Friends: Episode-by-Episode 10.17 & 10.18 "The Last One"

0917: The One With The Memorial Service

- Pretty good teaser.
- I like the Joey/Emma/Hugsy story.
- ?That was a test, and you just failed!? ? Hmm, I?m pretty sure they already did that joke when Chandler was coping with breaking up with Kathy?
- Chandler and Ross got a good story here.
- ?Damn you, Monica Geller Hyphen Bing!? ? hee
- Decent, but not great Phoebe and Monica story. I like that Mike is still around. I like Mike?s shrug after Monica says they?re friends.
- ?How do you think I got him in the first place!?? ? hee
- Favorite scene: The memorial service.
- Courteney Cox?s line deliveries in this one seems a little off? They?re kinda loud and too elf aware.
- Good tag with some more enjoyable Monica neglect from an unseen Judy Geller.
- Mostly a pretty good one.

B +

 

9.18 "The One With The Lottery"


* Episode Number: 211
* Production Code: 175268
* Original Air Date: April 03, 2003
* Written by: Brian Buckner & Sebastian Jones
* Directed by: Gary Halvorson
* Guest Cast:
o James Michael Tyler (Gunther)
o Phill Lewis (Steve)


Detailed summary

The gang decides to pool all their money together to get some lottery tickets, except for Ross the skeptic. They all start arguing over how to spend the money if they won. They all get even more agitated when the gang finds out Monica bought more tickets just for her and Chandler. Exasperated Phoebe threatens to throw the bowl of lottery tickets off the balcony - which happens when a pigeon startles her. Over half the tickets are lost.

Meanwhile Chandler is waiting to find out what his company have decided about his internship becoming a paying job. His hopes are dashed when he is informed that all the open positions have been filled. Another call sees Chandler being offered a better position - Junior Copywriter. Rachel thinks baby Emma is close to saying her first word, so she and Ross start calling each other Mummy & Daddy.

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I thought this was a pretty good episode. I like the stuff with the lottery tickets. And I admit, I was really excited when Chandler got the job.

 

0918: The One With The Lottery

- Good teaser; I like Ross? skepticism.
- I like how the episode is centered around the lottery. I tend to prefer episodes that have a slightly more narrow focus than most episodes.
- ?Oh yeah, the casserole lady.? ? hee
- Ross is great here. As usual I like it when he gets to be the calm voice of reason.
- Chandler?s pretty good here too; lots of good old school type snarkiness.
- Phoebe talking dirty to Ross cracked me up.
- I always kinda enjoy when Monica and Chandler high fives each other.
- ?She?s gonna be a scientist!? ? hee
- Chandler getting a serious promotion rather than the lame assistant job is a pretty awesome moment actually. Joey telling Chandler that he actually wished for Chandler getting the job is cool as well.
- Ross? reluctance to giving up his share of the 3 dollar prize is good.
- Very solid episode, this one.

A -

 

9.19 "The One With Rachel's Dream"


* Episode Number: 212
* Production Code: 175269
* Original Air Date: April 17, 2003
* Written by: Dana Klein Borkow
* Directed by: Terry Hughes
* Guest Cast:
o Marisol Nichols (Olivia)
o Joe Colligan (The Director)
o Blake Reed (Chase Lassiter)
o Shayne Anderson (Customer #1)
o Keith Pillow (Customer #2)
o Johnny Sneed (Customer #3)


Detailed summary

Having to act as if he's deeply in love Joey rehearses a love scene with Rachel, who later has an interesting dream about Joey. Because Monica can't take time off work to go on a romantic getaway with Chandler, he decides to take Ross instead as there is no refund. He and Ross go there, and try to take enough hotel amenities back, to make up for the cost.

Phoebe, hearing that Monica has guests standing in line outside her restaurant, decides to play her guitar there. Monica has to try and stop her from chasing away her customers, and over stretches their friendship. Ross gets a sugar rush from eating far too much maple candy.

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I'm with Monica here... Phoebe shouldn't have gone out there to play IMO.

 

0919: The One With Rachel?s Dream

- Okay teaser?
- First scene at Central Perk didn?t do anything for me. Just lots of setup and no funny.
- Okay, but forgettable Monica and Phoebe story.
- Favorite story in this one: Ross and Chandler. It?s not fantastic, but it?s good.
- So, here we have the newest incarnation of Rachel and Joey. Predictably the writers have decided to reverse the dynamic from last season and this time it?s Rachel who loves Joey. I?m not thrilled about this coming back like this right now, but I don?t hate it and think there is a way to do it right. Just looking at their story in this one, it?s funny enough, so I won?t be complaining at this point.
- A fine, but not at all a standout episode.

