Everyone’s all excited. We’ve all been waiting for an age.

And now, here it is at last!

The big reunion!!

A chance to see our friends and family without following strict rules?

No, not that.

The return of the Chick and Duck??

No, NOT THAT.

You don’t mean?

The Friends™ are finally getting back together?

“The One Without the Reunion”

It’s not, like we’d all hoped an actual episode. But rather a TV special bringing the cast back together, with some chat, clips, and fun. Would it be a disaster like the Inbetweeners reunion?

Early signs, including the news that James Corden would be hosting pointed to “Yes”.

But hey, at least it’s not on Zoom like so many of these things, produced to sate the desires of people who’ve run out of things to watch in the last year. (Despite an entire century’s worth of entertainment to go back to and enjoy, seriously if you’ve run out of things to watch you need to broaden your horizons a bit).

I say “actual episode”, it’s true a lot of people were hoping for that. To see what they’re up to now? Who wouldn’t want that!? The One Where They’ve All Got Kids and Barely See Each Other.

A few years ago I would have loved a follow-up special; there are plenty of shows that did that successfully: Only Fools and Horses™, Futurama™, Firefly™. But, almost always it’s show’s cancelled before their time. I may have a few years to go, but I don’t think anyone would deny Friends™ was wrapped up completely and more or less perfectly. (Baring any mention of Joey™).

Now, I was actually relieved when I heard they weren’t doing a proper reunion. Because I want my stupid project to end at some point. When I started I was perfectly prepared to dedicate ten years of my life to re-watching Friends™. But the thought of starting again when I’m, what, in my fifties? God, I can’t think of anything worse. Thank the lord I didn’t choose Frasier™.

If I have a quibble with the modern entertainment complex it’s that they don’t know when to let things end. Shows carry on years after they’ve met their sell by date, watched only by a diminishing number of fans unable to escape their completist urges.

Obviously the big franchises are the worst offenders, if you're caught in the Venn diagram of Star Wars™ / Star Trek™ / Marvel™ fandom you're hard pressed to watch anything else at all if you want to keep up with the shows available to them.

For me, it’s most frustrating when a show with a brilliantly produced, complete first season hits an unexpected Zeitgeist; and a stories carried on and stretched out which didn’t need to be (I’m looking at you Stranger Things™). Often this comes at the expense of shows with more potential, cut short after a weaker first season, never given the time to grow. Imagine if Friends™ had been cancelled after the first season to give way to more episodes of the, critically well received but presumably thoroughly wrapped up “Watergate” ™.

 And so I won’t be watching the reunion. Mostly in protest that I wasn’t invited. Honestly, you think people are your friends then they all have a big catch-up without you!!

People seem pretty happy with the reunion; my wife watched it and said it was good. Twitter is mad for it. (Especially Matt Le Blanc’s “Irish Dad energy”).

But I have another problem that ultimately turned me off.

James Corden.

Just kidding, really I don’t think I CAN watch it without it interfering with Real Live Friends.

I’ve spent years now fastidiously avoiding anything which might hint at upcoming stories. And watching what essentially is just a clip show, poses far too great a threat to the integrity of the project. I suppose TECHNICALLY I should watch it… About twenty years from now.

Oh God, this really is never going to end is it?!?

Anyway, what have we got here, back in the year 2000. Where the only plastic surgery on show is Rachel’s nose job.

She’s being set-up for a date by both Phoebe and Chonica. I’m sure many people left single after their friend’s couple up can empathise with this.

As is often the case you feel a bit sorry for the guys caught up in the friends chaotic coffee shop world. Poor Patrick and … L Dot??

That can’t be right.

Eldad?? Come on. That’s hardly much better. That can’t be a real name.

Rachel’s still living with Joey; it’s always refreshing to shake up the pairings a bit. But there isn’t much Joey and Rachel story this time as he’s running round trying to get people to pay for a new fridge.

Weirdly our fridge broke the other day too, completely froze up on the inside. Although I’m not sure that counts as breaking, or whether it just became a better fridge…

One story I really wish was in the fridge (like Joey’s copy of Little Women all those years ago) is Ross dating his student. Wow, it’s dated.

In the way the other friends react, too. I guess your mates would try to be supportive, but the gentle ribbing and tacit approval of the situation comes across as weird given how the story would likely be presented today.

And things are now going from bad to worse as Ross is super jealous and paranoid over her going to Spring Break. You’ve only been going out like 2 weeks!!

He’s trying to get her not to wear her bikini of choice, even hiding it from her! It’s easy to see how this could swiftly develop into a controlling older male situation. And, oh no… he’s not gonna go down there is he?? I have a real bad feeling about this.

Well shit. This man clearly does not want to have a career.

Real Live Sitcom Moment:

Speaking of things outstaying their welcome, I’ve had a Christmas Tree in my garden for the last 5 months.

Why, you ask? Oh no reason, I just missed the council pick-up and never found time to take it to the tip. It grew on me having it in the corner of the garden (pun unintended). It’s a shame you can’t replant them.

But it’s finally gone! Bizarrely, I saw a tweet advertising, comedian, Tim Key’s Christmas Show, rescheduled to May due to Covid. What even is life anymore?

Needles to say I jumped at my chance (pun very much intended) and offered my battered tree for set dressing.

Imagine my surprise when Tim not only accepted but kindly gave me some free tickets!!

