awarded the most, which is again funny because, like you said,
I agree, they definitely are the more BC storylines. Rarely
were Joey and Phoebe the main, you know, interesting storyline, right.

(23:45):
But Phoebe always made me laugh to the point where
when I had a TV in my room upstairs and
my mom would be upstairs on Thursday nights, I'd be
sitting there laughing and she'd be like, what are you
laughing at? And it was always something Lisa Kudro said.
So they're all amazing, but Lisa always got me. But no,
I love that because to me, Chandler and Monica were

(24:05):
kind of the most interesting dynamic, like a smart kind
of humor, if that makes sense, Like like a jabby
like reactive kind of humor, you know, whereas the others,
you know, like they're also funny. But rewatching Jennifer Aniston,
to me is maybe the most kind of like like
you know, like oh kind of humor, do you know

(24:27):
what I mean? Like, yeah, you know, it's all pros,
but yeah, and you know, it's funny. Because I watched
a little bit of the reunion special that aired on Max.
I didn't get through it. Also, I just kind of
stopped it. But it was so weird in the beginning
having the actors walk through the set, because I when
I watch a show, you know, like like all of us,
we kind of go back to a time when it

(24:48):
was new and when we were younger, you know, and like,
to me, these are real places. This is a real
coffee shop. This is a real apartment, even though it's
so obviously not. But just seeing them go from like
a few feet away is then Central Perk and then
the apartment. I was like, oh no, this is weird.

Speaker 4 (25:03):
This is yeah kind of the illusion.

Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yeah yeah, Like when they walk into that hallway there
are really stairs that go somewhere else. That's oh yeah
real yeah right, I'm like, oh okay, and I just
remembered and it's so funny that you didn't. I don't
think you got to do this, but I feel like
we met up that day for a walk, Greg and
I went to the Friends pop up in New York,

(25:26):
and you never got a chance to do it right,
which is so funny because I should have given you,
like my ticket.

Speaker 4 (25:31):
I don't think it's a pop up anymore. I think
it's the Oh is it? Ah?

Speaker 2 (25:34):
Is it there permanently?

Speaker 4 (25:35):
Oh, there's now like a central perk thing.

Speaker 2 (25:38):
No way, funny have you gone?

Speaker 3 (25:40):
No?

Speaker 4 (25:41):
I don't want to go again.

Speaker 5 (25:42):
It's like I want to believe that that's a universe
that exists, really, Like I don't want to go get
a fake thing of it.

Speaker 2 (25:51):
And also like as kids and teens, even when we
were in high school, like I obviously you kind of
know it's a stage. Obviously it feels like a play.
That's why, like with these sitcoms sometimes I think, like, God,
these actors are so good, Like why didn't they do
more theater? Because this was like just like true theater,
you know, memorizing long chunks and with the with the

(26:11):
crowd and everything. But yeah, even as a teen, you know,
you forget that, like it's all a set even when
they're sometimes outside in a car or whatever, like like
you just believe that this is New York. So that
later when I was like, oh, it's all filmed in
a stage in LA, like, oh weird. I know that's
not right.

Speaker 5 (26:27):
I just saw Lisa Kudro say in an interview how
much she hated the live audience.

Speaker 2 (26:32):
Yeah, what do you make of that? I read that too.

Speaker 5 (26:34):
That why I agree, Well, it's probably really annoying for
an actor, and I'm kind of I'm what would never
happen nowadays with social media, But it is shocking to
me that they used to film this, like these big
season finales in front of an audience, and they always
have like some shocking element.

Speaker 4 (26:53):
I just kept.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
Yeah, I know, that's why. I'm like, No, you guys
were based doing like televised theater, you know, yeah, had
a crowd that then you kind of had to pause
a couple of seconds for the laughter. Here's the crazy thing.
Laugh tracks are like, you know, annoying, especially nowadays, we
rarely ever get that. But rewatching these key episodes, I
have to say something that's kind of crazy. I actually

(27:19):
appreciated the laugh track. It made me giddier. It made me,
you know, like when Brad Pitt comes out in that
great Thanksgiving it and the screams like you can hear
like the mics are almost blown out from the screams.
It adds to the nostalgia. It adds to like, you know,
and and some of these laughters and you know, with
Monica and Chandler and everyone finding out, and you know,

(27:40):
like some of these key moments that are friends in
a nutshell. I actually did like it's it's the jokes
that aren't so funny where you know, you're just smiling
that I'm like, okay, why are they being forced to laugh?
You know, like stop? You know, So I could see
that being annoying, But yeah, that is interesting she said that.
But she's such a she's such a smart art comedian

(28:00):
that yeah, I could see that sometimes maybe distracting her,
taking her out of it, you know, right well, she.

Speaker 5 (28:06):
Would say, like, you know, things are it's not that funny,
Like can we gotta keep going?

Speaker 4 (28:11):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (28:11):
She's like, okay, let's get to the good line coming up.
You guys have to stop.

Speaker 7 (28:16):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Phoebe Buffet.

Speaker 2 (28:20):
How do you spell that so we can get it right?

Speaker 8 (28:22):
Okay, it's p as in phoebe h is in he
b oh is in ob e as an ebe b
as in bb and e as in.

Speaker 4 (28:31):
So.

Speaker 2 (28:32):
It was created by David Crane and Marta Kaufman, and
the executive producer along with them was Kevin S. Bright.
And you might know this already, Malso shout it out.
But I was reading that other titles for the show
when they were developing it and figuring it out Insomnia,
Cafe six of one, and Friends Like Us, which then
cut down to just Friends. So went through some some

(28:54):
title changes. But I mean sometimes the most simple title
is best for the show and best for longevity, you
know what I mean, Like simple friends, right, Like yep, right,
it works. Yeah, you know, I wish me luck.

Speaker 4 (29:12):
Before I'm gonna go get rid of those job things.

Speaker 2 (29:17):
It's what you got a job? Are you kidding?

Speaker 9 (29:20):
I'm trained for nothing.

Speaker 2 (29:22):
Let's start talking about some of these key episodes, so everybody,
let me just really tell you how we got to
these episodes. So Mel and I were trying to figure out,
you know, like we said, two hundred and thirty six episodes,
how do we talk about you know, we've talked about
TV on the show before, do we focus only on
season one? No, there's so many great key episodes through
the ten years, right, So we combined lists the top

(29:44):
twenty five Friends episodes from Entertainment Weekly. Mel brought up
Entertainment Weekly. I also saw Rolling Stone and the top
ten episodes from Max, which of course the episodes are
all on Max. So I thought, let me kind of
cross check all three of those lists and find the
episodes that the most popular. And so we found seven
episodes that are on all three top ten lists. And

(30:07):
then of course we'll talk about the first the very
first episode that introduces this world to us, and the
big finale, which was watched by fifty two million people
at the time. Nothing is watched by that live an crazy,
isn't that wild crazy? So we'll talk about the beginning
of the end in between, and then Mel's going to
shout out since she's such an expert of the show,

(30:28):
she's going to shout out any other honorable mentions we'll
call them now, Mel, real quick, before I get into it.
Did you start watching the show with the first episode?

Speaker 4 (30:38):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (30:39):
What do you think? Like you were seven? So what
do you think, Drew? You was it? It was on who's.

Speaker 4 (30:46):
On at home?

Speaker 5 (30:47):
Yeah, and you know, I guess that's the magic of
the show that somehow was funny to.

Speaker 4 (30:54):
Be at that age. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (30:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 10 (30:56):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (30:58):
Obviously certain things I wouldn't have understood, right, but certain
things I did understand and thought the show was really funny.
And I thought it was funny throughout my whole life,
and I still think it's funny today. And it is
funny that or crazy that I used to watch it
at such a young age because it does have like
sexual elements, I have.

Speaker 2 (31:18):
To say, you know, and I'm not, you know, super
duper prude, but rewatching these key episodes, sex is like
a main storyline for many of them, So yeah, yeah,
you know, and it's funny things going over our heads.
Definitely at seven for season one, but even the later seasons,
like rewatching these episodes, I'm like, I didn't realize that's
what they were talking about. Yeah, even when you're in

(31:39):
a teen you know. So yeah, it's pretty it's pretty amazing.
But yeah, sex and romance and like trying to like
get lucky, like that's that's a big part. But also
it's a big part of your life in your twenties,
so it makes sense, you know, you know, late twenties
and all that. So all right, everybody, let's start at
the very beginning. On September twenty second, ninety four is

(32:00):
when the first episode started, and that one was called
the one where Monica gets a roommate. It's a theme
that really works well. And I feel like very few
shows had like a naming theme like that, you know,
like this is pretty unique that way.