B -

 

9.20 "The One With The Soap Opera Party"


* Episode Number: 213
* Production Code: 175270
* Original Air Date: April 24, 2003
* Written by: Shana Goldberg-Meehan
* Directed by: Sheldon Epps
* Guest Cast:
o Aisha Tyler (Charlie Wheeler)
o James Michael Tyler (Gunther)
o Ken Lerner (Professor Spafford)
o Kyle Lowder (Himself)
o Matthew Ashford (Himself)
o Farah Fath (Himself)
o Alexis Thorpe (Himself)
o Alex Borstein (Woman on Stage)
o Ethan Erickson (Dirk)


Detailed summary

Ross is delighted to meet an attractive paleontology professor but after taking her to Joey's rooftop party for his soap-opera series co-stars, he gets intimidated by her impressive list of Nobel Prize ex-boyfriends.

Meanwhile Rachel and Monica behave foolishly chasing and chatting up handsome actors - the very reason Joey didn't want to invite them. Chandler has to endure a disturbing one-woman show. At the end of the party, Rachel is looking for Joey and Ross is looking for Charlie, and they find Joey and Charlie kissing - which spoils both their plans.

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Aisha Tyler! Man, she's hot. Don't really like her character though.

 

0920: The One With The Soap Opera Party

- Good teaser. I like the giggly Rachel.
- Aisha Tyler! She?s both funny and totally hot. I like her. I love how Gunther says he doesn?t know who Ross is when she asks for him. Actually, that entire Central Perk scene is great.
- I like Rachel?s overly enthusiastic reaction to getting to go to Joey?s party.
- The reveal of Chandler alone at the play is good. But I don?t for a second buy that he wouldn?t just leave. And none of the bitter monologue stuff is particularly funny.
- Most of the stuff at the party is good.
- I wish Ross seeing Charlie and Joey kissing was played less for comedy and more for drama.
- An okay episode.

B

 

9.15 "The One With The Mugging"

Wow, I'm really behind here. 5-day weekends FTW.

Chandler's internship move was a cool idea. It perfectly fits his snarky personality--snappy lines turned into sound bites. It also seems kinda realistic to me that he'd waffle on the idea of taking an unpaid position instead of a paying one. Some people have to bite the bullet and do exactly that, especially if they want to earn precious experience for the very company they want to get hired onto (I've taken an unpaid internship myself).

The Phoebe/Ross mugging: Hansen's right that it's not as funny as it could be, but it does well enough. I do like that Ross goes a little nuts at the thought that Phoebe & the mugger get all chummy, and it's totally believeable that he freaks at the revelation of Phoebe being the mugger who rolled him. So there's no TGRCD markers--until he gets the Science Boy comic back. Dude's sabotaged his own relationships with women millions of times and he can still cope with that, yet he never got over his cheesy comic getting stolen?

Jeff Goldblum = 9.5 on DSFGS. Joey's discovery that bladder distress results in good acting = . This might have been the funniest plot in all of Season 9. I really love how his voice practically cracks at his discomfort while delivering his lines.

B+ (whoa, I've given an S9 ep a higher mark than Hansen?? Is this the bizarro TFN?)


9.16 "The One With The Boob Job"

Well, back to the mediocrity.

An additional problem: I. can't. even. REMEMBER this ep.

Nothing. Nada.

But I'm tempted to give this a C to C-, given that Hansen won't really defend this one. But since we're on the honor system, I have to put in an I for incomplete instead.


9.17 "The One With The Memorial Service"

This is a total TGRCD situation, but it does get some goofy laughs anyway. I guess the thing that still seems irritating to me is that Ross lets himself lose control over Chandler's prank, to the point of escalating the whole thing to staging a fake funeral/memorial just to test his friends' loyalty--that's a total TGRCD moment that we wouldn't have seen in the Ross of S1 thru S3. This is the exact type of thing that we'd see from George on Seinfeld. It'd be funny on Seinfeld, but that kind of low-self-esteem humor never fit on Friends, IMO, because the cast on Friends is by definition more likeable. So by this point we've been laughing at Ross far more than we've been laughing with Ross. That's why I've been ranting about this for so long. It remakes one of the more mature characters from being sympathetic to purely pathetic instead, so it's hard to respect somebody when you spend more time laughing AT them.

