I'm really unhappy with how my last post on Friends turned out. It was lazy and mostly just recapping the episodes. I'm going to try to put more effort into the episodes. I wrote last week's post all on Sunday so I think that's why that post turned out so bland. This time I'll aim to only focus on one Friends episode a day so each episode has my full attention.
I'll also be talking about the writers of each episode and who directed it. I'm personally fascinated with how directors are chosen for television programs. There's some directors who are with a show for most of it's run. (That's not at all the case with Friends by the way; How I Met Your Mother is directed by the same person in 180 of its 193 episodes). There's some directors who literally direct one episode in the show's entire run. I just want to know how or why they choose directors and why there isn't more cases of directors focusing on just one show like HIMYM. Anyway, to the episodes!
"The One Where Nana Dies"
Written by the co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, this episode deals with both death and homosexuality in the same episode. In the opening scene, Chandler gets mistaken as gay by his co-worker. Apparently this isn't an uncommon thing for women to think when they first meet him.
At first, I was afraid that there was going to be rampant homophobia in this episode, but I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, there's a very slight undertone that Chandler being gay is seen as a negative, but it's very slight. Also, this episode came three years before Ellen came out on her show so I do think context is important here. I wasn't fortunate enough to watch this episode live, but I'm fairly sure it was progressive at the time.
This story kind of still works, because it's not unbelievable that Chandler could be perceived as gay. The show actually makes fun of the fact that it's hard to pinpoint why it isn't a stretch. He has a certain "quality." Thankfully at this point in the show, the story takes kind of a different direction as they are dangerously skirting that line between homophobic and funny (though I'm guessing in 1994, that line was nonexistent).
I will say that there are actually no negative qualities mentioned in regards as to why Chandler is perceived as gay. They say he's smart and funny. I guess all gay people are smart and funny. (This is much better than the alternative though so that's not really a complaint). And then Chandler switches from worrying about people thinking he's gay to complaining that he wants to be set up with someone more suitable like Bryan.
Then there's really three definitive punchlines to this story that generate laugh out loud moments for me. When Chandler says "Well don't we all look nice. It's stuff like that isn't it?," it's funny both because that sounds like something Chandler would say and because most straight people don't say stuff like that. It's not that saying that is gay, but it's certainly not the stereotypical thing that a straight person would say. The other moment is when Ross, high on painkillers from literally falling into a grave, comes up to him and tells him it's ok to be gay in front of a pretty lady that Chandler was talking with. Lastly, Chandler is adamant that he could get a Bryan, and then Bryan walks in. It's incredibly predictable but somehow still really funny.
Given the time period, it wouldn't be surprising if there was homophobia in this episode. I'd argue that it looks pretty good still though all things considered. I just felt like addressing these things would be necessary especially given all that's changed since 1994 regarding gay rights. I think it holds up pretty well.
The other story is that Ross and Monica's grandmother died. This is a bit random and we've never met their grandmother so it's too hard to care a lot. But if the only reason for this was to bring back their parents, then that's the only reason I need personally. Since I'm only covering two episodes this week, I think it's the right time to talk about the casting choices of Elliot Gould and Christina Pickles.
Jack Gellar is a brilliant character. He's just the perfect parent for comedy. He's clueless, but he cares a lot about his kids. He's an oddball who's not hard to relate to. And of course Gould plays him so well. This show has some pretty great guest stars, but I don't think anyone ever manages to top the character of Jack Gellar. Then there's Christina Pickles, whose character annoys me, but as far as the actress herself, she definitely nails what the writing intends. I may not like the writing of her character, but Pickles was also an A+ casting decision.
What's funny is that the writers use the grandmother stealing Sweet N' Low's as the emotional impact of this episode. It personally works for me if only because my dad is the same exact way. Granted, I'd think of a million things before his Sweet N' Lows came to my mind, but it makes a personal connection to me I doubt anyone else had.
Also, I don't know if it's possible for someone to come back to life like the grandma did here, but I don't really care either. When Ross went to kiss her, I think everyone knew something was going to happen. I think it's actually more hilarious when you know it's coming, because it just sucks to be Ross.
As another point, I don't think this show was very well-known for deceiving your expectations. Hell, it's a very specific formula that it mostly sticks to for 10 seasons. But when Monica asks Jack if he's stalling because then he'll know she's really gone, you expect him to say yes. But no, Jack just says he hates shopping. Great twist on an old cliche.
Then at the end, they look at some old photos of their grandma. They make fun of Ross being naked, which wasn't that funny. What was funny was when Joey thought it was Monica. Also, it was kind of a sweet moment when they saw the photo of the "gang" of friends of her grandma and realized they had a great gang themselves.
A funny, heartfelt episode of Friends that featured no stretches of characters? It's receiving an A- not an A, because... I don't know, I don't think it's an upper echelon Friends episode.
