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Friends [split topic]

Started by Utter Shit, July 17, 2019, 04:36:05 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Icehaven

Quote from: gilbertharding on July 22, 2019, 12:09:40 PM
Enjoyed a couple of episodes of the old CoffeeFriends over the weekend, and was actually laughing at Unhinged Ross (it was a late episode - Mike was in it) as per other posters... until he reminded me why everyone hates him by 'accidentally' telling Rachel that he'd withheld a message from someone she met in a bar, like he owns her or something.

I'd give him that though considering what an ocean-going bitch Rachel was over the girl from the baby stuff shop (if memory serves she calls her a s.l.u.t virtually to her face), then capitulates to her even when she admits how unreasonable her demands are. I know it's all just supposed to be emphasising how them not realising/admitting they should just be together makes them behave twattily sometimes but it unfortunately does mean they occasionally just seem like twats. 

gilbertharding

It's not even really that he withheld the message. I mean, that could have been a genuine accident - but the fact that he told Joey and Chandler AND THEN Rachel... what a dummy.

They were totally on a break though.


Quote from: Utter Shit on August 30, 2019, 12:35:52 PM
Sorry everyone, Friends is "absolute garbage".

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/scaachikoul/friends-anniversary-bad

Yeah not on board with much of this.

'Chandler's father is inexplicably and unnecessarily a drag queen, played by the cis actor Kathleen Turner, and is the source of many an anti-trans punchline'

Not to get all linehan, but were the jokes anti-trans? I thought his dad was a gay man that dressed as a drag queen?

'Ross's ex-wife is a lesbian and isn't it funny that his son has two mommies?'

Having representation of two lesbian mums in 1994 was....good probably?

Famous Mortimer

Pretty much all the jokes about the lesbians came from Ross, and it's completely believable that having his life ripped apart, he'd lash out a little. But there aren't that many, and they stop pretty quickly.

Kathleen Turner is in...one episode? Two episodes? I'm going to take a wild guess and say that if there are any anti-trans jokes in Friends, I could count them on the fingers of one hand. Sounds like Buzzfeed (which has largely stopped employing professionals and gets tons of its shit crowd-sourced) was not terribly vigorous with its editorial process.

up_the_hampipe

There were a couple of "lol lesbian" gags but ultimately it was normalised. That's not bad for a 90s sitcom.

Chandler had a traumatic childhood due to his dad's sexual antics, so it seemed fair that he'd have a little bit of resentment towards his lifestyle. It wasn't about who he was, it was about what he'd done. At the end of all that, he learned to accept his father, that's the moral of the story. Similarly, Ross ended up walking his ex-wife down the aisle to marry Susan.

Utter Shit

I think the Carol/Susan storyline kind of shows where the writers stand - lesbians are no different to anyone else, represented by a normal, loving relationship that happens to be between two women...but the other side is that, just like everyone else, they are ripe to be joked about and lightly ribbed. In any case, I'd say most of the jokes made about lesbianism are more aimed at mocking the immaturity of the men than really targeting Carol and Susan or lesbians in general.

The fact that as, mentioned above, their sexuality is shown not to matter ultimately - everyone was happy for the couple at Carol and Susan's wedding, and Monica makes a point of ensuring Chandler reconnects with his father ahead of their wedding - IMO shows that the various jokes made really are just jokes, because everyone is fair game.


Fambo Number Mive

The first paragraph is just filler, although it does allow them to link to another Buzzfeed article.


up_the_hampipe

The fat jokes about Monica might be their most dated offence, but almost every comedy used fat as a punchline until like 2014.

Blinder Data

My gf did a rewatch recently and some of the hetero-normativity certainly stuck in the craw. The most egregious example - in a later series too! - is when Chandler (?) revealed he kissed a guy by accident when he was younger, which is the most humiliating thing ever according to Ross. Even worse than Ross accidentally kissing his sister.

"Whatever dude, you kissed a guy."

Not enough to be #cancelled and it had great writing/acting, but hopefully mainstream sitcoms now and in the future will not be so openly phobic of things.

up_the_hampipe

Is that not the episode where Brad Pitt turns up and they all start resorting to their high school personas a bit? I thought the joke was them all acting childish.

Hot take I know, but Friends is no better or worse than The Office or Parks and Rec. Gurning into the camera instead of a laugh track, same old shit.

Ornlu

Quote from: Carpool Dragon on August 30, 2019, 04:29:56 PM
Hot take I know, but Friends is no better or worse than The Office or Parks and Rec. Gurning into the camera instead of a laugh track, same old shit.

People do often overlook Friends as a pioneer of noughties' mockumentary stylings.

Contrarianism is a lost art, these takedown pieces of beloved pop culture lack the mad contrived points and twisted logic that you want from these sorts of things. Everyone is so boring nowadays

Icehaven

No one ever mentions all the jokes revolving round Joey being a total stereotype of a working class New York Italian-American. Ha ha he's got a huge family with loads of tempestuous sisters, he's obsessed with food, he's highy oversexed and ha ha HAA he's thick as pigswill! Not sure why gay or fat jokes are frowned on but all that stereotyping goes without comment.

