I went into Friends completely blind – never seen a single episode in my life – and Season 1 just turned me into a die-hard fan! In this first-time watching reaction video, I share my raw, hilarious, and shocked thoughts on the iconic debut season (1994-1995) that started it all.Biggest moments & my newbie reactions: The pilot: Meeting the six friends at Central Perk – instant chemistry!
Ross's crush on Rachel (that wedding dress entrance? Iconic)
Monica's OCD cleaning, Chandler's sarcasm, Joey's "How you doin'?", Phoebe's weird songs
The one with the blackout, the football game, the thumb incident
Rachel cutting up her dad's credit cards & moving in – queen behavior
All the laugh-out-loud 90s vibes, awkward dates, and why this season hooked me so fast
From knowing nothing to quoting lines and shipping Ross/Rachel already, this season blew me away. If you're rewatching Friends, showing it to a newbie, or love 90s sitcom reactions, watch my pure excitement unfold in 2026!
#Friends #FriendsSeason1 #FirstTimeWatchingFriends #FriendsReaction #RossAndRachel #FriendsPilot #CentralPerk #90sSitcom #FriendsNewbie #FriendsBinge #RachelGreen #TheOneWhere #FriendsSeason1Reaction
Ross's crush on Rachel (that wedding dress entrance? Iconic)
Monica's OCD cleaning, Chandler's sarcasm, Joey's "How you doin'?", Phoebe's weird songs
The one with the blackout, the football game, the thumb incident
Rachel cutting up her dad's credit cards & moving in – queen behavior
All the laugh-out-loud 90s vibes, awkward dates, and why this season hooked me so fast
From knowing nothing to quoting lines and shipping Ross/Rachel already, this season blew me away. If you're rewatching Friends, showing it to a newbie, or love 90s sitcom reactions, watch my pure excitement unfold in 2026!
#Friends #FriendsSeason1 #FirstTimeWatchingFriends #FriendsReaction #RossAndRachel #FriendsPilot #CentralPerk #90sSitcom #FriendsNewbie #FriendsBinge #RachelGreen #TheOneWhere #FriendsSeason1Reaction
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FunTranscript
00:00Hey, it's Joe from VKM TV Studios, and for today's first watch, I'm going to watch a classic American sitcom
00:08that has both been overpraised and overhated.
00:13I don't really know where I fall. I know where I used to fall. Yes, I'm talking about friends. I'm
00:20a Seinfeld guy.
00:21What's the show after you guys? ER?
00:23Some little show, Seinfeld.
00:25Oh, Seinfeld. Okay.
00:26And it used to always be like, the show of the 90s, Friends or Seinfeld.
00:31And I've only actually ever really seen one or two episodes of Friends, as far as I can remember.
00:38But I'm a diehard Seinfeld guy.
00:41And the type of humor, I don't really think they compare with each other.
00:46In fact, people online always say Friends might be more to the How I Met Your Mother end of sitcoms.
00:53So, at this point, being a 90s kid, was this a good show?
01:01I know what the memes say. It's the, if you took the laugh track out, there's no jokes.
01:07Which is the same kind of criticism they give towards, like, the Big Bang Theory.
01:12And just to discredit something as not being witty or smart or it doesn't have jokes.
01:18When did you and Susan meet Huey Lewis?
01:21Uh, that's our friend Tanya.
01:25I don't know if I really buy that.
01:29Cause, how the heck do you get so many people to watch you for so many years, if you're devoid
01:37of humor?
01:37It appeals to somebody.
01:39Sitting in your stupid coffee house.
01:42You're all like, oh, define me. Define me. Love me. I need love.
01:48The things I remember from Friends, Smelly Cat, even back then, that transcended the show.
01:57You could not be watching Friends and you'd hear Smelly Cat.
02:01Heck, uh, I saw that thing where Taylor Swift had Lisa Kudrow out on stage and they did Smelly Cat.
02:08I know that.
02:09The theme song is iconic.
02:11But, you know, my dad was a 80s rocker.
02:16And, uh, I knew of the Rembrandts.
02:18I love the Rembrandts music.
