The One Where They All Came Back

I watched the Friends Reunion over the weekend. When I first read that they were getting back together for a one off I immediately wondered – being a writer (allegedly) – how they would take the story on, but then I learned they would not be appearing in character which was a bit disappointing.

Friends was not the first show that I never watched from the beginning. Other notable shows I joined after a few series include; Blackadder, The X-Files, Star Trek: The Next Generation, House and Line of Duty. At the time I was still in Manchester before my redundancy and move to London. People at work were raving about Friends, but then they also raved about Coronation and Eastenders so there was no compulsion to watch it. Also, it was on Channel 4 and I didn’t watch anything on that channel. No, I came to Friends late, about Season 4 I think, and then I had to catch up on past episodes. When you come into something in the middle and you like it, you have to see how it began.

It is hard to determine how much time has passed since it ended because it is on TV all the time. As I write this, it is on Comedy Central – and just for those who know all the episode titles, the one currently showing is The One With The East German Laundry Detergent. It has been seventeen years though. Before I saw the reunion show,  I had seen a crtitic write up, which was basically saying why did they bother i.e. it was initimating that it spoiled the ideal view we had of them all. Joey was fat, Chandler was old and cosmetic surgery had left Rachel and Monica odd looking. I thought it was a bit harsh, although now having seen the show I see why that person wrote those things, although probably with some exaggeration. The critic said only Phoebe and Ross looked unchanged. It is funny how time affects some so much and others less so.

The show was worth seeing. There were obviously lots of clips, then there was some reading of the scripts intermingled with the actual TV scenes and a double helping of ‘Smelly Cat’. There were also some titbits like, Marcel the Monkey was difficult to work with and Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer did have a thing for each other at one time. (No, before they were on a break.) Even though, I think I would have preferred a proper follow up episode or film. (No reboots please – see my previous post. Funny coincidence there because I mentioned how Tom Selleck had not made a cameo in the new Magnum. He did pop up here though.)

I wonder how a follow up could have gone …

Monica and Chandler have been bringing up the twins but both are still working. Now that the twins are teenagers, Monica has an up market catering business and Chandler – we never knew what he did – has given up his job and written a bestseller. Bringing up twins is harder than he thought it would be, this and Joey having prelonged visits – they did give him a Joey room when they agreed to buy the house – and teaching the twins some bad habits, has prematurely aged Chandler.