It’s the end of the season! Which means once again I’ve forgot to grapple with how to do two parters…
Technically this one aired as ONE BIG EPISODE.
It occurs to me I could have watched the whole show as ONE BIG EPISODE. Non-stop it would have taken less than four days. I could’ve taken a few days off work, re-watched Friends™, and spent the best part of my 20s and 30s doing something completely different.
But where’s the fun in that? Here we are at the half way point. Five years behind me, five years ahead.
“The One in Watford Part 2”
They crammed so much into the first part, I didn’t even have time to mention Joey’s hand twin!
Technically this one aired as ONE BIG EPISODE.
It occurs to me I could have watched the whole show as ONE BIG EPISODE. Non-stop it would have taken less than four days. I could’ve taken a few days off work, re-watched Friends™, and spent the best part of my 20s and 30s doing something completely different.
But where’s the fun in that? Here we are at the half way point. Five years behind me, five years ahead.
“The One in Watford Part 2”
They crammed so much into the first part, I didn’t even have time to mention Joey’s hand twin!
They do have remarkably similar hands.
Alas, Joey’s enthusiasm gets him and Phoebe kicked out of the casino.
One of the few times I’ve been in a casino was my stag do. I’m not a big gambler, but left the club in the dead of night to follow some less musically inclined mates on their quest to find a casino. At this point I was at a Rachel and Ross level of drunk.
Alas, Joey’s enthusiasm gets him and Phoebe kicked out of the casino.
One of the few times I’ve been in a casino was my stag do. I’m not a big gambler, but left the club in the dead of night to follow some less musically inclined mates on their quest to find a casino. At this point I was at a Rachel and Ross level of drunk.
So I decided to follow them. And almost did one better than Joey and Phoebe by not being let in! But it turns out casino’s don’t really care about letting inebriated people in. As soon as I took off my pirate costume.
They say the house always wins. But in this instance their gamble of letting me in didn’t pay, as we spent our entire time lurking, too nervous to approach any tables.
Phoebe’s having a lot of trouble with an old lady Lurker. Perhaps some echo of a future me, still trapped in the casino. Never able to tell Phoebe I know everything about her. Even… that she was in Jail?!
“NO, No, I’m not going back to the big house!” she screeches as she’s removed from the casino. It’s yet another glimpse of a much darker past then we might have first thought. When, oh when, will we get our “Young Phoebe” prequel series?
Phoebe’s lurker story and Joey’s hand twin is a great example of that trend I noticed recently. The more serious the A plot, the sillier the B plot is.
And what a serious A plot we get! Chandler and Monica deciding to take the biggest gamble of all, and get married! Only to find they’ve been beaten to it in one of the greatest cliff-hangers the show ever produced.
They say the house always wins. But in this instance their gamble of letting me in didn’t pay, as we spent our entire time lurking, too nervous to approach any tables.
Phoebe’s having a lot of trouble with an old lady Lurker. Perhaps some echo of a future me, still trapped in the casino. Never able to tell Phoebe I know everything about her. Even… that she was in Jail?!
“NO, No, I’m not going back to the big house!” she screeches as she’s removed from the casino. It’s yet another glimpse of a much darker past then we might have first thought. When, oh when, will we get our “Young Phoebe” prequel series?
Phoebe’s lurker story and Joey’s hand twin is a great example of that trend I noticed recently. The more serious the A plot, the sillier the B plot is.
And what a serious A plot we get! Chandler and Monica deciding to take the biggest gamble of all, and get married! Only to find they’ve been beaten to it in one of the greatest cliff-hangers the show ever produced.
I remember well the wild reaction from watching this for the first time. My wife reminds me it was the talk of the school next day, and I think this inter-generational appeal is a key ingredient in the show’s success. My generation went wild for it whilst still in school, and Boomers watched it to look back at their misspent youth and laugh.
Even though it’s a great twist, for me it’s the moment Chandler finally overcomes his fear of commitment that makes the episode. He sees the cocked dice and Monica leaves it up to him to decide if they get married or not.
Even though it’s a great twist, for me it’s the moment Chandler finally overcomes his fear of commitment that makes the episode. He sees the cocked dice and Monica leaves it up to him to decide if they get married or not.
It’s really, beautifully done.
It reminds me how I felt when I decided I was going to propose. I’d been away on holiday for a while, and rushed home to see my wife as soon as I could. I arrived two hours early and took my wife completely by surprise coming out of the shower. I knew right then as I saw her shrieking in just a towel that she was the one I wanted to be with forever.
Let’s hope when she goes to Vegas she doesn’t marry someone new!
You know what? Given Rachel and Ross spent the last episode in a plane, I think I can be forgiven for splitting these two episodes up. In fact I too have spent the last week on a plane, I booked a long haul flight to Vegas!!
If only. I am, of course still at home with the baby. Although I do have a permanent marker should parenting turn boring.