02:20So, I mean, that theme's iconic.
02:23Something about them being on a break that, uh, Ross and Rachel were on a break.
02:32Apparently, that's, like, a big catchphrase.
02:34And I kind of get the context of it, but I have no opinion on it.
02:40I haven't seen the episode.
02:41I don't know who's right, who's wrong, who to side with, what even happened.
02:45Uh, I remember Ross had a monkey.
02:48That was a big thing, that this guy on a sitcom has a monkey.
02:52I don't think you can do that nowadays.
02:59He would probably have a problem with that since we're all fearing monkeys.
03:04And they don't use it for sitcoms anymore.
03:06That sucks.
03:07Monkeys are part of classic Americana, okay?
03:11Bring back the monkeys in sitcoms.
03:13Alright, so I did say that I had seen an episode of Friends before.
03:17I know I was cleaning my room one night.
03:20And, you know, you just gotta leave the TV on if you're too bored to change it.
03:24And also, at that time, I don't think we were getting the full cable package.
03:27So, the choices were kind of limited.
03:31And it was like a flashback episode where they are at like an 80s college party.
03:38And I remember Monica is fat.
03:41And one of them is like really acne ridden, I think, if I remember correctly.
03:47Wasn't bad.
03:48I kind of enjoyed it.
03:50But I don't know if that was because I love 80s stuff or because it was really funny.
03:55So, that's what I'm gonna do.
03:57I'm gonna get my reaction to season one, my thoughts.
04:01And then decide if I want to continue.
04:03Because I think at this point, Friends is starting to get a bad rap online.
04:09And I want to figure out, does it deserve it?
04:12Is this like a gem that maybe now I understand?
04:17Whereas back then, it just wasn't gonna be for me?
04:22No, you know what else I've seen?
04:24The clip where Chandler, or wait, Chandler and Joey, they're playing Crash Bandicoot's Team Racing.
04:35And then I think there's another one where they mimic Beavis and Butthead.
04:38And then there's the clip of Jean-Claude Van Damme on the show.
04:43Because I had to use something like that for my Jean-Claude Van Damme video that I'm working on.
04:48Or have already put out.
04:51Was Brad Pitt on it?
04:52Or was it just always magazines with him and Jennifer Aniston on the cover?
04:56Well, if he was, it wasn't in season one.
04:58That'd be real early in the show.
05:00Oh, and I think I remember reading, it was gonna be called Friends Like Us, I think, right?
05:08And then I know the Goo Goo Dolls did a cover, or did the original version of I'll Be There
05:15For You.
05:16Which is interesting, but I like the poppy version by the Rembrandts.
05:21Okay, well, let's hit play.
05:24And we'll figure out if Friends will be there for me when the rain starts to pour.
05:31Like I've been there before.
05:32Also, I gotta admit, I mean, dancing in a fountain, that just seems cool.
05:38I got thoughts.
05:40First of all, Friends?
05:42Yeah, this is like the ultimate 90s time capsule.
05:45It's got 90s references, 90s music, 90s looks, 90s attitude.
05:51And honestly, it was exactly what I was looking for.
05:54People say this is a hot show for Generation X.
05:58Ooh!
05:59I know, I know, I know, I know, I know you hate that.
06:04Yeah, I'm gonna have to eat my words.
06:07I kind of really enjoyed Friends.
06:10Don't get me wrong, there were moments on this show that I was kind of like,
06:15ugh, that's a little weird, or just doesn't age well.
06:20Mainly when the girls started thirsting over George Stephanopoulos.
06:24You know the White House advisor?
06:26Clinton's campaign guy?
06:28The one with the great hair, sexy smile, really cute butt.
06:31I didn't need to see that.
06:33George, baby, drop the towel.
06:35Drop the towel.
06:36Drop the towel.
06:39Wow.
06:40And you know why this was the perfect show for me at this time?
06:43Everyone is just so young and happy, and they got pop rock music playing,
06:49they dance around a fountain.
06:51They don't have a care in the world.
06:52I think I'm a little envious of Joey's hair in season one.
06:55And I completely understood people's fascination with Jennifer Aniston.
