Summary: Chandler and Monica both borrow money from Joey without telling each other and Joey tells Chandler that Monica borrowed it for a boob job. Mike moves in with Phoebe but they realize that they have contrasting opinions on marriage. Rachel baby-proofs Joey's apartment.
The Good: Phoebe has a good conflict to deal with here when she learns that Mike doesn't want to get married. She has to discover more about herself and how she feels about it before finally calling things off at the end of the episode. Ross is utilized well here when Phoebe goes to him for advice. The odd joke throughout the episode works, like Rachel not really carrying the couch, Joey struggling with the baby-proofing, and Ross trying to tell Phoebe how bad marriage is. The Bad: The Chandler/Monica story is atrocious. Their relationship has always been written so poorly that it's sometimes hard to understand how they are still together. The fact that they ask Joey in secret to borrow money is an awful development that should shake their trust in each other. The worst part is Chandler talking Monica out of borrowing money only to ask Joey for money anyways, a totally perplexing decision. Even stupider is Joey telling Chandler that Monica is getting a boob job. What did he think would happen? The scenes between Chandler and Monica after that are painful, and the miscommunication is unrealistic. Why didn't Chandler tell Monica forthright what he heard from Joey? And why didn't Monica try talking to Chandler first before jumping to conclusions that he is getting nervous about her being pregnant? And why on Earth did they have these discussions in front of Rachel? Everything about this story is awful. Phoebe's story could potentially have been emotional and tragic, but unfortunately it actually falls flat. Phoebe was written well, but the problem is Mike who is still a cardboard cut-out of a character. All of the stories involving Mike have failed because I hardly know him so I am entirely unable to connect with him. The break-up scene fails to have any impact because of my complete disconnect with anything involving Mike. Ross and his divorce names is a really cheap joke and it isn't funny. Best Moment: Joey struggling to deal with the baby-proofing. Character of the Episode: Phoebe. She wasn't particularly funny but at least she was written well. Conclusion: This episode gave Phoebe a good conflict, but Mike, the awful Chandler/Monica story, and some poor jokes really drag this down. After a pretty good episode, it's back to the standard fare of mediocrity. Score: 42
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Summary: Phoebe and Ross almost get mugged and Ross learns that Phoebe used to mug people when she was younger, and Phoebe realizes that she actually mugged Ross. Chandler works as an intern and notices an age gap between him and the other interns. Joey gets an audition with the famous Leonard Hayes.
The Good: All 3 storylines delivered this time. Phoebe's history gets explored in an interesting way in this episode, and the reveal that she mugged Ross in the past is pretty funny. It's sensible that Ross would be upset and that Phoebe would be a little bit happy that she now has a deep-rooted connection to one of her friends since she has always been the outsider. Joey's story is also quite good. I've always liked stories that involve Joey acting because the writers can sometimes get creative with them. That happens here as we get to see Joey's hilarious acting ability while holding in his piss, aided by a lovely cameo from Jeff Goldblum who gives a memorable performance as the snobby famous actor. Chandler's story is decent too as we finally see him get a new job and do a good job now that he's finally doing something he's passionate for. The Bad: The biggest issue is that there isn't a whole lot of laughs in these stories. They are written about as well as early "Friends" episodes, but they don't capture the same level of comedy. Best Moment: Joey relaxing and accidentally peeing all over Leonard was great. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: This was a surprisingly good episode. In a season full of stinkers, I'm impressed that the writers managed to create an episode with 3 good stories that were not painful to watch. The laughs were lacking a little bit, but overall I definitely enjoyed this. Score: 66 Summary: Joey and Phoebe set Rachel and Ross up on terrible first dates to hopefully get them back together. Chandler and Monica watch over Emma but a problem arises when they need to have sex the same night due to Monica's ovulation cycle.
The Good: Joey and Chandler do their best to salvage the humour in this episode. A lot of their jokes are cheap, but here and there we get some funny jokes and one-liners. The blind dates have their moments too, like Ross' interactions with the waiter. The highlight is definitely the Joey/Phoebe story. Their interactions are still loads of fun because this is a pairing that the writers still understand pretty well, and it is funny to see their ill-conceived plan fall apart by the episode's end. The Bad: The characters still aren't written great. Joey is unbelievably stupid a lot of the time (like thinking Joey is his family name), Chandler is becoming increasingly dorkier and less funny with every passing episode, and Phoebe's joking schemes rub me the wrong way considering how awful the character has been to her friends in the past. This biggest writing disaster in this episode was Monica, who was terrible. Monica's motherly instincts and total organization are essential to her character, so it is a shocker to think that she would agree to have sex in another room instead of watching over Emma. That's completely not in character. And funnily enough, Monica losing track of what day it is also doesn't fit her character at all, so the very premise of this story doesn't quite work. Rachel's blind date with Steve had huge potential for comedy and the performance is pretty good, but he is written as a completely unbelievable loser and the joke goes way too far to be funny at all. Best Moment: Rachel and Ross piecing together Phoebe and Joey's plan while they watch from the outside thinking how smart they are. Great comedic timing in that moment. Character of the Episode: Joey. He's been carrying this show for a while now. Conclusion: Another day, another poor season 9 outing, though this one was at least watchable and made me laugh more than previous episodes. Still, it's a subpar effort and I expect more from a show with the reputation of "Friends". Score: 55 Summary: Ross tries to find a girl to go out with to get back at Rachel. This eventually leads to a fight between them. Monica goes to a piano event with Phoebe and sings but doesn't realize that the audience can see through her shirt. Joey goes to get his eyebrows done.
