Summary: Phoebe tries to warn everyone about Rachel's impending arrival. Chandler and Monica have a rough day and end up having sex. Joey gets homesick. Ross and Emily's parents arrive and start quarreling.
The Good: This was a very funny episode and a strong way to end the season. The Gellers were a delight as always and provided a lot of great lines, with Jack Geller stealing the show again with some excellent jokes. Their arguments with Emily's parents over how much they are paying was very funny and enjoyable to watch. I really liked seeing Ross get caught up in the mess and being forced to sort it out. Chandler and Monica's storyline was great and served as a shocking twist that both excited me and surprised me. Their interactions after having sex were funny and I really like the idea of them getting in a relationship. The concept feels fresh and gives us something to look forward to seeing next season. Rachel and Phoebe were excellent as the outliers. Phoebe's phone calls were terrific comedy and I thought that the obnoxious man that Rachel sat next to on the flight was hilarious and I loved the callback to "we were on a break". Lastly, the final cliffhanger was a terrific ending to the episode. It seemed unlikely that Ross and Emily's relationship would last long as Emily certainly wouldn't be promoted to a series regular so I was curious to see how their relationship would end. The method they chose here was terrific as it smartly allows for two people who love each other to fall apart without making any of them behave poorly. It's also a great hook to get us to watch the season 5 premiere to find out what happens next. This is an example of a great cliffhanger between seasons as it doesn't feel cheap and has us excited for the next season. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. Best Moment: The "riding the tube" joke was clever and made me laugh hard. Character of the Episode: Jack Geller. He's too good. Conclusion: This was an awesome season finale with a lot of humour and some exciting plot developments to develop some buzz which sets up season 5 nicely. The season as a whole started off pretty strong and consistent. However a few weak stretches of episodes in the middle and ending of the season hurt it and prevented it from being a terrific season, even though it had the best episode of the series so far. As the series has gone on, there has been an uptick in the amount of weaker episodes per season. The series still remains very enjoyable and a few episodes still achieve greatness but the impressive consistency of seasons 1 and 2 have been lost. Despite this, season 4 was still a very strong season of comedy that I enjoyed watching. Score: 80
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Summary: The friends head to London for Ross' wedding. Chandler gets annoyed by Joey's tourist antics. Ross and Emily argue on what to do with the wedding when they discover the wedding hall Emily wanted is being torn down. Rachel realizes that she loves Ross and decides to go to London and tell him her feelings.
The Good: This was an energetic episode that felt like the first part of a season finale. There was a lot happening here with a consistent flow of jokes in every scene. I particularly enjoyed Ross' story as his conflict with Emily felt real and did a good job of including some fun humour. A couple of the jokes with Joey and Chandler are good. The Bad: Unfortunately credibility is stretched to the limit for most of the jokes here. Chandler and Joey's story is mostly unfunny filler as Joey comes off as childish while Chandler comes off as pretty mean. Rachel's sudden love for Ross comes off as a forced conflict. It would have been nice to get some foreshadowing for this instead of Phoebe just conveniently saying that everyone knew about it. It's especially odd considering that Rachel was with Joshua around 4 episodes ago. Best Moment: Ross' pants were a clever way to infuse humour into the Ross/Emily conflict that made me laugh a lot due to Ross' increasing frustration with Emily and then the pants. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This was a fun episode that sets up the season finale nicely, though it stretched credibility which hurts its score. Score: 63 Summary: Monica and Rachel throw a baby shower for Phoebe who is experiencing a ton of mood swings. Ross picks Joey to be his best man but Joey loses Ross' wedding ring.