Speaker 4 (32:14):
Yeah, one a friend's thing, the one.

Speaker 2 (32:17):
Yeah, And it's so smart. It's so smart on the
writer's behalf because we all talk about that, like, oh,
did you see that episode the one with yeah, you know,
the one where that happens to you.

Speaker 4 (32:26):
She is very helpful and like remembering which episode it is.

Speaker 2 (32:30):
Right, So let's talk briefly about the first episode, the
one where Monica gets a roommate. So this is where
you know, most of our group is assembled. But incomes
Rachel in the wedding dress, you know, in central perk,
so she's sort of the last to enter this group.
It's funny, I always forget. I always remember that Monica
and Ross are brothers, a brother and sisters siblings, but

(32:52):
I forget, yeah, that Rachel and Chandler are also from
their high school days. So really the four of them
kind of know each other. It's like Chandler went to
a different high school.

Speaker 4 (33:02):
Then we went to different in high school. He met
Ross in college.

Speaker 2 (33:05):
In college, right, that's what it is.

Speaker 4 (33:07):
Yes, that was a college roommate, that's right.

Speaker 2 (33:09):
Right, So they have a history. So then Joey and
Phoebe just kind of I forget because Joey lives with Chandler.

Speaker 4 (33:15):
But yeah, so that's how he comes.

Speaker 5 (33:17):
And then remember, well, I've seen interviews where they've talked
about the character of Phoebe and they're like, well, how
how does this person friends with them? And then they
just said she's friends with them because we say she is,
like okay, she's there because.

Speaker 1 (33:37):
They they have.

Speaker 4 (33:37):
Written it that she used Phoebe used to live with Monica.

Speaker 2 (33:41):
Oh okay, that you know what, And that is so
New York. I know people that used to be a roommate,
even just for a few months with so and so,
and now they're like good friends. Right, that is so
New York. I love that.

Speaker 4 (33:52):
Okay, I guess that's how they met her.

Speaker 2 (33:54):
But that's but that works.

Speaker 4 (33:56):
Do you think about it? Yeah, why why is Phoebe
in this group, and.

Speaker 2 (33:59):
We rarely spend time in Phoebe's apartment in the long run,
like I feel like we're not there, right Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (34:05):
It ends up being a joke in the later seasons
when Rachel needs to live with her because Phoebe says
something like, yeah, now my roommate Denise moved out, and
they're like, what, who's Denise? So they kind of make
a knowing joke about it that we don't know much
about Phoebe's life.

Speaker 4 (34:26):
We've never seen your apartment until later.

Speaker 2 (34:28):
Yeah, so apartments, like you said, Mel right across the way,
so we were introduced to apartments, we're introduced to Central Perk.
What do you think of the first episode? Is it
a worthy pilot?

Speaker 4 (34:39):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (34:39):
I mean it explains everything that we need to know
to set up the at least the first season. I personally,
I never really rewatched the first season or really the
first two seasons.

Speaker 2 (34:50):
Oh interesting, Okay, I don't.

Speaker 5 (34:53):
Like a lot of I mean I don't I think
it's season two. I want to say, I'm not sure
because I don't really rewatch it. But the monk Marcel
is it?

Speaker 4 (35:01):
Oh wait?

Speaker 2 (35:02):
Okay, yeah wait, I remember Marcel. But what's the story there?
Just who?

Speaker 5 (35:08):
That's just Ross's monkey, okay, and they end up getting
rid of him because working with a monkey's annoying.

Speaker 2 (35:15):
Guys.

Speaker 11 (35:16):
There's a somebody I'd like you to meet.

Speaker 4 (35:21):
Wait wait what is that?

Speaker 2 (35:23):
That would be Marcel.

Speaker 4 (35:24):
Do you want to say no?

Speaker 11 (35:25):
No, I don't.

Speaker 5 (35:26):
There's a really funny episode actually where Ross gets Joey
a job at the museum and it starts there's like
divide in the museum between like you know, the palaeontologists
versus like the people that give tours, and they can't
sit at the same table, so you see sart. It
depends on the storyline, but we go to their workplaces occasionally.

(35:50):
Ongoing joke about Chandler's workplace is that no one really
knows what he does right, right?

Speaker 2 (35:56):
And and Rachel, at least in the later years, sort
of like pr.

Speaker 5 (36:01):
Right, say exactly, but she does work in fashion, Lauren,
she gets a job at Bloomingdale's.

Speaker 2 (36:11):
Oh that's right, that's right, yes, exactly. I remember now
I remember things from a long show like this, but
especially with TV. I like mel has like a great
TV memory. It's bits and pieces, like it's like an image.
And but I don't remember what connects like that image
of Marcel, you know. So some of these moments, as
we talk about I'll let you know when I'm like, oh,

(36:33):
I remember that very well. Yeah, But then many of
this I'm like, who's that? What's that? You know? So
but anyway, No, I thought it was interesting rewatching the
first episode, it's there's a big breakup theme because obviously
Rachel has left her wedding. She's left Barry Ross just
broke up with a woman who actually is a lesbian.

(36:54):
And this is when Ross right off the bat. Right
in the first episode, Ross admits that he had a
crush on Rachel in high school, out setting the seeds
for a long will They or Won't They? Which always is?
Isn't it funny? How will they or won't they? Will?
Just always be a good storyline for TV?

Speaker 5 (37:10):
Yeah, maybe I don't it's probably not the original, but
I feel like that's the standard for will they or
won't they?

Speaker 4 (37:16):
Probably again, off again.

Speaker 2 (37:18):
On again, off again, Will there won't they?

Speaker 4 (37:19):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (37:20):
And Rachel absolutely yep, yep. And so it ends with
Rachel getting a job at Central Perk. Yeah, And that's
basically that. Any Now, that was the out of this
out of the lists season one, Like you're saying, well,
season one wasn't even really a common denominator on the list,
so yeah, maybe season one didn't have the strongest episodes.

(37:40):
Were there any before we move over to season two,
any season one memories that you wanted to shout out
or you're good with season one?

Speaker 4 (37:47):
I really don't like. I don't like the way anyone looks.

Speaker 2 (37:51):
Yeah, and you know, it's so funny rewatching these highlights
from season one to season ten. It's also amazing how
this was at a time of technological advancement, so like
the clarity, the quality, and also like the hair care,
you know, because obviously everyone you know, the Rachel and
Jennifer's hair was like the seventh character, right, But yeah,

(38:12):
just seeing everyone change, that is to me the most
fun of watching and rewatching a TV show is just
seeing how the little changes. Like, I feel like, you
can't be on a TV show if you're not changing
a little something, if you're not gaining or losing weight
or haircut. You know, well, yeah, it's always part of
the fun. Well, we have two episodes that were common

(38:33):
denominators on those lists, and they are I have to say,
they are pretty classic. They are really classic. Wow. So
the first in season two, Season two episode seven to one,
where Ross finds out I'm with somebody else. I'm happy
this ship has sailed.

Speaker 4 (38:49):
Okay, so what do you say?

Speaker 9 (38:50):
You're just sort of put away feelings or whatever the
hell it was that you felt.

Speaker 2 (38:52):
Fright, I've been doing it since the ninth grade. I've
gotten pretty damn good.

Speaker 9 (38:55):
All right, Fine, go ahead and you do that, all right, Ross,
They don't need your stupid shit.

Speaker 2 (39:01):
Yeah. This ends with Ross and Rachel kissing at Central
Perk at night. Big moment, like in the in the
list of shots of friends through the years, this is
definitely one of them. While it's raining, right, So that's
a big one for the Ross and Rachel storyline.

Speaker 5 (39:17):
Of course, I think of the line when he's listening
to her voice mail and he's like, you're over me?

Speaker 4 (39:24):
Why were you under me?

Speaker 2 (39:26):
Remember you under me?

Speaker 4 (39:27):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (39:27):
Big line, And see that's what I mean. Sometimes it
is funny to have the laugh track because it's like
it's like almost like a reassurance that like, oh yeah,
that's a big line. You know, like half of it's annoying,
but half of it is like you know, you just
kind of lean into it and you know, yeah, that's
a big line. Absolutely. I also I wrote this quote,
you know, real quick, we'll just say, of course, this

(39:48):
was a different time, and there are some jokes and
stories that are pretty cringe that don't age. Well, we'll
talk about this coming up, you know. So that's that's
just part of the course. But a line I thought
was funny. Phoebe I believe is trying to like get
it on with a date. I don't even know if
we really see him in this episode. I think she
just talks about him, but I believe it's Joey who says, well,

(40:10):
maybe he drives his car on the other side of
the road, if you know what I mean. And I
thought that was very clever. I thought that was a
fun way to wonder if maybe he's not into women, right,
I thought that was pretty cute. But yeah, this is
where Sheel's jealous of Ross's girlfriend and they're getting a
cat I believe, right, yep. And the drunken voicemail she

(40:30):
needs closure.