I'm being Devil's advocate here of course, as someone else has mentioned everyone gets the piss taken, that's kind of the point, but it does show how you could argue half the jokes in the whole thing are 'problematic' if you were determined enough.

Quote from: icehaven on August 30, 2019, 05:25:09 PM
No one ever mentions all the jokes revolving round Joey being a total stereotype of a working class New York Italian-American. Ha ha he's got a huge family with loads of tempestuous sisters, he's obsessed with food, he's highy oversexed and ha ha HAA he's thick as pigswill! Not sure why gay or fat jokes are frowned on but all that stereotyping goes without comment.
He goes from a male bimbo in S01 to someone with an intellectual disability by the end of it.

Blinder Data

Quote from: up_the_hampipe on August 30, 2019, 02:15:04 PM
Is that not the episode where Brad Pitt turns up and they all start resorting to their high school personas a bit? I thought the joke was them all acting childish.

https://youtu.be/VLoFUunWB3o

I can see where you're coming from but Ross's "whatever" line as if it trumps all else reeks of homophobia. It's a partial cancelling for me, Clive

Twed

Quote from: icehaven on August 30, 2019, 05:25:09 PMhe's thick as pigswill!
I'm not sure why but I read that as "he's as thick as a seagull!" and it made me laugh.


chveik

Quote from: Monsieur Verdoux on August 30, 2019, 04:47:33 PM
Contrarianism is a lost art, these takedown pieces of beloved pop culture lack the mad contrived points and twisted logic that you want from these sorts of things. Everyone is so boring nowadays

true. but tbf this is buzzfeed, you can't be more boring than that.

filth gabs

Quote from: Carpool Dragon on August 30, 2019, 06:24:11 PM
He goes from a male bimbo in S01 to someone with an intellectual disability by the end of it.

There are some outright unacceptable things Joey does throughout - In one episode he is invited into Monica's flat (during a flashback of the first time he met her) and immediately gets naked, much to her horror.

In another Rachel (i think?) is adjusting her dress and he takes the opportunity to feel her arse whilst pretending to 'help' her.

I've watched a few recently and been suprised at my own level of disgust at his leering, maybe I am a bit more prudish than I thought.

*Edit - just did a bit of googling and found this LADS LADS LADS hilarious outtake of one of the scenes I was thinking about, in which Joey sexually assaults Monica. Shows the 'gag' and the banter behind the scenes - see for yourselves...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZpY5SwkaCI

H-O-W-L

Friends is a series I've never paid much actual scrutiny to. It's something that's categorized in a loathing center of my brain but whenever it's on telly and I end up watching it, in passing or actively, I can't actively get mad at it or despise it beyond the really questionable episodes and moments.

Quote from: paruses on July 18, 2019, 03:57:46 PM
Ah. Fair dos.

I spent week with a friend who wore a t-shirt with "I watch birds and know things. It's what I do" as a stylised slogan but with no reference to Game of Thrones on it.

Not being a GoT person I judged everyone to be simpleton who came up and said it was a brilliant t-shirt.

Oh for fuck's sake that's not even the right quote, and it's from a shit part of the series too. Fuck, I've got to go have a cry.

up_the_hampipe

Quote from: filth gabs on August 31, 2019, 01:37:46 PM

*Edit - just did a bit of googling and found this LADS LADS LADS hilarious outtake of one of the scenes I was thinking about, in which Joey sexually assaults Monica. Shows the 'gag' and the banter behind the scenes - see for yourselves...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZpY5SwkaCI

Haha, probably not a good idea on Matthew Perry's part, but you're making it sound a lot more sinister than it really is.

Puce Moment

Quote from: up_the_hampipe on August 31, 2019, 02:37:20 PMHaha, probably not a good idea on Matthew Perry's part, but you're making it sound a lot more sinister than it really is.

Was it Louis CK who told the story about Matthew Perry chiding him for tipping too much? The world seems so different now.

filth gabs

Quote from: up_the_hampipe on August 31, 2019, 02:37:20 PM
Haha, probably not a good idea on Matthew Perry's part, but you're making it sound a lot more sinister than it really is.

Aye, you're right, I was thinking about writing a caveat saying "this is coming across as a lot more pearl-clutching than i actually feel".

Having said that, I do believe this behaviour (the outtake) and the actual joke would be deemed completely unacceptable these days.

I am also minded of the article linked above about the complaint from a female writing staff member - can you imagine how this joke was developed by the writing team? "Wouldn't it be funny if Joey pretends Monica is still on fire and..."

Jennifer Aniston is actually really good in Friends. She's the best one

Noodle Lizard

QuoteTo Lyle, they acted more like boys in "a junior high locker room," talking about "twats" and "cunts," bringing in a pornographic coloring book, pretending to masturbate under the table, or changing the word "Friends" to "penis" on scripts.

Had to laugh at this bit.