The Good: There are some nice moments throughout this episode. I liked Rachel and Monica attempting to make Phoebe feel better about losing her babies. I thought that Joey, Ross and Chandler had some fun lines in their story. I especially liked them confronting the stripper in Chandler's office. The Bad: Most of this was a bit dumb. Phoebe's mood swings are ridiculous and excessive which removes any potential humour from them. Monica and Rachel being afraid of their friend was pretty stupid for a story. I also thought that the moment where Monica and Rachel came up with the baby shower felt forced and unrealistic without providing anything funny. The guys' story had some issues too. For one, it didn't produce any particular funny moments and falls short of some of the better Ross/Chandler/Joey stories. The jokes surrounding the duck felt out of character for the show and weren't funny either. Best Moment: I liked Chandler suddenly getting pressured by Ross and Joey over a wedding that he doesn't even think will happen. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: This was a weak episode which is far below the standard I would expect from this show. Much like season 3 before it, season 4 is suffering from a much weaker back half. Score: 50 Summary: Ross and Rachel visit their history when debating on whether Rachel should go to Ross' wedding.
The Good: The new scenes here were pretty good. I liked Joey and Chandler's conversations. I like that the clip-show was used to have Ross and Rachel each come to a big decision by the end of their flashbacks. I did enjoy seeing episodes from seasons 1 and 2 as they reminded me of how fantastic and consistent the show was. The Bad: I don't like clip-show episodes. It's almost exclusively content that I have already seen which makes them relatively dull and boring. Furthermore, there isn't much to really discuss about episodes like this. It's a lazy waste of an episode to get from this show. Best Moment: Joey and Chandler discussing about climbing Everest. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: I'm not a fan of clip shows, so this was easily the worst episode of the series thus far. Score: 40 Summary: Ross reveals that his wedding will take place in a month and Rachel starts to freak out. Chandler gets annoyed when Joey starts snoring loudly in his sleep. Monica and Phoebe have fun wearing wedding dresses.
The Good: There was some really good stuff here. Rachel is always spectacular when she is overreacting and that was the same here. Watching her estrange Joshua was really entertaining and it was written fairly well throughout. I really liked the final joke with Rachel answering the door in her dress only for it to be Joshua instead of Chandler. I really liked how the central Rachel storyline tied into the Monica/Phoebe and Chandler/Joey storylines too. The best moments from those four characters came when they were interacting with Rachel. The Bad: The side stories felt like bland filler and didn't accomplish much. They weren't very funny on their own either. Joey talking in his sleep looked really bad and Chandler came off as an asshole at some parts of the episode. Best Moment: The "woopah" joke was really funny and was the best interaction in the episode. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This was another solid but unspectacular episode. It had funny moments but nothing in particular stuck with me after watching it. It seems like every season of "Friends" after the first is destined to have a stretch of weaker episodes in its back half. Hopefully this season can end on a high point. Score: 64 Summary: Monica and Rachel try to get Joey and Chandler to trade their apartment back to them. Ross is continually upset that Emily has to go back to London and searches for a way to get to stay with her.
The Good: I thought this was pretty solid. The Ross story was the best one here. I thought his relationship with Emily came off very well and I bought into their love. The decision to marry was a big development and it had a nice comedic atmosphere to it. There were some funny moments in the other storyline too, mostly provided by Chandler and Joey. The Bad: This wasn't a particularly funny or memorable episode. It just existed. Also, the way that Monica and Rachel reclaimed their apartment was pretty silly and unrealistic even if it was moderately funny. Joey also bordered on excessively stupid, so much so that he wasn't really himself anymore in certain scenes. Best Moment: Joey telling Ross that Rachel and Monica kissed was pretty great. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This was an average episode with some good moments. Score: 60 Summary: Rachel goes on a date with Joshua and is hoping that they get to have sex. Joey and Chandler debate on whose name is a better name for Phoebe's baby. Emily and Susan become friends but Ross becomes paranoid that Emily will turn lesbian.
