This Thursday night, at 9:00 p.m. EST, the finale to the insanely popular 10-year run of NBC's hit show "Friends" will air for what is guaranteed to be a huge audience. "Friends" defined Generation X for television through the 90's and this special hour-long episode is obviously one that any true pop culture aficionado cannot miss.
Except for me. I'm thinking of renting "Big Fish."
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I dislike the show. I just never got into it. Don't know why. If I'm flipping back and forth and I see clips of it, I laugh, but then I move on. I've never been motivated to actually sit down and watch one all the way through, much less indulge in the obsessive, memorize-all-the-trivia, will-forego-emergency-medical-treatment-so-as-not-to-miss-a-single-one kind of pathetic fandom. I reserve that for "The Simpsons."
[ May 06, 2004, 11:16 AM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
10 years? Really? Wow!
I never watched a single episode, and thought most of the preview clips were quite tasteless.
Farmgirl
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Never did like that show. It gets on my nerves with the skinny hags and Ross with that ridiculous whipped dog whimpy expression and whininess of his. Very grating. Still, I am curious to see how it ends, but I can't. I don't get NBC.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Ah, but you don't need it! They're releasing a DVD of the final show 5 days after it airs! Talk about riding it into the ground...
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
When my 101 Arabic teacher was in JORDAN all they talked about was Friends. She was just like "I didn't travel to the Middle East to watch Friends!!"
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Top Ten Surprise Endings to Friends:
10) Ross gets together with his long time love--Joey.
9) Pheope ends up in the emergency room after having an alergic reaction to a "stinky cat".
8) The entire episode is attacked by German speaking terrorists led by a mach Gunther, only to have Bruce Willis save the day by taking out the terrorists in just his bare feet. The title of the episodes is of course--Friends Really Die Hard.
7) Richard returns. Monica takes one look at Chandler and says, "What was I thinking?" She runs off with the buff Tom Sellek and lives happilly ever after.
6) Ross is arrested for fraud when it is discovered he has been selling off the universities fossils on E-Bay in order to make his rent payments.
5) Joey moves to California when he gets a secondary role in a c-class remake of a b-class TV Series, Lost in Space--oh wait, that really happened.
4) They all go to Fraiser for group counseling.
3) Final shot pans out of the apartments, revealing the building is in a snow globe being stared at by a possibly autistic Joey.
2) Rachel realizes most of the problems in her life are caused by the fact that her hair keeps blocking her view, so she cuts her bangs.
1)When Chandler and Monica move into their new house, their racially divers neighbors get together to welcome them. They say, "Look how white they are. Well there goes the neibhborhood."
Posted by Book (Member # 5500) on :
Number three is by far the best.
Also, I believe it's "smelly cat."
Posted by Kasie H (Member # 2120) on :
I *love* Friends. I can't believe it's ending!
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Book I stand corrected.
Posted by MEC (Member # 2968) on :
freinds' sucks.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Though I wouldn’t go as far as to phrase quite that way, I have to agree with the sentiment behind MEC’s post. I liked friends for about 8 months until I discovered how bad it was.
Hobbes Posted by NdRa (Member # 2295) on :
The only thing I regret about friends now being over is, I imagine several stations will be broadcasting re-runs throughout the day....everyday.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Already true. Friends is on all day on our local channel 5. Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
The monkey was the only memorable character. I guess I must have seen the episode where Joey starts carrying a purse. I saw another episode but danged if I can remember what it was about.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I'm almost tempted to watch the last episode, almost. I mean, considering I've never watched it ever before.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
I watched the "live" episode of E.R. Then I got really mad when I realized it wasn't even live for the mountain time zone.
Posted by Book (Member # 5500) on :
I like it sometimes, but a lot of the times it seems really, really cheesy. I stopped watching the new ones about two years ago when Rachel got pregnant or whatever. That just seemed ridiculous.
[ May 06, 2004, 04:01 PM: Message edited by: Book ]
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
That season had one of the best "pro Abstinence" scenes ever on TV.
When she admits who the father is, Ross says, "That can't be. We used protection."
She responds something like. "It is. Hey, those things don't work all the time."
He goes into denial, finds a package and checks.
Sure enough, they are only guaranteed 99% of the time. Ross finds this shocking.
When Joey enters the room and discovers the truth, Ross hits him with the statistics. This shocks Joey.
