Analytical Episode Guide-Friends (Season 6, Part 3)

Analytical Episode Guide:

Season 6, Part 3

Season 6, Episode 13

The One with Rachel’s Sister

 

Plot Summary-Joey gets in trouble for giving free food away, a sick Monica tries to convince Chandler she is not sick, Rachel agrees to help her little sister out

Funniest Line-“Are you saying that you don't wanna get with this?”….Monica

Nitpickof the episode-Always had a problem with Monica insisting that she never gets sick. She has been sick on the show and handled it just fine those times.Sometimes the writers forget that she is competitive but not obsessive.

Standout Character-Rachel, Jill is a great way to look back at how Rachel started and see how far she has come

Syndication Edit-The missing tag where Monica's gotten Chandler sick and Joey's stolen all of the food out of their refrigerator to give away in the coffee house. Think this was removed because it causes a major continuity error with the next one.

Final Thoughts-I actually kind of liked this one. Yes the Joey story is painfully boring. It’s not bad but it’s just dull, we get it he works at the coffee house! And while you could argue Monica trying to convince Chandler she is notsick is silly, it kind of works especially that scene where she puts vapo rubon herself. And as I stated, seeing Jill really gives us an idea how far Rachel has come and we also stir up the Ross/Rachel stuff a bit when Jill goes out with Ross. More on that next episode. The one bad thing is that Phoebe really gets nothing to do here.

Grade=B

Season 6, Episode 14

The One Where Chandler Can’t Cry

 

Plot Summary-Everyone is annoyed with Chandler who can’t cry, Phoebe discovers Ursula is starring in porno movies using her name, Rachel tells Ross she is not cool with him dating her sister

Funniest Line-“Hey, what’s up…..Oh, my God! What am I doing?!”….Phoebe

Nitpickof the episode-For some reason once Mad About You was gone the creators decided to make Ursula into Phoebe’s evil twin for some reason, as first evidenced here.

Standout Character-Phoebe, got to love how she handles what her sister is doing

Syndication Edit-Another edit I approve of. Originally the scene was Joey and Ross come in to show everyone Phoebe’s porno. Ross then launches into this lame excuse for why Joey found Ross in the adult video store. It just doesn’t work, Ross is asingle adult he can do that. Thankfully the syndicated episode cut that line.The tag where Jill says goodbye is longer (she apologized to her Dad who reinstated her cash).

Final Thoughts-I noted that Phoebe got shafted in the last episode, she makes up for it here. Yeah it’s kind of pointless but it works. I always loved the end of the episode when Ross and Rachel have their talk. Nice to see that little spark is still there. Chandler finally manages to cry, and wonders why they can’t work things out. Cute moment. The stuff with Chandler feels like filler for the most part. They did do a good job making Chandler cold without also being unlikable. Overall this episode is average, as really the only story worth our time is the Ross/Rachel/Jill stuff.

Grade=B-

Season 6, Episode 15 & 16

The One That Could Have Been

 

Plot Summary-In an alternate reality we see a different version of friends. Here Ross is a frustrated married man, Rachel is bored with her marriage, Monica isstill fat, Chandler is an unemployed writer, Joey is a famous actor, and Phoebeis a tough as nails stock broker

Funniest Line-“Yeah...ugh, I wish we could just not be married for a little bit...youknow, I just wish we could be like on a break.”….Rachel

Nitpick of the episode-I will give this episode a pass since any nitpicks could be attributed to the fact that this is not the Friends we know. I will say that I LOVED the recreated opening, very clever!

Standout Character-Monica, Courtney Cox did an amazing job making fat Monica totally different from the skinny Monica we know and love

Syndication Edit-A tag for part one showing fat Monica eating food

Final Thoughts-What can I possible say about this one? It is always fun to see what could have been though some of the choices are questionable. Why is Monica fat?Aside from coming up with one more excuse to get Courtney Cox into the fat suit. Why is Chandler an unemployed writer? Since when was he interested inwriting? Why is Ross’s son still named Ben? I am sorry to say Phoebe gets the worst though. It was clever to turn her sweet personality around into a hardass bitch, who is totally unlikable, but Merrill Lynch? How in the world could Phoebe get that job? And the heart attack stuff was not funny at all, and she spends most of the episode stuck in a hospital bed! However once you take logic out this episode really is enjoyable. I liked how they brought Susan and Barry back for what would be their final appearances on the show. Yeah watching Rachel gush over Joey because he was a big soap star was really funny.  Monica and Chandler are adorable and this episode basically says their getting together was no fluke. Add some clever injokes and you have a really solid episode. So basically we learn that in the alternate reality all six would end up hanging out as friends.  Nice.