07:00When she wore this, yeah, I completely understood why Ross would simp for her.
07:06Poor Ross.
07:07When the song says, your love life's DOA, I think they were talking about him.
07:11He starts off getting cucked because his ex-wife becomes a lesbian and runs off with another woman.
07:17How come mommy lives with that other lady?
07:20What's a lesbian?
07:22Yeah, you kind of feel bad for Ross.
07:24But I also start seeing the signs that this is definitely going to get worse as the seasons go on.
07:29The show's about six individuals who live in the Big Apple,
07:34and each of them has separate careers and love interests
07:39and are in that phase of their lives where they're not relying on their parents anymore
07:44for financial stability and are not yet settled with a husband or wife, or I was, or kids.
07:53And so we're in that kind of gray area where we're relying on our friends
07:57for kind of emotional support and spiritual support
08:00and trying to make it on our own in the big city.
08:03Another character who I'm kind of like,
08:05oh god, where do they go with her in the future, is Phoebe.
08:09Right now, she's pretty adorkable.
08:11You know, I like her.
08:13I like her personality.
08:15I think she's fun.
08:16I generally think she'd be somebody I'd want to be around.
08:20You want my tinfoil hat?
08:22No, because you need that.
08:23But do they do that thing later on where they take certain aspects
08:27that catch on with the fans,
08:29flanderize it,
08:30and then you don't even recognize the season one, season two version of this character?
08:35So things started popping up as I was watching season one
08:38that I was like,
08:39oh yeah, I've heard about this.
08:41Or,
08:42I remember this gag being a thing.
08:44Smelly Cat.
08:46And I remembered the running gag about them all going to the window
08:49to watch this guy across the street do things while being butt naked.
08:54Ugly naked guy got a thigh master.
09:00Okay, so I'm kind of wondering if,
09:03I don't know,
09:03a future episode has the ugly naked guy showing up and saying,
09:07I know you guys have been watching me,
09:08and I loved it.
09:10I'm glad this show went ten seasons,
09:12because there's a lot of things in season one that you learn about Phoebe
09:16that they haven't followed up on.
09:18Eyes of coal and a smile so bewitching.
09:23How was I supposed to know that my mom was dead in the kitchen?
09:29Sure, we know that she's an acoustic guitar player,
09:32but now she's got a twin sister.
09:35And this is where I think the show has a little bit of a problem.
09:38Not a big one,
09:39but someone like me who's catching up through,
09:42you know,
09:43Blu-rays many years after the show initially ran,
09:46or you catching it through a streaming service,
09:49or even back in the day,
09:51just catching this on syndication.
09:53You're not going to realize that the night that this episode first aired,
09:56it was part of a theme night.
09:58Now,
09:59some are simple,
10:00like,
10:00oh,
10:01it's blackout night.
10:02So every sitcom that night is going to take place during the same blackout.
10:07But then you also have things like Ursula popping up.
10:10And if you weren't watching Mad About You,
10:13you're kind of wondering,
10:15who's this woman?
10:16Oh,
10:16you do?
10:17Because she said you guys haven't talked in like years.
10:19Yeah.
10:20Okay,
10:21so that's Phoebe's sister?
10:22What's her deal?
10:24And why do people seem familiar with her?
10:26And then,
10:27you know,
10:28as the years go on,
10:29you know,
10:29there's less and less people who knew that Ursula was from Mad About You.
10:33Well,
10:34you're the twin sister of the person you play on Mad About You,
10:38right?
10:38Yeah.
10:39And you're about,
10:39you're sort of as ditzy as she is,
10:41correct?
10:42In a different way.
10:43And being a guy who watched a lot of TV,
10:45I don't remember Mad About You being on that often when you were talking about
10:50syndication packages.
10:52It seemingly just,
10:53you know,
10:54vanished.
10:54Kind of like a Murphy Brown vanished.
10:57It was a big show,
10:58but no long-term pop culture sustainability.
11:01In February,
11:02we have a two-parter and the first hour,
11:05Helen Hunt comes in from Mad About You and playing her character,
11:09Jamie.