It beat home a message to an entire young viewing audience that protected sex is not 100% safe sex, safe from pregnancy anyway.
Posted by Paul Goldner (Member # 1910) on :
I honestly tried to watch this show a few years ago, because a couple of my female friends were always watching it in our apartment. (Us guys would retreat for unreal tournament every time they did that). Frankly, I thought it was awful. I still don't understand how it lasted so long. It wasn't even funny!
Posted by Book (Member # 5500) on :
Yeah, but a lot of peole hated and hate Seinfeld, too, for about the same reason, and it was by far the most popular tv show of the 90's. By a wide margin. It's weird that shows so popular also get such divisive reactions.
[ May 06, 2004, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: Book ]
Posted by jebus202 (Member # 2524) on :
Yea Friends is SO funny!
Bestest show ever!
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Does it mean anything that I never got into Seinfeld either? I've seen more of them than I have Friends and I liked "The Contest," but I've still seen fewer than ten of them.
Maybe I'm just out of the viewing habit. I really enjoy Frasier when I happen to catch it, for example, but I never think to tune in. The show had better grab me early and well or I'm just not going to bother anymore.
Posted by angelily (Member # 6298) on :
I love Friends and I'm sad it's ending.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I like Friends. I didn't watch it every week, or anything, but I thought it was a good show. I watched the final episode with a bunch of other girls, and we shouted at the tv the whole time.
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
I used to watch a lot of Friends, and so I got attached to the characters. There were times when I really really realized that the show was yuppie-crappy sitcom TV, but I still cared about the characters. I watched SO MUCH OF THAT SHOW.
So yeah, I did make it to the final ep. But you know what I was doing? Halfway watching and halfway playing an emulated version of Chrono Trigger. That really sums up my feelings about the show.
Posted by vwiggin (Member # 926) on :
quote: Can't we talk about me now?
I think that all the time. Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
What is it about Hatrack that so many of you automatically hate _anything_ pop-culture related?
Posted by narrativium (Member # 3230) on :
Frankly, I think Chrono Trigger is much more interesting than Friends.
EDIT: I'm not saying I don't like Friends. I just got bored with it a long time ago.
[ May 06, 2004, 10:58 PM: Message edited by: narrativium ]
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
quote:What is it about Hatrack that so many of you automatically hate _anything_ pop-culture related?
Well, when it's something I don't like, it's because we've got more intelligent tastes than the rest of the world.
When it's something I do like, it's 'cause you're all snobs.
Dagonee
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
narr: See! I agree, I got bored with it. I just paid attention to the good parts and at the bad parts I climbed Mount INSTANTDEATH and ressurected Crono. Posted by narrativium (Member # 3230) on :
Yay! You saved teh Chrono!
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Ooo Chrono Trigger. Never liked Seinfeld either except for the wacking off episode.
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
quote:No time to hear about my problems, my triumphs, my wacky exploits, no, no! We must talk about those magical twenty-somethings from New York with their inexplicable swinging door relationships and their impossibly large apartments!
Funny. As usual, that was a good read Chris.
I also liked this article about how Friends was a soap opera masquerading as a sitcom. The fact that people are giving each other worried looks and melodramatically asking in a whiny voice "Is the sitcom DYING??" really annoys me. I'm not a big sitcom watcher, but even I know that Friend's shouldn't be placed in the same category as real, good sitcoms like Frasier.
But then, I can't believe I cared enough about any of this to write that last paragraph. That said, I always enjoyed Chandler and Joey when I got a chance to watch Friends. My 2 cents.
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
I remember one quote from Friends. Joey was arguing that they should get more than one bar of soap since they share a shower, and Chandler was refuting him:
quote:Chandler: But it's soap! It's self-cleaning!
Joey: Okay, think of the first place you wash, and the last place I wash.
Yet even with that valuable life lesson burned into my brain, I wish the damn show had died nine years ago. Utterly worthless.
And Lisa Kudrow needs to die a long, slow, painful death.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Now I don't get to use my self-righteous tagline anymore: "Friends don't let friends watch Friends"
Honestly, though? It's a bunch of smut. It's ok to hate pop culture when pop culture is debasing, immoral, and disgusting. Were there any complete episodes that you would be comfortable watching all the way through with your mother?