The Good: Once again, the cast and their interactions do their best to make this watchable. Everyone has some good lines and good jokes to salvage some poorly written storylines. I was amused by Joey's antics as he got his eyebrows done, Chandler gets so many one-liners so some of them are bound to land, and Rachel is at her awkward best while trying to fake being sick with Gavin before the whole charade falls apart. The Bad: But much of this episode is bad. The Ross and Rachel storyline has become unbelievably frustrating. Ross trying to find other girls to get back at Rachel makes him look awful, and the way he angrily goes after Rachel is awful character development. Their argument at the end of the episode tries to evoke the same emotions from their big argument in season 3 but it fails miserably, failing to capture any of that same tragic feeling. Where both characters are sympathetic and understandable in season 3, they are anything but right now. Ross behaves like a crazed lunatic who has learned nothing from his past, while Rachel proves to be not much better. Their argument is so forced and it's hard to believe that they both wouldn't just tell each other about their feelings at this point. It's so poorly written. The other two storylines are inconsequential filler. Joey getting his eyebrows done is the kind of nonsense gimmick storyline that proves that "Friends" is running out of ideas. As is Monica having a see-through shirt, a story that is light on laughs and continues to make Phoebe look like the worst friend ever. Best Moment: Joey identifying himself as "Chandler Bing" to save the Tribbiani name some embarrassment. Perfectly in-character and funny. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: The interactions are still good, but they struggle to mask the poor writing and aimless storytelling. Again, this is a poor effort from a show that has been a real chore to watch this season. Score: 47 Summary: Phoebe takes care of baby rats when a rat dies in her home. Rachel continues to banter with Gavin and contemplates if he likes her. Ross and Rachel hire a hot nanny and Joey tries to connect with her against Ross' will.
The Good: Rachel and Gavin's banter is fun and nicely written. Rachel gets lots of good lines throughout the episode and she behaves normally compared to the previous episode. The nanny storyline is okay, and the best part of it is definitely the lesbian twist at the end and everyone's reactions to it. I've noticed that this season is entirely dependent on the quality of the character interactions. The plots are never much good so everything depends on how funny the interactions are. Luckily they are fairly solid in this episode. The Bad: The rats storyline is pretty weak and Phoebe is as hard to like as ever. It's hard to understand why Mike goes along with her lunacy as she tries to raise baby rats. Joey refusing to back off from the nanny is out of character for him, and he is uncharacteristically childlike and unsympathetic throughout the episode. Joey's comedy doesn't come from him being a child, it comes from him being narrow-minded and missing the bigger picture. Treating him like a self-absorbed child is poor writing. Rachel's story with Gavin is fine, but of course they have to use it to milk more will they/won't they drama, and by this point I am tired of it. Best Moment: The twist that the nanny was a lesbian. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This was better than the last few awful episodes at least, but it is not good television. Score: 50 Summary: Chandler gets cold feet about having a baby without being employed. Rachel returns to work early when she is intimidated by Gavin who has replaced her while she was away. Joey tries to help Phoebe by getting her to be an extra on his show.
The Good: Joey is as sweet as ever by offering to help Phoebe make some money. Chandler and Monica have a decent story as they finally delve into the realities of having a baby. Ross doesn't have much to do in the plot, but he comes and goes between storylines to provide almost all of the episode's laughs. The Bad: Unfortunately, this is another episode with 3 weak stories. Chandler and Monica have an okay story, but it is built on Chandler's ridiculous decision to fake an orgasm instead of talking with Monica about how he feels. I hate that "Friends" continues to portray this supposed happy marriage with such toxic moments like this. Neither character is funny in the episode. Rachel feels like she has regressed with how petty and annoying she is in this episode, and she isn't funny either. It's hard to care about her story at all. But the worst by far is Joey and Phoebe's storyline, and the blame lies entirely on Phoebe who is at her worst. She starts off the episode by stealing Joey's food and drink before claiming that she doesn't like to borrow from friends (but stealing is okay apparently!). Then she works as an extra and makes everything about herself, makes Joey look bad at his job, and refuses to cooperate with anyone, or be grateful for the chance to make some money when she is broke. The awfulness she displays in this episode is disgusting, and storylines like these make me wonder why everyone is still friends with her. Poor Joey was punished for showing her some kindness. Best Moment: The joke of Monica walking into the apartment and saying intimate things to Chandler with Ross in the background was funny. A fed up Ross telling her "here's an idea: you walk into the room, take a quick scan" was definitely the comedic highlight of the episode. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: Another bad episode. Season 9 has been hard to watch so far. It's nowhere near as funny as previous seasons, the storylines are beyond ridiculous, and the characters aren't acting like themselves anymore. It's sad to watch a once incredible show struggle to manage even a single good episode. Score: 37 Summary: Chandler spends Christmas in Tulsa and reflects on the good times he has had with all of his friends during the holidays.