Phoebe & Monica: recycling. Rachel already did this with Monica a few seasons ago when Rachel was freaking out over Ross & Emily and ordered Monica to make all the romance decisions for her.

Joey & his penguin: not bad. I guess the only things Joey doesn't share is food & Hugsy.

B-


9.18 "The One With The Lottery"

This was a good one. A total throwback to the peak days.

I like the lottery plot simply because it seems like the kind of story from the early/peak years in that involved the entire cast. The epic-fail loss of the tickets is exactly the kind of thing that would have happened in the peak years, and that makes it a winner for me.

Chandler's getting a better job than what he was expecting was just awesome. His anxiety over getting any position at the ad agency is also spot-on (again, another throwback to the early seasons when Rachel or Monica or Joey were having job struggles). Unlike Rachel's less-than-plausible rise from waitress to high-powered fashion exec or Joey's ass-backwards acting success, Chandler's own career success is a lot more believable and parallel to the Gen X demographic this show's s

 

9.21 "The One With The Fertility Test"


* Episode Number: 214
* Production Code: 175271
* Original Air Date: May 01, 2003
* Written by: Robert Carlock
* Directed by: Gary Halvorson
* Story by: Scott Silveri
* Guest Cast:
o Aisha Tyler (Charlie Wheeler)
o Maggie Wheeler (Janice)
o Myra Turley (The Nurse)
o Debra Azar (The Spa Receptionist)


Detailed summary

Chandler and Monica risk embarrassment when they secretly go to a fertility clinic for tests that will determine if they can have a family, until they stumble upon a taunting old acquaintance -- Janice. Later the doctor calls and tells them that they both have fertility problems. Chandler explains to Monica the only way he knows how - "My guys won't get off their barcaloungers, and you have a uterus that is prepared to kill the ones that do".

Meanwhile Ross struggles with a conflict of interest, as he helps Joey woo Charlie, whom he wants to date. Elsewhere, Rachel has a gift certificate for a free massage, and sneaks into the spa to claim it. She hopes that Phoebe won't find out and feel betrayed, only to find Phoebe working there.

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What a fantastically mediocre episode this is.

 

0921: The One With The Fertility Test

- So the teaser here, where they talk about the party being ?last night?, is a step backwards in time from the previous episode?s tag where Chandler took Monica and Phoebe to that play? I guess I?m the only one who cares about these things, but that seems kinda strange?
- ?Ah, I forgot how hot she was!? ? hee
- I have no sympathy for Phoebe?s disdain for corporate massage chains.
- Continuity error: ?We?ve been trying to have a baby for over a year:? Well, either this or Emma?s upcoming first birthday is a continuity error.
- Kind of a slow start to this one? I do like Ross in the scene with Joey, but Joey himself kind of annoys me here.
- I like the stuff at the fertility clinic. And it got another one of our many good Janice reveals. But I do think her appearances are getting pretty repetitive by now,
- Phoebe and Rachel at the massage place is nothing special.
- It just hit me that the Ross and Joey story here is basically a retread from the whole Chandler/Joey/Kathy thing. I guess that?s why I?m again finding myself annoyed by Joey, just like I was back then. I can?t help but root for the underdog here.
- I always thought that having Monica and Chandler basically be unable to have children of their own was a very interesting way to go. Especially when it was fairly well known that Courteney Cox was having similar problems herself around that time. I think their scene together at the end of this one is very emotional and I can?t really imagine how getting those news would be like.
- Crappy tag.
- Uneven episode, but still okay I think.

B -

 

9.22 "The One With The Donor"


* Episode Number: 215
* Production Code: 175272
* Original Air Date: May 08, 2003
* Written by: Andrew Reich & Ted Cohen
* Directed by: Ben Weiss
* Guest Cast:
o Hank Azaria (David)
o John Stamos (Zack)
o Aisha Tyler (Charlie Wheeler)
o Andy Umberger (Dr. Connelly)
o Dan Desmond (Professor Sherman)
o Cynthia Newman (Jeanette)
o Kim Harris (The Cologne Spritzer)
o Tracy Silver (Dressing Room Woman)


Detailed summary

When Monica and Chandler learn of their chances for natural conception, they resort to interviewing unsuspecting male candidates to find the perfect match for one who could inseminate her. In the end they decide to adopt.