11:09Into your show?
11:10Into our show.
11:11Comes into the coffee shop and thinks that Phoebe is actually Ursula because they're twins.
11:17Right.
11:17You know,
11:17Ursula is the,
11:18is the,
11:18Right,
11:18because the woman Lisa Kudrow is on both shows.
11:20Right.
11:21Right.
11:21Kind of reminds me of the Boy Meets World night where it was the time travel and had
11:25you not watched Sabrina,
11:28you'd be watching Boy Meets World and wonder,
11:30what's with the talking cat?
11:32Who are any of these people?
11:33And what are they talking about?
11:35Because,
11:35you know,
11:36you're slicing each episode off into their own perspective series.
11:39And suddenly you're not watching it in context of all the other shows from that night.
11:44You're just watching it on the box set or the streaming service where you go episode to episode of the
11:50same show.
11:50If you're a teen who just happened to catch friends while it was streaming,
11:55you might not know that,
11:57wait,
11:58those are the doctors from ER saving Ross's monkey.
12:01And then the second part,
12:02Jennifer Aniston breaks her ankle.
12:05We go to the hospital.
12:05She doesn't have insurance.
12:06So we switch positions.
12:07I'm now Rachel.
12:08She's Monica.
12:08And we meet these two doctors from Chicago.
12:11And then I remember that at some point,
12:13one of these characters gets a turkey on their head.
12:16And I thought it was going to happen in this season.
12:18And that was going to recreate that Hallmark toy that they sold.
12:22You put your head inside this turkey.
12:25And then we'll all talk and you'll hear everything we say.
12:28But I guess this was just foreshadowing.
12:31I also remember that Ross had a monkey.
12:34That would be Marcel.
12:35Do you want to say hi?
12:36No, no, I don't.
12:37You know,
12:38if you would have asked me,
12:39I thought the monkey was there through the entire run of the show.
12:42But no,
12:43he's gone after like the first season.
13:04The monkey can't be a chick magnet.
13:07If you have to worry that the monkey might tear this chick's face right off.
13:11I can't stand this.
13:13Also, that monkey is super famous.
13:16I got to be honest.
13:17I don't think Marcel and Ross actually had a bond.
13:20So when they try to play it up like,
13:22oh my God,
13:23is Marcel and Ross coming to an end?
13:25Eh, fine, whatever.
13:27I don't think that,
13:28you know,
13:29the monkey actually liked him.
13:30As I continue watching the series,
13:32I don't think I like Ross much either.
13:34The monkey being gone kind of reminds me of when two guys,
13:37a girl at a pizza place just became two guys and a girl.
13:40And they just said,
13:41eh,
13:41cares about the pizza place.
13:43Even though the pizza place is the thing that I remember the most about that show.
13:47So I think this show hits its group super, super early.
13:52I actually think by like episode three,
13:55they were already figuring out who their characters were,
13:58how to pace their stories,
13:59and just what they wanted to be.
14:01And also we were shooting the pilot.
14:03Everybody thought this could turn into something.
14:05We knew we had the creators of Dream On,
14:08Bright Coffin Crane,
14:09and Jim Burroughs directing.
14:10So it seemed like all the elements were there.
14:12And we all came together and pow.
14:15And that first read-through with the script,
14:16what was that like?
14:18Well,
14:18it was interesting because you sit around the table
14:20and Jim Burroughs comes over and he says,
14:22hi,
14:22Jim Burroughs.
14:23And you go,
14:23legend,
14:24legend.
14:24For those who don't know,
14:25Jim Burroughs directed all kinds of great,
14:27including,
14:27was it Cheers?
14:28Cheers,
14:29created Cheers,
14:31Taxi.
14:31The show's getting a lot of attention.
14:33Yeah.
14:34Network seems to be behind it.
14:35We're doing really well.
14:37We ranked number five last week and ten this week.
14:39Number two new comedy.
14:41Yeah,
14:41did you know that?
14:45Didn't know.
14:46This past TV season has had a lot of sitcoms
14:49that have become breakout hits,
14:50like,
14:52well,
14:53they actually just canceled Madman of the People.