The Good: Chandler's story leading to him quitting his job is decent enough television. Sadly, the clips from the clip show are funnier than most jokes we have seen this season. The Bad: This clip show serves absolutely no purpose. The Christmas theme doesn't tell any story, and it doesn't mesh well with Chandler's story in this episode. This clip show feels even lazier than previous ones. Furthermore, it is excessively painful to watch a clip show of better times while season 9 offers up poor episode after poor episode. This episode confirmed that the Tulsa storyline was a complete waste of time with no consequences, and the status quo was restored in no time at all. There were no good jokes in the new storyline at all. Best Moment: Nothing new made me laugh in this episode so I'll actually have to go with the clips from the holiday armadillo episode. Those are still amusing, far more than anything else in this episode. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: Even the clip shows are hitting new lows in season 9. The clips were nothing special, they felt lazier than ever, and the new content never came close to making me laugh. This was a boring waste of my time. Score: 30 Summary: Rachel and Phoebe go out together and Rachel contemplates her feelings for Ross. Ross has Mike hang out in his apartment but they struggle to find something to talk about. Chandler lies to Joey to spend the night with Monica, but Joey thinks Monica is cheating on Chandler.
The Good: The occasional jokes is funny. Joey has some good moments like hitting himself with a bat, piecing together that Monica might be cheating, and messing up the date of the game. Rachel's story has some heart to it and Phoebe is okay with her gentle teasing. The Bad: These were three very weak storylines. Rachel's is probably the best, but it is badly hurt by the constant stalling going on with the Ross/Rachel relationship. It was tedious before and is actively starting to annoy me now because it feels like the show is spinning its wheels by revisiting these two over and over again with no progress made. Ross and Mike's scenes are pretty bad. They aren't funny and I am baffled that somebody thought that this storyline was a good idea. Mike has no character right now and a relationship with Ross could have been a good way for us to learn more about him. Instead the writers put the bare minimum into writing Mike and come up with an awful story that continues to treat him like a cardboard cut-out of a human being. Ross and Mike being unable to talk to each other is absurd and unrealistic; it feels forced. Chandler's story is also poor. Him lying to Joey is a stupid idea that I never bought into (Joey has always been understanding so I don't know why Chandler thinks he won't understand), and the story only escalated into further stupidity. Chandler is unbelievably dumb when trying to make this cover up story, and Joey comes across as a moron for not figuring out the truth sooner with how badly Chandler and Monica failed to keep their secret. I've also long since been frustrated by the way doors work in this show. Joey can clearly be heard outside, yet Chandler can speak with his regular voice right next to the door and not be heard? It's been a problem throughout the show but it is especially bad here because the story specifically draws attention to characters' voices being heard through doors, only for the show to be totally inconsistent with this idea. Best Moment: Chandler telling Joey that the game is tomorrow. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: Another bad episode. This was three poor storylines with very few laughs throughout. At this point "Friends" desperately needs to wrap up because it's painful sitting through so many uninspired episodes like this one. Score: 38 Summary: Rachel's sister Amy meets with Rachel and she gets invited to their Thanksgiving dinner. Monica is nervous when her wedding china is used for the dinner. Joey tries to come up with an excuse for missing the Thanksgiving parade for Days of our Lives.
The Good: It's always nice to see all of the friends together in a story. The characters are usually grasped quite well and the character interactions are nicely written and funny. Amy is pretty good at times. It's funny to hear her bringing up Ross and Monica's past selves in an insulting way, and her argument with Rachel is pretty funny before it devolves into a ridiculous fight. Joey forgetting to go to the parade is funny and consistent with the character, and Joey has always been bad at lying and keeping secrets, so his struggle to come up with lies is both plausible and funny, especially when it involves raccoons. The ending gag with Chandler destroying all of the plates is predictable, but it is funny, especially when contrasted with the story of Chandler proving how responsible he is. The Bad: Despite being a big Thanksgiving episode, this one feels inconsequential. The storylines here are all unspectacular and feel like filler, especially Monica with the plates and Joey with the parade. Amy is a good addition, but a lot of her jokes don't land and the fight with Rachel is more ridiculous than funny. Chandler's story is solid but it is hurt by how unnecessarily shallow Ross and Rachel are by neglecting him and his feelings. Best Moment: Rachel and Amy trading funny insults before their fight. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: "Friends" feels a lot more hollow this season, even to the point that the Thanksgiving episode isn't anything special. But still, the format of seeing the six friends all together works well and their interactions with each other salvage this episode. Score: 63 Summary: Phoebe meets Mike's parents. Chandler finds a tape named "Monica" in Richard's place and his jealousy overcomes him. Ross and Rachel make Emma laugh by singing Baby Got Back.