Honestly, I’d have donated it just to get it out my garden. But what a treat to finally go see some live entertainment again!

This may be the first time in my adult life I’ve been excited by something to do with Christmas. AND IT'S NOT EVEN CHRISTMAS.

Oh dear.

Oh dear, oh dear.

Straight out the bat, a student’s hitting on Ross and we all know where this is going...

To make matters worse we get the “lol wouldn’t it be funny if the student was a dude” joke too. It’s gonna be one of those episodes isn’t it?

“The One With the Questionable Sexual Politics”

There’s a bit of a light reprieve, in the shape of Phoebe and Rachel’s flat catching fire. Did I say “light reprieve”?! Apparently so, it only seems to happen to give them a reason to move in with Joey and Monica for a while. As if ANYONE these days has a guest bedroom.

The joke is that living with Monica’s overindulgent hospitality is more overbearing than Joey’s care-free slovenly-ness. Having lived in a state of absolute sloven my whole adult life, I’m not sure I agree.

The fire was caused by scented candles; perhaps from Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop? Or was it Rachel’s hair straighteners? Who cares, it gives us a bit of fun with Monica and Joey both getting to team up with Rachel/Phoebe in turn.

Chandler’s out and about trying to get Joey an audition by buttering up an old friend who’s a movie director.

You know who’s also out? THE CHICK AND DUCK!!! Where the hell are they? Maybe they got lost in the wormhole to the alternative universe?

I don’t get why Chandler stopped being friends with this person? It would be sweet to be friends with a film director! And she seems cool and hot. Maybe he really did have feelings for her as Monica suggests?

It’s a shame Joey forgets about the audition after all the effort Chandler goes to. Let down by his unorthodox dating system.

Perhaps it’s karma for his advice to Ross:

“I mean what’s more important? What people think or how you feel, huh? Ross, you gotta follow your heart.”

Spoken like a true sex pest. What society thinks is very much what’s important here, Joey.

The show does make pains to point out what Ross is doing is wrong (although they try to make him look as innocent and non-predatory as possible). But only after justifying the 11 year age gap by saying “well when you’re 80 she’ll be 70”. Yerh, and when he was 20, she was 9. The point is the age gap NOW.

This is why the “half your age + 7” rule of thumb works so well. It’s an algorithmic beauty that scals with your age. Seriously, try it! No matter your age, you’ll get a maximum age difference that avoids anything inappropriate, allowing for any power imbalances like; I don’t know LITERALLY BEING A TEACHER. Ross thinks he’s got an out on this as the student is technically no longer in his class. But he’s still breaking the “half your age + 7” rule! And, boy does it show.

By today’s standards a 31 year old dating a 20 year old (even as equal consenting adults) would be frowned upon, there’s a pretty big maturity difference.

I explained the “half your age + 7” rule to my mum a while back, she’s getting on a bit but you never know, it might come in handy one day. And she INSTANTLY said her number. Either she’s a lot sharper than she’s letting on, or she’s worked that out before!
To be fair to Ross, he was going to turn down the students advances. Until she made the point about him not being in control of her grades anymore.

And to be fair to the show, they do end by pointing out the college has a literal rule against this sort of thing and that Ross will be fired.

Thanks Friends™ at least we now know what Ross is doing is wrong, and that there are rules in place to protect students from people like him. And now we can move on… oh… no, Ross is still about to sleep with the student.

Jesus, Ross.

Real Live Sitcom Moment:

Monica Number 2 got married!!

A bit of sedate affair, sadly, with some restrictions still in place. But my god the post-ceremony drinks were incredible!! We spent hours on a boat/bar on the Thames drinking and eating pizza, catching up and reminiscing.

The ceremony itself was not without incident. The registrar was clearly quite out of practice, stumbling over words and pausing awkwardly. But the real kicker was accidentally referring to Monica Number 2 (an almost 7 foot tall, bearded dude) as the “wife” and repeatedly calling them by the wrong name.

At least it wasn’t Monica who got the name wrong…

They did, however, make me absolutely piss myself with some brutal honesty (and later, more literally, by providing me with too many drinks…)

I mentioned how sad it was that David the Science Guy couldn’t attend as they’re, once again, stuck in “Minsk”. And, quick as a flash, Monica replied “yerh, you wouldn’t be here if they could’ve made it.”

Charming to the last! I’m sure he’ll make a lovely wife.

And... we’re back through the wormhole.

Say "bye-bye" to that world, where everything was absolutely great, bar one thing. My daughter didn’t exist :(

My wife says that’s one of her favourite things about having a kid. It means you can’t regret anything in your past, as if you change a single thing they wouldn’t exist. Which is a nice way of looking at it.

Of course, now she’s been born I’m free to make as many mistakes as I like again. Yippee!

I pointed this out to my wife; that the regret-free thing only works for things you did before the baby was born, and she said:

“Well, what if you have another baby?”

Come now, I honestly don’t think continually pumping out babies is a sustainable way of never having regrets. The carbon footprint alone would be devastating…

 “The One With the Scared Children”

Speaking of regrets, Joey’s talking about donating blood. Someone pause the episode, I feel sick. (Though that may just be the smell of the mushroom polenta my wife is making for the baby.)

Now Joey’s trying to scam his way onto a medical trial by paying an actor to pretend to be his twin!

I wish I’d thought of that. Getting a fake twin to donate plasma instead of me could have saved a lot of pain this last year.