No wonder American soliders gone stir crazy do humilating things to Iraqi soldiers - look what kind of subject matter is America's favorite form of entertainment!
Posted by jehovoid (Member # 2014) on :
quote:Were there any complete episodes that you would be comfortable watching all the way through with your mother?
Is this a joke?
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Nope.
At least not for me.
Posted by jehovoid (Member # 2014) on :
It's primetime network TV. I haven't seen that many of them, but how bad could they possibly be?
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
Heh. Friends is dumb, but smut? Good god.
I thought you were a big fan of all things French, Annie. Aren't they generally less prudish about sexuality than Americans are? Or am I just buying into a stereotye?
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
yep.
Posted by jehovoid (Member # 2014) on :
I guess I must've missed the episode where Joey and Chandler decide to teabag Ross. Too bad too, I bet it was really funny.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Teabag? What's that? There's good smut and then there's just.. smut... Maybe it's because I can't identify with the show. They live in 1000 a month apartments and sit around complaining if they haven't had sex in 2 days...
Posted by jehovoid (Member # 2014) on :
It's along the lines of the humiliating things that American soldiers have done to Iraqi prisoners.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I'm definitely not a fan of all things French. Being so absolute about one's tastes is silly. I disagree with their less-prudish attitudes (as if American entertainers were prudes) as much as I disagree with ours.
You know, we're not far from being every bit as permissive as Europeans. Really. What can't we talk about on prime time tv these days?
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
You might want to review American standards and European standards again. First, there are many things one can't say. Second, its more about one can do. Which is greatly restricted in the US compared to Europe.
Also, I have a feeling you haven't watched many episodes of friends. Most of them don't even have more than the most generic references to seuxality. Less than in Shakespeare, for instance. Is Shakespeare unwatchable smut because of the prurient playing to the masses and raunchy sexual humor?
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
quote:You know, we're not far from being every bit as permissive as Europeans. Really. What can't we talk about on prime time tv these days?
I know, it's disgraceful. Today they talk about having sex lives -- tomorrow, what, open worship of Satan?
Heh, dude, I for one don't feel particularly depressed that Ross and Rachel have pre-marital sex. Their acting, certainly, is a cause for depression -- their dialogue is inane, their jokes are unfunny, their love is stilted, their characters are boring, but the existence of their sex life somehow doesn't shock my virgin ears. Nor should it, or so I like to think.
Are there any compelling reasons why you believe, presumably, that people should suppress their sexual identities?
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I'm pretty familiar with American and European entertainment standards. I just find it funny that we're categorized as prudes because we have 2 less words we're allowed to say. When both standards are slipping, just because you're more strict doesn't mean you're strict.
And I don't think the brilliance or the appeal of Shakespeare's work hinges on his characters "going commando." And though I haven't seen many episodes, I haven't seen any that didn't make me cringe.
Call me a prude, but I definitely find the show trashy and disgusting.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Why does it always boil down to repression? Because someone has higher standards, that means they're repressing what we all know they really want to say?
quote:Are there any compelling reasons why you believe, presumably, that people should suppress their sexual identities?
I never argued for that. I'm just sad that it's all so popular. I think a show where no one talked about their sex lives because it was educational and uplifting and more profound than simply providing hip sexy characters through whom the audience can live vicariously would be refreshing.
Believe it or not, there are people in this world who spend the vast majority of their time not talking about sex and are still thoroughly well-adjusted, productive members of society.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I was happy and teary and stuff, having just finished watching the finale.
Way to bring me down, guys.
And yes, there are quite a number of episodes I would feel comfortable watching with my mom. She watches almost no TV, so she'd probably pass, but that's a separate question.
Is Friends "great" television? Nope. Honestly, I haven't even managed to catch all of this season's episodes. But I usually enjoy it when I do watch it, and the characters have a special place in my heart -- even if they make me frequently.
[Addit: And I loved the finale! ]
[ May 07, 2004, 01:17 AM: Message edited by: rivka ]
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
Its not about whether or not the brilliance or appeal of the work hinges on those passages, but whether it contains those passages.
Were Friends to have other redeeming qualities, at least to some, would it not be acceptable for them to watch it, just as you no doubt watch Shakespeare plays filled with masturbatory, homosexual, and generally sexual jokes for the more literary content (personally, I think those are part of the literary content, and I'm pretty certain Shakespeare did as well (at least insofar as he considered the content "literary"), since he spent quite a number of sonnets on just those themes).