The Good: Joey carries this episode on his back and he has almost all of the episodes good jokes. Some of them include Joey making fun of the idea of eating bird meat before having a realization (a classic Joey moment utilizing that he is narrow-minded instead of making him unrealistically stupid), Joey being offended at Chandler's disgust at being his partner, and Joey attempting to visualize his own marriage. These moments practically save the episode. Ross and Rachel are mildly funny in their story, and the final joke at the episode's end is pretty good. There are a few good lines in Phoebe's story, particularly the ones that point out just how terrible of a job Phoebe is doing. The Bad: Phoebe's story is once again really bad. Her lack of chemistry with Mike brings down every story that they are in, and their relationship feels hollow. It doesn't help that Phoebe is unrealistically awkward in her scenes with Mike's parents, and these scenes are more cringeworthy than funny. Mike's claim that he loves Phoebe at the end of the episode feels forced, and it wasn't built up to very well. I am so tired of seeing Monica and Chandler bicker over stupid little things. You would think that they would understand each other better by now. The entire sex tape storyline is poorly executed, not very funny, and has an unsatisfying conclusion. I wish Monica and Chandler would act like a proper couple more often. Best Moment: This is the case of picking the best Joey moment of the episode. I'll go with Joey slowly connecting the dots towards Richard having a tape of Monica and Chandler angrily yelling at him to "get there faster". Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: Some good lines from Joey save this episode from being an unfunny trainwreck. Season 9 continues to be a huge disappointment. Score: 52 Summary: Ross and Rachel hire a male nanny and Ross can't stand him. Phoebe is conflicted when David returns but she is in a committed relationship with Mike. Chandler tries to prove to Monica that he is funnier than a new guy she met at work.
The Good: The David story is a really good idea and is executed well. David has been Phoebe's best and most memorable love interest in the past, so it is natural that to progress with Mike, she needs to get past David. This story is written competently and has some lovely moments, mainly because David is such a fun and likeable character. The male nanny story is pretty funny, and is made funnier with how the world has changed in the 20 years since this episode came out at first. Ross being so uncomfortable with hiring a male nanny makes sense and his arguments to Rachel and obvious discomfort is hilarious. The episode goes to a predictable conclusion with Ross finally connecting with Sandy, but it works. The Bad: The problem with the Mike storyline is that he's a totally flat character and he has absolutely no chemistry with Phoebe. It's hard to root for them when we hardly know them or why they like each other. Joey has a poor episode as he regresses to childhood with Sandy, which is out of character and a classic case of selling out a character for cheap laughs. Chandler being so offended that Monica found someone funnier than him is a terrible storyline. There are some okay laughs like everyone fake laughing at Chandler, but the story's premise is terrible, a fundamental misunderstanding of who Chandler is. Chandler never tries to be the funniest guy in the room, he uses humour as a defense mechanism. By thinking that Chandler would be offended if he's not viewed as the funniest, the writers completely misunderstand the character. Furthermore, having Chandler make stand-up comedy jokes is terrible and woefully out of character for him. It's not funny, it's just poor writing. Best Moment: Joey's "penis model" line for being wholly expected and perfectly paying off a joke from earlier in the episode. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This was one of the season's stronger episodes, but it is still a mix of good and bad. Score: 59 Summary: Phoebe invites everyone for a birthday dinner but gets upset when only Joey arrives on time. Rachel is panicked about leaving Emma and Ross tries to help her leave, but he accidentally locks them out of the apartment. Chandler and Monica fight after Chandler smokes in Tulsa, but Monica still wants to try to get pregnant.
The Good: This is a nice concept episode that reminds me of some of the best of "Friends". Everyone finding ways to be late for Phoebe's dinner is a good story and there are some fun laughs throughout. As has been the case in season 9, Joey is a consistent source of easy laughs as his desperation to eat creates most of the jokes, and there is a nice joke when he returns to his table and finds a bunch of random strangers there instead. Ross has some good moments too as he tries to convince Rachel to leave, and in his reactions to his mother's story about him as a baby. The Bad: This didn't work nearly as well as the best episodes of "Friends". A big reason for that is the drop in quality of the character writing. Most of the characters here behave poorly and are hard to sympathize with. Phoebe tries to host this birthday dinner and everyone runs late, and yet none of them think to even call her? That is absurd and it justifies Phoebe's rant at the end of the episode. But in a complete trainwreck of a moment, Phoebe turns the cold shoulder to her friends to spend more time with Mike, who we don't even know yet. What the hell? Why would Phoebe be so hypocritical and awful like that? Phoebe's slow character assassination since season 1 has been painful to watch. Monica and Chandler's story is a mess. Chandler falling back into smoking has been overused at this point, and Monica comes off poorly when she turns on him so brutally. How am I supposed to like and support this relationship when both Monica and Chandler are so thoroughly unlikeable? And the worst part is that Monica actually manipulates Chandler into having sex with her. That is awful writing and should be a bigger problem than it is presented as. This episode has a consistent problem of poorly written characters, and having characters be needlessly run and hard to like. Best Moment: Ross mocks Rachel's paranoia by telling a hilarious story about how an eagle flew into the apartment and attacked Emma. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: In its earlier seasons, "Friends" was always able to make us laugh while presenting us with a likeable cast of characters. But that has changed and this episode exemplifies that. There are decent laughs here and the episode is an easy watch, but it is dragged through the mud by the fact that all the characters have to resort to being awful people in an attempt to make us laugh. This is insulting to the show and the characters, and it is a big reason for season 9 being so uninspired so far. Score: 54 Summary: Ross upsets Phoebe after saying she has never had a serious relationship and keeps making the situation worse. Monica is unsettled when she thinks that Chandler has a shark attack fetish. Joey dates a woman but thinks that he has slept with her before.