The Good: This was a really fun episode with a pleasing pace featuring exciting storylines. Ross was terrific at conveying his usual paranoid self and I thought that his fear of Emily becoming a lesbian made sense based off of his past experiences and with how paranoid he always is. I also liked that we got a funny explanation for why Ross was always so nervous around Mark as he has become scarred by what Carol did to him. I appreciated it being mentioned and it led to a number of funny lines. Rachel's story was really good too. Rachel is at her best when she is being humiliated and I think that Jennifer Aniston does a terrific job of getting laughs out of her embarrassment, almost as good of a job as David Schwimmer which is high praise. Rachel has been great this season and continued to deliver in this episode. The Bad: The Phoebe/Chandler/Joey storyline isn't particularly good or memorable. Not many lines were witty and there wasn't enough humour to make it justifiable. These 3 characters' best moments were when they interacted with Ross and the others. Also, isn't it pretty mean for Chandler and Joey to manipulate Phoebe into naming her baby after one of them? That's a bit much, and I feel like Joey went too far by insulting Chandler's name just for this. Best Moment: Phoebe suddenly declaring that she hates the name Ross and Ross' response (what a weird way to kick me while I'm down) was a perfect moment. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This was 2/3 of an excellent episode with Ross and Rachel's stories delivering but the C-story hurts the score. Despite this, it's still another really funny and well-written episode of "Friends". Score: 70 Summary: It's time for Emily to go back to London and Ross is sad she has to go. Monica convinces Ross to tell Emily that he loves her. Chandler and Joey get free porn on their TV and are afraid to turn it off. Phoebe learns that she will have triplets and scrambles to help Frank Jr. and Alice make money.
The Good: This was a pretty good episode, unspectacular but certainly not bad. Ross and Emily's love story was pretty good. I liked the sweet moments between them and the "thank you" gag was a really good one that paid off nicely in the end. There weren't any huge laughs, but I enjoyed watching it and there were enough small laughs to make it worthwhile. Chandler and Joey's porn story is a creative idea and it leads to a couple funny moments. Phoebe's attempt to help Frank and Alice was good and it fits her character as one who would do anything to help her friends, ridiculous as it is. The Bad: The episode just isn't that funny though. The porn story isn't as funny as it should be and most of the laughs are a variation of the same joke. Best Moment: Ross replying "thank you" to Emily confessing her love for him was a great continuation of that joke. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This was a solid episode which was fun to watch with some good moments. It wasn't particularly funny or memorable but I liked it. Score: 65 Summary: Rachel invites Joshua to a fake party and so she has the group stage a fake surprise going-away party for Emily. Ross is upset that his plans for his last night with Emily didn't go as planned. Rachel tries and fails at seducing Joshua. Phoebe develops a craving for meat.
The Good: As a whole, this was really creative and really funny. The laughs in the episode were consistent and they managed to get funnier as the episode went on. Rachel was terrific again as she humiliated herself in hilarious fashion over and over again. Rachel is always funniest when she is humiliating herself due to her being in love, and that remained true here. This was her episode and she shone brightly. I really liked the conclusion to the story where Rachel ended up getting the guy despite humiliating herself, providing a good and funny feel-good moment. I particularly like the irony that Rachel really didn't need to seduce Joshua since he already liked her, making the whole party pointless. Furthermore, I enjoyed the scenes in the hallway a lot. The scene with Ross was excellent as both characters were genuine with how they understood each other without being over-the-top angry with each other again. I thought the writers showed tremendous restraint by not playing this scene for too many laughs. Instead, they saved the best laughs for Chandler's arrival which was a smart decision. The other stories were enjoyable too. Joey and Phoebe were really funny in this episode and I thought that most of their dialogue was brilliantly witty. The Bad: This episode was inconsistent though and that prevents it from being a series' best. While a lot of jokes were awesome, some of the other ones were painfully awkward and unfunny. The teaser sequence especially suffered from this and it did nothing to make me excited for the episode. Thankfully, things recovered afterwards, but I'm left feeling like this was 4/5ths of a fantastic episode and that prevents it from being special. Best Moment: I really loved Chandler fact-correcting Joey when he tried to reference a movie. Joey's response of "were you in the movie or something" was hilarious. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: While this had some awkwardly unfunny moments, the rest of the episode was terrific, "Friends" at its best. Season 4 has been a welcome improvement over season 3, and this is another awesome episode to add on to this season's accomplishments. Score: 74 Summary: Ross plays rugby with Emily's friends to impress her. Chandler runs into Janice and she is infatuated with him but he doesn't care for her. He tells her he is moving to Yemen to try to get her away from him. Monica gets obsessed with figuring out what a light switch in her new apartment does.