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I'd appreciate edited Shakespeare too, though.
Guess we'll just have to call a difference opinion on this one.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
*shrug*
If you're willing to purposely avoid some of Shakespeare's works of genius because you don't want to read anything pertaining to sex, works for me. You are a prude. That's not a bad thing, don't ditch the label for the connotations when the denotation is accurate.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I didn't mean to imply that I wouldn't read Shakespeare because I'm afraid someone might mention sex. I meant that I think the works would be better without raunchy references. I'm not prudish enough to think that mere exposure to something I don't agree with morally is going to taint me. I see and read a lot of things I don't approve of. That doesn't mean I have to approve of them.
I have no qualms, however, about avoiding television shows when they're trashy and pointless. I'm not missing anything by not watching Friends and, truth be told, I really don't think I'm missing out on anything essential to my cultural enrichment by not even watching R rated movies.
My main argument is that there is plenty of beautiful literature and art in the world that doesn't have "just one scene" or "mild passing references" to obscure its message. I don't think people need to be wasting their time with second-rate entertainment at all.
Posted by angelily (Member # 6298) on :
Whether you like it or not, the show has been a part life for the past decade and I think I'll always remember it with fondness. Besides, I would be upset with you people bad-mouthing the show if I weren't sure that some stuff that you guys like would see crappy to me.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Please use "prude" properly. Traditionally a prude meant a wise woman, and the fact that it gradually changed to mean someone excessively concerned with being or appearing to be proper, modest, or righteous is a sad commentary on how women are treated when they seem too "smart." Currently it's considered to be someone who is concerned about whether his or her words, actions, attire, etc, are proper according to what a particular group of people thinks is normal or appropriate.
Annie doesn't like sexual references in her entertainment, but that doesn't qualify her for "prude" unless she feels that way because she thinks she's supposed to. What if she truly doesn't like them for her own reasons? Does she have to? Also, all we know at this point is that she doesn't like what she considers raunchy sexual references, so the point of contention is actually over where the line of raunch is, and that's different for everyone anyway.
[ May 07, 2004, 07:33 AM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Can't blame her... I dislike cheap, casual sex on sitcoms. It's stupid. Ironically I like QAF though... Ah, well...
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
I guess my problem with the "prude" label is that it implies that normal people enjoy sexual humor and anyone who doesn't is repressed somehow. Tastes vary.
Personally I enjoy entertainment with sexual humor and situations quite a lot, but I've got my preferences. Pre-marital sex doesn't bother me, for example, but any plot that glorifies or condones adultery bugs me like you wouldn't believe, even if it's supposed to be funny.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
It's confusing... On one hand I laugh at loud at ribauld and inappropiate humour. Especially in South Park or at stupid double entendres... But on the other hand... I find some humour like that to be childish and dumb. I guess it depends on how it's done. Friends usually bores me the way Seinfeld always does. It's very odd.. But adultery in shows is irratating.. Premarital sex, as long as it's not stupid casual sex, I don't care.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
I still think any of my top ten endings would have been better, or even ending it with the line, "I got off the plane."
Instead we have a final shot of all their backsides heading down to get coffee, and then a close up of the door, with its cute frame.
A bit anti-climatic.
Still it was enjoyable.
Posted by Tristan (Member # 1670) on :
I thought the best joke of the finale was the "Unless we are on a break" line. Made me laugh.
[ May 07, 2004, 10:24 AM: Message edited by: Tristan ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yeah, I laughed at that one too.
Friends, in my opinion, is an okay show. It isn't groundbreakingly wonderful, it isn't a work of genius, but it's an okay sitcom. Not one of my favorites, and not one I've been bothered by missing fairly regularly, but it doesn't seem to me to be the monstrosity that it appears to have been for some people here. It isn't something I get worked up about either way.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Annie, how do you feel about the nude in art?
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
quote: 3) Final shot pans out of the apartments, revealing the building is in a snow globe being stared at by a possibly autistic Joey.
This was very funny.