Elsewhere, Phoebe is stressed about what to wear to a party where she will meet her ex-boyfriend Mike -- at least until she bumps into another "ex" in David. Meanwhile, Rachel finds herself being mean to Charlie because of their common romantic interest in Joey, and Charlie overhears Phoebe & Rachel discussing Rachel's feelings for Joey, but take it that its Phoebe who has them. Ross works hard on a boring lecture he hopes to present at a paleontology convention in Barbados.

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Really don't like this one.

At all.


And sorry for the lack of an update yesterday!

 

0922: The One With The Donor

- Teaser?s nothing special.
- Andy Umberger: Regular Joss Whedon actor! The scene at the fertility clinic is okay.
- No really huge laughs for the first ten minutes here. The episode just goes on, and things are fine, but never special.
- John Stamos! I?m gonna admit right now that I still enjoy reruns of Full House and will therefore love any actor from that show wherever they show up. Also, he seems like a good guy. His involvement here is also the reason I easily prefer the Chandler/Monica story in this one.
- I don?t really like the Rachel/Phoebe/Charlie stuff. I just don?t care?
- The Ross story is bordering on being crappy.
- David! And he?s finished in Minsk! This should leave things open for them to actually have a relationship after first meeting eight years ago. Maybe the show can finally do some excellent storytelling with the Phoebe character that?s easily gotten the least meaty stories during the entire run of the show. The potential of David?s return is great.
- Not sure how believable it is that Rachel recognizes who David is?
- The last few scenes here are good.
- John Stamos as well as the appearance of David gets an A, the rest unfortunately drags the episode down.

B -

 

9.23 & 9.24 "The One In Barbados"


* Episode Number: 216 & 217
* Production Code: 175273
* Original Air Date: May 15, 2003
* Written by: Shana Goldberg-Meehan, Scott Silveri, Marta Kaufman & David Crane
* Directed by: Kevin S. Bright
* Guest Cast:
o Hank Azaria (David)
o Paul Rudd (Mike Hannigan)
o Aisha Tyler (Charlie Wheeler)
o Audrey Wasilewski (Sarah)
o Joe Everett Michaels (The Waiter)


Detailed summary

The gang (with David) travel to Barbados for Ross and Charlie's conference. The humidity makes Monica's hair bushy and wild. The constant rain prevents most of the gang from enjoying their time on the island. David is worried he can't compare to Mike; Chandler tells him Mike's failing was that he was against marriage, so David decides to propose to Phoebe.

Monica, knowing Phoebe is still hung up on Mike, tries to undo Chandler's meddling with some of her own, and calls Mike asking him to step up. Chandler accidentally erases Ross's keynote speech on his laptop, by opening an infected email, so Ross and Charlie stay up all night together to rebuild it, while Rachel and Joey have fun crashing the neighboring pharmaceutical convention.

Ross and Charlie learn that they have a lot of fun together, and a lot in common -- including ex-es who turned out to be gay. Rachel is about to tell Joey how she feels about him, but they're interrupted. David begins to propose to Phoebe, but Mike shows up and proposes first. Phoebe says no, but gets back together with him, knowing that now they can have a future together.

The weather in Barbados is finally nice, but only during Ross's speech. Rachel and Joey giggle over the term "Homo-Erectus." After the speech, while it rains again, Monica and Mike get into a ping-pong match and their competitive sides really take over. Monica hurts her hand, so Chandler finishes for her -- and wins - shocking Monica who thought he 'sucked'.

Joey and Charlie realize they don't have anything in common, and break up. Joey learns of Rachel's feelings for him, but doesn't feel he can do anything about it because of Ross. Meanwhile, Ross and Charlie spend more time together, and realize their feelings for each other. They kiss; Joey sees them, and decides not to let Ross stand between himself and Rachel. He returns to her room and kisses her.

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It's a good episode, but a little disappointing for a season finale IMO.

 