Grade - A-
"The One with Mrs. Bing"
Written by Alexa Junge, who would later pen the fantastic "The One Where Everybody Finds Out," the one with Chandler's mom is a great episode of television. We delve more into the history of Chandler Bing, the scarred and cynical manchild. They explored this a little in the Thanksgiving episode, which I skipped, because I decided to connect some of these episodes with a common theme.
Morgan Fairchild, who plays Nora Bing, really owns this role. I'm not aware of anything else she has done, and honestly her IMDB history is quite unimpressive, but this was a piece of good casting. Of course, she has the looks necessary, but she also successfully portrays the image of a mom who can scar you for life.
This is the first episode written by Junge, and as far as first episodes go, one can only hope it's this good. The sitcom-y aspect of this episode is that Monica and Phoebe somewhat cause the accident of a good-looking man and cause him to go into a coma. This leads them to feel guilty naturally and so they make sure he's alright. One thing leads to another, and he becomes their ideal version of a man.
It's a decent parody of what I believe is women who meet a man and project their ideal vision
of their future husband onto that man. Then naturally that man doesn't meet their expectations and the cycle repeats. At least, that's my assumption. The first half kind of worked, but mostly didn't for me. But a decent parody that has a good payoff - and this has a good payoff - makes the entire plotline look better.
The payoff - for me at least - is when Phoebe is playing her song to the man in the coma. Monica tries to sneakily walk out and then Phoebe just abruptly ends the song and knocks over the microphone. That's not even the best part. Then the man wakes up and literally does nothing wrong. I mean how would you feel if you woke up from a coma and two people you didn't know were saying they clothed you, gave you presents, etc. To be fair, I guess, I hope I would do a little more than this guy, because if Courtney Cox and Lisa Kudrow were at my bed, I'd hope I'd muster more than "Thanks." (Though really what else to say?)
So the women berate him for not being this awesome, unrealistically irresistible guy. Then Phoebe mentions that she thought he was different, but she guesses that was just the coma. Boom. Punchline.
This is the return of Paolo, who gets more and more irritating each time his name is brought up or he's on screen. Like I get it the first time, but there is just no way they would still be together at this point. They are way too obviously stalling for the inevitable Ross-Rachel pairing. Mrs. Bing herself points out how Paolo is a goner soon.
So Ross gets stupid drunk - to try and get the image of Paolo and Rachel out of his mind. The sight gag of Ross getting out of the girls bathroom, noticing a girl walk out and that it's a girl's bathroom, and then kind of does a double take kills me. Then Ross and Nora make out. This actually made sense. Ross is drunk and vulnerable. Nora is free-spirited and the sort of person who would make out with her son's friend.
The show takes this opportunity to have Chandler stick up for himself and tell his mom off for once. It seems like an important character note. He's spent all of his life seeing his mom doing things like this and telling her off just feels like an important development.
Joey tells Ross he broke the code by getting with his friend's mom. But then he mentions that sisters are ok, but I am pretty positive that is NOT true. In fact, Chandler would hook up with Joey's sister later and that was seen as a pretty big betrayal. That's just one of many minor inconsistencies with the show.
In addition to digging deeper into Chandler's past, this episode was more hilarious than the average episode. And that's saying something coming from me who usually laughs a lot. This is just a Friends episode firing on all cylinders.
Grade - A
Quotes
"See, I don't believe in any of that. I think when you're dead, you're dead. You're gone. You're worm food." (Joey forgets this conversation came about because the Gellar Nana died leading to awkward silence) "So Chandler looks gay?"
"Well, don't we look nice all dressed up?" (looks at friends) "It's stuff like that isn't it?"
"And listen man, if you want to be gay, you be gay. Doesn't matter to me" - Ross on painkillers
"Now I'm depressed! .... even more than I was." - Jack Gellar after a bad outcome in the football game
"If I wanted to get a Bryan, I could get a Bryan. Hey Bryan." - Predictable yet still funny from Chandler
"I wish more men were like him." - Monica about an unconscious man they know nothing about
"I'm a fabulous mom. I bought my son his first condom." - Nora Bing on Leno
"And then he burst into flames." - Chandler
"Uhhhh, I'll just pee in the street." - Joey after seeing Ross and Mrs. Bing kissing
"Do they wait for me to kiss?" - Ross on Rachel-Paolo
"You know what? We thought you were different. But I guess it was just the coma." - Phoebe
Playlist
1. "Strange Behaviour" - Feed Me ft. Tasha Baxter
2. "The Professional" - The Weeknd
3. "Things We Lost in the Fire" - Bastille
4. "Float On" - Danny Brown ft. Charli XCX
5. "Inside Out" - Eve 6
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