OK, so I can't really sympathise with the cast of Friends. They have vast amounts of money, are part of the most successful Sitcom in the world, win many awards, and are all very attractive. But this season will be the last. 18 episodes, as opposed to 24. And after that Friends will cease to exist. There won't be any gathering round the TV on Friday nights at 9pm (or whenever Friends is shown in the US). Except for the videos/DVDs, the 'Friends' phenomenon will be no more. It will not be a part of the present, it will be a thing of the past.
Sorry, I'm just really trying to get my head around it. Friends started when I was 8, I'm now nearly 18. It has played such a part in my life, cheering me up, giving me something to be obsessed about, giving me something to build a website about, and it will be sad when that is over. But I think, like a lot of fans, I will miss the routine of watching Friends more than the episodes. I have to say, this season's quality of writing has drastically improved since season 7 and 8, where I gather they employed newer writers rather than sticking with the older ones. But watch any season 2 episode, the laughs come more frequently and more honestly. The humour was more... sophisticated. Now it's just not the same.
So, to conclude these ramblings, it's probably a good thing that Friends is ending. It's had a bloody good run, but it's time to say goodbye. If rumours are to be believed, Matt Le Blanc is signed up for a Joey spin-off. So hopefully the writers can inject some new life into their writing. Otherwise I wil start to feel sympathy for the cast, well, more like pity. Pity that the comedic ability of some of the best paid actors in Hollywood is being wasted.
I'm just been trying to work out how much the cast have earned each of the course of 8 years. I know they earned $1000000 an episode (it's criminal, isn't it?) since season 6, so that's $72 million. I think in season 4 and 5 they earned about $600000 an episode, so that's $28 million. For seasons 1-3 I presume it was slightly less, so let's say, for argument's sake, that they earned $350000 per episode. That is $25 million over 3 years. Add it all up:
72 + 28 + 25
$125 million!!!!!
I have no idea what the tax rate is in California/the USA, but I'll estimate at about 30%, on average.
So they have $87 500 000. Each. Sigh. And that's not including the royalties they get from merchandise & stuff with their faces on. Now might be a very good time to marry Matthew Perry... :)
This week I've mostly been thinking about: Ross and Rachel. I used to be a big fan, and had hope that when they got back together it would be great. Three years have since passed and the only sign has been in episode 701 - TOW Monica's Thunder. They could have done that a lot better in my opinion.
But I had a point. This wasn't about Ross and Rachel and how they don't love each other, although it is kind of sad when you think about it. This was about the seeming lack of enthusiasm by the writers. I have watched over the last 3 years a gradual decrease in quality as the actors' pay packets went up. Just so you know I have every single episode of Friends on video, but I haven't watched them for ages. I'll tell you what I'm missing:
Complex Human Emotion!
The only episode in a long time (in my opinion, of course) that has had this in has been TOW The Cheesecakes. For those of you who have not seen it and don't want to be spoiled LOOK AWAY NOW!
Phoebe's old love David the Scientist Guy came back to New York for a meeting. The final scene when they said goodbye brought me to tears. (But I don't like to admit it!) This is what made Friends different from any other US sitcom - the emotion. The comedy didn't come in the situations, it came in the characters.
I am fully aware that Sitcom stands for Situation Comedy, but Friends is different, OK?
Now that I've given you something to think about, I'll leave to watch my Dawson's Creek tapes. (There's bucketloads of Complex Human Emotion in them!)
When Monica banged Ben's head by mistake, Ben didn't stop saying 'Monica Bang'. But if you listen carefully, and use your imagination, he really said 'Monica Bing'! Ben is clearly a psychic.
If you put the cast in alphabetical order, (as in the opening credits) you get:
Jennifer Aniston (Rachel)
Courteney (Cox) Arquette (Monica)
Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe)
Matt Le Blanc (Joey)
Matthew Perry (Chandler)
David Schwimmer (Ross)
The girls, then the boys!
Now take the characters from the outside and you get:
Rachel & Ross
Monica & Chandler
Phoebe & Joey
Rather than trying to explain the kissing situation in words, I have devised a little diagram to show you just who has kissed whom. (I have way too much free time!)