14:54So actually there's only one breakout hit,
14:56and that would be Friends.
14:57And because it doesn't take long to get,
14:59going,
15:00I was binging through episode after episode after episode.
15:04So I completely understand why other people do it.
15:08Why this is considered a comfort show for some people.
15:10Are you welling up?
15:12No.
15:13You are.
15:14You are.
15:14You're welling up.
15:15I'm not.
15:16So I went back and watched a bunch of promotional appearances
15:19where they got to get the word out.
15:22And people often ask them,
15:24hey,
15:25are you guys friends outside of the set?
15:28Courtney and I hang out.
15:29We watch the show together.
15:30Courtney's on the show tomorrow,
15:31for God's sakes.
15:31Courtney Cox from Friends.
15:33Is she lovely?
15:34She's great.
15:36She's great.
15:36We're really close.
15:37We're so close.
15:37We have farting wars.
15:38What's it like working with blah, blah, blah?
15:41Were they expecting, like,
15:42you know,
15:43I hate this person.
15:44Who hired this guy?
15:45This girl doesn't get comedy.
15:47No,
15:48you were just going to get run-of-the-mill answers about how great everyone is.
15:52And honestly,
15:53I think everybody knew that Friends might actually have something.
15:57That there's a lot of potential here.
15:59And there was.
16:00Because,
16:01I mean,
16:01by like episode four or five,
16:03this thing hits the ground running.
16:05And,
16:05you know,
16:05if I was to watch a season one episode and way later down the line,
16:09they were about roughly the same tone.
16:12I mean,
16:12it's a little bit still trying to find itself,
16:14but you wouldn't see this radical difference.
16:17Like,
16:18I don't know,
16:18first season of Seinfeld or first season of Parks and Recreation.
16:21That's the thing that's great about this show is they're always there for each other and support.
16:24Yeah.
16:25Trying to make a fool out of each other on camera.
16:27What?
16:28After a season's worth of episodes,
16:31here's my power ranking of my top friend to my worst friend.
16:35At number one,
16:36we're going to put Monica.
16:38I feel like she just wants to be loved.
16:40She's quirky.
16:41She's fun.
16:43She really looks out for her friends.
16:45So like,
16:46you guys all have jobs?
16:48Yeah,
16:49we all have jobs.
16:50See,
16:51that's how we buy stuff.
16:52I want to know what Monica's childhood was like.
16:55Don't listen to your mother.
16:57You're independent and you always have been.
16:59Even when you were a kid and you were chubby and you had no friends,
17:02you were just fine.
17:04Number two,
17:05I thought he was going to be like this huge meathead or really annoying.
17:08But I found like,
17:10I really liked the guy.
17:12I thought he had a good heart.
17:13I thought he always meant well.
17:15It was Joey.
17:16You've made many friends on Thursday night.
17:18Now meet Joey.
17:19You need anything.
17:20You can always come to Joey.
17:22Me and Chandler live right across the hall.
17:25He's away a lot.
17:28Joey,
17:28stop hitting on her.
17:29It's her wedding day.
17:31What?
17:31Like there's a rule or something?
17:32The thing I like about Joey is he's a grinder.
17:36His acting career isn't working.
17:37Yeah.
17:38He'll just keep going on auditions.
17:40That minor role as a butt double.
17:42You know what?
17:42Maybe that's his ass you see in Jack and Joe.
17:45I'm his butt double.
17:47Or,
17:48you know,
17:49let's take a modeling gig.
17:50And oh my God,
17:51he's the face of BD.
17:52I am actually totally going to print out my own version of that poster.
17:56Kind of reminds me of John Kreese's war photo from The Karate Kid.
18:00But you can actually find that template online and have your own version of it.
18:05And this show is so 90s.
18:06It brought back a lot of things that I remember having to worry about.
18:10Being a football guy,
18:12what if the big event is interrupting the big football game?
18:16How am I supposed to pay attention to the game when life keeps dragging me away from it?
18:20And speaking of 90s,
18:23Jay Leno.
18:24Folks, when we come back,
18:24we'll be talking about her new book,
18:26Euphoria Unbound.