Speaker 4 (40:31):
I am over you, and that, my friend, is what
they call closure.

Speaker 2 (40:39):
And meanwhile, Chandler and Monica aren't together yet, but they're
working out together, Monica's trying to get Chandler in shape. Yeah,
what do you think?

Speaker 5 (40:46):
Yeah, that episode is why they ended up putting those
two characters together ultimately. Oh, because they saw that they
had such great chemistry and they were like, wow, this
is interesting. Originally that was not the plan to bring
them together interesting, but they did that. They had that episode,

(41:08):
and then the writers kind of kept that in the
back of their mind, like how good those two were
chemistry wise, And yeah, that's what ultimately led them to
putting them together. But then them being together, you know,
long term, was something that evolved. It wasn't always the plan.

Speaker 4 (41:26):
It just like kept working, so they kept building on it.

Speaker 2 (41:30):
Wow, that's so interesting. I love that trivia. Yeah, they're
so fun together and how funny. A pretty momentous episode
is one couple is having a big moment, another couple
is slowly kind.

Speaker 6 (41:41):
Of starting it's the same journey together.

Speaker 2 (41:43):
Yeah, really good. Yeah, that's where Chandler does not really
want to work out, but he's that is.

Speaker 4 (41:47):
Actually that is really funny. I like that storyline.

Speaker 2 (41:50):
And at the end he uses her unemployment because she's
been fired and her singleness against her yea to kind
of make her sad to take a nap. Really awful, dark,
but really cute, really cute. So then fast forwarding a
little later in season two, episode two, I'm Sorry, Season
two episode fourteen, the one with the prom video, This one,

(42:12):
I have to say, is so funny, so funny, like
some of the writing sometimes and these episodes perfection. So
this one, Oh my gosh, do you want to tell
do you remember this one? Male? You want to come? Yeah,
of course, tell us some memories of it.

Speaker 5 (42:27):
So they're going through Monica's parents have dropped off a
bunch of her old stuff because they're getting rid of it,
and they're going through it.

Speaker 4 (42:34):
There's a VHS of prong.

Speaker 5 (42:37):
And as we said, Monica and Rachel were high school
best friends, and back then Monica also was overweight, So
we watched this video so we get to see her overweights,
we get to see how dorky she is, we get
to see I guess it would be eighties fashion.

Speaker 2 (42:56):
I guess so, yeah, because if they're like supposed to
be twenty five ish, yeah, like like late eighties probably yeah.

Speaker 4 (43:02):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (43:03):
But basically, what happens in the prom video is Rachel
sees that Ross was willing to you know, kind of
step in and be her dates, and he was really
nervous about it.

Speaker 4 (43:15):
But then at the last minute.

Speaker 5 (43:17):
Rachel's date did show up, and because of that whole thing,
whatever fight they're in, they come back together, so again,
on again. And then there's a famous line from that
one where Phoebe says.

Speaker 4 (43:30):
She's or he or she's your lobster.

Speaker 2 (43:32):
He's your lobster. Uh huh. She tells Ross that in
the coffee shop. Yes, she's your lobster. Another key line
and so cute because then her point is that they
like lock Claus and walk around.

Speaker 5 (43:44):
They talk about it earlier in the episode. But yeah,
and then there's another classic line. So since Monica's so
overweight when she starts playing the video and you know,
everyone's like shocked at how fat she is, and she's
like stop the camera adds ten pounds and then Chandler goes, okay, well,
how many cameras are actually on you?

Speaker 2 (44:05):
Then oh my god, I laughed out loud.

Speaker 4 (44:08):
So yeah, that's such a great line, Monica.

Speaker 2 (44:13):
Oh my god, it's so mean but so funny. And
Monica takes it like a chance. She just kind of
like gives them a look it's not a fight, right,
so funny, Oh my god, and just the end, Rachel's
old knows what.

Speaker 4 (44:24):
Is with you? No, they had to reduce it because
of my deviated septum.

Speaker 2 (44:32):
Okay, I was wrong.

Speaker 11 (44:33):
That's what they used to cover Connecticut.

Speaker 2 (44:36):
And Ross is like Jerry Curle, I guess you know
the curly hair. Really great episode and you know, like
you like you're saying, it's touching. It's really touching seeing Ross,
you know, with the help of his parents. I love
the actress at play. Ross and Monica's parents, Elliott Gold
and Christina Pickles, love them. They're so much fun. But
Dad's urging Ross like come on, buddy, like help Rachel out.

(45:00):
Her date isn't showing up, and he gets ready, and
oh man, it did give me like chills because it's like,
oh he's so sweet and she's watching and then I
believe is this when she gets up, Yeah, and she
just goes right to him and kisses him right there
in front of everyone. So that's when everyone kind of
finds out like oh wow, okay, like you know, things

(45:22):
are really happening, you know. And meanwhile, a B or
C storyline in this episode that's really funny and also
a little touching. Is Joey gives Chandler that ugly gold bracelet.
Do you remember that?

Speaker 4 (45:35):
That is amazing?

Speaker 6 (45:38):
Yes, it's a great episode, Like this is sitcom history
bracelet that's you know that's written on it like you
know you're my best buddy or something like that, right,
and Chandler hates it. It turns a woman away like

(45:58):
she's into him, and then he goes up to her
and he flashes it and she's like, I actually have
to go. And also a really random line he goes
up to her and he says, I know what you're thinking,
Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's just a random, really random,
funny line.

Speaker 2 (46:12):
But yeah, he hates this thing. He loses it. Joey
has already overheard that he hates it, so Joey's feelings
are hurt, right, and then he goes and buys like
I think it costs like four hundred bucks or something.
I forget that them he buys a replacement, but then
they find the original at the coffee shop, right, So
then he thinks that it's for Joey so that they

(46:35):
can it's their friendship bracelet. So funny, so great, great
little drama between the two of them, for sure. Up
there a plus and the history of sitcoms for sure.

Speaker 4 (46:46):
Yeah, I agree.

Speaker 2 (46:51):
So everybody, we're gonna fast forward to season three, episode two. Oh,
we're gonna talk about Richard in this one. Another for
me top t comedy episode. This one feels like a
play to the point where I looked up the script
and I kind of want to like do it in
like a one of my adult acting classes. I want
to like got six actors and just work on this

(47:11):
whole because it's all in real time. Yeah, which I
love that anyway. I usually love when an episode or
a movie can do that all just the apartment. It's
this was called the one where no one's ready change
not a second. I just got in, but I don't care.
It starts at eight. We can't be late.

Speaker 4 (47:27):
We could not would not want to wait.

Speaker 2 (47:32):
This episode, right, you want to tell U, smell? What
do you remember this one? They're all and they.

Speaker 4 (47:37):
Are all while Ross has a special.

Speaker 5 (47:41):
Award show or something at the museum, yeah, gala, and
he's invited all his friends and so they're all getting
ready for this, well supposed to be getting ready. Ross
is ready to go. He's freaking out about leaving. Nobody's ready.
They all have their own like personal dramas that are
preventing them from getting ready.

Speaker 4 (47:59):
Monica's upset this episode is so funny. It's on.

Speaker 2 (48:03):
This episode stresses me out because I feel like I've
been there with Ross, where you're gathering people and you
you've gotta go, and then everyone's yeah, like you said,
has different drama. Uh huh.

Speaker 5 (48:12):
Monica checks her voicemails and hears something from Richard.

Speaker 4 (48:15):
She doesn't know if it's recent or old, so she's spiraling.

Speaker 5 (48:19):
Yep, she gets herself into a huge mess like listening
in on calling into his voicemails and hearing a woman's
voice and she's just you know, unhinged regarding that.

Speaker 4 (48:30):
Yeah, so that's so funny.

Speaker 5 (48:33):
Phoebe is ready, but then promptly gets hummus spilled on
her dress by the boys.

Speaker 2 (48:38):
And it's so funny because I didn't remember that, but
because I'm like, oh, only Ross and Phoebe are ready,
what's gonna happen to Phoebe? She can't. And then of
course the boys are being so stupid, a stupid issue
with them, but they're fighting over a chair but.

