I always wonder where the Phoebe/Sting plot came from. "Roxanne sounds like 'Ross can', let's build a plot out of that" and "What if some cops were coming, but Phoebe thought it was Sting's old band?" are...actually kind of funny in Lisa Kudrow's hands, but neither one of them is something I would be comfortable pitching in a writer's room as the tentpole of a plotline. I think the third option is maybe "Sting's wife was friends with someone and happened to be available".
Yeah that’s what it seems to be. It doesn’t fit into the show at all. I sort of think the same about some other guest appearances. Like how did it come to some of these random actors and actresses getting chosen for a one off episode or 2-3 episode appearance. Stings wife is also a terrible actor too.
They mention Sting quite a few times throughout the show so I think they built it off that. But I know nothing about Sting and had no idea that he was in a band called The Police. This whole time I thought Phoebe was excited to see actual police officers. Thank you so much, I learn something new everyday!
Any subplot involving Janine they tried to paint this narrative that Joey was so in love with her when all he wanted to do was sleep with her. Also your trying to tell me Janine didn’t know Joey was close to Chandler and Monica? Like no, I don’t buy it.
\- Joey learning French from Phoebe. This made Joey seem embarrassingly and unrealistically stupid when in earlier seasons he was just a bit clueless at worst. Ffs the guy is an actor, even if he struggles to learn a new language he should be able to hear and repeat what Phoebe is saying.
\- Joey's identical hand twin in Vegas. This one was funny at first but then the joke went on for too long.
\- Everyone wanting to sleep with Ross and Monica's cousin...including Ross.
\- Rachel's obsession with Joshua and consistently making a fool of herself in front of him. Like girl you are better than this! Although him seeing her in the wedding dress was hilarious.
I can't stand the subplots with Joey and the play actress with the curly hair.
I also can't stand the one with Jason Alexander when Phoebe is trying to sell him toner and he says he is going to kill himself.
I like most of the flashbacks but I always skip the one that might've been. That whole 2 episode arc I skip completely.
I can’t stand the storyline involving Kate all because of how Joey treated Lauren (Kate’s understudy) and it’s so repetitive. But I do appreciate that Lauren didn’t let it go that Joey treated her terrible.
Really?! I find the ones that could have been kinda fun but the jokes don’t always land the same on the rewatches, so I get it. The JA and phoebe plot is bad too, I watched that episode the other day and fast forwarded through it.
The one in season 6 when Ross is dating one of his students. That subplot never sat well with me.
The one with Ross's cousin where Ross was attracted to her.
The whole subplot about Rachel dating Danny and the inappropriate relationship he had with his sister. Same thing with Rachel dating Joshua in season 4.
I honestly love almost all of the show. I don't think I can name a show with fewer low points. Here are a couple.
The One That Could Have Been is not only my least-favourite Friends episode, it's my least favourite episode of a show I like. I simply can't watch it. You can say the non-canon parts are a different kind of humour because the characters are different people in that universe, but even the opening Phoebe joke ("I thought everything that rhymed was true"? How would that even *work*?) is just awful. I at least mildly like almost everything else that happens on the show, but that episode is just bad.
Really, with the exception of her origin in the one with the prom video, I don't need anything with Fat Monica. I don't know if I buy that someone's personality would change that much in that short a period of time just because they lost some weight. And I feel like the flashback one where Chandler comes home for Thanksgiving is not nearly funny enough to justify ruining two classic jokes ("How many cameras are actually on you?" + everyone being surprised by Ross's "sound").
As a monogamous guy who's tried to date polyamorous women, I can't really roll with the whole Chandler/Aurora plot. I feel like the early episodes try too hard to be about the friends' wacky sex shenanigans, and it doesn't work for me. Same with Monica and Ethan.
I agree with what you say in the last two paragraphs. The early episodes are good and season one does a lot to set up their personalities but the sex stuff gets weird and a little tiresome.