Pain like for someone who does Karat-EY? (Now that’s what I call a smooth segue...)

Imagining his alternate life with Carol and Karate has obviously been playing on Ross’s mind. Man’s getting a bit obsessed if you ask me. And, trust me, I know obsession. Thinks he’s now some karate god! Keeps banging on about the quest for “Unagi”. Which, as the rest of my Friends™ rightly keep pointing out, is actually a type of eel.

Ross and Rachel/Phoebe had a bit of fun scaring each other by jumping out from hidden places. But what started as a fun game soon took quite a dark turn, with Ross asking a self-defence instructor how best to attack his ex-wife. He’s lucky the guy didn’t call the cops!

But, err, fortunately Ross gets his comeuppance. It’s always good laughing at Ross’s expense.

What’s actually MORE dark (darker than Ross attacking two women he doesn’t know?? ... Yes.) Is the way Chandler acts with Monica.

They’re celebrating Valentine’s day. Hey! Didn’t we already do this?!

We DID. Rachel just confirmed it, Valentine's was two weeks ago. (Or was it a few months ago? I'm not sure.) I think this confirms the last two episodes did take up no time, and can now definitely be forgotten forever. Alas, poor motor home, we hardly knew ye.

Anyway, Chandler is being very dishonest in how he deals with Monica here. Both have forgotten to get the present they said they would, but he pretends an old mix-tape from Janice is his present.

Monica obviously finds out as Janice’s wonderful voice cuts through the mix-tape, and this is all we get from Janice in season six :( Alas, poor Janice, we hardly knew ye.

But this is AFTER Chandler uses the kudos from the tape to get mad kinky sex, AND a free meal.

Damn, Chandler. That is very not cool.

Real Live Sitcom Moment:

With rules finally relaxing we were able to host some people the other day, Ross Number 2, Rachel Number 1, and (checking my notes) the couple formerly known as Ross Number 3.

I have no idea what made them Ross Number 3 as being successfully married is the least Ross thing you can do. But anyway, they came round, and brought the kids too for a bit of BBQ action in the damp and cold.

I don’t know how we got onto the subject but somehow talk turned to what sort of person would, and wouldn’t, be appropriate dating material for our daughters in the future. Ross Number 2 immediately jumped on the chance for a joke, with all the speed of Chandler, and all the good judgement of Ross, turning to the nearest child, pointing his finger like a schoolmaster, and practically yelling “no dating drug dealers!” in their face.

Cue, three crying children.

Aw, it’s OK kiddies! Don’t worry, when you grow up, you can date whoever you want.

Some exciting news!!

I’ve bought a motor-home!

I thought “hang the cost, I’ve saved up enough in the last couple of years, why shouldn’t I? Let’s take this show on the road!”

I love it, it’s my baby.

And no-one can tell me otherwise.

“The One With the Motorhome”

I went round Joey’s the other day. The man’s absolutely wasted his Drake Ramoray fortune on awful art.

But he’s got a date with this girl, Rachel, coming up. Maybe she’ll sort him out? Help him become a better person? Or maybe, she’ll get drunk and throw up. I had a bit too much to drink the other day too, but didn’t throw up.  Seems no matter how much I drink I don’t throw up anymore; hopefully the motor-home will help me cut back a bit, ay?

The pandemic’s still going on, but we’re barely feeling it down here. In some ways it’s been one of the best years of my life.

I remember a year ago when I thought, “fuck it, I’m gona move to Australia, and wait for this all to blow over”.

It’s been great getting to know my family down here, meeting new people, and I’ve even made a lot of progress with my stand-up! I’ve got that fish out of water angle now, and done so many gigs I really feel at the top of my game.

Ladies? Well I’m not quite Joey… but at least I’m not Ross stuck in his marriage!

He’s tried to spice things up with a threesome. You know how I feel about those? The same as jam and cream on a scone: tried it both ways, it’s not for me.

It’s not actually that funny really, he’s just found out his wife is a lesbian! Imagine that, after nine years. Your marriage is gone, most of your adult life so far spent with nothing to show for it.

I feel bad for Carol too, living a lie for so long, but she’s really done a number on him. She’s been cheating this whole time! Talk about having your cake and eating it… It’s really not fair to Ross the way she’s acted.

It seems everyone’s cheating this week. (Well except Phoebe, who’s still in the hospital, I can’t relate to this heart attack thing at all. I’ve got no concerns there, been finding the time for sport/exercise these last six years so I’m in pretty good shape.)

It’s funny only last week Monica was giving Rachel shit for wanting to cheat with Joey, and now she’s cheated with Chandler!! I’ll admit they do make a cute couple. I, I feel like there’s something familiar about it…

I do sometimes wonder what life would have been like if I hadn’t cheated? All those years ago.

We’d probably be married by now. I’d own a real house, instead of a motor-home. In the suburbs. I used to hate the thought of being stuck in the ‘burbs. But now, I dunno, cities are so hectic sometimes. When I was a child we used to go for all these long walks in the country round my granddads. Some days I feel like I could do with a bit of green, away from the endless videogames.

Maybe we’d be talking about kids? Hah, imagine that! Me as a father. That’d be a ridiculous plotline.

I always assumed I’d have kids, not that I particularly have much interest in them, but I still haven’t met the right person. Well, I thought I met the right person, before I fucked up.

It can be a little lonely.

