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Friends:
"The Best of Friends"
Collection,
Volumes 3 & 4
Click
picture to order both DVDs in a boxed set.
(See below
the review, for individual order links, including VHS!)
What's the next best thing, after seeing
the Top Ten Episodes of Friends on DVD? Seeing
the top "20" episodes on DVD; these are the next top 10 favorite
episodes, after the prior top 10 (if you catch my meaning). Personally, I like this collection
almost as much, and perhaps even a bit more; many of my
own votes for best episodes were finally included.
Of course, the most important question here is
what episodes are available; the outer packaging of this
two-volume set tells nothing
about what is offered inside! Here's an overview of the episodes in each
of the two new volumes, and my opinions of each one offered. In addition,
while I could not recall which scenes were the (allegedly) deleted
segments restored to (allegedly) each episode, I offer ideas when
possible:
Volume 3 :
---The One
With The Blackout (Original Air Date 11/3/94) Story:
This first-season episode was set during a blackout in NYC. Chandler
gets locked in an ATM "vestibule" with
supermodel Jill Goodacre (who plays herself, under her married name
"Jill Connick"). Meanwhile, Ross'
chances for Rachel go South, when she meets new neighbor
"Paolo." Conversations:
Phoebe wants to call home to check on her Grandma, only to ask
Monica, "What's my phone number?...I never call me!"
Classic Moment:
Ross, when asked about "The most unusual place you..." mentions a moment with his ex-wife, "Disneyland,
1989, it's a small world after all!" They were asked never to
return.
This episode also includes the now-famous sight gag, of Ross being
"attacked" by a stray cat on the balcony, as his oblivious
friends sing songs inside. Poignant Moment:
The look on Ross' face when the lights turn back on again, seeing Rachel
kissing Paolo. Amusing Trivia : When it
originally aired, this was part of a whole "linked" night of
NBC series set in NYC, with the same blackout hitting Mad
About You, and the hospital of E.R. My Rating:
 Deep
Impact. This is one of many
first-season episodes that make me wish the whole freshman season
was offered on DVD.
---The One
With the Candy Hearts (2/9/95) Story:
Valentines Day mishaps galore! Joey takes Chandler as a date for his
date's friend, who turns out to be the
same girl Chandler dumped...twice! Ross' and his new date bump into his ex-wife
and her female lover. Meanwhile the girl-friends nearly set Monica's
apartment on fire when performing an "ex-boyfriend bonfire". They
end up hitting on the firemen. Deleted
Scenes?: Can't be sure, though I think the final scene
with Monica, Rachel, Phoebe and the firemen is extended. Conversations:
It's revealed that the only thing that came between Ross and Carol was
that she was a lesbian; they still care for each other. Classic Moment?:
Nancy Valen, best known for her role on Baywatch, is Joey's date.
Poignant Moment?: When both Ross and Carol's dates
leave, they confess to still care for each other, and want to keep being
friends. Amusing Trivia: Rachel's contribution to the
ex-boyfriend bonfire is an item from Paolo (seen briefly in the the
earlier episode). My Rating:  Large
Crater. Too
much maudlin comedy for a valentine's day episode, though otherwise very
good.
---The One
Where Ross and Rachel...You Know? (2/8/96) Story:
What show would dare to appease fans in as early as its second season,
with its favorite stars (Ross & Rachel) finally getting together?
The then-#1-comedy on TV, that's what. Deleted Scenes?:
Probably the extended scene with the following conversation byte; I
think I would've remembered it.... Conversations: Phoebe,
about Joey and Chandler's new furniture; "I cant believe two cows
made the ultimate sacrifice so you guys could watch TV with your feet
up." Retorts Chandler, "No...they were chair-shaped
cows!" Classic Moment: This is the first
episode with Tom Selleck. Poignant Moment?: This is
the first episode with Tom Selleck and Monica (Courtney Cox). My Rating:
Deep
Impact.
---The One
With the Football (11/21/96) Story:
The friends have a "friendly" 3-on-3 game of touch football. This
is one of those scripts that is so well written, there is no
"single" line of dialog that can summarize it. For every
one-liner is a retort that's even funnier. Add to this a Dutch female
onlooker who Chandler and Joey both want to date, an old sibling rivalry
between Monica and Ross, and Rachel's desire to finally get in the game,
and you have a classic episode. Conversations:
Chandler tears Joey's favorite jersey, only to have Chandler muse,
"Well...now you have two of them!" Classic Moment?:
Rachel wins the game...almost. Poignant Moment?:
When Rachel finally catches the ball. Then-boyfriend Ross should've let
her have the win (instead, he claimed she wasn't at the real "end
zone." My Rating:
Large
Crater not as classic as others, though still well played (pun
not intended)
---The One
That Could Have Been (Parts 1 and 2) (2/17/2000) Story:
This episode was quite nearly
one of the last of the best, until the surprising turnaround for
the series in its seventh (2001-02) season. All the friends muse how
their lives would be different if they didn't make that one fateful
choice way back when. Rachel and Ross are unhappy in separate marriages, Phoebe
is a stressed stock broker, Chandler's unemployed, Monica never went on
that big diet in high school, and Joey is a major TV celebrity.