18:27The always interesting Nora Tyler Bing.
18:29This channel loves Jay Leno, doesn't it?
18:31I can't stop having him pop up in things.
18:34And now I have to wonder,
18:35is Jay Leno canon to the series
18:38because they're watching his Tonight Show,
18:41Synergy?
18:42Or is it not,
18:43or are they canon and not canon?
18:46Like, is there a Monica and a Courtney Cox?
18:49Because Courtney Cox is on Leno promoting the show.
18:52Yeah, Friends is a great show.
18:54It's about six unique characters
18:58that are all friends.
19:00And it's really, truly a situation comedy.
19:01Just different situations they get into.
19:03And we're all in our,
19:05I want to say late 20s,
19:07but I'm 30.
19:08We can, we can, we can.
19:11Would they have watched themselves
19:12or the actor, actress who looks like them promote?
19:15And does that make Jon Stewart canon in the universe?
19:20Nah, so what's going to happen?
19:21I'm not going to tell you.
19:23Would you like her and Ross perhaps
19:25to get involved with the whole thing?
19:29Number three, Phoebe.
19:33Number four, Chandler.
19:35You know, I think he went around
19:37being a little too sarcastic at times,
19:40a bit too much of a Debbie Downer.
19:42And honestly, that would probably wear on me.
19:46I honestly, I hope he gets better, you know?
19:48And I know his character got super big.
19:50So maybe he shoots up in our power rankings.
19:53It's morphin' time!
19:56Stegosaurus!
19:56Tyrannosaurus!
19:59I think I like Chandler's character best
20:02when he's just kind of a silly, childish guy.
20:05Lean more into that than the,
20:07oh, I'm too cool for everything, 90s sarcastic guy.
20:11And I kind of hope they keep playing into this joke
20:13where everybody who meets him thinks that,
20:17oh, he's gay.
20:17He's a girlfriend.
20:19Oh, the great thing about having Chandler as a friend
20:21is that I get to have a relationship with a guy
20:24where there's absolutely no sexual tension.
20:28None?
20:30Not really.
20:32Interesting, because I felt the other night
20:34when we went to that barbecue place,
20:35you were kind of looking at me, kind of.
20:39No, I was looking at you
20:41because you had that huge piece of corn in your chair.
20:45It's funny.
20:46Friends, Thursdays this fall on NBC.
20:48He is cute, he's funny.
20:51He's a he?
20:52Well, yeah.
20:54Oh, God.
20:55I just, I feel like he.
20:57I don't know.
20:59Because you're smart, you're funny.
21:01You're also smart and funny.
21:03Did you ever think that about him?
21:04Yeah, right.
21:05What is it?
21:06He's as gay as Mr. Peanut.
21:09I'll give you this.
21:10Mr. Peanut is a better dresser.
21:12I mean, he's got the monocle, he's got the top hat.
21:15Do you know he's gay?
21:17I think my beef with Chandler is,
21:20I see myself in him,
21:22but also,
21:23he has a lot of good things going for him,
21:26and it doesn't seem to matter.
21:28What's his beef with Janice?
21:30She seems like she generally cares for him,
21:33and he's just mean.
21:35And it's not like that mean where I'm like,
21:37oh, yeah, I get it.
21:38Like, they're really annoying,
21:40or they're not great people.
21:41No, she's,
21:42she seems like she wants to make this work.
21:45She even gave him Rocky and Bullwinkle socks.
21:48And she sounds like the nanny.
21:52If you don't want Janice, I'd take Janice.
21:54Okay, so when I was writing these notes,
21:56I mean, I gotta edit,
21:58and I go further along into watching,
22:00so then I come back here,
22:01and the Janice character,
22:04I think,
22:05was way too likable at first.
22:07I think the writers knew that,
22:09oh, you know what?
22:10When Chandler's mean to her,
22:12why?
22:12She's socially awkward,
22:13and is almost Fran Drescher-esque,
22:16so I think that's why in later seasons,
22:19you know,
22:19they kind of nerfed her character,
22:21and played up all her worst parts,
22:23and got rid of all the cuteness
22:25that she has in season one.