0923: The One In Barbados Part One

- Besides Phoebe?s David comment, the teaser?s no good.
- So this season finale takes place in Barbados. It?s been a while since the friends went somewhere for the big finale, the last time was Vegas in season 5.
- I love that Ross is like a celebrity at the conference, he deserves some professional success. About that, does his paleontology celebrity status fit with what we know about Ross and his career at this point? I?m kinda thinking it doesn?t?
- And with Phoebe calling David Mike by accident, my heart sinks. I am so rooting for the David and Phoebe relationship to work out. The only reason I need is that it would be rooted in continuity going back to the first year. What better way to start rounding out the run of the series than by having Phoebe end up with David?
- Good Chandler and David scene.
- I love having David back, but the experience is really tainted by the writers working overtime to get rid of him as fast as possible. Ugh!
- ?Are you leaving the Supremes?? ? hee
- I get that Chandler would want to see nude pictures of Anna Kournikova (wouldn?t we all?), but is he really that stupid? I don?t buy it. I could easily see Joey getting virus on Ross? computer though.
- What monologue from Star Wars could Joey have memorized? Not a lot of to choose from? I guess Leia?s hologram message or Ben telling Luke about his father and the Force are the two most obvious choices. Maybe the opening crawl?
- ?Kate Miller? ? hmm, that?s weird. We?ve already had a Kate Miller on this show back in season 3.
- It?s not that I don?t like Mike or think he doesn?t work well with Phoebe and the friends. It?s just that there?s been a much stronger build up between David and Phoebe. I just love the idea of setting up two characters attraction for each other in season 1, sparingly revisit and reaffirm it over the next eight seasons and then pay it all off in an awesome way as we enter the final season of the show. And I?m just not invested in the Phoebe/Mike relationship at all. Having said that, the big Phoebe/David/Mike scene here is funny, its outcome just disappoints me greatly.
- Not much more to say.

B -

0924: The One In Barbados, Part Two

- ?Walls are pretty thin, guys!? ? hee; good teaser.
- ?Cold Saurus? ? hee
- I?m so ready for Charlie to realize she should leave Joey for Ross. Actually, I was ready for that several episodes ago.
- The Ping Pong story is good.
- I?m not completely sold on the idea of a Joey and Rachel relationship actually being a good idea, but I do sort of like their scenes here. they?re funny and okayed well.
- I guess I can?t fault this episode for David being gone?
- ?We?re taking that petal home, mister!? - hee
- Ross and Charlie work well together.
- This episode is decent enough, but disappointing as a season finale. It just doesn?t feel important enough. I get that Joey and Rachel getting together is supposed to be this big event, but it really isn?t. I?m not saying that the show couldn?t make the concept of them as a couple work, but they?ll never be Ross/Rachel or even Chandler/Monica. Another reason I?m kinda ?meh? about it, is that I of course know that the writers drop it pretty quickly next season, so this episode feels even less important in retrospect.

B -

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Looking at all my reviews for this season, the average grade is a strong B -.

Highest rated episodes: 0905, 0906, 0907 & 0918
Lowest rated episode: 0910 & 0911

So, looking at my average grade for all seasons, they rank like this:

- Season 3 ? Strong B +
- Season 4 ? Almost a B +
- Season 2 ? Between a B and a B +
- Season 6 ? Between a B and a B +
- Season 5 ? Barely above a B
- Season 7 ? B
- Season 8 ? Almost a B
- Season 9 ? Strong B -
- Season 1 ? Between a C + and a B ?

 

10.01 "The One After Joey & Rachel Kiss - Season Premiere"


* Episode Number: 218
* Production Code: 176251
* Original Air Date: September 25, 2003
* Written by: Andrew Reich & Ted Cohen
* Directed by: Kevin S. Bright
* Guest Cast:
o Paul Rudd (Mike Hannigan)
o Aisha Tyler (Charlie Wheeler)
o Anne Dudek (Precious)


Detailed summary

In final season premiere, romantic hookups continue to go astray in Barbados as Monica, Phoebe and Chandler overhear Ross kissing Charlie while on the room's other wall, they can also eavesdrop on Joey and Rachel as they make out. Elsewhere, Monica styles her hair like a puffed-up blowfish -- complete with attached seashells & corn rows -- while Phoebe arrives back in Manhattan in time to meet boyfriend Mike, to move forward with their rekindled romance - but finds that Mike has a girlfriend called Precious.

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Late for work!!!

 

1001: The One After Joey And Rachel Kiss

- Good teaser: the walls being so thin was established last season and used well here. Also, I like how it picks up right after the previous episode ended.
- Joey acting nonchalant kills me. Rachel not realizing where he disappeared to is good too.
- While I?m mostly fine with the idea of Rachel and Joey, I hate the gag where Rachel (and Joey) sees Ross? face as they?re about to kiss. Not funny at all.
- Good continuity on Ross stealing stuff from the hotel.
- I agree with Chandler; Monica?s shellfish hair is awful. It makes me cringe and want to take a shower.
- Good Phoebe/Mike story, I especially like Phoebe calling Precious Suzy.
- ?I have had some very dirty dreams about this? ? hee. Really doesn?t make much sense that Ross would say that to Rachel, but it?s still funny.
- Ross? outrage about the ?major shampoo explosion? is good. David Schwimmer is especially good with stuff like that.
- ?This is the worst birthday ever!? ? hee
- Thankfully, we won?t be going through a handful worth of episodes with Joey and Rachel hiding their relationship from Ross.
- A fine, but not at all special episode.