Yet they're all still friends. Awww! Conversations: Several,
though Phoebe's high-stresses banter as a stock broker steals most of
the show. Classic Moment?:
The opening credits are re-edited to depict the "different"
friends as they look in this episode. Poignant Moment?:
Even fat, Chandler still would've fallen in love with Monica. Awww! My Rating:
Large
Crater.
The Techtite.com ratings system (icon version):
 Burnout
 Near
Miss  Small
Crater Large
Crater Deep
Impact
Volume 4 :
---The One With
Chandler in a Box (11/20/97) Story:
In a previous episode, Joey showed a guy he just met how he could stick
himself into his video cabinet; the guy locked him in there and stole
all the furniture! So, what is Joey's form of punishment for Chandler stealing his current girlfriend? Asking him to stay in a
box, throughout Thanksgiving dinner.
Conversations:
At a tense dinner moment, Chandler says they may not see it, though he's
trying to lighten the mood by mooning them. Classic Moment?:
Chandler in a box, of course. Poignant
Moment?: Joey lets him out when he realises how much the
girlfriend really likes him, and he's now at risk of losing her if he
doesn't get out of the box soon. My Rating:
In my book, this was one of the top ten, worthy of Volumes 1&2.
Having it in Volume 4 is like saving the best for last!
---The One
Hundredth (10/8/98) Story: Also
known as "The one with the Triplets!" The
series' one hundredth episode lets Phoebe's surrogate childbirth (for
her brother's wife) arrive with a bang. Conversations:
Phoebe, who was implanted with an embryo from her brother's wife, has
fun with the nurse saying, "My brother is the father!" Classic
Moment?:
It's amusing to remember that Phoebe's "surrogate" pregnancy
was written in to excuse her real-life pregnancy with her husband. Poignant Moment?: In a sad moment of maternal
instinct, Phoebe has a last chat with "her" surrogate
triplets, just before handing them away. My Rating:
Large
Crater
---The One With
All the Resolutions (1/7/99) Story:
Rachel's New Year's Resolution
is to not gossip...just before learning that best friends Chandler and
Monica have become lovers. Conversations:
The moment when Rachel and Joey are both trying to not tell each
other the secret they both know, is one of the best moments of the
1998-1999 season. Classic Moment?: Rachel finding out.
Poignant Moment?: ...ditto. It wasn't a very
blockbuster episode otherwise. My Rating:
Small
Crater
---The One
When Ross Got High (11/25/99) Story:
Chandler has a tougher time getting closer to Monica's parents, thanks
to Ross telling them he got high in college. He said this to cover up
his own college "high." What will his parents say when they
hear the truth? Conversations:
When Ross confesses, he still seems like the "nice guy" to his
parents, who always liked him more than Monica. Classic Moment?:
Not much, from what I can tell. Poignant
Moment?: This little lie almost kept Chandler from
getting close to his potential in-laws. My Rating: Small
Crater ---The
One With The
Proposal, Parts 1 & 2 (5/18/2000) Story:
This season finale had Chandler about to propose to Monica...until a
chance meeting with her hunky ex (Tom Selleck) gets him unnerved. The
eventual moment he proposes, however, is one of the best moments of that
season. Conversations: Their
proposals to each other are classic quotes from both characters. Classic Moment?:
An engagement on Friends! Poignant
Moment?: Ditto. My Rating:
While the season-long engagement the following year was ho-hum, the
proposal was a must-see.
---Added bonus!
On each tape is a new documentary, "The One That Goes Behind the
Scenes."
So, what's my overall opinion of this
"Top ten after the top ten"...? Admittedly, any volume 3&4
of Friends is not as good as if Warner Brothers offered
whole seasons on video. What's more, they still haven't offered all
my favorites on DVD yet, even now that the episodes total 20! As I said in
my review of Volumes 1 & 2 (which,
apparently, WB never read), what about the (in)famous "The One After the Super
Bowl," which guest starred Brooke Shields, Julia Roberts, Jean-Claude Van
Damme and others? Talking of memorable cameos, how about "The One With The Dirty Girl," when a gorgeous co-worker
(Rebecca Romjin-Stamos) agrees to date Ross, yet has an apartment so
filthy, it can only lead to slapstick galore? On the other hand,
these are only two episodes I can think of at the moment, and
others I could've thought of a year ago, were (finally) offered in this
newest collection...
Click
picture to order the 2- DVD boxed set
Also available
individually: Best of Friends - Volume 3,
and Best of Friends - Volume 4
 To order this collection on VHS tapes, click here:
Best of Friends Volumes 3 & 4 (VHS)
 |
Didn't
buy Volumes 1&2 yet? Buy all four volumes together, in one
set! Click the picture at right to order. |
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