Most of my friends have paired up, back in the UK.  I hope they’re OK, getting through things OK. The rest of my family’s been really struggling without me. A lot more than I would have thought…  I’ve barely seen my nephew since he was born. I can’t remember the last time I spoke to dad.

Family’s never seemed that important to me. But sometimes it feels like I haven’t got one at all. At least I’ve got my Friends™!

God, I miss my friends.

I miss her.

Real Live Sitcom Moment:

A funny thing happened the other day.

I was waterskiing down on the beach, about to do a real sweet jump, when I saw a big fin in the water! Big… like Jaws, big. Yep, there was only a bloody shark out there!

The boat began heading back to land, but I realised I could still make it to the ramp, even as the shark moved to swim on the other side. My heart pounded as I approached, thinking about the prospect of big toothy danger should I fail.

Reader, I jumped right over that shark. Flying through the sky like Icarus on a cloudy day.

And the spectators on the beach applauded as I headed back to dry land for a cold one.

“I’m thinking of buying a motorhome”.

“Did you see this on a TV show?”

“Well, yes…”

“I don’t remember that episode of friends” my wife replied.

“Not Friends™, a different show. Also it’s Friends™, not ‘friends’” I retorted.

“What?”

“Never mind.

Look, it’d be great; I can travel the country, staying wherever I want. It’s like that old dream of mine to have a riverboat. But, it gets over all the problems of that! Not as small, not limited by canals, no risk of drunkenly drowning.”

“Not, ALL the problems.”

“Yep! Even the internet one’s fixed now I can use my smart phone as a router.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this… You’re not getting a motorhome. Have you seen how much they cost?! You know how much I hate camping, and, needn’t I remind you, we have a baby now?? She’d hate it.”

“I’d be using it for holidays by myself though.”

*Awkward Silence*

“Oh. Yes, you’re right. I think my imagination has got a bit carried away.”

“You don’t say…”
 
And so I’ve given up on that idea. No travelling the open road, making the most of the end of lockdown, the wind in my hair and my bed under the stars. But a man can dream…

 “The One Without the Motorhome”

My Friends™ are wondering what might have been too. All the big questions. What if Ross hadn’t found out his wife was a lesbian? What if Chandler has quit his job? What if Monica was still fat?

This is one of the problems with lockdown. There’s so much time to think things, inevitably thoughts turn to how things could have been different. Even if New York is seemingly unaffected by the pandemic.

Would the grass be greener on the otherside? Or would we be living in some darker timeline?

Thanks to the magic of TV, we can get a glimpse into this alternate universe, where Joey’s still playing Dr Drake Ramoray, Rachel never left Barry at the altar, and Ross is still a massive loser.

It’s a bit like “Friends™ does Rick and Morty” and, fortunately for me, is a great opportunity to catch up! As presumably these two episodes don’t actually have any time passing, so keep your eyes peeled for part 2 next week.

But what about me in this alternate universe?

I would almost certainly be making questionable fashion choices like Chandlers backwards cap.

That’s not much different to now, seeing as I’ve now almost finished growing my Rachel.

Would I still be married? Or would we get a reversal of Rachel and Ross’s situation? The choice jokes about them being stuck in loveless marriages being replaced by jokes about me being perpetually single still, or worse, jokes about my divorce.

Option 1:

“We get 50/50 bread, because I like white, and my wife likes brown. So we get compromise bread that’s halfway in between and not as good as either, which is exactly what marriage is like.”

Option 2:

“Hey guys, anyone here on Tindr™?? Woo, yerh! You know it’s a lot older than you’d think. In fact, when she died, even Joan of Arc was on tinder.”

I honestly don’t know what’s worse…

Oh wait, I do. Joey and Rachel hooking up because she’s a big fan of Days of our Lives™. Joey and Rachel together?? That’d be ridiculous.

Any more ridiculous than me being with Rachel Number 1, Doctor Phalange, or Chandler Number 1?

Ok, fair enough…

Ross taking up Karat-AY is eerily close to me wanting to take up boxing. Unlike him that’s to get revenge on my brother-in-law instead of out of sexual frustration.

It’s weird that alternate reality Ross is somehow even more tragic. Although he does seem to see his kid more often. Isn’t this supposed to be them imagining a better world where things were different? I guess it makes sense for him to think things would be worse if he hadn’t had the first divorce.

Monica, too, seems happier with how things are now. Good for her! I’m usually quick to defend the show about the fat jokes about Monica, but it does seem to go a little far in this episode. She’s not even that fat, and yet apparently it means she’s a thirty year old virgin. Oh Monica, do you really have that low an opinion of yourself?

I don’t think we’ve ever found out how the Friends™ met Phoebe. But apparently she’d still hang out with us if she was a millionaire. Popping into Central Perk™ whilst rushing round selling stocks and bonds. Gunther would be lucky man with the tips she could give.

It’s a bit odd they all still know each other really, sure they’re only changing one thing, but wouldn’t the butterfly effect have swung this way out of control? I suppose it’s because their stopping off points are after the age people make most of their friends.

I’d probably have mostly the same friends too. Apart from in my job, and people my wife knows, I’ve barely made any new mates in the past decade. Unless you count the Friends. Which I definitely do.

Oh God. What if I’d never met them? A world without Friends™? It doesn’t bare thinking about.

