Analytical Episode Guide-Friends (Season 7, Part 4)

Analytical Episode Guide:

Season 7, Part 4

Season 7, Episode 19

The One with Ross and Monica’s Cousin

 

Plot Summary-Ross is attracted to his cousin (I already lost you, haven’t I?), Joey auditions for a movie role which requires him to naked, Phoebe and Rachel throw Monica a spot bridal shower

Funniest Line-“Say something clever. Okay, doesn't have to be clever. Just has to be words. Say some words. Any words will do. Oh, my God, this is the longest that anyone has not talked ever! There is nothing you could say to make this worse so just say something!”…..Ross

Nitpick of the episode-Nice of Rachel and Phoebe to forget to throw Monica a bridal shower! I could complain Chandler never got a bachelor party, but the serieswill take care of that one next season

Standout Character-Ross, not easy to be funny and creepy at the same time!

Syndication Edit-Scene Extensions

Final Thoughts-It never bodes well when a show has to resort to a stunt to get people’s attention. That’s what Joey’s story is, it’s all setup for that last gag at the audition with the silly putty. It’s funny but when a story is all set up for a joke it leaves the rest kind of empty. The bridal shower story seemed silly, why go the extra step of making Phoebe and Rachel forget all about it? Thankfully by the time Phoebe has her bridal shower the writing would be a little more creative. Ross’s story….what can I say about Ross’s story? The scene where he thinks to himself while his cousin stares at him waiting for an explanation is kind of funny, but on the whole the concept is just creepy. I guess it does help that they established Ross has not been with anyone in awhile. And of course Chandler is once again all but absent.

Grade=B-,funny but lacks substance

The Perfect "Superman??"

I love Superman! He is my favorite comic book character, anwhy not? He embodies everything good about people. He has so much power that hecould easily conquer, and what does he do with it instead? He helps people andonly uses his powers and abilities when they are really needed. Of course therehave been many versions of The Man of Steel and his supporting cast on TV andin movies, and they all portray the character differently. But what if youcould take all those versions and make one perfect version of Superman? That’swhat I am going to do today. This is all just for fun, and 100% opinion.

 

I will be using characters from Lois & Clark,Smallville, and the classic movies. Yes I know there were other versions but I never watched the old classic show and am not including any animated series here. And since I hated Superman Returns, let’s just forget about that one. And finally I am aware Smallville does not get tremendous respect, and while I agree there were flaws the truth is the creators did a great job respecting and staying true to the Superman legend so I am going to include it.

Analytical Episode Guide-Friends (Season 7, Part 3)

Analytical Episode Guide:

Season 7, Part 3

Season 7, Episode 13

The One Where Rosita Dies

 

Plot Summary-Phoebe takes a job as a telemarketer, Rachel destroys Joey’s chair, and Monica thinks her parents love Ross more than her

FunniestLine-“Are you kidding? I get a Porsche and the Barcalounger's gone? This is the best day ever!”….Monica

Nitpickof the episode-Amazing; Jason Alexander created a character who is an even bigger loser than his character on Seinfeld! I also don’t buy the “no one in the office knows he exists” gag, it feels forced. And what exactly is stopping the guy from quitting?

Standout Character-Monica, about time her parent issues came out a little bit(although having it be with her mother would have made more sense)

Syndication Edit-This episode was 40 minutes long to compete with Survivor. As a result there are lots of scene missing or trimmed. There's an extra scene at the coffee house where Ross calls his parents, and another one at Joey's place with Rachel and Chandler, where they argue about who gets the La-Z-Boy.

Final Thoughts-What do you do when you are out of ideas? Get a big named guest star and make a story about him! In all fairness it’s not a terrible Phoebe story,but why does the character played by Jason Alexander get the focus?  You know what would be worst, centering a story on Joey’s armchair. Oh wait, they did that! The only redeeming part ofthis episode is the Ross/Monica story; it’s good to see the way Monica feels about her parents finally coming out!

Grade=C+,about as average as you can get

My Tribute-Roger Ebert

I realize that with all the tributes from everyone, my special ranting seems minor. But I had some special memories I wanted to share, so here we go. Roger Ebert passed away yesterday at the age of 70. This is very sad news for me. I am not a big fan of any one critic. They all kind of blend together. Roger Ebert was the exception, no matter what if I wanted to know about a movie, I always checked his review. I have been a fan of his since I can remember.