Speaker 4 (48:52):
Then that becomes a classic bit.

Speaker 2 (48:54):
Uh huh.

Speaker 5 (48:56):
I think it's probably one of the most iconic parts
of the show is when joe he goes and puts
on all of Chandler's clothes.

Speaker 4 (49:03):
Uh huh.

Speaker 2 (49:05):
Yep, because because to get back at him for the
chair and because Joey's commando, I believe, is this where
he says, I'm not gonna go commando when another man's fatigues.
That was really funny line about renting a tucks and
all that. But yeah, he comes out in that memorable
shot of him with all of Chandler's layers on because yeah,
I guess it was like took the cushions and cushions yep,

(49:28):
and so well, if you're gonna take that, I'm going
to take all your stuff. Yes, it's so stupid but
so iconic.

Speaker 4 (49:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (49:34):
And then meanwhile, Rachel can't make up her mind. That's
basically her issue, you know, and.

Speaker 4 (49:41):
To the point freaking out and snaps Yep, she.

Speaker 2 (49:46):
Doesn't want to go. She comes out in her sweats,
which I'm not gonna lie melt. That stressed me out
the most. I'm like, oh my god, oh my god,
what's going on? I know, and he's like, oh, uh,
what do you do it? You know? So she's like,
I'm not gonna go, you know, I'm gonna what did
she say, I'm gonna work on my correspondent she pulls
out like her planner. Yeah. So but then and there's
a glass of fat, which is discussing Monica is fat.

Speaker 12 (50:10):
Has somebody been drinking my fat?

Speaker 2 (50:14):
And they basically get to the point where Ross is like,
I'll do anything for you to go to this galla
and support me for this work event, and they all,
mostly led by Joey and Chandler, say oh, well, maybe
maybe I should drink the fat to show her, you know,
And so they're like, yeah, drink the fat, and he's
about to really do it, and it is so gross,
and I love how Phoebe goes, let me get you
another glass that's been sitting out and he's like it's

(50:35):
not gonna matter, but but Rachel stops him, saying, you're
really gonna do that for me to go right? And
then oh and then maybe the most stressful of it all,
Monica accidentally changes rich As she calls Richard to leave
a voicemail, she actually changes his outgoing message his actual
you know, voicemail message to this and oh my god,

(50:59):
it's so stressed.

Speaker 4 (51:00):
Full, so embarrassing. Is so funny.

Speaker 5 (51:02):
Actually from that episode, I always think of this line
whenever I'm like in the city and it's raining and
I'm stuck in the rain.

Speaker 4 (51:11):
I always think of.

Speaker 5 (51:12):
Ross when he says, oh great, it's raining, that'll make
it easier to get a cab.

Speaker 2 (51:19):
And I always think of that Ross in the rain again,
another truly like perfect realistic New York joke, like, yep, great,
now it's gonna get even harder to get where we
gotta go, right, Ross is so good. David Schumer is
so good at I mean, they all are in with
sarcastic humor, but he is one of the best ones

(51:39):
with those kind of angry jokes. You know, so good,
so good thirty seconds, all the questions you can answer, you.

Speaker 4 (51:47):
Guys, I'm dead.

Speaker 2 (51:49):
I am so good at Lighting Realms. Let's fast forward
to season four. So another popular episode on all on
most of these lists, I should say it's funny now
this title, in my opinion, I don't. I wouldn't have
called it this because this the title is in response
to like a B or C storyline for me. But
season four, episode twelve, it's called the one with the embryos,

(52:12):
so embryos, because Phoebe is now, mel you gotta remind me,
you gotta tell me, because my memory, like I said,
is foggy. I can't speak Giovanni Ribisi. Is he is
Phoebe's brother, right, okay, yeah? Because he says the the
line my sister's gonna have my baby? Now, who is
the woman from that seventies show? Is that his interesting?

Speaker 4 (52:34):
And so yeah okay, okay, all right, that was his teacher?

Speaker 2 (52:40):
Oh okay, okay, all right, good yeah, because I'm like
I remembered him, but I did not remember her. So yeah,
this episode, I was like, wait, what's this? It's going
on here?

Speaker 5 (52:51):
I think probably in a previous season there's where they
get together and he introduces her to Phoebe, right, and.

Speaker 2 (52:56):
That's a whole bit. Ye yeah that makes me, I think, yes.

Speaker 5 (53:01):
And that's why they need Phoebe to carry the babies
because his wife is so much older.

Speaker 2 (53:06):
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, of course that makes sense.
And this is a really I mean, they talk about
some really realistic interesting stuff, but like how the couple
paid I believe it's sixteen thousand dollars to do this
once because it's so expensive, you know. And Phoebe says
the line, which I thought was funny, her like embryo y, yeah,

(53:27):
has to be thick, right and all that. But now
there's only a twenty five percent chance I believe of
this actually happening, I mean.

Speaker 5 (53:33):
And she says, they're literally putting all their eggs in
my basket.

Speaker 2 (53:37):
My basket. Oh yeah, great really, and she's she's talking
to the little you know, Petrie Dish and yeah, it's cute, you.

Speaker 4 (53:44):
Know, but it's great again. It's like the genius of
the show.

Speaker 5 (53:46):
It's such a creative, brilliant way to put in an
actor's pregnancy without making the character like that's true.

Speaker 2 (53:55):
You know, I'm fastboarding, fast forwarding to season ten, especially
in the finale, like you can tell because Courtney Cox
has always been so like truly skinny that you could
so tell that she was pregnant with Coco and that,
you know, they were sort of doing the sitcom way
of hiding it with baggage. Ye sure, standing in front
of the you know, but yeah, that's that's interesting for sure.

(54:15):
But to me, kind of the the more the more memorable.
The bigger storyline is the showdown between the guys.

Speaker 4 (54:22):
And the girls makes it a classic episode.

Speaker 2 (54:25):
Right, absolutely, this this sort of trivia contest, this competition
of knowing more about each other. Right, it's it's Rachel
and Monica versus Chandler and Joey.

Speaker 11 (54:35):
How about if we win, they have to get rid
of the rooster.

Speaker 2 (54:38):
Oh that's interesting.

Speaker 5 (54:40):
Monumental ending of this is why they end up switching apartments.

Speaker 4 (54:44):
Yeah. Yeah, it's a big episode.

Speaker 2 (54:47):
Because because they they keep upping the Annie. Right, it
goes from money and and Monica is so competitive, which
is so funny, and it goes from like three hundred
dollars to now, like what do they want the girls
if the girl girls lose their eyes in their apartment. Oh,
if the girls win, they want them to get rid
of the rooster, right yeah, the birds that are in
that across the hall that are waking them up. Exactly. Yeah,

(55:11):
some really funny quotes in this game. Well, miss Chanandler.

Speaker 4 (55:16):
Bomb is that's like the biggest one.

Speaker 2 (55:19):
Right the TV Guide I thought it was funny. Viva
Viva's las gagas someone's dad Chandler's does that show Rachel
gets a question wrong with what is Chandler's job, and
she says transponster, and Monica screams, that's not even a word,

(55:39):
you know, so some.

Speaker 4 (55:41):
Really joke of no one knows what Chandler's job is.
It's like.

Speaker 2 (55:47):
They're all so good. The stress is just so funny,
of course, and it's just funny, you know, the classic
boys versus girls and all that. And then it ends
with a really funny line that they both say and
have different meanings. I can't believe we live here, the
guys say, and then the girls say, I can't believe
we live here, Like just this classic sick mom right,

(56:09):
so really funny episode, and I feel like, you know, everybody,
we're at the end, We're gonna I'm gonna ask Mel
a couple of trivia questions because I used to work
a trivia job on the side. But I feel like
when I would do trivia, especially friends trivia, like big
diehard fans like yourself, they would act like this episode.
They would like, you know, bring that kind of energy

(56:30):
and like quote this episode even when it didn't have
anything to do with the trivia questions, you know. So
this is a very yeah, a big episode.

Speaker 11 (56:38):
Yes, right, if you win, give up the bird. But
if we win, we get your apartment.

Speaker 4 (56:53):
Deal.

Speaker 2 (56:56):
Hey, Rewinders, I'm pausing my friend's discussion with mel from
moment so that my other friends who are major Friends
fans can chime in with their praise. The more Friends,
the merrier. Right here are Nicole and Marca O'Donnell and
Ot Garcia.