The Good: Again, Joey does his best to save this episode. The idea of him being upset that a woman doesn't remember him is a hilarious, hypocritical idea. His investigation is a lot of fun and it leads to a predictable, but still funny, conclusion. The Bad: The other storylines are poor. Ross is a total idiot in this episode and his decision-making is baffling. The way he upsets Phoebe at the start of the episode doesn't ring true at all, and it suggests that Ross hardly even knows her if he thinks that she doesn't want anything serious and doesn't want to get married. Of course Phoebe is rude again, suggesting that wanting to be Ross is such a bad thing, even while crying. Ross choosing to visit Mike and tell him everything is totally absurd, and the invention of Vikram is equally stupid, even though it does lead to a couple fun jokes at the end of the episode. Chandler and Monica's story doesn't feel right either. Monica thinking that Chandler is into sharks is ridiculous, suggesting that she doesn't know him at all. Obviously he had changed the channel to the sharks! Best Moment: Joey saying ridiculous lies to Hayley like "I don't normally ask out women I meet in coffeehouses" and Gunther openly laughing at them in the background. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: More poor stuff from season 9. This season is off to a very bad start. Score: 47 Summary: Rachel looks for a new pediatrician for Emma. Joey and Phoebe set each other up for a double date but Joey forgets to find someone for Phoebe. Chandler prepares to leave for Tulsa.
The Good: Joey laughing at names is silly fun. Joey has a good episode overall and does his best trying to go along with Mike, and Phoebe does well to see through it. The story ends sweetly with Joey happy that Phoebe found someone. The Bad: The trend of awful writing continues this season. Phoebe completely fails to find someone serious for Joey, instead opting for somebody who is "loose" and willing to do threesomes. The Joey/Phoebe storyline overall is light on laughs. Chandler moving to Tulsa is such a flat storyline that doesn't feel consequential at all. We all know that he will still be around for the season. Monica comes off as awful for sticking by Chandler and then making a sharp 180, trying to stay in New York for a job. The storyline is bare-bones, and Monica's lack of indecision makes her look like a selfish liar to Chandler. Phoebe remains awful with how she treats Chandler in this episode, calling dibs on his apartment and forcing him out the door at the episode's end. Of course Ross gets humiliated again, and this time it's just embarrassing. The idea of Ross seeing a pediatrician is utterly ridiculous, one of those stupid ideas that never should have left the writer's room. Rachel again comes off as an unprepared mother as she is unrealistically paranoid. Best Moment: Joey smiling about his "two best friends" getting together. Character of the Episode: Joey again. Conclusion: This season is off to an atrocious start. There were some good laughs in the previous episode, but otherwise these first three episodes feel like they were written by 3rd graders, packed with unfunny jokes and poorly written storylines. Another bad episode. Score: 43 Summary: Joey tries to work things out with Ross. Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe try their best to get Emma to stop crying. Chandler sleeps through a meeting and discovers he is being sent to Tulsa and tries to get out of it.
The Good: Once again the funny character interactions save this episode. Ross and Joey are the stars here. Their storyline, even if it doesn't quite work (see: The Bad), is a lot of fun. Joey is super charismatic and likeable here. His inability to understand quotations is great, and the punching joke is tremendously funny. I think he works things out reasonably with Ross, and they have fun interactions throughout the episode. Chandler continuously offending his boss is pretty funny. The Bad: But unfortunately a lot of this is stupid. While I enjoyed seeing Chandler offend his boss, he comes off as a total fool throughout the storyline, falling asleep so easily, looking weak next to Monica, and utterly failing to make a case to not go to Tulsa. Furthermore, the move to Tulsa would never be forced onto Chandler like this in reality. The Emma storyline is terrible. We have seen many episodes of Rachel preparing to be a mother, so having her be so lazy and make such careless mistakes like waking Emma is pure character regression. Rachel recruiting Monica to care for Emma is really selfish, and Monica looks dumb for going along with it. Worse is Phoebe who is positively unhelpful and rude in every single scenario. This is Phoebe at her worst. Ross being so angry with Joey doesn't quite make sense. The problem for him was that Rachel said yes, so why is he so furious with Joey? This story was written very poorly all the way through. Best Moment: Joey is his bets self as he begs Ross to hit him, but then manages to make things worse by getting Ross to punch the pole and then Joey himself punches Ross on accident. It's really comical stuff, and the cherry on top is Gunther's overjoyed expression after Ross injures himself. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: Ross and Joey are fantastic here, but their comedy is undercut by the rest of the episode being borderline unwatchable. The main story is terrific, but the awful supporting storylines bring down this episode badly. Score: 52 Summary: Joey tries to talk to Rachel and Ross about the accidental proposal. Rachel tells Phoebe she is engaged but Phoebe thinks it is with Joey. Monica and Chandler keep having sex to try to get pregnant.