The Good: The jokes here were really funny in all storylines. There were plenty of laughs all the way through and all six characters got stand-out moments to overact to squeeze out tons of laughs. The stories were all fun and memorable, and the sheer amount of laughs made this one of the easiest episodes of "Friends" to enjoy. The entire episode was carried by the terrific interactions between the six friends. Ross and Chandler were especially funny in their roles. The Bad: Unfortunately, there was a huge degree of suspension of disbelief to take into consideration here. All three storylines were quite silly and there was overacting present in nearly every scene to produce the laughs. Ross playing rugby was unnecessary, as his character never pretended to be tough yet here he decides to act tough for Emily for some reason. Monica and the light switch was funny at times but she did seem to go a little too far with it. Some of the jokes were a bit dumb too. While Chandler and Janice are always funny, this episode's plot made no sense. Surely there are tons of holes with Chandler telling Janice he is going to Yemen. Disappointingly, this wasn't followed up on in the next episode, making it feel quite pointless. Everything was completely over-the-top in these storylines and the episode was only saved by the amount of jokes present in each storyline. Best Moment: I really enjoyed Chandler trying to buy a fake ticket to Yemen. A ridiculous yet funny scene. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This episode was a ton of fun and was consistently enjoyable, but it had incredibly silly plotting and over-acting which prevents this from being a series highlight. This ends up being good but nothing more. Score: 69 Summary: Joey goes on a fishing trip and comes back smelling awful. He has to perform with Charlton Heston while smelling awful. Chandler is in sweat pants and without motivation after Kathy cheated on him. The girls try to make him feel better. Rachel wants to meet Josh but has responsibilities as her boss has entrusted her to take care of her niece. Rachel turns to Ross to help her out.
The Good: This was really fun for the most part. Rachel is at her best whenever she is infatuated with somebody and remains a highlight with her storyline with Joshua continuing on. I particularly liked the storyline with Ross as it felt like a more logical and funny continuation of their relationship. I also quite like the irony that Rachel wanted Ross' help so she could get a date but she ended up getting nothing and gave Ross a date instead. Rachel's moment of realization was very funny. Chandler's story is pretty good too and I think the girls trying to help him led to some genuinely funny moments. The final dream sequence was a pretty funny moment. The Bad: I thought Joey's story wasn't very good sadly. The reactions to his smell were initially somewhat funny (particularly Chandler's), but then the joke got overused so much. The Charlton Heston scene was weak too as the entire "I stink" joke wasn't funny at all and was a waste of a celebrity appearance. At least previous celebrity appearances led to funny moments, but this one didn't. Lastly, I was really annoyed by the "Pheebs" joke. Phoebe looks foolish for not knowing that it's what they call her. The joke isn't funny and it just devalues a character for no apparent reason. Best Moment: Rachel's "nooooooo" when she learned that she gave Ross a date was really funny. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This was a really fun story for the most part, but Joey's part of the episode was pretty weak and some jokes fell woefully flat which drags the score down a lot. Score: 65 Summary: Rachel is moved to another department at work and wants to quit but she can't when she meets a really cute guy and gets a crush on him. Monica is upset because she isn't the hostess anymore now that everyone hangs out at Joey and Chandler's place. Chandler gets suspicious of Kathy when he realizes she gets hot and steamy with an actor on stage.
The Good: This was another really strong episode. The characters behaved really consistently with what we have seen before, and each storyline used them smartly and in funny ways. Rachel's story is the funniest as she gets a crush on a guy and is given tons of funny lines and moments as she grapples with the fact that she has never asked a guy out before. The dialogue is great and there are a ton of smart jokes throughout. I particularly love that this storyline did a tremendous job of calling back to funny moments prior to make an even funnier moment. The best example of this was Rachel's final scene which pays off of her wanting to have dolls of her and Joshua kiss, Joey's "how you doin" line, and Rachel calling Joshua about his wallet. The other storylines were pretty good too. Chandler messing things up with Kathy was pretty good and Chandler behaves exactly as we would expect him to. I thought the final joke of Chandler trying to make up with Kathy only to realize that she in now messing around with Nick was a funny ending. I also loved Ross' callback to the "we were on a break" moment. Monica's story is a fine C-story with the odd laugh, but I like that it follows up on the big apartment switch from last episode. The Bad: I expected Rachel to be more upset about her new apartment, but instead it's Monica who feels that way which is a bit inconsistent. Best Moment: Joey's first "how you doin" is a fantastic moment. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This was another really funny, and really fun episode as "Friends" gets its quality back to the normal level. Score: 76 Summary: Monica and Rachel get frustrated with Chandler and Joey when their chick wakes them up in the night. The four of them end up having a contest to see which group knows each other better with high stakes. Phoebe gets the embryos put inside her but she learns that the odds of her actually conceiving are really low.