Chandler being hired by Joey makes me think of another thing that would be different. What if I didn’t work for MY friends? My bosses are nowhere near as bad as Joey, but I do often wonder how things would be different if I’d stuck with my original plan of switching jobs every couple of years.

Based on how stressed I am without doing that I’d probably end up like Phoebe.

Heart attack at thirty-one.

And if I was still smoking? Jesus, I’d be more than three grand worse off from that alone.

It’s difficult to know after my little dalliance with mental health issues, but I’m now reasonably satisfied I’ve yet to have a heart attack.

A few months back I was driving home with the baby. And felt a sudden sharp pain in my chest. Unlike anything I’d felt before. I was left with my heart pounding, sweaty palms, feeling weak and had to do the responsible thing: pull over, and call my mum to help. Not at all emasculating.

Now, after weeks of therapy, I realised it was very shortly after Dr Phalange told me, thanks to my diet, body type, and history of smoking, I was a primo risk for a heart condition.

So naturally when I felt a twinge in my chest from anxiety, I had what is known as a “catastrophic, misinterpretation reaction” where my body flew into panic. A vicious cycle of heart pounding, leading to more oxygen, leading to more worry, leading to heart beating faster, leading to the assumption I’d had a heart attack.

I wonder what life would have been like without a pandemic, would I have still gone through that then? What about with a pandemic but no child? Would my wife have shrugged off the virus with the relative ease that I did? No need to deal with it all.

Would we have been free to do something else? Move to Australia, get a motorhome, and wait for all this to blow over?

I guess we’ll never know, never know, never know…
 
Real Live Sitcom Moment:

A short one.

After realising it’s been over a year of me not painting the fence, I painted the fence!!
It’s dried nicely now. And I can clearly see I’ve painted it a different shade to the ones next to it.

Bugger.

Unlucky, Ross, looks like Reece Witherspoon will not be your number eight.

This is what you get when your dating technique consists of showing women slides of fossils.

"Next Slide Please"

I wouldn’t fair much better, in discussion with my wife the other day I came to the conclusion I never dated properly (the upside being I’ve also never been dumped). Have I missed out? Or was that hellish period of perpetual singledom punctuated by drunken hook-ups good enough?

It’s not so bad when we can go on dates, but it’s been a year now since we’ve done one properly!

We even did nothing for Valentine’s Day this year. Which is actually good as it’s only cropping up in Friends™ now.

We sometimes bemoan missing out on the opportunity to do dating apps. But she is getting to experience something similar. She’s got an app that is basically Tindr™ for mums. Yep! They swipe the usual way, and get hooked up with people to arrange play-dates (or trips to wine bars in the evening).

I’ve been informed there isn’t the equivalent for dads, which is for the best given I haven’t even bothered to talk to the guys in the NCT group for the last year.

I only hope she doesn’t meet a lady she likes a bit TOO much and leave me for a lesbian.

 “The One With the Scared Baby”

Joey may have very strict rules when it comes to dating your friends’ sisters. But apparently they don’t apply to watching your mate’s sister in porn.

Yes, it’s the classic “oh my god, Phoebe’s a porn star, no wait it’s her twin sister” episode.

I remember all this very well; I must have seen it quite a few times. Not for the porn, which is PG at best, it must have just been on a lot. Some of these jokes are filthy for something we watched as kids though!

The attitude to sex workers is a little dated, but you can still understand Phoebe not wanting her sister doing it under her name. But spare a thought for Ursula, not only entering an industry about to be decimated by the advent of free internet porn, but also wouldn’t it suck if you were having sex and your partner kept calling out your sisters name??

It’s weird this doesn’t really get resolved isn’t it? Phoebe goes to see Ursula who refuses to stop, so Phoebe steals her pay, and that’s just the end of it? With an anticlimax like that you’d want your money back.

It is fun while it lasts. I think we can agree, if you found out one of your friends was in porn, you would watch it wouldn’t you? At least all of us Friends™ did.

The other thing happening this week was we found out Chandler can’t cry!

A bit weird, but I think something a lot of men can relate to. I think we go through phases. I remember after the quite hardening experience of school I didn’t cry for many years until my first grandfather died. Even then I was relatively numb until we arrived at his old house, a place of great familiarity from my childhood, and I snuck into his room for some quiet time only to find an empty glasses case on the side.

From then, much like Chandler, I found it a lot easier to cry at things. The floodgates were open. Films, music, you name it. I think there’s a lot of truth that if you go a bit too long without crying it can all build up and do a lot damage. Which was certainly borne out a year ago when I spent months contently pottering around my garden, determined to feel the whole world going to hell as little as possible. Before the floodgates opened.

If only I’d seen this episode then, and listened to Joey, the unlikely poster boy for positive male emotional expression.

Welcome to the club Chandler. Just try not to do it in public. No-one wants that.

Real Live Sitcom Moment:

There is no shame in crying at things that are sad, and hey, if you’re an actual baby you can cry everyday for sometimes no reason at all.

My bairns getting a lot braver and happier as she’s getting older, thankfully. Although she did completely lose her shit the other day.

I was doing the bedtime routine, and my wife used the opportunity for some pampering.

But, never one to fully switch off from motherhood, she came in to check on things. Cue baby crying, us confused as to why before eventually realising it was that my wife was wearing a dark mud face mask, sporting the sort of look that would get you a light entertainment slot in the fifties, or not hinder your chance of re-election in Canada.