The Good: There are some funny lines throughout the episode and good jokes. Once again, the main cats do their absolute best to salvage the episode by having some nice interactions. Joey's awkwardness around Rachel, Ross asserting he is a doctor, and Jack going too far in the sex discussion were good, if unspectacular jokes. The Bad: This episode is entirely ridiculous. Rachel going along with the proposal makes no sense, and it is impossible to buy into her actions for the entire episode. That makes it all the more frustrating when the Rachel/Ross relationship is stalled further at the episode's end. The situation this time is not even remotely funny and it serves only to annoy me. Joey's actions are just as awful. It should not be hard for him to talk to either Ross or Rachel and explain his mistake. Yet every time he tries, the show forces somebody to interrupt to delay the inevitable and allow the situation to predictably spiral out of control. Ross is pretty bad here as well, thinking that maybe he did propose, which is absurd. The scene when the trio finally work out the problem wasn't particularly funny or effective, and it felt like a chore to finally get to that point. Chandler and Phoebe also get involved at various points and are entirely unhelpful and unsympathetic. Ross taking so long to realize that Rachel must have said yes to Joey is tough to buy, and of course it will likely lead to yet another roadblock in the Ross/Rachel relationship, what a surprise. Monica and Chandler's story is fine with some good jokes, but Jack is completely out of character here. Jack completely loses the subtlety in his actions, and also loses what makes him funny. The line trying to explain that he is much more vulgar without his wife doesn't excuse this, and it feels like another case of sacrificing character for cheap comedy. Best Moment: Ross shifts away from the pressing proposal topic to assert to Phoebe that he IS a doctor. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: After the concerning cliffhanger in the season 8 finale, I was afraid that this first episode would fall into absolute absurdity. My concerns were proven correct because this episode was brainlessly written and difficult to watch. This is definitely one of the weakest episodes of "Friends", and a very poor start to season 9. Score: 40 Summary: Rachel finally gives birth and starts to get worried that she will be alone. Chandler and Monica continue trying to conceive. Clifford finds out what Phoebe did with Joey.
The Good: Rachel having her baby is a nice sequence. She's fittingly afraid without going too overboard. Ross is great as he provides support and also some laughs. The episode shines most when it is more serious surprisingly. Rachel's fears are well written and it's easy to buy into her realization that Ross will likely leave her behind for his own family. Meanwhile, Ross gets a terrific scene with Phoebe where he explains very understandable fears involving getting back with Rachel. The Bad: Lots of flaws to list out. Of course we are back in full force with yet another will they/won't they between Ross and Rachel. It is getting absurd now. The proposal at the end is completely ridiculous and it's hard to imagine that it will have any long-lasting consequences. Phoebe's story falls apart in predictable fashion and is resolved off-screen, making it feel entirely frivolous. At least she wasn't rewarded for her awful behaviour this time. Chandler and Monica did not get enough material to justify their story being stretched out across two episodes. Also, Rachel giving birth took 21 hours, are we seriously supposed to believe that everyone waited in the hospital for that long? This second half isn't a very funny episode so it actually suffers more than part 1 does from this story being split into two halves. Best Moment: Ross revealing why he doesn't want to get back with Rachel to Phoebe. It's not funny, but it's a very sweet and well-written moment that outshined all of the jokes in this episode. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: There was some nice character writing here, but the slow pace of this two-part season finale really hurt this episode as the side stories felt especially pointless and the good jokes were few and far between. Season 8 was a mixed season, but better than the last two. It had glimpses of excellence with some brilliant episode concepts, and the main cast were especially great together in this season. But the familiar issues of silly writing, degrading characters to caricatures of themselves, and inconsistency across 25 episodes remained true, even if there were some episodes that rose above these flaws. I think this season is a bit better than the last few simply because of those worthwhile episodes that I really loved. But even with this late re-emergence of quality, I still get the sense that "Friends" is continuing to lose steam, and this season merely slowed the decrease in quality rather than reverse it. With several stories and characters becoming tired, I hope that this show concludes before it suffers a really bad drop in quality. Score: 57 Summary: Rachel waits to have her baby but she is stuck waiting for a long time. Chandler and Monica try to conceive in the hospital. Phoebe tries to hunt down a cute guy in the hospital.
The Good: This was a really funny episode. The dialogue was written wonderfully and the episode was packed with delightfully funny lines that amused me. Ross and Rachel's dynamic is brilliant here, and the writers got something special out of having the react to the hilarious couples that they ended up sharing a room with. Ross is his typical dorky self as he tries to make Rachel feel better, and Rachel's 17 hour wait is a credible reason to make her increasingly erratic to create some funny moments while she expresses her frustration. The twist that Chandler is ready to have a baby is a lovely bit of character growth. When "Friends" takes itself seriously, it can create excellent moments like when Monica 's attempt to scare Chandler results in the surprise reveal that he's ready to take a step forwards. This was much better than another jab at Chandler's commitment issues. The Bad: This episode feels like a part 1. The story is paced painfully slowly and if there hadn't been as many good lines, this could have been a really poor episode. Rachel's birth feels like a single episode storyline stretched into two. Phoebe's story doesn't work for me. She's as mean-spirited as ever, and while Joey is funny, there is absolutely no way that the hospital staff or Clifford would ever cooperate with his Dr. Drake Ramoray shtick. Janice's introduction at the end didn't work for me. It's always the same joke of how annoying she is, and after 8 seasons, it is not funny anymore. Best Moment: Ross spreads his legs up on the hospital bed to make Rachel laugh, only for another couple to walk in and see him on their bed. Ross immediately gets up and awkwardly introduces himself saying, "I'm here to ruin this magical day for you". This scene is both funny and plausible. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: Once again, "Friends" is saved by the efforts of its main cast and their ability to bounce funny lines off of each other. I was entertained throughout this episode even though there were flaws with pacing and realism. Score: 66 Summary: Rachel becomes increasingly irritable as her due date is delayed. Monica and Phoebe bet on when Rachel will have her baby. Joey takes Chandler to the premiere of his movie but gets upset when Chandler falls asleep.