The Good: This is exactly what I want from TV comedies. These were 20 hilarious minutes featuring a fantastic storyline which kept me thoroughly entertained. It was a great experience. The idea of this quiz game is fantastic and I loved the execution. First, Ross is a terrific choice as the orchestrator of the quiz game and he gets tons of laughs. But the contestants are the highlights as they all excitedly try to win the bet by showing their knowledge of each other. It's fast-paced and consistent comedy, making for what I think is the best storyline that "Friends" has done so far. I also like that the guys actually get to move into the girls' apartment which likely makes way for some fresh jokes and stories down the road. Meanwhile, Phoebe has a very strong story as she faces her pregnancy and we got a solid story as her initial excitement wears off when she hears about the odds only to be excited again when she becomes pregnant. Phoebe's character is used very smartly and helps make this story even better. The Bad: Nothing really. Best Moment: So hard to choose from all of the fantastic moments in the quiz game. I'll go with "Miss Chanandler Bong" for being so unexpectedly hilarious. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: A truly spectacular episode of comedy. Episodes like this make me glad that I watch TV. This is the best episode of "Friends" so far and is something truly memorable. Score: 90 Summary: Joey gets a job as a tour guide at Ross' museum and discovers an odd segregation system. Frank comes to Phoebe to be a surrogate mother for his children, and she is unsure about what to decide. Chandler goes to Monica and Rachel for help to please Kathy in the bedroom.
The Good: There were some good stories and moments in this episode, making it a marked improvement over the last two. The museum storyline was something different from what we usually get from "Friends" and I think it worked very well. The character of Rhonda was unique and funny and I really enjoyed all of her dialogue as she let Joey know what museum life is like. I like the idea of the museum being segregated and it made for a good story when Ross decided to change the rules for his friend Joey. It was a solid, different story with a few funny moments too. I enjoyed Chandler's story too, and being unaware of how to appropriately please a woman in bed fits perfectly with what we know of his character. Him going to Monica and Rachel for help led to what was easily the funniest moment in the episode (see: Best Moment). I thought Phoebe's story was fine as well and it was a good examination of her character. The Bad: Phoebe's story just isn't very funny sadly and it feels unimportant because it was extremely clear that Phoebe would ultimately agree to be a surrogate mother. Best Moment: Chandler talks with Monica and Rachel about the seven erogenous zones, and Monica begins to describe what to do before hilariously giving herself an orgasm screaming "SEVEN". One of the show's best jokes so far. Character of the Episode: Monica. Conclusion: This was a really good episode with good laughs and moments. Score: 70 Summary: Chandler attempts to set Rachel up with a guy from his work, but he makes a lot of mistakes. Monica enlists Joey to help demonstrate to the other workers that she means business. Ross debates between dating a girl who lives nearby or dating a prettier and funner girl who lives far away. Phoebe writes a Christmas song for her friends.
The Good: Some of the stories here were pretty fun. I liked Chandler once more failing to understand women as he tries to set up Rachel with somebody from work and fails miserably. Ross and Phoebe's stories were decent as C-stories and offered up the odd laugh. I liked the idea behind the Monica/Joey story and it led to an enjoyable and fitting ending. The Bad: The Monica and Joey story was a little awkward and tough to buy into which hurt its credibility. The main problem with this episode is that it just wasn't very funny. There wasn't anything that feels memorable or special. Chandler is stuck carrying all of the laughs in this episode. Best Moment: Rachel getting angry at Chandler, who is scared and sorry, for scaring her new boyfriends away was the funniest part of the episode. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: This was a fine episode, but it was lacking in memorable humour. An unusually ordinary episode of "Friends". Score: 57 Summary: Ross and Chandler get excited when an old friend Gandalf is coming to New York so they can party. Rachel tries to get Joanna to get her a promotion. Monica and Phoebe start their catering business but Monica gets a job offer as a head chef.