Yep, my wife’s skincare products looked a little less than PC, and our baby was absolutely not having it.

God the younger generation are so woke now, aren’t they?

At last my stair gates remain affixed to the wall.

A testament to mankind’s engineering prowess, and my ability to always shut them as carefully as possible, running over and moving the baby back to the centre of the room if she gets to close.

Sure the only reason we got it was so we wouldn’t have to keep moving her back to the centre of the room but… baby steps.

Oh God… she’s gonna be so much harder to stop when she can walk.

“The One With a Bit Too Much Honesty, If You Ask Me”

Joey’s giving out free stuff in the coffee shop to pretty ladies. Gunther’s not too happy about it, but I say you have to take free stuff from work where you can get it. I even got my sister a birthday present from work this year.

And who’s this knocking at the door?

It’s a pretty priceless reaction as the friends hear the knock and realise that all seven of us are already in the flat.

It’s Rachel’s sister, played by Reese Witherspoon!! Half way between Cruel Intentions and Legally Blonde. That girl’s gona be a star!!

Oh my, Rachel’s accidentally talked her sister into dating Ross! Who’s a little too eager to go along with it if you ask me.

Is Rachel’s sister going to become Ross’s eighth sexual partner?!? We’ll have to wait and see.

This is a bit of an insensitive time for her to show up however. As you’ll all know from slavishly reading the blog. Lockdown last year was precipitated by my wife’s musical theatre group being shut down right as they were about to put on a show. What show do you ask? Legally Blonde!!

And here we are exactly a year on from the Pandemic™ gracing our shores.

And, in bigger news, a year since we got our fence fixed! Mad props to me for managing to go the whole year without painting the new bits.

Monica’s refusing to acknowledge her illness after being sent home from work. Oh no! It hasn’t reached the Friends has it!? They’ve been so careful. Never breaking the rule of six.

Her protestations that she’s strong and never gets sick sounds a lot like me just over a year ago. I don’t think I’ve ever so swiftly been taught a lesson not to be so blasé. Immediately getting it and passing it to my pregnant wife.

We were a lot luckier than other people, we got through it. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say it impacted us both heavily. And in ways I wouldn’t have expected. This sudden reminder of the fragility of life, of my own mortality, and how I’m no longer just responsible for my own health played havoc with my mind for the last year.

And I only just feel I’m returning to a sense of normality, of control over my own thoughts. Not fearing anxious thoughts spiralling out of control. Panic attacks hitting me when driving my daughter somewhere. I don’t know. Was it the Covid, or was this something all new parents go through to a lesser or greater degree?

I’ve been helped in part by finally getting some professional help. Honestly, men will ring their GP three times to find there’s no appointments available rather than go to therapy.

Eventually my mum pointed me in the direction of our county’s wellbeing team, who were able to give me a couple of sessions. It definitely helped, although the therapist did somewhat undermine my recovery from anxiety over my health by casually pointing out in the last session my symptoms were the same as “Long Covid” ™. You mean I’ve got that as well?!?

Oh great…

I don’t think I do. One of the things I realised was that pretty much everything I got trapped in a spiral over was things I felt and experienced before the pandemic. I’d just lost my ways of coping with them. I’m sure many people have experienced the same.

But is this really why you’re here?? No, this is a Friends™ blog damn it. Back to Monica trying to get Chandler to sleep with her.

I don’t especially see a problem with sick sex, though it’s a bit like drunk sex. Great if you’re both in that state, but if only one of you’s sick or drunk it’s gross.

There certainly wasn’t any risk of us having sex this time last year. It’s a bit of a film cliché that people start furiously banging the second the world ends, but in reality there’s far too much to do. Like continually listening to your partners breathing/coughing to check for any signs of illness. Now you’d be far more likely to socially distance at a sign of illness rather than grabbing the vaporub for a bit of tingly sex.

I never thought when we got married I’d learn the exact time and reason for all of my wife’s daily coughs. But at least now I know they’re not because of anything out of the ordinary.

And, hey, before last year I never would have known we always cough after a cup of tea because we don’t have a water filter and the last sip always has all the scum in it. The things you learn when you take a break and really pay attention…

Real Live Sitcom Moment:

It’s amazing what you can get used to.

Only six months ago we were spooked by a man walking into our garden in the dark autumn evening.

Now we’ve got through winter, and I’ve lost count of the number of times it’s happened.

It seems the massive upshoot in home deliveries and takeaways lead to a great many people taking up a job they didn’t really have the sixth sense for. Or, an accurate enough version of Google Maps™.

We’ve regularly found people walking past our window of an evening, looking for a mystery house before realising they’re trespassing and performing a swift U-turn. What once made us fearful now makes us laugh as our TV watching is interrupted for the umpteenth time that evening.

Perhaps I should set a chair outside and sit there brandishing a shotgun. I’d love to drawl a southern “get of my land” at someone before hastily adding “oh no wait, is that a McDonalds™? I’ll take that please”.

Hopefully it won’t be long before the pandemic, too, becomes something to laugh about rather than be fearful of.

After all my difficulty putting up the stairgate last time or, more accurately, my wife’s difficulty in not pulling it off the wall, we’ve had to get ANOTHER one. It’s the only way we can stop our baby going into the kitchen and continuing her mission to explore strange new floors, to boldly pick up and eat anything, regardless of whether it’s food or not.