Speaker 9 (57:12):
Hello. My name is Nicole, and I'm a huge Friends fan,
as everyone should be, a huge freends fan, to the
point that I'm sitting here looking at my front door,
which is like made of pure steel that I forced
my father to drill a people into when I moved in,
just so I could put the yellow frame from Monica's

(57:34):
apartment around the people because that's priority. Obviously, huge fan
that I remember, you know, watching the finale live with
my best friend and we had bedazzled tissue boxes like
written with the date of the finale so we could
just cry our way through it. Huge Friends fan, where
I had a Friends themed bridle shower. Huge Friends fan

(57:59):
to the point point where my daughter, my one and
a half year old daughter, one of the most important
things that she's learned from me is to name all
of the friends characters, so like again priorities. I love
the show for so many reasons, but I think just
seeing how it's held up over time, it's just proof
and that we're not wrong in our fandom of the show.

(58:20):
I'm still to this day like it amazes me how
many new things come up for this show, like new
pop ups and like, you know, a company that I
follow having new friends, merchandise and things like that. I
can't tell you how many baby books I have that
are Friends Deemed. Just you know, it fascinates me, and
I think it just shows like how amazing it is
that it's still that popular and just woven through generations

(58:43):
the way it is. The list goes on and on.

Speaker 8 (58:45):
Hey, Mark, it's ot. I'm so excited that you're gonna
be talking about friends on the show. It is definitely
one of my favorite shows ever. I've seen all the
episodes five times at least, know them all by heart,
and it's one of the shows that if I'm with
my friends, I can just say like a phrase or

(59:06):
a word even and they will know exactly what I'm
talking about. I really love Ross. Ross is probably my
favorite character. I relate with him the most, and my
favorite I think it's. My favorite episode is a Pivot
episode where they're taking the couch up or down the

(59:27):
stairs and it's just it's hilarious. He's screamed Pivot.

Speaker 4 (59:32):
Pivot and Phoebe.

Speaker 8 (59:36):
Is another one of my favorite characters. Her boyfriends are
some of the best cameos on the show. In my opinion,
She's and she's just like so random and so hilarious
and I can't wait to hear it. Thanks Mark, Bye.

Speaker 1 (59:51):
P Cheerleader Dates, the Quarterback Throws the Best Parties. Hu
hi Rete much editor of the school paper, Proud to
be Single, dares to be different. Two girls on opposite

(01:00:15):
ends of the social ladder.

Speaker 4 (01:00:16):
Why are you barging in here? I'm making a scene?

Speaker 1 (01:00:18):
Why aren't you wearing your tiara? Two girls about to
become dad well were engaged sisters.

Speaker 2 (01:00:25):
Popular Also everybody, I have to celebrate another TV show
I loved that was also about friends and frenemies. That's
celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary. Popular from Ryan Murphy premiered
on the WB in September ninety nine, and although it

(01:00:46):
only aired for two seasons before getting the Acts and
was up against Friends there for a season, it was
a big favorite of mine, so I just had to
shout that one out here, and so did my friends
Carl Muller, Katie Bruno, Jason A. Bombs, and Lauren Evangelista.
Here they are with their thoughts.

Speaker 10 (01:01:03):
It definitely exposed many of us to the craziness that
is Ryan Murphy.

Speaker 12 (01:01:10):
I remember being funny, witty, loving all the characters. Mary
Cherry for life. Absolutely loved her. She was definitely my favorite,
and to this day I still I am so angry
about how it ended in that there was never any
season following that crazy cliffhanger. So maybe one day may

(01:01:34):
be able to do a reunion show and they'll tell
us what happened after the cliffhanger.

Speaker 4 (01:01:38):
I don't know.

Speaker 12 (01:01:38):
One could only hope, but just had to record that
about the cliffhanger and how angry I was, and to
this day I still think about it.

Speaker 3 (01:01:47):
So twenty five years ago, the TV show popular on
the w B at the time had such a huge
influence on me as any young inspiring actor and you know,
want to be writer. At the time time, I was
maybe in seventh grade I think when that show started,
and I just loved the characters, you know, they were

(01:02:07):
so dynamic and so fun and hilarious and you know,
maybe looking back a little problematic in hindsight, but at
the time and still now, they're truly unforgettable. I mean,
Mary Cherry, played by the amazing Leslie Grossman, is still
an icon to this day and I will always stand

(01:02:27):
her because of her work as Mary Cherry brought me
so much joy and laughter and her problematicness. And I
love the rivalry between Brook and Sam, and I always
felt like I was more of a Sam person, right,
It's more of Sam's world with Harrison and you know,

(01:02:48):
her whole gang, really but I also appreciated and kind
of felt bad for Brooke at times because you know,
she was often misunderstood in a way. And my best
friend Shannon and I get our friends together, we would
binge watch the DVD of this show, you know, in
our college years and post college years, and I was

(01:03:10):
before binging was like even a thing. So those are
some great memories thanks to this show. And this was
also my introduction to Ryan Murphy, to his insane and
creative world ind iconic words of Mary Cherry. I'll end
with dirty Hoe, Dirty Hoe, what you have in that
baby poite iconic.

Speaker 10 (01:03:33):
Indeed, I just needed to give a shout out and
share my love of Popular because I think I've been
talking about Popular with Mark ever since he started the
TV blog that I contributed to years ago, and then
this podcast and when he started entertaining talking about TV man.

(01:03:55):
I definitely watched like every possible high school you know
TV show that was out back in the day. But
this was definitely my number one of all the shows.
I was in middle school and probably you know, gearing up.

Speaker 4 (01:04:12):
For high school.

Speaker 10 (01:04:13):
So that's probably also part of why I left such
an impression on me when I came out. But it
was just so smart and so funny. I feel like
through the writing and Ryan Murphy's genius on this show,
I learned so much about different pop culture references. You know,
he had like a dangerous Liaisons little reference once he

(01:04:36):
had those other little themed moments and episodes. I mean,
it's a wonderful life. Christmas episode still gets me. I
still think about that episode. It was such a strong
ensemble cast, and they really wove in so many wonderful storylines,
and they really handled so many different topics with both

(01:04:58):
humor and a lot of real nuanced and I was
so sad that it edited on a cliffhanger.

Speaker 1 (01:05:04):
It's Leason two thousand and Kennedy High.

Speaker 13 (01:05:06):
I want that crown and I'll do anything to The.

Speaker 1 (01:05:10):
Early favorite is none who you'd expect you.

Speaker 2 (01:05:12):
Have the thought of that makes my skin crop.

Speaker 13 (01:05:14):
Now, a fair campaign is out of the question.

Speaker 4 (01:05:16):
Here's one hundred dollars of pay.

Speaker 1 (01:05:20):
Popular on the WB Thursday night.

Speaker 2 (01:05:24):
Oh look, there's there's not a gunshoulder.

Speaker 4 (01:05:26):
Hey, hey, you.

Speaker 2 (01:05:27):
Guys hey, Season five, episode fourteen, This one's big everyone.
This is like some of the biggest quick clips and
like a montage of friends clips. The one where everybody
finds out.

Speaker 5 (01:05:41):
Remember that this is probably the best episode if you
have to pick one.

Speaker 2 (01:05:46):
It's definitely all time, right yeah, Like it's with the
streaming and all this so the one where everyone finds
out about Monica and Chandler right with the watch.

Speaker 5 (01:06:03):
This the most out of all the episodes because it's
just never gets old. It's so funny about the whole
Like they're playing games on one another. Just are Phoebe
and Chandler doing this game where they're pretending to be
into one another until the other one cracks.

Speaker 4 (01:06:22):
Is just so so funny and they have the idea.

Speaker 2 (01:06:26):
To basically get him to admit that they're they're together secretly,
you know, dating, right, doing laundry quote unquote.

Speaker 4 (01:06:34):
Right.

Speaker 5 (01:06:35):
It's like a big payoff because they do the whole
season with Monica and Chandler, they do the whole storyline
of them keeping it a secret. So then when it's
finally like playing out, it's like a reward to the audience.
I feel like, yeah, okay, now it's finally out there,
like here's the big present, right.