The Good: Monica's story was solid in this episode. Her conflict with wanting the head chef job despite making promises to Phoebe was well fleshed out and led to its organic conclusion. I liked the story. The guys had a nice story too as they were forced to deal with the fact that they have gotten older, and it led to a couple odd laughs. Rachel's story was the funniest, though it had flaws (see: The Bad). The Bad: Unfortunately the episode wasn't very funny. It was one of the most ordinary episodes of the show so far. Furthermore, a lot of the stories felt like rather generic sitcom stories. While I liked Monica's story, it was resolved in the easiest and most predictable way possible. It wasn't anything special, nor was it particularly funny. Also, Joanna was a bit too excessive in Rachel's interview for my liking. I would have been willing to overlook it if it was the only flaw, but it wasn't. The Joanna story totally lost the plot with one of my least favourite sitcom clichés: the convenient death of a side character. It isn't very funny and I wasn't happy to see "Friends" indulge in a cliché like this. Best Moment: Nothing really stands out. I guess I'll go with Joanna telling Sophie she's completely useless as it was the funniest moment for me. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This episode was pretty ordinary. The stories were fine but the comedy was sorely lacking. Score: 56 Summary: Joey is still angry with Chandler, who is desperate to find a way to make it up to him. Joey tells Chandler to sit in a box for 6 hours as punishment. Monica hurts her eye and goes to see an eye doctor who she thinks is really cute, but it's Richard's son. Ross discovers that Rachel exchanges every gift she receives and is upset about it.
The Good: This was a terrific episode. There were three stories intertwined by Thanksgiving, giving this episode a good flow with plenty of interactions between all of the characters. It helps that every story was enjoyable and had funny moments. The Joey/Chandler story is great and plays off of their relationship very well. I love the callback to when Joey lost all of their furniture, and I think that it led to a funny, reasonable and effective way to get Joey and Chandler back on good terms quickly. Although I do wish we got to see the dynamic of Joey being annoyed a little more, as it led to several great jokes and lines, especially with Chandler in the box. I liked the ending too, as it played off of Joey's good heart by having the sad scene with Kathy make him immediately forgive Chandler. The "happy ending" vibe was good as well and I thought it was a fitting end to the story. Monica's story was very good too. She couldn't help but fall for Richard's son despite everything that's happened, but in the end she knows that she can't go through with it. The story is good, but better yet, it leads to a number of great moments, including one where Monica gets to tell off all of her friends for their flawed lives. The Ross and Rachel story is the most flawed (see: The Bad), but I still really enjoyed it as a C-story which provided the odd few laughs. It was a funny storyline, and the petty dialogue is well-written and leads to a few really good lines. The Bad: Ross and Rachel being at each other's throats made sense when they had just broken up, but not here. It feels like the writers simply liked the way they insulted each other and decided to continue that despite it not being consistent with what we had learned about these two characters in the last three seasons. Best Moment: There are a few to choose from. My favourite has to be Chandler, while in the box, asking what happened in the TV only for Joey to respond with "you kissed my girlfriend". Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: This was a really strong episode with tons of funny moments and three really great storylines. The Thanksgiving episodes always seem to deliver in this show. Score: 78 Summary: Joey starts dating another girl while also dating Kathy. One night he can't make it back for Kathy, and she ends up kissing Chandler. The gang encourages Ross to bust out his keyboard music, but everyone sans Phoebe find it appalling.