So, once again, I have a chance to show my DIY prowess! And this one went much better. Until a week later, when our now “learning to stand” baby leant on it and pulled it off the wall too. Who is selling stairgates that can’t withstand the weight of a baby?!?

And before you say it, YES, I followed the instructions perfectly.

It’s now re-attached in a much less aesthetically pleasing, but much more secure way.

Although I expect the cat will somehow barrel through it any second.

“The One With the Second Poorly Designed Stairgate”

Much like my pride in my ability to perform basic household improvement tasks, Janine is gone.

I can’t say I’ll miss her, her character mostly served as someone for Joey/Chandler/Ross to perve over. Joey, too, doesn’t seem that fussed. Mostly he’s concerned he can no longer afford cable, sneaking round to Chandler’s to watch their TV. For the young people, this was the olden days equivalent of stealing your mates Netflix™ password.

Perhaps he should spend less time watching TV and a bit more playing with his Chick and Duck? Where the hell are they??

I imagine “can you stop watching TV and spend some time with our daughter?” is something I’d be hearing a lot more of if there was anything else to do right now. But with Janine gone, I have no choice but to get a job in the coffee shop. Sorry, not me, Joey. Wait, what year is this? How long have we been inside again?

It’s a bit sad Joey feels the need to hide that he’s now working at the coffee shop. It’s easy to forget he was, briefly, quite a successful actor. But he now he finds himself in the position a lot of creative’s are struggling with. The work just isn’t there. And poor Joey can’t even retrain in cyber.

It’s a timely reminder of how, even in the best of times, forging a career in the arts can be a slog. Though I don’t think any of the wealth of talent being forced to take jobs in other sectors right now will take much comfort from Joey being in a similar position. At least he can take a job in a café!

Less depressingly, Phoebe’s foolishly answered the hypothetical question of whether she’d rather date Monica or Rachel.

I think Monica takes it a lot more to heart than you would. We’re quite used to our Real Live Friends telling us harsh truths, certainly by this age? I would at least expect Monica and Rachel to have more self-awareness by now. But, hey, they’ve got to get the jokes from somewhere! It’s a fun twist that, for once, Phoebe is the one in touch with how she’s seen by others (“I’m flaky I’ll say anything”).

Joke’s are the other source of consternation, this time among Chandler and Ross who can’t agree who wrote a joke printed in Playboy™. There’s not much to say here, as it’s the same thing over and over, and I don’t think I’ve ever been in a dispute over authorship of a joke.

You need to be able to write good jokes for that. (Ho Ho).

But it’s nice seeing Courtney Cox suppressing her laughter as Chandler and Ross attempt to sway Monica to decide who wrote the joke.

It’s fun to consider who you would pick to date out of the Friends™. Answers on a postcard please!!

I definitely wouldn’t pick Chandler, Joey, or Ross. Not because they’re men, they’d just all be awful to date. My wife told me she’d pick Monica, to which I responded “Because she’d clean up after you?”

“No." she replied coldly "Because she could cook nice meals for me.”

Oh… woops. Maybe I WOULD date Chandler. That way I wouldn’t be the only one putting my foot in my mouth.

Real Live Sitcom Moment:

Our support bubble has just got a bit more supportive, as they’ve now been vaccinated! So we went round again to catch up, and play with the kittens.

Unfortunately Marcel the Monkey (our baby) brought her desire to pick up and eat things from the floor with her. She was unable to catch the kittens but, after relaxing our guard for the faintest of seconds, we noticed she was chewing something.

The usual scrabble to stop her swallowing commenced, as we pleaded with her to open her mouth. Eventually my wife managed to prise it open and fished out what she was eating. Only to realise, with abject horror, it was a fingernail.

I’ve heard of people biting their fingernails but this is ridiculous.

Things are heating up, and the snow has melted.

Things are heating up for Joey too. Or would be, if he hadn’t immediately left Janine to tell the others about their kiss.

Is this a two parter?

I don’t think so, it seems a bit of time drops between the first scene and Chonica and Jonine’s double date. It’s nice they’re finally developing Janine a bit, and Joey and her seem a good fit. Leaving aside any grumbles about her emphatically rejecting him a few episodes ago as she didn’t find him attractive.

Now that’s what I call top notch character writing.

 “The One With the Stairgate”

The guest characters may be all over the place, but at least the joke writing’s still top drawer, with even simply repeating a single word getting good laughs.

Alas, Joey’s attempts at making an excuse don’t get Janine out of going on a second date with the “Bla” Chandler and “Little but Loud” Monica.

My wife is definitely little but loud, I think a big key to the longevity of our relationship comes down to me finally finding someone I can always hear in pubs. Or now always hear when I’m upstairs, in the kitchen, or on the toilet. She’s always there...

I totally get the difficulty in the getting to know the friends phase of courting. In many ways it can have as big an impact as the stereotypically terrifying “meet the parents” moment. I think realising we got on well with each others friends was a big part of what made things so easy when we first got together.

But now a brief moment from our sponsors:

This episode is brought to you by the marketing board of Pottery Barn™

Rachel, much like the people we bought our house from, is STILL getting her mail delivered to her old address. Seriously, it’s been three frickin years.

So when Monica gives her her latest Pottery Barn™ brochure, it’s time to do the one thing I don’t miss from before lockdown, and hit the shops! But, oh no, Phoebe doesn’t like this sort of mass produced furniture so it’s down to Rachel to persuade her their new table is an opium soaked antique.