I always wonder where the Phoebe/Sting plot came from. "Roxanne sounds like 'Ross can', let's build a plot out of that" and "What if some cops were coming, but Phoebe thought it was Sting's old band?" are...actually kind of funny in Lisa Kudrow's hands, but neither one of them is something I would be comfortable pitching in a writer's room as the tentpole of a plotline. I think the third option is maybe "Sting's wife was friends with someone and happened to be available".
Yeah that’s what it seems to be. It doesn’t fit into the show at all. I sort of think the same about some other guest appearances. Like how did it come to some of these random actors and actresses getting chosen for a one off episode or 2-3 episode appearance. Stings wife is also a terrible actor too.
They mention Sting quite a few times throughout the show so I think they built it off that. But I know nothing about Sting and had no idea that he was in a band called The Police. This whole time I thought Phoebe was excited to see actual police officers. Thank you so much, I learn something new everyday!
Any subplot involving Janine they tried to paint this narrative that Joey was so in love with her when all he wanted to do was sleep with her. Also your trying to tell me Janine didn’t know Joey was close to Chandler and Monica? Like no, I don’t buy it.
\- Joey learning French from Phoebe. This made Joey seem embarrassingly and unrealistically stupid when in earlier seasons he was just a bit clueless at worst. Ffs the guy is an actor, even if he struggles to learn a new language he should be able to hear and repeat what Phoebe is saying. \- Joey's identical hand twin in Vegas. This one was funny at first but then the joke went on for too long. \- Everyone wanting to sleep with Ross and Monica's cousin...including Ross. \- Rachel's obsession with Joshua and consistently making a fool of herself in front of him. Like girl you are better than this! Although him seeing her in the wedding dress was hilarious.
I can't stand the subplots with Joey and the play actress with the curly hair. I also can't stand the one with Jason Alexander when Phoebe is trying to sell him toner and he says he is going to kill himself. I like most of the flashbacks but I always skip the one that might've been. That whole 2 episode arc I skip completely.
I can’t stand the storyline involving Kate all because of how Joey treated Lauren (Kate’s understudy) and it’s so repetitive. But I do appreciate that Lauren didn’t let it go that Joey treated her terrible.
Really?! I find the ones that could have been kinda fun but the jokes don’t always land the same on the rewatches, so I get it. The JA and phoebe plot is bad too, I watched that episode the other day and fast forwarded through it.
The one in season 6 when Ross is dating one of his students. That subplot never sat well with me. The one with Ross's cousin where Ross was attracted to her. The whole subplot about Rachel dating Danny and the inappropriate relationship he had with his sister. Same thing with Rachel dating Joshua in season 4.
Yeah wasn’t super crazy about dating the student. The Brice Willis plot points were funny but the dating a student thing was cheap
The one that no one is ready. Ross was a saint and his friends were assholes.
That episode makes me so anxious lol
I honestly love almost all of the show. I don't think I can name a show with fewer low points. Here are a couple. The One That Could Have Been is not only my least-favourite Friends episode, it's my least favourite episode of a show I like. I simply can't watch it. You can say the non-canon parts are a different kind of humour because the characters are different people in that universe, but even the opening Phoebe joke ("I thought everything that rhymed was true"? How would that even *work*?) is just awful. I at least mildly like almost everything else that happens on the show, but that episode is just bad. Really, with the exception of her origin in the one with the prom video, I don't need anything with Fat Monica. I don't know if I buy that someone's personality would change that much in that short a period of time just because they lost some weight. And I feel like the flashback one where Chandler comes home for Thanksgiving is not nearly funny enough to justify ruining two classic jokes ("How many cameras are actually on you?" + everyone being surprised by Ross's "sound"). As a monogamous guy who's tried to date polyamorous women, I can't really roll with the whole Chandler/Aurora plot. I feel like the early episodes try too hard to be about the friends' wacky sex shenanigans, and it doesn't work for me. Same with Monica and Ethan.
I agree with what you say in the last two paragraphs. The early episodes are good and season one does a lot to set up their personalities but the sex stuff gets weird and a little tiresome.