The Good: The Chandler and Joey storyline continues to be engaging. Chandler is mostly funny as he keeps spitting out one-liners and his desperation to get out of his situation with Joey was terrific. The blow up at the end with Joey was great, as it's easy to sympathize with the positions that both characters find themselves in and it's understandable that Joey would be angry and Chandler genuinely apologetic. As an aside, I also love scenes when the entire group gathers together. Every character is allowed to infuse their type of comedy into the scene at organic times to make for some quality humour. The Bad: The Ross story is pretty awful though and it drags down the episode. The idea of Ross being oblivious to his awful music is terrible, and worse yet is Phoebe's love for it. The show then totally losing the plot by having all of the friends be awful people. They allow Ross to humiliate himself in public by playing the keyboards (somehow he doesn't notice that other people hate it!!), and then Monica and Phoebe trash Phoebe by saying she sucks too. It's poor writing and some extremely basic laughs aren't enough to save the story. Best Moment: The group talking about Chandler kissing Kathy was very funny and I particularly like the reveal that everyone thought Chandler should tell Joey but nobody had the guts to say anything. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: This was one half of a good episode and one half of the worst "Friends" episode yet. After a hot early run this season, an episode like this feels like a major disappointment. Score: 55 Summary: Rachel tries to complete a crossword. Phoebe helps Monica with catering at a funeral but the widow doesn't pay them. Ross has a new girlfriend but she has an extremely dirty apartment which he struggles to get past. Chandler buys a great gift for Kathy's birthday but struggles to find a gift for Joey that is better than his.
The Good: This was another good episode. All the storylines here were good fun and I enjoyed watching them. Ross was great as he reacted to the nastiness of his girlfriend's apartment. Monica and Phoebe were a fun pairing for catering and I wouldn't complain if we got more of them together because they work pretty well. Chandler's story is good too and it's refreshing to see Chandler with a girl in a long-running storyline. Joey had some great moments of humour as well. I love the touch that Joey is terrible at getting presents, as it remains consistent with what we have seen from him in the past when buying things for other people. The ending joke of Monica going to the apartment to clean it was great and unexpected. The Bad: The dirty apartment seems way too unrealistic to be plausible but it is funny which somewhat makes up for it. The episode as a whole doesn't have enough memorable gags to feel particularly special. Best Moment: Any scene of Ross in the dirty girl's apartment because he was terrific. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This was another good and fun episode as this season remains consistent. I hope that there are more excellent episodes to come. Score: 69 Summary: Ross and Rachel start dating other people to make each other jealous. Joey gets a new girlfriend, Kathy, but Chandler ends up falling in love with her after they talk. Phoebe catches a cold which makes her voice sexy.
The Good: Chandler is pretty funny here as usual. His interactions with Kathy are really good and they get a lot of funny lines in the episode. I enjoyed the ridiculousness of the sequence when Chandler chased Kathy to say hi. Ross and Rachel obsessively trying to make each other jealous was really funny too and I enjoyed how petty they were being by only being passionate about their relationships when the other is around. Monica humiliating both of them at the end was really great too. Phoebe's story is fine and leads to the odd laugh. The Bad: Phoebe's story isn't as funny as it needs to be. Chandler's story goes a bit over-the-top with the chase sequence, but it's still funny which makes up for it. Best Moment: I loved Chandler revealing the truth for Joey, only for him to not believe it at all. Pretty funny. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: This was a good and fun episode of comedy. Nothing particularly excellent about it, but still a very good time. Score: 69 Summary: Mr. Treeger makes Rachel cry so Joey goes to do something about it, and accidentally makes Treeger angry enough to evict Monica and Rachel. Chandler wants to quit the gym but doesn't have the strength, so Ross goes with him to help out. Phoebe develops a crush on her massage client.
The Good: The Ross and Chandler story is very well done and is very funny. Their attempts to quit the gym and their attempt to "quit the bank" were all hilarious. Some of it was a bit over the top, but it was funny so I don't mind. Joey was great in this episode and his interactions with Treeger were very funny. Before the dancing, his story with Treeger was consistently funny and I got good laughs out of Joey accidentally making the situation worse for everyone. The Bad: Sadly the actual ballroom dancing wasn't very funny and ended the episode a bit flatly. Phoebe's story is fine but didn't really make me laugh ever. Best Moment: Ross and Chandler explaining what happened at the bank was fantastic. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: This was a good episode with some genuinely great aspects, but too much of the episode didn't deliver many laughs which hurts its score. Score: 66 Summary: Chandler starts going out with Joanna again and they have sex. Rachel isn't pleased and wants Chandler to break up with her. Monica is asked to make food for a gathering by her mother and Phoebe helps her. Joey is visited by a man who is selling encyclopedias.
