The One With....

A charismatic cast with impeccable timing and great chemistry, intelligent, witty writing, a great time slot and advertising slogan to go with it and finally an annoyingly catchy theme song.  There’s always that show that defines your youth. This is my ode to Friends.

                I don’t remember how the obsession began.  I can’t even recall what year or what episode it was that got me hooked (that was over hmmmm, 17 years ago!)  But I will tell you this, Friends smacked me over the head with a 2x4 of funny and sarcasm that I had never encountered before.  (Granted how much funny and sarcasm can one really encounter in the 8^th grade?)  I recall watching it in high school so that on Friday you finally had something worthwhile to talk about in small town Tiffin and even smaller town school Calvert.  However when I moved to Toledo for college, watching Friends took on a whole new meaning.  It became a social event.  My friends would come over to my apartment and watch the whole Must See TV line up, even ER.  I would make a late supper for everyone, which was usually lasagna or worst case scenario my bestie Randy and I would go get Fazolis and buy super cheap semi-edible lasagna (with extra cheese) to go.  By the time supper was over, it was 8 o’clock and we were ready to rest, digest and watch some TV.  These group events would have been around seasons 5-8.  As you will find out by further reading, my all time, favoritest episodes are in that living in Toledo time frame.  We finally come full circle with the series come to an end and me balling my eyes out.  Mostly because the show that took up 10 years of my attention had come to a close (And also because I knew they should have ended a year or two earlier. The writing had lost its gusto.  I mean how many times can Ross and Rachel get back together?  (The answer is a fuck ton)).  The syndication of Friends was bananas!  3-4 reruns back to back to back, on several different channels at the same time.  It was amazing! (Amazing for fans of the show, however I can imagine it was hard for non fans to find something ‘decent’ to watch)  

The loss of my favorite show would have been more distressing if it had not been for my pal Randy, who had purchased all of the seasons on DVD as soon as they came out!  Thanks to him, I could get my Friends fix and finally all the fun, no commercials! (this was pre-DVR people, keep up!)  Thankfully my wonderful husband recently bought all 10 seasons for me as a gift! (what a great guy) and once a year I have a Friends-athon where I watch every stinking excellent episode. (Friends-athons are usually followed by daily Facebook postings of Friends quotes!).  Lucky for me some of the characters’ traits oozed into my young, impressionable persona, set up shop and never left, so I always have a bit of Friends with me.

 

                Who’s my favorite Friend you ask?  Well I have a great deal of fondness for Chandler M. Bing (the M is for Muriel trivia fans), even though I sometimes  I may have  more in common with Monica Gellar, ( I enjoying being the hostess and cooking, and I’m  loud and competitive – “I know!”) but since they got married it’s the best of both worlds right? 

As promised here are my top 15 episodes

1.The One Where No One's Ready

"That is so not the opposite of stealing someone's underpants!"

2.The One With The Embryos

3. The One Where Everyone Finds Out

"So this is my bra."

 4.The One Where Ross Got High

"It tastes like feet!"

5. The One With The Rumor

6. The One With All The Thanksgivings

7. The One With Chandler In A Box

"His reasons are three fold."

8. The One With All The Resolutions

"The lotion and powder have made a paste!"

9. The One That Could Have Been

10. The One With All The Cheesecakes

"Look! There’s a piece that doesn’t have floor on it!"

11. The One With The Free Porn

12. The One With The Ball

13. The One Where Rosita Dies

"You bitch."

14. The One With Unagi

15. The One With The Halloween Party

"Ah, so we meet again Catwoman."

As an added bonus here are my favorite guest star appearances!

1)     Brad Pitt - Will Colbert, a guy from Lincoln High who hates Rachel

2)    Tom Selleck - as Dr. Richard Burke, an old friend of the Geller family; he is introduced as the host of a party being catered by Monica. Burke and Monica fall in love

3)    Alec Baldwin – as Parker, an overly positive guy whom Phoebe dates

4)    Jon Lovitz - Steve, first seen in episode 1.15 as a stoned restaurant owner Monica is trying to impress

5)    Hank Azaria - as David "the scientist guy" Phoebe's long lost love

6)    Susan Saradon - Jessica Lockhart, as soap star on Days of our Lives.  Joey’s character, Dr. Drake Ramoray, was reintroduced when Jessica left the show; Dr. Ramoray received the brain of Jessica's character in a transplant

7)    Danny DeVito – Roy the male stripper

8)    Hugh Laurie - A passenger sitting in the plane next to Rachel when she flies to London to tell Ross she loves him.

9)   Gary Oldman - as Richard Crosby, a famous but drunken actor Joey is working with at the time Monica and  Chandler get married.
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