Five More Underappreictaed Movies I Love!

Before I begin I want to mention that this is a second article on movies I love that don’t get much attention. The first article was originally called “Five Forgotten Movies I Just Love”, but the word forgotten was poorly used in that instance, all the movies I listed were remembered by many Besides Les is using that word in his new series and I want to avoid a copyright suit.:) 

Now that I have bored you, let’s talk about five more movies I love which do not get enough attentionin my opinion.

#5. Soapdish

If you’ve never heard of this, log onto Netflix and check it out! This is a little comedy which really is pretty funny. It’s basically aparody of soap operas, and has a fantastic all-star cast. Sally Field, Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Kline, Elizabeth Shue…and that’s just for a warm up. Why this movie never appears in lists of people’s favorite comedies is beyond me. It’s a very broad comedy and to be honest the story makes no sense, but the laughs are what make this movie so awesome! I would give a plot synopsis, but I would need to do an entire review of it and don’t have the room in this format. Awesome movie!

Analytical Episode Guide-Friends (Season 7, Part 2)

Analytical Episode Guide:

Season 7, Part 2

Season 7, Episode 7

The One with Ross’s Library Book

 

Plot Summary-Rachel and Phoebe convince Joey to continue dating a girl they like, Ross discovers that people are having sex near his thesis in the library, Janice returns….enough said.

Funniest Line-“Hi, I was wondering, is it possible to increase security in the Paleontology section? I wrote a book that's up there, and instead of reading it people are... well, they're rolling around in front of it.”….Ross

Nitpick of the episode-While they did a good job with Janice here, I can’t help but feel they could have gone even further with her finding out Chandler is engaged. I don’t often make comments like this, but I hated Rachel’s short hair in this and the next several episodes. From what I read, so did Jennifer Aniston.

Standout Character-Joey, always nice to see there is a real person in there

Syndication Edit-The first scene with Janice was a bit longer, I think Joey’s reaction toseeing Janice was cut but I could be wrong

Final Thoughts-Well after not seeing her last season (voice over aside), Janice returns in her full glory this season. You knew she had to have feelings about Chandler being engaged to Monica, and overall this episode handles that verywell. The story about Rachel and Phoebe talking Joey into continuing to date awoman they like is good, but the cop out in having her be just as shallow as Joey was weak. Ross’s story is stupid, but ends up having the biggest laugh inthe episode.

Grade=B-,always fun to have Janice back

Analytical Episode Guide-Friends (Season 7, Part 1)

Analytical Episode Guide:

Season 7, Part 1

Season 7, Episode 1

The One with Monica’s Thunder

 

Plot Summary-Monica wants to celebrate her engagement but a sudden reunion of Ross & Rachel sidetracks her, Joey thinks he can pass for 19 while Phoebe tries to get Monica to let her sing at the wedding

Funniest Line-“I'm sorry, uh apparently I've opened the door to the past.”….Monica

Nitpickof the episode-This is a tough one to judge because you can sympathize with Monica but at the same time you can say that she ruined her own night. She is the one who made a big deal about Ross and Rachel.  Oh, and isn’t it funny after all that drama with Phoebe that she never sang a word at the actual wedding?

Standout Character-Rachel, I feel for her it must be hard seeing Monica engaged when she was so close to being married only to end up not. It also makes her story from the previous episode more than just pointless filler.

Syndication Edit-Longer opening, Rachel telling Joey to dress the age he wants to play,Phoebe’s first song

Final Thoughts-This is a bottle show, so you can imagine that I really enjoyed it.  Monica and Chandler are funny, Phoebe and Joey are funny, Ross and Rachel are funny. This is really a strict character piece,and that make sense because Monica and Chandler getting engaged does change things. No longer will they be six single friends hanging out, and that makes adifference! Ross gets the funniest line at the end about his hands, and I amnot about to describe it here. If you have never seen the episode check it out. Great start to the season! Would it last?

Grade=A-,strong episode but would the season stay strong?