Speaker 2 (01:06:53):
Yeah, and it could have been like a finale. I
think it's pretty cool that they did this big kind
of like, you know, in the middle of the season,
because you know, this was back in the day season.
We're twenty two, twenty three, twenty four episodes. This is
only fair, right, so you know, like this is a
big kind of middle of the season change for everyone, right,
it a little longer, right, because yeah, this is when

(01:07:16):
because of course Phoebe really I think feels like the
star of this episode because she's just doing so many
funny things. But yeah, she she's the one to see Ross. No,
I'm sorry, Chandler and Monica, because there she is with
Ross and Rachel checking out the ugly man across the
ways apartment right that they can see. Not everyone knows,

(01:07:37):
you know, like Phoebe's next in line to figure out,
but Ross doesn't know. Right, Yeah, so funny.

Speaker 4 (01:07:43):
Oh my god.

Speaker 2 (01:07:43):
Oh and I even wrote that's so funny. We were
just talking about hair. I put in parentheses. This is
prime Jennifer Aniston slash Rachel look for me with the
long hair, right exactly.

Speaker 4 (01:07:56):
It's a great yep.

Speaker 2 (01:07:58):
And and also going to Phoebe, I mean the iconic
blue dress and then showing her bra because Joey says,
Chandler gets nervous around bras, right, like dancing. It is
really oh my god, that's up there with like Elaine,
with Julie Louis Dreyfuss doing her dancing like that'scom dancing,

(01:08:21):
look good, yep, yep, oh my god. And then oh
that's where I have the line ugly naked guys got
a naked friend. It's naked Ross. Because Ross is doing
anything he.

Speaker 4 (01:08:33):
Can for the apartment.

Speaker 2 (01:08:34):
Again very New York right to compete with others. He
gets muffins, but people have like you know, they're they're
trying to really get the naked guy to the apartment right,
and again very sexual, some lines like I'm very happy
we're going to have all the sex. I'm very bendy,
you know. But iconically, not only does Chandler break and

(01:08:55):
say okay, all right, all right, like I can't, you know,
have sex with you, because not only does he say,
you know, I'm seeing Monica, I'm in love with Manka.
I got chills. I have to admit everyone's because everyone's
just so good at like the reaction, including Monica, who's
been hiding I think in the bathroom right in Chandler's apartment.

(01:09:16):
And then I love you too, Chandler, Oh my, yes.

Speaker 4 (01:09:19):
You so. I love it. That's why I watch it
all the time.

Speaker 2 (01:09:23):
I just love that sweet yes, a great unveiling of everything, right,
And at the very end, Ross finds out by looking
out the window and he's get off my sister, right, yeah, mom, Dad.

Speaker 4 (01:09:37):
Ross smoked pot in college.

Speaker 11 (01:09:39):
What you are?

Speaker 2 (01:09:41):
Such a tale? Now we have two Thanksgiving episodes. We
didn't even get a chance to really talk about how
Thanksgiving episodes are such a friend's staple. There was pretty
much one every single season, Am I right?

Speaker 4 (01:09:52):
Maybe? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:09:53):
So two Thanksgiving episodes made this kind of Best of List,
Season six, episode nine, the one where Ross got high.
This is again with Ross and Monica's parents, right, they're
playing a big part in this episode. We have el McPherson,
who was like such a hot.

Speaker 4 (01:10:10):
Thing at the time.

Speaker 2 (01:10:12):
Yeah, I always thought and really anything, but especially on
this show, I thought she was kind of boring, like
she she really was because of her looks exactly, she's
very flat, right. But yeah, so Monica hasn't told their
parents about about her relationship with Chandler, right because they
don't really like him because for years they thought he was,

(01:10:33):
you know, getting high and being a bad influence on Ross. Right,
So a lot of kind of miscommunication in this one.

Speaker 4 (01:10:40):
Probably what makes this one iconic is Rachel makes the trifle.

Speaker 13 (01:10:49):
I wasn't supposed to.

Speaker 2 (01:10:50):
Put beef in the trifle. Oh my god, meld the
trifle the beef and again a joke that definitely went
over my head. Then and even a little later, she
gets confused, she gets too recipes. She she gets some
confused for one because the pages are stuck together, and

(01:11:14):
they say, they say, and I guess that's yeah, like
a sexual joke that you know, is a little vague,
But yeah, so you know, kind of yeah, but that
trifle and everyone's acting starting with Monica where where Rachel's
watching them all eat it. You know, oh no, you
just got that one's just whipped cream. You need to

(01:11:35):
get more of it in there. Oh okay, you know,
like them forcing to eat it, except everyone hates except Joey.

Speaker 4 (01:11:44):
I like it.

Speaker 2 (01:11:46):
It is so funny, Oh my god. And then how
they're like, oh, I left it in the bathroom. I
left in your room. Joey's like, nope, got it. I
finished that right really good. Yeah, and Ross had thrown
it outside, and I love how Rachel says, so a
bird just grabbed it, which is so funny. Mail A
little weird fun fact when I was on set years

(01:12:07):
ago on The Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Anison and Jerar Butler,
I was like an extra that day in Atlantic City,
like just an odd job to make some money. We
were on a boardwalk in Atlantic City, I think, yeah,
and I got a slice of pizza and a bird
grabbed it right out of my hand, and Jennifer Andison
was just a few feet away, and I was like, oh,
oh my god, and like no one saw.

Speaker 4 (01:12:26):
It, so I was just saying that, oh, she didn't
see it either.

Speaker 2 (01:12:28):
You didn't see it. No, they were like talking, but
I was like, and I just talked to the nearest person.
I remember. I was like a bird just took pizza
out of my hand. And they were like, oh, but
they didn't see it. So they're like, oh it did.
Like no one could like commiserate with me.

Speaker 4 (01:12:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:12:39):
Anyway, random little connection. But now we'll fast forward the
next year, Season eight, episode nine, another Thanksgiving episode, And
for me, mel when I think of friends, this is
up there for me personally, like something about Brad Pitt
fighting with his then real life wife, like it just
like was ingrained in my This was a big, big episode,

(01:13:02):
a big Thanksgiving episode.

Speaker 4 (01:13:04):
He won an Emmy for he might have or.

Speaker 2 (01:13:07):
At least nominated because yeah, some out of the only
their six wins, some guest stars did win. I think
I saw Bruce Willis and Christina Applegate because Christina was
one of Rachel's sisters along with Yeah, so I know
those two one I saw on the list. Yeah, maybe
Brad did too. But he is so funny for someone
that you know, doesn't really do a ton of comedy,

(01:13:28):
Like he could tell he was having a lot of fun.
And like I said, it was just so fun seeing
the two of them really bicker. I mean, they like
hate each other. But this is called the one with
the rumor. It's not so it didn't age so well.
It's a little a little you know, not a little cringe.
But basically it's a Thanksgiving episode, Rachel, everyone's you know,
getting together for Thanksgiving. Now, yeah, Monica and Chandler have

(01:13:50):
been married, I wrote, she invited not Colbert, but Colbert
from high school who has lost one hundred and fifty
pounds and is a babe Brad Pitton. Like I said,
it was just so fun hearing the laugh track, the
scream when he's there at the door, you know. And
I love how Ross calls some hot stuff when they
hug stuff, Like everyone is just smitten with real comfort,

(01:14:16):
right to the point where he's glaring at Rachel. He
hates Rachel Green so much, right, and he's like staring
at her and she says, Wow, he's really got that sexy,
smoldering thing going on. So funny.

Speaker 4 (01:14:29):
Bill, I just want to say that I'm real sorry
for whatever I did you in high school. It wasn't
just me.

Speaker 2 (01:14:35):
We had a club. You had a club, that's right,
I Hate Rachel Green Club. We realized that. No, he
was a co founder of the I Hate Rachel Green
Club in high school along with who else. But Ross
so so funny. I love the little like you know
ying this is so typical typical Rachel and like does

(01:14:59):
the hair flip just iconic? Yeah, I'm sorry what I said.

Speaker 11 (01:15:03):
It was typical typical of you, Rachel Green. Queen Rachel
does whatever she wants in a little Rachel Land.

Speaker 4 (01:15:12):
It makes me sad though kind of.

Speaker 2 (01:15:15):
I know it is sad because they really they really
were like Barbie and Ken in real life. I mean
that couple was I mean in our young lives. That
couple was the couple, right, So it is sad, but
you know, yeah, they were really funny together.

Speaker 5 (01:15:32):
They're Yeah, and part of what makes that episode so
funny is kind of being in on the inside.

Speaker 4 (01:15:37):
Joke that like they're actually married in real life.