22:33And why is Monica being a judgy bitch?
22:35She should be the most understanding
22:37with her backstory.
22:38And I also hope
22:39that these little crumbs
22:41that they're kind of putting in each story
22:43get expanded on.
22:44If I turn into my parents,
22:45I'll either be an alcoholic blonde
22:46chasing after 20-year-old boys,
22:48or I'll end up like my mom.
22:51If Chandler was such a good guy, he wouldn't have led Janice on, okay?
22:56And maybe he'd make it work with the Israeli Defense League woman,
23:00which is strangely topical these days.
23:04Number five, I'm going to put Rachel.
23:06She's very attractive.
23:07But, oh my God, the drama every time she comes on.
23:11And number six, yeah, it's Ross.
23:13And honestly, like I said earlier, I feel like it's going to get worse.
23:18Like, everybody's likable right now.
23:20But if Ross is six right now and he's at his least annoying,
23:25season 10, that could be tragic.
23:28The other thing I thought was kind of funny is just how often they gather around to watch TV.
23:34And then I had this thought.
23:36This was a 90s show and these people would have grown up on 70s TV.
23:41So everything they watch has a very 70s, early 80s nostalgia vibe to it.
23:52And if they would have done this today, I mean, this would have been 90s to early 2000s nostalgia.
24:05And this should go without saying, but for a show called Friends, these people actually felt like friends.
24:11You'd understand how these people actually became friends.
24:15It's not one of those sitcoms where you're like, where did they find this person?
24:20Why did they hang out with them?
24:21They don't even seem to like each other.
24:24They don't even seem to know each other.
24:26Here, if one of them fails, everyone's around to pick their spirit back up.
24:31They seem generally happy that somebody in their crew succeeded.
24:36I always kind of pegged this show as another, you know, cynical take on the sitcom.
24:42You know, because everybody compared it to Seinfeld, which it's really not like.
24:45But I thought, oh, well, this would be another one of those approaches where it's all about the jokes.
24:50And maybe each character is just a jerk.
24:52But that's not the case.
24:53It's actually kind of syrupy sweet.
24:55And you know what?
24:56Because I wasn't expecting that, I really dug that.
24:59I dug that even though Ross is having a baby with his lesbian ex-wife.
25:04He's still excited.
25:05He's glad to be a father.
25:07And the crew, they're happy for Ross.
25:09At first, I'm going to cut Ross some slack.
25:11He's had all the worst things happen to him.
25:14And he's got to try to be cool with it all.
25:16His wife ruined his life and is going to raise their child with another woman.
25:21She's living with a woman named Susan.
25:25She's pregnant with my child.
25:29And she and Susan are going to raise the baby.
25:32And Ross has to be, okay, fine.
25:34I'm okay with it.
25:36I just want to be part of the child's life.
25:37And, you know, I'm not going to hold it against you for ruining my life, which, you know, she kind
25:44of did.
25:45And that a mimbo character like Joey actually has a heart of gold that he goes out of his way
25:51to help a pregnant woman,
25:53which is played by my girl, Stacey Carosi herself, Leah Remini.
25:57And then the TV pop culture junkie me.
25:59Really appreciated when I saw somebody pop up from a different show, like Rachel's boss at the coffee shop.
26:05It's Willie Tanner from Al.
26:08You're a terrible, terrible waitress.
26:10You've got a little bit of disdain for Rachel.
26:11Really, really awful.
26:13As much as he had for Al, I don't think so.
26:16So, Phoebe's boyfriend for an episode is the guy from one of my favorite episodes of Columbo.
26:21John Lovitz pops up.
26:23And Mr. Heckles is played by the fake Kramer.
26:26Ross and Rachel are both five and six.
26:28You know, either one could take either spot.
26:31But don't get it twisted.
26:32Had I been watching the show live, I would have been invested in their love.
26:36Do they get together?
26:37Do they not?
26:38What causes the breakups?
26:40What is the we were on a break thing about?
26:43I would have been into it.
26:44And right now, I do not hate the two.