------
Man, Joey has been getting stupider and stupider through the whole series. My husband and I were talking about the sad downfall of Joey, as he went from the Goofball Stud (who was very lovable) to the Annoying Oaf That Can't Stop Eating Long Enough To Go On A Date, Except For That Time He Went On A Date And Ticked Her Off By Eating Her Cake. For crying out loud, that's the saddest part of the entire thing. He wasn't even concerned that he wasn't going to get lucky...apparently the lure of the cake was more tempting than a roll in the hay. Puh-leaze. It's NOT JOEY anymore.
That said, I almost never like/watch the popular shows until they get syndicated and I don't really know why. Maybe because they pick and choose which episodes to show? It happened to me with Seinfeld, King of the Hill, Simpsons, and Friends. I enjoy the old episodes (think first and second season) but I don't like these new ones much. I did, however, watch the last few episodes, but only because they were the last few episodes.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Annie's prude? No one has called me prude. I'm losing my stride here.
Nudity in artwork is not the same as sex in artwork. Though sex can be depicted in artwork without the nudity. A depiction of sex meaning sex would not be art. It would be illustration.
Posted by JohnKeats (Member # 1261) on :
Chris, this says a lot for how much I enjoy your columns... but while Hatrack was down (for me, until an hour ago) I missed my Wednesday fix.
Of course, I couldn't remember what newspaper you wrote for... but a couple of google searches later and it was all better.
And it made my day much more enjoyable, and bearable Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I Love nudes in art. The more gratuitous the better. We need a lot more blantant nudity in this silly prudish country.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
quote: Honestly, though? It's a bunch of smut. It's ok to hate pop culture when pop culture is debasing, immoral, and disgusting. Were there any complete episodes that you would be comfortable watching all the way through with your mother?
I realize this was on the last page, but it just shocked me when I read it because I've never heard anyone call Friends "disgusting." It's funny, though, cause I avoid, what's-it-called...The O.C. because their characters are ridiculous and way too promiscuous for me to have any respect for any of them...they are caricatures of real people. Friends, though? Friends!? It's a sitcom! They're funny! They're supposed to be fairly one-dimensional and have fairly obvious quirks because it's FUNNY and how deep can you get in a half-hour? Situational Comedy, yes? It's funny that six friends have no lives and keep bandying about between liking one and liking the other, and then liking random people that you KNOW they're not going to get together with permanently because we as an audience would spit all over the television screen (Charlie? Come on! Her name was CHARLIE!) and except for Paul Rudd, which like Laura Linney is on Frasier, the acceptable last-minute love for Phoebe cause he's been in MOVIES....
I'm rambling.
Point is, it's comedy. Not for all tastes. But there are far...far...let me hear one more FAR worse, debasing, disgusting, immoral shows on television RIGHT NOW AS WE SPEAK. To add on to what Dan said about the best Abstinence episode...not only did Ross and Joey learn that condoms are NOT 100% effective...but Rachel, a liberal working women -- did NOT get an abortion. Uhoh! Dispelled THAT stereotype.
And I'm sure you weren't really addressing the watching with ones mother question at someone like me, but for crying out loud. Yes, of course I would, and have, and I believe the first time I watched it was with my mother when I was...13? 14? And we watched it every week.
Maybe that's why I've been corrupted Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
While watching the final episode (bringing my lifelong "Friends" episode tally to four) I was also noticing the commercials for teh other shows on. Particularly "Fear Factor," which was bragging about their all-girl episode and showing women being locked in morque cabinets after being zipped into body bags full of worms.
I honestly don't understand what's keeping the Lions vs Christians show from debuting. Insurance hassles?
Posted by Book (Member # 5500) on :
There are far, far worse things in the world than Friends.
Posted by Dobbie (Member # 3881) on :
Actually, as it was closing, I hoped the would pan down to the apartment where Ugly Naked Guy lived, and show Bob Newhart naked (But with the naughty bits covered by furniture.) "Hey Emily. It seems the annoying folks across the street are finally moving out."
"That's nice dear. Now put some clothes on."
He turns. "Sure, as soon as you start wearing more sweaters."
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
Dobbie, where are you from that you're reading pulseweekly? Or did you just find that randomly?
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Wouldn't work, Dan. Ross lives in that apartment now.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Pfft. Don't cloud genius with facts! Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
quote:There are far, far worse things in the world than Friends.
You're right. Let's put them on network television.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
They *are* on network television.
Have you seen The Swan?
Posted by Dobbie (Member # 3881) on :
Strider, I'm in the Wyoming Valley, about 70 miles from Allentown.
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