Grade=B+,lots of good but there is some stupid here and there

Season 6, Episode 17

The One with the Unagi

 

Plot Summary-Joey tries to enter a medical study for new headshots, Ross tries to prove Rachel and Phoebe are not prepared for danger; Chandler needs a homemade present for Monica for Valentine’s Day

Funniest Line-“ Hey, remember when I had a monkey? Yeah, what, what was Ithinking?”…..Ross

Nitpick of the episode-Why is Janice’s only appearance this season a voice over? It’s nice to hear her but we miss seeing her. What is it with Ross not only mispronouncing Karate but suggesting Unagi is a concept (it’s freshwater eels). The concept he is describing is Zanshin.

Standout Character-Ross, yeah he’s nuts in this one but some genuine laughs comefrom it, there is even a Marcel reference just for laughs

Syndication Edit-Longer tag with Phoebe telling Rachel they can’t sit on the couch before noticing Ross

Final Thoughts-I have to give the show credit. As dumb as the Ross story is, that scene where he explains to the instructor how he needs help attacking two women is a realty funny scene. On the whole the story is kind of lame. As for Joey’s story….I just have no words for that one. I mean it’s just so….it really…..It makes no………IT WAS STUPID!!! He really thought that trick with the guy who sort of looks like him would work? Really? Ok let’s forget that and talk about the Monica/Chandler story. For some reason this season Monica is in extra cutemode, as she is here. A mix tape was a really smart idea, to bad Chandlerdidn’t listen to the tape first. It’s a typical sitcom couple fight but I’lllet it go this time. And who doesn’t love that scene when Janice’s voice comeson the tape!

Grade:C+,genuine laughs lift a very weak script

Season 7, Episode 18

The One Where Ross Dates a Student

 

Plot Summary-Ross learns a student is attracted to him, Joey asks Chandler to ask a friend for a favor, A fire forces Rachel and Phoebe to find different living arrangements

Funniest Line-“Monday: one day. Tuesday: two day. Wednesday: when, huh, what day?Thursday: the third day, okay?”….Joey

Nitpickof the episode-Didn’t take long for the creators to realize that Rachel and Phoebe living together was a bad idea, did it? And we know Monica is a big mother hen but she is almost smothering Phoebe here, why?

Standout Character-Joey, not only is he directly involved with Chandler’s story but he also is integral in Rachel and Phoebe’s. Get the feeling the creators realized how popular he was? He also gets the last joke when after all the aggravation he ends up forgetting to go to his interview!

Syndication Edit-Rachel asking about the smell at Joey’s, Monica aggravating phoebe

Final Thoughts-This one is so much better than the last episode. The stories are interesting and even set things up for the final episode in parts. I could complain that Ross was a fool for not realizing dating a student was against the rules, but this is Ross. It’s the chemistry between him and Elizabeth that makes it work. As I said the creators moved quickly to change the living arrangements for Rachel and Phoebe. I like how Rachel actually likes living with Joey, which makes sense. Chandler’s story is kind of filler but it’s not that bad either. There is a tendency to under plot this season or not finish stories. For instance we see Phoebe run over to Monica’s with the bowl of water, but we never find out what she did with it!

Grade=B+

Season 6, Episode 19

The One with Joey’s Fridge

 

Plot Summary-Phoebe, Monica, and Chandler compete to get Rachel a date; Joey tries to get one of his friends to help pay for a new fridge, Ross worries about Elizabeth going away on spring break

Funniest Line-“Well, a spring vacation you're doing nice things with your grandparents.Spring break, you're doing frat guys.”….Monica

Nitpickof the episode-Later on Ross will realize how much older he actually is than Elizabeth. How he didn’t realize it in this episode is beyond me.

Standout Character-Joey, Yeah I know two episodes in a row but his futile attempts to get some money for a fridge is funny

Syndication Edit-The coffee shop scene where Ross worries about Elizabeth going on spring break is longer, a longer tag which resolves Rachel’s story, that plot is left hanging in the syndicated version

Final Thoughts-Joey’s story has enough laughs to make us forget that it is basically filler. There is a scene where Chandler walks in and finds Joey has eaten everything in the fridge which is great. The Ross arc advances as we see him worrying about Elizabeth going on spring break. It’s ok but I am glad that the show has gotten better with their story arc’s, spreading them out rather than throwing them at us all at once like in season 3. I am not sure how to feel about the other story about Rachel; it really just feels like a big fat time waster. It barely gets a resolution and speaking of unresolved stories, what finally happened with the fridge anyway? That’s what I meant by under-plotting…. HOW ABOUT FINISHING THE STORIES!!!!

Grade=C+

I will be back to finish Season 6 later this week!