ONE HUNDRED EPISODES.
We did it.
Thank you, thank you!
You may hold your applause…
What do you mean there are 136 episodes still to go?!
JESUS.
Well, there’s no time to be sad.
IT’S BABY TIME.
“The One With the Halloween Party”
Yep, Friends™ marks its 100th episode, not with a lame clip show, or an extra-long cameo stuffed bonanza (as so many lesser shows do), but with a fantastic, and surprisingly moving, episode as Phoebe finally gives birth to her brothers babies.
It’s a timeless tale of love, and incest against the odds… hang on. I think I’ve got confused with Game of Thrones™.
It’s great to have Frank Jnr back. Even if his absence matches that of my own half-brother. Or, indeed, my own my absence in my sisters life. Think I’ve seen her about five times since she gave birth?
Despite the humour, it all builds to an incredibly sad ending as Phoebe must give up the babies. It’s easily up there with some of the best turns in comedy since. Bojack Horseman™, The Good Place™, Extras™ (I’m sure I’ve missed loads) I don’t think we would have had any of the best moments in these shows without Friends™ showing you can do comedy and emotion together.
This time it’s all down to Lisa Kudrow, no doubt channelling all the emotion of recently becoming a mother herself, and making me and my wife cry on the sofa.
We did it.
Thank you, thank you!
You may hold your applause…
What do you mean there are 136 episodes still to go?!
JESUS.
Well, there’s no time to be sad.
IT’S BABY TIME.
“The One With the Halloween Party”
Yep, Friends™ marks its 100th episode, not with a lame clip show, or an extra-long cameo stuffed bonanza (as so many lesser shows do), but with a fantastic, and surprisingly moving, episode as Phoebe finally gives birth to her brothers babies.
It’s a timeless tale of love, and incest against the odds… hang on. I think I’ve got confused with Game of Thrones™.
It’s great to have Frank Jnr back. Even if his absence matches that of my own half-brother. Or, indeed, my own my absence in my sisters life. Think I’ve seen her about five times since she gave birth?
Despite the humour, it all builds to an incredibly sad ending as Phoebe must give up the babies. It’s easily up there with some of the best turns in comedy since. Bojack Horseman™, The Good Place™, Extras™ (I’m sure I’ve missed loads) I don’t think we would have had any of the best moments in these shows without Friends™ showing you can do comedy and emotion together.
This time it’s all down to Lisa Kudrow, no doubt channelling all the emotion of recently becoming a mother herself, and making me and my wife cry on the sofa.
The episode plays with the blurring of real life and film too. First with Joey’s attempts to document everything with his video camera, and making a video for the baby. It’s the early days of Selfie™ culture. And I’m definitely gona be the sort of parent who does videos like that. Are you even pregnant if it’s not on Facebook™?
And I’m not the only one obsessed with a popular TV show now! Phoebe’s doctor likes the Fonz from Happy Days™ a little bit too much, which isn’t reassuring her. What if I end up like him? A highly paid professional helping the species continue? God it’d be awful…
But, hey, I’d be played by Sam Anderson. Best known for his great turns in cult geek shows Lost™ and Angel™, as well as popping up in X-Files™ and Star Trek: The Next Generation™ among others.
Stick that in your pop culture obsession pipe and smoke it.
Yet, for some reason, Phoebe doesn’t like him? I don’t care if he’s a bit too obsessed, man’s a healthcare professional. You should trust him. Phoebe wanting a different doctor reminds me of a recent news story. An NHS™ doctor of Asian descent being interviewed and talking of his shock at a racist patient asking for a different person to perform a life saving operation on him.
Even Friends™, the poster child for poor representation of B.A.M.E. character’s, does better than this, with Joey treated by an Asian doctor after suddenly coming down with Kidney stones. It’s another classic gender swap joke (“what if one of the guys goes through all the tropes of a pregnancy scene”) that works well.
Although the show loses any 21st Century points gained by the doctor’s casting by Joey introducing Frank Jnr’s kids to Playboy™ before they’re even born. Ah well, you can’t have everything.
But, fuck, I tell you what I was NOT expecting that ending. Give an Emmy to the baby that reached out for a high five.
Real Live Sitcom Moment:
As Friends™ celebrates their 100th episode, we celebrated Halloween™.
Or, more accurately, me and my wife celebrated with some of her mates, as none of mine showed up.
My hopes weren’t high to be honest, given the silence every time I posted about it in the WhatsApp™ group. And I don’t really blame them given its either side of Chandler Number 2 and David the Science Guy’s birthdays. But we’ve definitely crossed a rubicon now; from people saying no to things they can’t make, to any events requiring active consent before going ahead. Welcome, to your thirties…
Fair play to them though for coming to the party in the end, dressed as my fear that they wouldn’t come.