B

 

I gotta disagree here. I have no problem with the shared wall between Chandler/Monica's room and Rachel's room, but the other shared wall makes no sense. The doorway out of the hotel room is on that wall, and when opened, you can clearly see the hallway beyond. However, when crossing over into Ross' room, now it looks like the door leads nowhere, as we've got nothing but the blank wall behind the bed. It's the weirdest thing, and always bugged me when watching this ep.

 

Okay, I'm seriously behind here...

9.21 "The One With The Fertility Test"

The Minor Chandler/Monica Conception Melodrama resurfaces here. For some reason, this arc (if you could call it that) never really got much of a response from me. It should have, considering that Monica's been baby-obsessed since way back in S2. But it just doesn't do anything for me. At this point I was probably so numbed by all the melodramas that my emotions were getting "blurry". But I do remember thinking, "Okay, so they can't conceive naturally. But that just means they'll adopt or buy a baby from China or something down the road" and so I didn't treat the fertility issue seriously.

Phoebe goes corporate: maybe it's just the imperialist-capitalist oppressor in me, but I really didn't get why Phoebe couldn't just come out and be honest about why she works at a corporate chain. It's already been established that she has "greedy capitalist" eruptions from time to time, so why all the fuss?

[image=http://www.sunwindpowerinc.com/files/files/recycle_symbol.jpg]

With the exception of TMCMCM, the entire premise of the show just seemed reduced to a paint-by-numbers, plot recycling shtick.

C-

9.22 "The One With The Donor"

John Stamos earns a 7 on DSFGS. Perhaps he would have scored higher, but I find Chandler & Monica's scheme to "hire" him as a sperm donor well within Team Creepy territory, so it's not really Stamos's fault.

Ross & his speech: meh.

Charlie's misunderstanding: TGJRD2.0 having the trademarked "Three's Company"-esque misunderstanding gimmick. Why TV sitcom writers think this well-worn gimmick is still a worthwhile ploy baffles me. This show never needed to resort to this gimmick in the peak years. But then again, this is The Great Joey/Rachel Disaster, so I suppose this weaksauce TV cliché shouldn't have been surprising.

David's reappearance did look like a good idea at the time, but Phoebe and Mike have already had their "drama", so that meant Mike's character wasn't exactly going away. I like how Hank Azaria plays the character exactly the way he did all those years before. Nice show of continuity. But the climax to his reappearance really irked me. But that's for later on.

C

9.23 & 9.24 "The One In Barbados" (this one gets a single review)

QFT. David is the one Phoebe should have ended up with. No offense to Paul Rudd, but the Mike character never really did anything for me. As a straight man, he was a little too "straight" (meaning: bland). David also played "straight man" to Phoebe, but he seemed easier to believe because he was a science geek and thus socially awkward. Phoebe's original attraction to him way back in S1 at least struck me as more sincere, since on the surface David didn't seem to have much to offer her and she could have had her choice of men. You get the feeling that he accepted her completely and totally, without all the social class drama that came with Mike's character.

So when David briefly returned (forgot the season), Phoebe gets all bent out of shape and emotional. It's clear that letting him go was an enormous regret on her part. So when David reappears at the end of S9, I figured he was the one who she'd stay with & marry. But she goes back to Mike, and the amazingly fast dismissal of

 

10.02 "The One Where Ross Is Fine"


* Episode Number: 219
* Production Code: 176252
* Original Air Date: October 02, 2003
* Written by: Sherry Bilsing-Graham & Ellen Plummer
* Directed by: Ben Weiss
* Guest Cast:
o Giovanni Ribisi (Frank Jr)
o Aisha Tyler (Charlie Wheeler)
o Daryl Sabara (Owen)
o Jack Meskimen (Bill)
o Kellie Waymire (Colleen)
o Allisyn Ashley Arm (Leslie Buffay)
o Sierra Marcoux (Chandler Buffay)
o Dante Pastula (Frank Buffay Jr. Jr.)