The Good: Chandler's story is fantastic here. There are tons of laughs and the character is played to perfection here by Matthew Perry, with very few hints of the over-acting which plagued him last season. I also love that Chandler and Rachel got a storyline together as they haven't had the chance to interact one on one very much. It was fresh and led to some unique and funny moments. I really liked the opening scene too as Rachel, Chandler and Joey were terrific and in-character to make organic laughs. It's a sign of improved writing this season. Monica's story was good too and had a genuine emotional edge to it as Monica proved herself to her mother while Phoebe showed her caring side through some well-times jokes. Joey's story was fine for a few odd laughs too. The Bad: Joey buying the encyclopedia was a bit too cartoony which detracted from some of the scenes. Best Moment: Chandler calling Rachel into the office and their subsequent conversation was hilarious. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: This was a fresh and fantastic episode, which is the best episode in a very long while. Top-tier comedy again from "Friends". Score: 79 Summary: Joey and Chandler try to sell the entertainment centre. Phoebe finds a cat and thinks it is the spirit of her mother but Ross doesn't think so. Monica dates Chip, a guy from her high school to live the high school dream.
The Good: This was a strong episode. Ross and Rachel were great here as they throw small jabs at each other to humiliate each other, leading to several funny scenes, like Rachel calling Chip and Ross apologizing to a cat. Joey and Chandler were really funny in the selling of the entertainment unit. I loved Joey's attachment to it and Chandler's annoyance at Joey's childish behaviour. It fit both of the characters and led to a lot of funny lines. I also loved that the people with the canoe were purposely made to be similar to Joey and Chandler, making for a neat little joke and a hilarious ending scene where they get the canoe to replace their stolen furniture. I also loved the joke of Joey getting trapped int he unit again and being robbed. It was a great callback and delivered a terrific joke. Monica's story was really good too as it highlighted her change in character since high school. While it wasn't the funniest, it was still a good story. Phoebe's story was the weakest but it had a few good moments of comedy. The Bad: I didn't like that we were supposed to sympathize so much with Phoebe for being obsessed with a cat. It was funny but it was never meant to be something we can seriously sympathize with. I found myself sympathizing with Ross more than Phoebe in those moments. Best Moment: Joey getting trapped in the entertainment centre was a great moment that had me laughing. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: This was a great episode with a lot of great jokes. Whiel there were some problems with Phoebe's story, the episode was the funniest we have gotten in a while. Score: 73 Summary: Monica, Chandler and Joey have a traumatic experience on the beach and can't tell anyone. Phoebe rejects her mother for abandoning her. Ross chooses to be with Rachel and breaks up with Bonnie.
The Good: This was a pretty good episode with clever moments of comedy. All three storylines are filled with good lines and jokes and I was enjoying myself all the way through. Ross and Rachel have another great argument, and Ross' insistence on them being on a break is very funny. Most impressive is the jellyfish storyline, which breaks from the way most "Friends" episodes are, featuring overacting and parody. This has happened in the past and I have never been impressed by it, but this time it was very funny and the overly dramatic reactions add a lot to the story. The jokes feel organic and the characters somehow still feel normal despite all of the overacting. Phoebe's story is fine as well if nothing too special. The Bad: The Ross and Rachel story is hurt by a serious lack of logic. Why would Ross not just tell Rachel he fell asleep? She would clearly understand since it was 5:30 in the morning. This is the catalyst for the relationship falling apart again and it feels completely unsatisfying. Best Moment: I loved Joey, Chandler and Monica revealing what happened on the beach. The whole scene was way better than it had any right to be. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: Aside from the one logical misstep, this was a welcome return to form. Hopefully the rest of the season keeps up a high quality. Score: 71 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
February 2024
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