The Good: The episode's ending is really good as we get a sweet moment between Ross and Rachel before she gives birth. I thought that the storylines all had pretty funny resolutions. Rachel trying to get Ross to have sex with her was really funny, and there were some really clever jokes that lead up to a great ending gag as Ross exclaims "I'm good!" when the baby immediately starts to come. The final scene with Monica and Phoebe is excellent as Monica tries one final time to win her bet before getting overcome with excitement about Rachel's new baby. Joey forgiving Chandler after seeing how much he has to pay him is a funny resolution to their story. The Bad: Joey and Chandler's story feels like pure fluff and the resolution feels so cheap that the entire story becomes a waste of time. It's especially hard to buy into this story when we have never seen Chandler support Joey in the way that the show describes. This is why it's important that we should see these characters being good friends instead of only seeing the funny moments where they have conflict with each other. Monica and Phoebe betting on Rachel was a typical late-season "Friends" storyline where characters do pretty terrible things for no good reason. Rachel becoming so unreasonably annoying is a poor use of the unpredictable pregnant woman trope and it didn't make me laugh at all. It's especially problematic because much of this episode hinges on erratic Rachel being funny. Best Moment: The final few minutes with Ross and Rachel, particularly Ross' sarcastic comments at how poorly Rachel is doing in trying to get him to have sex. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This episode starts off really poorly but it does become something better by the end. Even still, this is still a weak episode of "Friends". With the season finale coming up, hopefully season 8 can end with a bang. Score: 54 Summary: Monica attends a cooking class to feel better after she gets a bad review. Rachel gets jealous when a lady starts flirting with Ross. Phoebe helps Chandler prepare for an interview.
The Good: This is vintage "Friends". All three storylines are pretty good and utilize the characters well, and the jokes are witty, well-written, and hilarious. Ross and Rachel's story is the highlight here. Rachel's jealousy is tremendously fun to watch, and I'm glad that her emotions weren't just explained away with "it's because she's pregnant", which is always cheap. Her interactions with Ross were fun, and I really laughed at how Katie flirted with him. The whip joke was a really funny pay-off to the Indiana Jones bit with Ross being as wonderfully awkward as ever. More impressive was how Rachel joking about wanting to talk about things early in the episode came back as a serious plot point later. That was excellently executed. The two side stories were less impressive but still really funny. Joey is funny as ever as he tags along with Monica. Monica getting so upset and then taking a class to feel better is in line with her character and thankfully the writers don't make her too annoying in these scenes. Chandler doing his best to not make funny jokes during an interview is a funny idea and there are some good laughs in his story. It was nice to see Phoebe honestly try to help him for once. The Bad: It's disappointing to be back at Ross/Rachel for what feels like the 400th time. If this episode wasn't so funny and well-executed, I would be much more annoyed at this. Best Moment: Rachel seriously thinking about getting back together with Ross and both of their awkward reactions after that moment were really funny. I loved the continuity with Rachel's joke from earlier and I think that this is a perfect use of awkwardness to create comedy in a way that isn't uncomfortable to watch. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This was excellent stuff. Three consistently well-written stories with consistently funny jokes and a sense of important story progression. This feels like a season 1-5 "Friends" episode in those regards, and I definitely mean that as a compliment. Score: 73 Summary: Joey practices being a game show host with Ross and Chandler. Monica and Phoebe throw a baby shower for Rachel but have to call her mother at the last minute because they forgot to invite her. Rachel's mother decides to stay with Rachel for eight weeks after she gives birth.
The Good: The game show parody is a lot of fun, and Joey, Ross and Chandler's wacky antics are pretty funny. The episode is built on a fun idea of Rachel being unprepared to have her baby. The Bad: The episode doesn't deliver like it should. Monica and Phoebe are really weak in this episode, and watching Monica attempt to suck up to Rachel's mother so much is annoying and not funny. Once again Monica is written to extremely cartoonish levels in an attempt to make her funny. Rachel's story is a good idea but it isn't executed well. It's hard to believe that Rachel wouldn't have done any research on how to be a mother before now, and I'm shocked that she didn't even mention that Ross would be there to help her out so she wouldn't need her mother. The game show story is fun but it ultimately ends up feeling like needless filler. Best Moment: Ross, Chandler and Joey getting really into bamboozled was really funny to watch, and it's an excellent joke on how ridiculous game shows can be. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: This episode had a few good ideas and jokes but the overall package isn't done very well. It's another disappointing episode. Score: 54 Summary: Joey does an interview for Soap Opera Digest and does his best not to blow it.