Anyone else wondering why Phoebe knows what opium smells like?? We really do need that gritty prequel.

Once again Phoebe and Ross not getting on is fertile ground for comedy, as Rachel tries to hide the fact he’s bought the same table.

I’m surprised they haven’t explored this more, the potential between a scientist and new ager being forced together. Perhaps it’s too obvious compared to things like them adopting a chick and duck?

Hang on, where are the chick and duck?

Real Live Sitcom Moment:

My very own Marcel the Monkey (aka: my baby) has been giving us a bit of trouble now she’s more mobile.

She’s taken to putting even the smallest speck from the floor into her mouth. Mud, catfood, you name it. I don’t think my pride in her developing a solid pincer grip quite matches my pride in her simultaneously disproving the theories of natural selection and intelligent design.

This means it’s finally time to get a stair gate! I did try to persuade my wife to let me get a Stargate™ instead, to a typically blank response. Honestly, am I only person who still cares about the 90s??

Anyway, the thing arrived, and I slaved away at putting it up, first realising that ticking the filter saying “No Screws” had somehow resulted in us buying a stairgate that very much had screws. Then finding out, for some reason, my drill is perfectly fine at going into masonry but can only make it a few millimetres into a wooden banister. Honestly, how are there birds better at making a hole than my power tool?!?

And, finally, realising it would be held up by the tension alone so didn’t actually need to be screwed in. At least that’s what I thought until my wife came home, tried it for the first time, and fell right through it.

Sure, maybe I should have shown a bit more concern for my wife than the stairgate… but you try spending all afternoon putting something together only for it to end up hanging off the wall within seconds of use.

Maybe I should look into befriending a woodpecker?

It’s finally Christmas™!!

But also, thanks to the filming requirements of Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve, it’s New Years Eve!

Hooray!!

Hang on; didn’t I go through all this a month ago?

Well actually, no…

 “The One Without New Years”

Yep, even more tragically than Christmas™, we spent our first New Years as parents doing nothing.

Maybe half a bottle of Prosecco each? We didn’t even stay up till the countdown.

To rub things in further Monica refers to Christmas™ as “about being with the people you love”. Thanks Monica. Ya bitch. If Christmas is about being with the people you love, isn’t New Years about being with people you like a lot but can only stand to be around whilst steaming drunk?

No wait, that is Christmas™.

Two people who don’t need drinks to enjoy New Years are Monica and Ross! Merely appearing on the aforementioned New Years special is enough to get them giddy with excitement and busting out their 8th grade dance routine.

Even though the dance is wonderfully lame it’s nice seeing them having a good time and geeking out like proper siblings. I definitely didn’t have similar routines with my sisters. No sirree…

I can understand the excitement, given the rest of us aren’t allowed to do anything. But seriously Monica, get some tact.

Surprisingly, Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve is a real thing! It’s aired on American TV almost every year since 1973, even to the present day. A bit like Jools Hollands Hootenany with less of an air of embarrassment.

Well, excluding the embarrassment of Monica and Ross.

Monica’s absence gives the others an opportunity to search for their Christmas presents. I’ve never really got this. It’s very unsportsmanlike. My Cannibal Boss is notorious for doing it, to the extent their partner hid dummy presents several years ago. Just like Monica!! Hang on maybe this is where they got the idea?! Oh this Chicken and Egg situation is getting out of hand.

One Chicken and Egg situation that’s not out of hand is the Chick and Duck, who haven’t been seen for five whole months. I was beginning to think they’d had them for Thanksgiving! Hey, it would beat beef trifle.

I wonder how Elle Macpherson feels about the whole situation?? What’s worse? Finally moving into a flat only to realise you have share it with a Chick and a Duck, or realising you have to share it with Joey? She must be cool with both given Joey and her get together at the end of the episode. It’s a sweet moment, but a little undercut by her clearly stating several weeks ago she’s not into him. At least the show's consistent in not having her be a real character.

The Chick and Duck only make a brief appearance. I’m surprised we never got an episode where Joey and Chandler fight over paternity after he moved out. Damn that would have been good, I should have written for this show.

Rachel suckers Chandler into looking for the presents by making him worried Monica will get him a great present, and lots of little ones, and how it’ll make her feel bad if he’s only got her one.

I didn’t have to worry about this as we agreed to just get one present this year due to the difficulties of the current situation.

And then, of course, my wife DID get me several presents, making me look a right prick in front of her family. Utterly selfish if you ask me.

Real Live Sitcom Moment:

We attempted to make use of our support bubble again, mostly as my mother in law has got two new kittens. Hopefully no-one will judge me for this. Personally I consider seeing new kittens an INCREDIBLY essential journey. I wonder how Dominic Cummings feels about it?

Any questions of morality were irrelevant in the end, as we never made it to the motorway.

The first snow of the year had come in, marking a nice change from the usual sights, but making the hill out of town unassailable. It was a little a scary time as we eeked our way up, cars stopping and starting, slipping in front of us. One truck losing its tread could have meant the end of us, baby, and Real Live Friends.

But we got through it, making a swift U-turn at the top of the hill. Like Boris Johnson contemplating lockdown restrictions. And we went down again and headed home. Like the Grand Old Duke of York.

Both of us relieved, but sweating slightly more than the current Duke of York.