Detailed summary

An uncomfortable Rachel, Joey and Charlie are invited by a staggered Ross to come to his apartment for a dinner but fears for his state of mind when Ross uncharacteristically veers off into wine, song and laughter. Meanwhile, Chandler commits an unpardonable act when he and Monica visit another couple who have already adopted a cute boy, by inadvertantly telling him he is adopted. Former surrogate mother Phoebe, is visited by a desperate Frank Jr. when he can no longer cope with his three precocious triplets, and claims he hasn't slept in 4 years.

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Ross saying "fine" over and over again was funny at first. Got old quick though. But drunk Ross is awesome. Holding the burning pan makes me laugh and cringe all at the same time.

 

1002: The One Where Ross Is Fine

- If you?re gonna redo the end of a scene from the last episode, at least get it right. Rachel doesn?t do the ?I?m sorry? here. Bad continuity! And the teaser?s not that good either?
- Wow, the triplets are getting big.
- I like David Schwimmer in this one. He?s really the only reason I like the Ross/Rachel/Joey story here. Charlie got some good moments too though.
- This is Frank Jr.?s last appearance on the show. I?m glad he showed up once this last season, but his and Phoebe?s story here isn?t that good. The whole idea that Phoebe would take over one of the kids at this point is just so stupid I don?t want to waste time on it.
- Monica and Chandler got a decent story here, but it?s nothing special. I do like how them adopting is their big arc this season.
- The Joey and Ross scene towards the end is kinda nice. Two mature characters having a realistic conversation. Even though that scene doesn?t have Rachel in it, I always though it showed some of the potential of the new dynamic that the Joey/Rachel relationship could bring to the group. Unfortunately, the relationship is quickly written away in the next episode.
- A very forgettable episode.

B -

 

10.03 "The One With Ross's Tan"


* Episode Number: 220
* Production Code: 176253
* Original Air Date: October 09, 2003
* Written by: Brian Buckner
* Directed by: Gary Halvorson
* Guest Cast:
o Jennifer Coolidge (Amanda)
o Luis Antonio Ramos (Tanning Salon Guy)
o Iris Bahr (Glenda)


Detailed summary

Joey and Rachel have their first official date, but when it comes to getting physical, they just don't feel at ease - with Joey have trouble with Rachel's bra!!. Ross likes Monica's sprayed-on tan, so he decides to get one. But confusion about the instructions (and whether to count "Mississippily") lead to multiple doses on his front and none on his back. An old friend (Amanda) of Monica's and Phoebe's moves back into town from England. They try to cut her out of their lives by ignoring her, without success. It comes out that years before, Phoebe tried to do the same to Monica. Joey and Rachel realize their relationship is not going to work.

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Other then the crappy Joey/Rachel scenes, this is one of the best episodes of season 10. Ross and the tan is just made of win. And Jennifer Coolidge is hilarious too.

 

1003: The One With Ross? Tan

- Pretty good teaser.
- The Ross story is fine, but I do find Ross? inability to get through he tanning process a bit forced.
- We got the ?neither paid for the food? joke for the first time back in episode 711 with Rachel and Chandler, here it is Joey and Rachel.
- Good continuity on tying the current Rachel/Joey problem with Rachel laughing the first times she kissed Ross.
- Jennifer Coolidge! I don?t really like her here. Considering Joey (the show) doesn?t exist, I won?t complain about her apparently being cast as a different character there. Not that I ever saw her on that show anyway?
- The Amanda story isn?t very memorable. The Amanda character just doesn?t do anything for me.
- Over the last 7 (?) months I?ve repeatedly stopped myself from commenting on it, but as we?re nearing the end I have to compliment Jennifer Aniston?s pokies. They?re particularly on display here as Rachel removes her bra. Ugh, now I?m ashamed of myself?
- So here Rachel and Joey come to the mutual agreement that they will in fact not be having a relationship. My main question here is: huh? Why essentially spend two seasons leading up to the two of them getting together if it only lasts three episodes? I do realize that the main reason is that it?s the last season and we?re nearing the inevitable Ross/Rachel reunion (that I approve of, by the way). But why have these two get together at all then!? It?s really just idiotic and bad plotting.
- Chandler and Monica not having been as good friends as Joey and Rachel are now is actually a good point, so I approve of that particular moment. Still, very disappointing conclusion to the arc.
- So the Ross story is adequate and the rest is pretty disappointing.