26:47I'm rooting for them.
26:48Future me coming back and watching these episodes misses just how uncomplicated it initially was.
26:55It was just Ross kept getting friendzoned.
26:57You waited too long to make your move.
26:59And now you're in the friendzone.
27:02And Rachel, I mean, did she know Ross wanted her?
27:06Did she not?
27:07Was she leading him on?
27:08It was simple.
27:09Ross, you're so great.
27:12The only one in season one who was getting to see Rachel naked was Chandler.
27:18And that was a big deal because all these promotional appearances brought it up.
27:23Yeah, they were like, hey, watch our show.
27:27Jennifer Aniston is a, you know.
27:29So, I mean, you're a perv.
27:31Come on.
27:32Watch the show.
27:33And I'm an only friend.
27:34Chandler gets a sneak peek.
27:36Since you saw her, you're going to have to show her your.
27:39I'm Rachel.
27:41I'm Joey.
27:42I'm Phoebe.
27:43I'm not doing this.
27:46Come on.
27:46This is a shameless, exploitive attempt to get people to watch our show.
27:50So?
27:51Exactly.
27:51Friends, Thursday nights, right here on NBC.
27:56Would you stop?
27:57They've got us in our underwear.
27:59We're never going to be in our underwear.
28:03We're not going to be in our underwear, are we?
28:05Friends, between Mad About You and Seinfeld, Thursdays this fall.
28:08So answer this for me in the comments.
28:11When you were watching the show, were you already starting to get tired of the Ross-Rachel thing by the
28:17end of season one?
28:18Because I'm already starting to get a little bit of fatigue here.
28:21Every time it looks like they're going to get together.
28:23Or, you know, somebody does something stupid.
28:26See him this afternoon and I will just put an end to it.
28:30Wow.
28:31Or when Rachel realizes that, oh no, I've been having wet dreams about Ross.
28:38Ew.
28:39Fucking gross.
28:40I wish I never said that.
28:41You're kind of a breakout character from the thing.
28:44Kind of a sex symbol, if you don't mind me saying so.
28:52Don't adjust your lapels, my friend.
28:55Then she decides, you know what?
28:57I want Ross.
28:58You know what?
28:58Let's make this happen.
29:00Ross gets himself an Asian girlfriend.
29:02And remember when airport security wasn't so freaking intense?
29:05Yeah, you could just go right up to the gate.
29:08No ticket or anything.
29:09And I'm hoping there's a good payoff somewhere in this series.
29:13Chandler has a messed up backstory.
29:15Even his mom made out with his friend.
29:17Alright, there's something wrong with Ross.
29:19He's bottom six.
29:20He's the worst, okay?
29:21He's breaking the bro code.
29:23Oh, and you know what?
29:24When I was doing the earlier reflections about this show.
29:28This is the episode I remember.
29:30Where Monica accidentally sleeps with a high school senior.
29:34Which is disgusting, honestly.
29:36And also kind of reminded me of the premise for Georgie and Mandy from Young Sheldon going into Georgie and
29:42Mandy's first marriage.
29:43At least Monica didn't get impregnated.
29:46The other thing about this show is there's a lot of college alt radio rock being played.
29:51Like the bumper music sounds a lot like R.E.M.
30:00Which would make sense because I found out that the original title to this show was Friends Like These.
30:07And the theme song for at least the spec pilot was Shiny Happy People.
30:12Shiny Happy People.
30:19Also, I'm thrown off every time they use this bumper because I keep expecting Life as a Highway to start
30:25playing.
30:30So overall, yeah, I gotta eat my words.
30:41People over the years have kind of done this show an injustice by comparing it to Seinfeld.
30:48They're nothing alike.
30:50Sure, they were two of the biggest shows in the 90s on the same network on the same night.
30:54But they have total different vibes.
30:56Friends is the kind of show that you binge.
30:58It's cozy.
31:00It's nice.
31:01Seinfeld's witty.
31:02And by comparing the two, I did myself a disservice.
31:06I absolutely would have loved this show when it aired.
31:09So I'm hoping they keep the momentum when they go into season two.
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