Speaker 2 (01:15:42):
Absolutely knowing knowing what was going on in real life. Yeah. Absolutely,
it adds to the humor for sure. Yeah, and Phoebe
is so enamored with Will. She says, come on, Will
just take off your shirt and tell us. But everyone
just is like staring at him. It's so funny. But yeah,
they had started a rumor that Rachel You were the
hermaphrodite cheerleader from Long Island, inside of the rumor that

(01:16:05):
she had both male and female parts. So again has
this episode for how much I love it, It has
not aged so well. But and Joey even says, I'm
going to need proof, like they start not trusting her,
like what what is she hiding? So it's a little
you know, a little cringe, but super super funny. I
just one of the best sitcom guest stars for me,

(01:16:25):
you know.

Speaker 13 (01:16:25):
Yeah, the night you've waited for, the biggest night of
the year, the final night of Friends, the two our
Friends finale with surprises at every turn.

Speaker 3 (01:16:39):
I want to be with her.

Speaker 5 (01:16:41):
Yeah, I'm gonna go after.

Speaker 13 (01:16:43):
Then, doing this your last chance to say goodbye to
the entire cast of brands on the Tonight with Jay Leno.

Speaker 4 (01:16:49):
I have no idea what's going on, but I am
excited to.

Speaker 2 (01:16:52):
See how it all ends.

Speaker 13 (01:16:53):
Friends Finelle Night begins eight seven Central, NBC Thursday.

Speaker 2 (01:16:57):
So yeah, let's fast forward everybody to season ten, the
last episode. It just turned twenty years old. Of course,
since the show is thirty years old, but so this
one a two parter. Much like many other finales, it's
called the last one. Simple this was And it's funny because,
like I was saying, most seasons had anywhere between typically
twenty to twenty four episodes, this final season only had

(01:17:19):
eighteen episodes. Maybe because they all were making a million
and just budgetary, you know, like they you know, and
also maybe because of Courtney's pregnancy. I don't know, but
it's a little bit shorter than the rest. I remember, Melton, Now,
why weren't you there? We had a watch party.

Speaker 4 (01:17:32):
I think I wanted to watch it alone.

Speaker 2 (01:17:34):
I think you yeah. I guess you were like, you
know what, Yeah, I feel like you said, no, this
is a special show for me. I need to watch alone,
no distractions, which completely understand. I was at our friend
Tama's house, Me, Tamra, Liz, and was it Sarah. There
were four of us, I think because the four of
us were in a chemistry class together, so I might
have think Sarah. I can't remember, sadly, which is crazy,

(01:17:57):
but I remember it was me, Tim and Lizz.

Speaker 4 (01:17:58):
We had to ask her.

Speaker 2 (01:18:00):
We have to ask her. We even made T shirts.
We like wrote, I don't know. Goodbye Friends. I don't
know like and again I kind of felt, you know,
like like I love the show, but I didn't know
every single episode, so I even kind of felt like
this is a little crazy. But this show was a
big deal, so the ending was a big deal. So Mel,
do you want to tell us a little bit about
your memories of what's going on in the finale?

Speaker 4 (01:18:19):
I mean, yeah, Iris, so it makes me sad.

Speaker 5 (01:18:23):
I don't really watch this part too often, but I
do think it's a great ending for a long running series.
I love that Chandler and Monica are getting their babies.
Were surprised to see that they end up with twins,
which is amazing reveal. There's some great bits with that,

(01:18:43):
and they're going to move out to the suburbs.

Speaker 4 (01:18:45):
That all makes sense.

Speaker 2 (01:18:47):
The quote a great line, they say, which is so
funny because we did what would you do of this scenario?
I guess it was inspired by Friends. I don't know,
but Chandler. I think Chandler says we only ordered one, right,
because they're shocked to have another coming along a girl, right?
They have a boy and girl. Yep, I forget are
they moving to New Jersey. Do they tell us to Westchester?
Of course, how funny, like all the cool kids do.

Speaker 4 (01:19:09):
Yep. So that's a great ending.

Speaker 5 (01:19:12):
And then Ross and Rachel end up together after a
big dramatic thing.

Speaker 4 (01:19:17):
She might move to Paris.

Speaker 2 (01:19:18):
Yes, the airport, And you know, it's nice to see
Phoebe play such an important role in this one. I
forgot that she has her cab and is rushing Ross
to the airport and mel even last night when I
was watching it, my heart sunk. They call Monica to
figure out why is Paris not on the list of flights. Oh,
Rachel's flying out of Newark and they're like, oh, we're

(01:19:40):
at JFK. Which another little connection to me. Back when
I worked at the Nate Burkas show, I accidentally sent
a driver to take the guests to the wrong airport
and they got there, and luckily they were able to
turn around and get to the real airport. But they
called their producer, and their producer called me and they're like,
why did you send them? And I'm like, it must

(01:20:00):
have been the driver's phone, the driver because the driver,
the driver technically did know where to go, but I
had said to him as they were leaving. I said, yeah,
they're going to no work or whatever, and he's like, okay,
oh cringe.

Speaker 8 (01:20:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:20:16):
I was like, no, yeah, we got to talk to
the car service.

Speaker 4 (01:20:18):
Oh my god, that is so rough. Anyway, anyway, so yeah,
but you've been there.

Speaker 2 (01:20:23):
Great airport drama, I got it. Just quickly shout out
great writing. To get Rachel off the plane because Phoebe
calls her from her cell as they're driving crazily in
New York City, right, and she says there's something wrong
with the left falange, right, a big thing. And then

(01:20:44):
the guy next to Rachel is hearing the conversation, and
how funny he went on to be in community. I
think his name is Jim Rash. I think he won
an oscar for that George Clooney movie, Uh Descendants for
writing it. But he starts freaking out, so everyone's freaking
out about the falange. Everyone shut off the plane. So
how perfect then for her to get off and then
Ross is there with Phoebe. A lot of like emotional

(01:21:07):
roller coaster stuff. Right.

Speaker 4 (01:21:09):
Yeah, it's a great ending.

Speaker 5 (01:21:12):
Yeah, I think I love even Phoebe has her relationship
with Mike.

Speaker 4 (01:21:18):
They're going to start a family.

Speaker 2 (01:21:19):
Paul Rudd And it's so funny. Paul Rudd looks better
now than he did then. Isn't that why?

Speaker 4 (01:21:23):
He was a great addition?

Speaker 5 (01:21:25):
And I saw him say like with the finale, he
was kind of like why am I here?

Speaker 2 (01:21:31):
Wow? You know, and that's so funny. I was saying that,
like wow, like him and like Anna faris like pretty
important to like have.

Speaker 5 (01:21:38):
Like I think he's in the Is he in the
final scene where they're walking out of the apartment.

Speaker 2 (01:21:42):
No, he's not in the No, that's just the six
and the babies. But no, but he's there when Rachel
saying goodbye to everyone, And you can kind of see
because I was looking at him because I'm like, wow,
you're in like a pivotal scene. He's kind of in
the back like not, He's like looking around like he
looks nervous. He's like I should step aside.

Speaker 5 (01:22:01):
Yea, right, he was saying, like I just felt like
I shouldn't be there.

Speaker 2 (01:22:04):
Like yeah, yeah, totally makes sense. I feel like i'd
feel the same way because I mean.

Speaker 4 (01:22:09):
You're with they're so tight icons.

Speaker 2 (01:22:11):
Right, Yeah. But even when Ross and Rachel are together,
she says, no, no, I have to go but then
another fun voicemail moments go home. I guess he didn't
have a cell phone at the time. So Ross goes home,
plays his message, and mel mis reveal again a laugh track,
an audience track moment that like unhappy is in there.

(01:22:35):
She's saying, oh my god, what am I doing? Like
I'm so in love with you, you know, blah blah blah.
I should have gone off the plane. I'm gonna get
off the plane. And then you can hear her talking
to like the flight attendants. No, man, you can't get
off the plane. It stops and Ross shouts, did she
get off the plane?

Speaker 4 (01:22:51):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:22:52):
I got off the plane.

Speaker 2 (01:22:56):
I got off the plane. Oh my god. And the
can't moves over.

Speaker 5 (01:23:01):
I mean it's great, it's so great.

Speaker 2 (01:23:05):
So and then and then we have the empty apartment
scene with everyone in the should get right and I,
oh really.

Speaker 7 (01:23:17):
He says, sure, where right? Yeah? Authentic, and you're like, oh,
that's so great.

Speaker 2 (01:23:28):
Yeah. Yeah. This this episode definitely, you know, showing the
empty apartment and breaking the foodsball table, another like pretty
iconic long running prop you know the show, definitely saying goodbye,
like you know, hey, do.

Speaker 5 (01:23:41):
You realize that at one time or another, we all
lived in this apartment.