C +

 

10.02 "The One Where Ross Is Fine"

Ross inviting the other three to a dinner is spectacularly awkward: he's been romantically involved with both women, and Joey has too. So everybody else feeling that awkward & uncomfortable vibe is totally accurate. Ross getting stone cold drunk on wine is still hilarious though (slapstick humor succeeding where dramedy doesn't? What a novel idea. ) But the scene of Joey & Ross alone is good.

Well, TMCMCM has now slowly but surely morphed into The Great Chandler/Monica Adoption Saga. (What, you didn't think the final Season wouldn't have a "The Great ____" plotline??) But I have to give the writers credit in that this lengthy story arc doesn't quite turn into a melodrama. This ep was a good example. Chandler's able to really make even the moment when he accidentally spills the beans about the kid's adoption into a funny moment. (Although this is really the parents' fault: they should have told C&M right away that they hadn't broken the news to their kid yet, or at least have packed the kid off to Grandma's or something to keep him from stumbling on them.)

Frank Jr and his freakout: dude, you brought this on yourself. No sympathy here.

C

10.03 "The One With Ross's Tan"

TGRCD watch: see title. I've said it before, but it's worth saying again. WTH, just how much dumber can the writers make Ross become??? Didn't Schwimmer care that his character was turning into a total buffoon? Guess not, he was making bank at $1 million per episode (in other words, $20+ million per season just from the show's production company & the NBC network. That's before the residuals & royalties from the heavy syndication. You just know Schwimmer laughed all the way to the bank.)

Jennifer Coolidge = 6 on DSFGS. It seems to me that any time Coolidge shows up in a guest role on TV these days, she seems to be playing a variant on this character, so I can't really give her any props here. She's had a guest role on Nip/Tuck that's similar to this one, and her later role as Joey's agent on some show that doesn't really exist is much like this one too, only more cynical & irritating. This was the same person who was Stifler's mom in American Pie??? Waste of talent.

And so TGJRD2.0 finally ends. Hansen's already ripped on it, so I won't add much, except to say again that I think this plot line was absurd and illogical from the beginning, and so I felt that the abrupt end was absurd and illogical as well. I agree: the ridiculous amount of build-up during the final episodes of S9 just doesn't merit their swift realization that it won't work out. I think a more objective person would examine Rachel's character as one who's been incredibly fortunate in romance despite her near-total stupidity in so many her actions over the years. So even though I thought this plot was a mistake to begin with, I still felt that its ending didn't really make things better--it just seemed to be another insult to the longtime viewer.

D

Well, I'm not ashamed to admit that I found Aniston's flashing the high-beams to be one of the redeeming qualities of the show in it's second half of existence. I think we've found the REAL reason why Pitt was attracted to her in the first place...

 

10.04 "The One With the Cake"


* Episode Number: 221
* Production Code: 176254
* Original Air Date: October 23, 2003
* Written by: Robert Carlock
* Directed by: Gary Halvorson
* Guest Cast:
o Elliot Gould (Jack Geller)
o Christina Pickles (Judy Geller)
o June Gable (Estelle)


Detailed summary

Ross and Rachel have a party for Emma's first birthday. They insist that everyone be there, which strains all their plans: Chandler and Monica are trying to get away for the weekend; Phoebe has a massage appointment; Joey has an audition. The party gets underway, but drags on because Emma is napping and Rachel won't wake her up. Joey didn't know he was supposed to get Emma a present, so where he hears that Phoebe has written Emma a song, he decides to do a dramatic reading. His last minute effort out-does Phoebe's song. The bunny-shaped cake with Emma's picture is mistakenly replaced with a novelty cake shaped like a penis (still with Emma's picture on it). Rachel goes to get it replaced, tempting everyone else to leave.

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ok episode. Whole bunch of sitcom cliches tossed at us in this one though. And at least one of them was done in an earlier episode with everyone not being able to make it to a birthday party on time.(Phoebe's?)

 

1004: The One With The Cake

- I see no need for a one year birthday party. Teaser?s decent.
- Last appearance of Jack and Judy! I think this is a worthy final appearance by two of only three supporting characters who are in every season.
- ?Printed in? Mexico.? ? hee, Joey?s reading is good.
- The baby penis cake is funny: ?Too be fair, this one does have nuts.
- ?WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!? ? hee
- This one is a good example of all characters? stories being centered around one premise. I like it.
- ?I forgot you used to live here.? - hee
- The windup toys race is awesome. The dog sitting down and doing a back flip kills me!
- Sweet and funny ending to this one.
- Easily best episode yet this season.

A -