Thankfully it’s a long time since I’ve been to the sort of party where you end up covered in permanent marker. I do miss getting as drunk as Rachel and Ross. But after losing control of my mind and body in such a public way, I’m no longer as enamoured with the idea of getting plastered to lose control. I’ve no idea what could happen.
Regardless getting drunk again properly is quite a way off, as we’ve got to look after the baby. We’re limiting our drinks for the moment. This is definitely a good idea. No-one wants to see a baby with a moustache drawn on its face.
Real Live Sitcom Moment:
I’ve been driving round with a mattress in my car for about three weeks.
Not because our relationship has broke down. Although it might be nice having somewhere I can sleep without being woken by a baby… No, we just decided to treat ourselves to a new mattress.
I have been TRYING to get rid of the old one. Coronavirus has wreaked bloody havoc with the tip. Sorry with the “Household Waste, and Recycling Centre”.
My first attempt to fit the task in between my parenting and work duties, ended in failure when I arrived at the nearest site only to find a massive queue. A queue which I didn’t have time to wait around for. I’m a busy man in between watching Friends™ and mental health crisising myself into the COVID Ward. Really, I should have just turned up after closing hours, parked outside the gate and slept in my car till morning.
I tried again on my next free day. All ready to go, I put the site in my Google™ maps, and sure enough, yep, closed on a Wednesday.
And on the third day I rested. Well, no, I decided to go to a more familiar site near our old place. The problem this time was, in the lockdown period I seem to have completely forgotten how to drive!
I hit the M25, waiting the 3 miles to the junction, and “Uh, Oh” missed the turning. Another fifteen minutes added. I came back down the M1. There’s the junction! Great. Next thing I knew… Another fifteen minutes. HOW DID I MISS THAT? OK. This time… Don’t think about anything else but the satnav. And… OH COME ON. A THIRD TIME!?!? Where is this place??! Fucking Hogwarts?!? DO I NEED TO DRIVE THROUGH A BARRIER OR SOMETHING.
Eventually I found the place and ditched the mattress with a satisfying “Whooomp”. It must have just been my subconscious enjoying having some time away from my phone.
And that’s how we end Season Five.
The Friends have a trip to Vegas, I have a trip to the tip.
It reminds me how I felt when I decided I was going to propose. I’d been away on holiday for a while, and rushed home to see my wife as soon as I could. I arrived two hours early and took my wife completely by surprise coming out of the shower. I knew right then as I saw her shrieking in just a towel that she was the one I wanted to be with forever.
Let’s hope when she goes to Vegas she doesn’t marry someone new!
You know what? Given Rachel and Ross spent the last episode in a plane, I think I can be forgiven for splitting these two episodes up. In fact I too have spent the last week on a plane, I booked a long haul flight to Vegas!!
If only. I am, of course still at home with the baby. Although I do have a permanent marker should parenting turn boring.
Thankfully it’s a long time since I’ve been to the sort of party where you end up covered in permanent marker. I do miss getting as drunk as Rachel and Ross. But after losing control of my mind and body in such a public way, I’m no longer as enamoured with the idea of getting plastered to lose control. I’ve no idea what could happen.
Regardless getting drunk again properly is quite a way off, as we’ve got to look after the baby. We’re limiting our drinks for the moment. This is definitely a good idea. No-one wants to see a baby with a moustache drawn on its face.
Real Live Sitcom Moment:
I’ve been driving round with a mattress in my car for about three weeks.
Not because our relationship has broke down. Although it might be nice having somewhere I can sleep without being woken by a baby… No, we just decided to treat ourselves to a new mattress.
I have been TRYING to get rid of the old one. Coronavirus has wreaked bloody havoc with the tip. Sorry with the “Household Waste, and Recycling Centre”.
My first attempt to fit the task in between my parenting and work duties, ended in failure when I arrived at the nearest site only to find a massive queue. A queue which I didn’t have time to wait around for. I’m a busy man in between watching Friends™ and mental health crisising myself into the COVID Ward. Really, I should have just turned up after closing hours, parked outside the gate and slept in my car till morning.
I tried again on my next free day. All ready to go, I put the site in my Google™ maps, and sure enough, yep, closed on a Wednesday.
And on the third day I rested. Well, no, I decided to go to a more familiar site near our old place. The problem this time was, in the lockdown period I seem to have completely forgotten how to drive!
I hit the M25, waiting the 3 miles to the junction, and “Uh, Oh” missed the turning. Another fifteen minutes added. I came back down the M1. There’s the junction! Great. Next thing I knew… Another fifteen minutes. HOW DID I MISS THAT? OK. This time… Don’t think about anything else but the satnav. And… OH COME ON. A THIRD TIME!?!? Where is this place??! Fucking Hogwarts?!? DO I NEED TO DRIVE THROUGH A BARRIER OR SOMETHING.
Eventually I found the place and ditched the mattress with a satisfying “Whooomp”. It must have just been my subconscious enjoying having some time away from my phone.
And that’s how we end Season Five.
The Friends have a trip to Vegas, I have a trip to the tip.
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