Speaker 13 (01:23:46):
Oh that's true.

Speaker 2 (01:23:48):
I haven't know what about that summer during college that
you live with grandma and you tried to make it
as a dancer.

Speaker 8 (01:24:02):
Do you realize we almost made it ten years without
that coming up.

Speaker 5 (01:24:08):
I think it's really hard to make a satisfying finale
of a TV show.

Speaker 4 (01:24:14):
Yeah, and they definitely did.

Speaker 5 (01:24:17):
It kind of makes sense with the character, but how
Matt LeBlanc was getting his spin off, so they didn't
really like close him out right, Yeah, so that kind
of is a loose thread in hindsight.

Speaker 4 (01:24:30):
Yeah, kind of like that character.

Speaker 5 (01:24:34):
It makes sense for him anyway that his life would
kind of you know, yeah, not really be changing that much.

Speaker 2 (01:24:39):
Yep. Yeah, that's a really good point, really interesting observation
because yeah, by the time this finale aired in early
May two thousand and four, yeah, it was already announced
that like like like Matt lablank, but they all knew like, okay,
it's going to continue with Joey then start you know,
September four, just a few months later. So you're right,
they probably purposely were like, all right, no need to

(01:25:00):
you know, tie everything up with him. We'll explore that.
But then, as we all know, you know, Joey was
not great. It was I was the price. I forgot
that it was two seasons because I didn't really watch it.
Did you watch it at all?

Speaker 4 (01:25:12):
Not beyond a couple episodes.

Speaker 2 (01:25:14):
Right, It was a very popular premiere. Of course, it
went down to like seven million viewers, so American Idol
was like beating it. So it was apparently the lowest
rated NBC primetime show.

Speaker 4 (01:25:27):
So yikes, Joey.

Speaker 2 (01:25:30):
I know, it's a bummer. So I wonder if they,
I assumed Matt LeBlanc maybe regrets it. I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:25:37):
I mean, well, I mean he probably made some good money.

Speaker 2 (01:25:40):
You had to try good money, Yeah, I mean it
makes sense to try. Maybe it would have been better
if it was a side character and not at all
any of our six leads.

Speaker 5 (01:25:49):
You know, I think it's just a hard show when
it's so Yeah, it's all of them that made it special,
not just one. And I think that, you know, Joey's
spin off was proof of the magic of Friends is and.

Speaker 2 (01:26:02):
I was looking at it. I know David Swimmer directed
a couple episodes of Joey, but it is interesting how
none of the main five. You know with Joey. None
of them ever went on Joey's show. Maybe that was
maybe that was the key to getting you know, if
like Chadler pops in or you know, I don't know
Phoebe's visiting, right, So yeah, but I can understand why

(01:26:26):
they wouldn't want to come back because it's like, no, no, no,
what we had was special and as we were saying,
they were very much a unit with their pay and
with level of lines, like you were saying, so yeah, risk,
and I guess it didn't really pay off, but hey,
better two seasons than one, right, Some shows only get
a few episodes and then they're canceled.

Speaker 5 (01:26:43):
So I mean, luckily he ended up having success post Friends, Well,
we can't feel too bad for him.

Speaker 13 (01:26:50):
For years, Joey struggled to make it as a serious actor,
taking roles that never quite took off.

Speaker 2 (01:26:59):
But Thursday, that's all a fun to change.

Speaker 1 (01:27:02):
Be there when Joey becomes a movie star.

Speaker 12 (01:27:04):
On the season premiere Thursday, eight seventh Central on ENVYC.

Speaker 2 (01:27:09):
The order of the the actors who were cast, David
Shimmer was first and they basically you might know this,
They kind of like had him in mind for Ross
because I guess they worked with him or knew it Ross.

Speaker 8 (01:27:21):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (01:27:22):
When they were writing the character, they already kind of
knew him from a previous show that he was doing,
and he was like, so not interested in TV anymore.
He wanted to go back and just stick with theater.
But they were like, no, like, we basically kind of
wrote this with your voice in mind, like you, and
they like remembered his like puppy dog expression. They're like no,
So it's so interesting. He was the very first one cast,

(01:27:43):
followed by Lisa Kudro, who apparently just nailed the audition
and they were like, oh my god, she got it.
So those were the first two, and then the rest
took a while, you know, as which makes sense for
some of these major casting calls. The last one to
be booked was the last guy was Matthew Perry. They
said handler was actually a really hard role to cast,
even though it seemed so easy. And the very last

(01:28:05):
person was Jennifer Aniston to get Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:28:08):
I remember hearing that Courtney Cox. I think was originally
they were thinking of her for Rachel right.

Speaker 2 (01:28:16):
I think you're right, And I think she had said
to them, I really see myself more as like a Monica.

Speaker 4 (01:28:19):
Cory for her.

Speaker 2 (01:28:21):
So that's so funny, and that happens a lot because
even like that's happened on Buffy, Like Sarah Michelle Geller
was not up for Buffy at first. Wow, Yeah, she
was up for Cordelia Charisma Carpenter's role, and then she's like,
can I try this? And she had she had to
re audition a bunch of times for Buffy. She auditioned
for that show apparently like like ten times. Yeah, so

(01:28:41):
they were not seeing her. Yeah, So it's pretty funny
how that does happen often, where like you're only really
seen as that one role, but then you end up
getting another role that's like a perfect match for you,
you know.

Speaker 4 (01:28:52):
Yeah, yeah, I love that.

Speaker 2 (01:28:53):
Yeah, they were saying I was watching a little bit
more of that reunion on on Max that they were
saying that in the wrong hand, which is true. I
never really thought about it. In the wrong hands played
by the wrong person. Rachel could really be unlikable because
she is kind of self centered and not the nicest
and like we know from what we were talking about,
like not nice in her past as a high school

(01:29:13):
mean girl, right, so like you know, you kind of
had to find someone who you still wanted to be around,
so that is tricky. It's funny speaking of the finale
and we I had you on the show for the
Sex and the City anniversary and we talked about that finale.
How funny you know, with Rachel flying to Paris and
everything much. Yeah, Carrie, So this was definitely the time when, like,

(01:29:35):
and it's so funny because I was saying that to
Greg when I was rewatching the finale and he was
watching that with me, And it's really interesting. Twenty years ago,
we weren't traveling as much as we are now, which
is funny to think because it's like, yeah, we were,
but like travel you know now is especially with social media,
like yeah, exactly right, you can go to anywhere. So
back then it felt so final, like, oh, I'm moving

(01:29:55):
to Paris, Oh my god, We're never gonna see you again.
Now it's see you in like two much That's what
I'm home for the like a week, right, So it
is funny to kind of think of that mindset twenty
years ago, you know, right, like.

Speaker 4 (01:30:07):
It was made today. Would that have been the would
that have been so right?

Speaker 5 (01:30:12):
Dramatic moment. Probably not, I mean, probably use something else
not moving.

Speaker 2 (01:30:16):
Far right, It would have to be like I don't know,
I mean, it would still feel.

Speaker 5 (01:30:19):
Like getting married to somebody else or something right, right,
like getting married and living in Paris and being in
a different time zone and like working a lot or so.

Speaker 2 (01:30:29):
It has to be more than just like I'm moving,
you know, because facetiped like Alrio. Well then I'll talk
to you tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (01:30:35):
You know.

Speaker 2 (01:30:35):
So yeah, it's just how now that doesn't doesn't hold
its weight like it used to, you know.

Speaker 4 (01:30:40):
Right, that's a great point.

Speaker 2 (01:30:42):
And that's all the time we have. If you're not
ready to end the friends celebration just yet, you're in
luck because part two of this conversation is on the
release date rewind YouTube page, where I ask friend connoisseur
Melissa Ward trivia questions are you ready?

Speaker 4 (01:31:00):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:31:00):
Yeah, yeah, I'm I'm excited. Okay, here we go number
one in the one with the yetti, when Ross was
going to move into a new apartment with Emily who
took his old furniture. Thanks mel for being a great
guest again and a great friend, and thank all of
you for listening to or watching this episode. If you
haven't already, Please leave a rating or a review, a

(01:31:23):
thumbs up on YouTube, and please tell your friends about
the show. Follow me on Instagram at release date. Rewind
to see clips of our conversation, footage from the show,
and more trivia. Of course, thanks Strawha Media, Kyle Motsinger,
Greg Clemens, and Portland Media Center. On the next episode, everybody,
we are taking a trip to Sleepy Hollow just in

(01:31:46):
time for Halloween. Bye.

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