The Good: This is an excellent concept for an episode. The interview scenes are fun, and the episode has a predictably amusing ending as Joey messes up the very last question. The writers throw in several clever jokes throughout the interview. The Bad: Unfortunately, the interview is only about 10% of the episode and the other 90% is a clip show. Joey is funny so most of the jokes are good, but it's so unnecessary and disappointing to get a clip show here, especially with how good of a concept this episode had. I was expecting an excellent episode after the first scene and was bitterly underwhelmed once the clip show started. Best Moment: Joey claiming that he's shy around women. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: This could have been terrific, but instead we got a lazy clip show episode that served no real purpose. What a disappointment. Score: 35 Summary: Everyone goes to Jack and Judy's 35th anniversary. Monica prepares for a toast. Ross and Rachel pretend to be married. Phoebe starts dating a new guy who is way too enthusiastic.
The Good: "Friends" always excels when all of the characters are together. This isn't the best example of it, but this is a pretty fun story. Alec Baldwin does a great job, and the overly positive Parker is really funny to watch. Even better is seeing all of the friends mock his mannerisms. Rachel and Ross get a pretty good storyline here. Their exaggerations are really funny to watch, and the story has a good emotional core as a sort of "what could have been" between them. Chandler and Joey don't get much to do in this episode, but they chime in for the odd laugh here and there. The Bad: Even though all the friends are together in this episode, the writers still split them up into groups so the episode fails to make the most of its premise. Phoebe comes off poorly again. She is so offended by her friends making fun of Parker, yet she is absolutely guilty of doing this, perhaps more than anybody else. Phoebe comes off as a hypocrite for trying to take the moral high ground and the way she dumps Parker is incredibly mean. The writers continue to do a poor job with the character of Phoebe. Monica's toast has a few funny moments but it's a pretty flat story overall. Best Moment: Ross making fun of Parker. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This episode had a neat premise and some good laughs, but it doesn't quite live up to its full potential. This isn't a bad episode, but it's not one of the season's better efforts. Score: 62 Summary: Rachel comes up with a fake work problem to break the tension with Joey. Phoebe dates a guy she thinks she is fated to be with. Ross goes to Mona's to get back his pink t-shirt. Monica and Chandler organize their CDs.
The Good: The Rachel/Joey story is another fun one. Both characters have been used very well lately and that continues here. Joey feeling awkward is sensible, and Rachel wanting to fix it makes total sense. The story feels real and the characters behave like they do care about each other. Add on some great laughs with the absurdity of Rachel's lie (my boss wants to buy my baby!), and this is another great storyline for Rachel and Joey. Ross is pretty fun again as he gets caught up in yet another awkward situation with Mona. His attachment to the pink t-shirt is typical of Ross and I got a lot of laughs out of his antics. I also appreciate that the writers did not take the obvious route and humiliate Ross again. This story was written pretty well. The Bad: The 2 least important stories were unfortunately really weak. Phoebe's date had some funny lines to be sure, but the story had nothing to it. Are we really supposed to believe that Chandler thinks that having disorganized CDs is acceptable to Monica after they have lived together for this long? Best Moment: Rachel coming up with the "my boss wants to buy my baby" lie. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This was another pretty good episode. This season has had some weaker ones, but the overall consistency in the past few episodes has been really impressive, especially with the weaker quality of the past few seasons. I enjoyed this one. Score: 69 Summary: Joey and Ross talk about Joey's situation and decide that Joey has to tell Rachel how he feels. Phoebe introduces a man he believes to be Monica's soulmate to her, frustrating Chandler.
The Good: The Joey storyline is well handled as it has been this season. It's amazing how well Joey has come off in this storyline, and I'm very pleased that Ross was understanding of everything and didn't behave irrationally for the sole purpose of getting cheap laughs. The characters were written pretty well throughout. Joey's confession scene with Rachel was pretty well done too with some decent laughs involving the waiter. The Bad: Unfortunately this is one of those episodes that takes itself too seriously. There are far too many serious scenes and not enough laughs and that hurts the quality of the episode. And even though the Joey/Rachel story is written, sitcom romances are plentiful and not the most interesting things to watch. The B story in this episode is dreadful. Phoebe comes off as a complete asshole for openly talking about Monica's soulmate in front of Chandler, and the abuse Chandler suffers while Rachel and Phoebe are talking is absurd. Why would Phoebe and Rachel ever have this conversation about Monica's soulmate in front of Chandler anyways? Chandler doesn't even come off well in the episode because of how petty he is when dealing with Don and when talking with Monica afterwards. The poor communication between Monica and Chandler in this episode makes it hard to believe they're even a couple, which is horrible writing. "Friends" is always at its worst when trying to force conflict between Monica and Chandler. This storyline was bad for everyone involved and was a terrible idea. Best Moment: Ross leaving Joey shouting "Rachel!?" is pretty funny, but it's Gunther saying it to Joey at the end that takes the cake for me. Character of the Episode: Joey again. He's having a great season. Conclusion: This episode continued to Joey/Rachel romance solidly, but it took itself too seriously and lost some laughs along the way. Add on a garbage B story and this is a poor episode that breaks this season's streak of consistency. Score: 55 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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