LindsayBW's Full Review: Friends - The Complete First Season
Friends is really nothing less than a cultural phenomenon. In 1994, Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), Monica Gellar (Courteney Cox), Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), and Ross Gellar (David Schwimmer) took over primetime television and won the hearts of millions with their quirky coffee house and every day problems. It's a formula that worked so well that 8 years later, the premiere season of Friends got its own release on DVD.
If you're still an avid watcher of the show, which is currently in its 10th and final season, from the cover alone, you can see how much the show has progressed over the years. But just wait until you put the discs in.
The first season of Friends is arguably one of the best, introducing us to our characters and all of their problems. The Pilot sets the standard for episode upon episode to come: the gang hanging out in a coffee house. We're introduced to Monica Gellar, a lovelorn chef who is often overshadowed by her old brother, Ross. Ross is going through a divorce with is wife, who has come out of the closet as a lesbian. Sarcastic and aloof Chandler Bing takes every opportunity to use his wit at the expense of his friends and his slow but lovable room mate Joey Tribbiani, an aspiring actor, just kind of watches it all happen in a somewhat chauvanistic manner. Phoebe Buffay does so in a quirky and eccentric way. Somewhat spoiled Rachel Green is introduced in her soaking wedding dress after abandoning her fiance at the alter and comes to stay with Monica in "the real world."
The first season of Friends saw the lovable 6 through many problems, both tramautic and trivial. Ross not only goes through a divorce, but finds his ex-wife to be pregnant as well. The old feelings he had for Rachel in high school come back and the two of them have an undeniable chemistry. The main story of season 1 was this chemistry, while Ross tries to pursue Rachel and she ends up with "the weenie from Turini", Paolo (Cosimo Fusco). Ross and Monica also end up losing their Grandmother (not once, but twice!), and the gang witnesses a NYC blackout and the float Underdog, escaping over the city. Throughout the first half, the Friends get into the groove of their humor, with Chandler being the stand out comedian, with a wisecrack at every corner. Things got a little rough toward the end with the introduction of Marcel the monkey, but even with the primate, the show still managed to ensue hilarity up until the season finale.
You can't really say much about the Friends cast that hasn't been said before. All 6 of the main cast members perfect their characters in the debut season. Jennifer Aniston's acting should have overshadowed her signature haircut, as she molds the somewhat blonde, but good at heart Rachel into her own. Matt LeBlanc makes Joey into a lovable man's man who is a little slow on the uptake. Courteney Cox (pre -Arquette) creates a genuine sympathy for Monica's love life (or lack thereof), but still has us laughing at her Obessive Compulsive Disorder. Lisa Kudrow catapults Phoebe from a quirky minor character into a fan favorite, and David Schwimmer plays somewhat depressed and confused Ross perfectly. Matthew Perry is somewhat the standout star of this season though, with is fast-as-lightning insults and remarks generating deep-bellied laughter to almost every audience. But the cast is really an ensemble, and all 6 of them create a chemistry as if they've known each other for years, even though this was their first season.
The supporting cast is just as perfectly casted. Elliot Gould and Christina Pickles as Monica and Ross's parents is pure genius casting. Maggie Wheeler embodied Janice as the Fran Drescher like girlfriend of Chandler's, who we all loved to hate. Larry Hankin is Mr. Heckles, our token crazy neighbor, but he really makes the minor part hilarious. Jane Sibbett and Jessica Hecht as Carol (Ross's ex-wife) and Susan (her lover) make a great couple for Ross to fight with. And of course James Michael Tyler as the Rachel-obsessed Gunther is a token character in any season.
This season also included a slew of guest stars, which helped the show much more than it hurt it. Supermodel Jill Goodacre shows up as herself in The One With The Blackout, getting stuck with Chandler in an ATM vestabule and offering Chandler some gum that's not sugar free. Morgan Fairchild is the perfect choice for Chandler's mother, who's proffession is writing sex novels. Jon Lovitz makes a priceless appearance as the stoned guy in The One With The Stoned Guy. Helen Hunt, George Clooney, and Noah Wyle all show up promoting their NBC shows on The One With Two Parts, but they are all entertaining.
So the show's good. The cover of this set advertises "Now with footage you've never seen", but it's so obscurely thrown into episodes you won't recall that you haven't seen it. The special features are nothing to write home about either. There's an interactive map of Central Perk, which will entertain you for a whole five minutes. The Friends Of Friends shows you a few guest stars, but I just told you about them, so there's no point to watching it. The Friends trivia quiz is excrutiatingly easy, and the season two trailer is nothing exciting either. There is only one episode featuring commentary by the producers of the show, and that's The Pilot. As interesting as it is, it will really only entertain die-hard Friends fans. These special features could have been greatly improved with something from the stars of this show, but I guess the $1 million an episode isn't worth cast commentary!
Really, though, anyone who buys this isn't going to care about the special features, like me, and will watch every episode of this repeatedly because the first season is an absolute classic. It's definitely one of the best seasons of Friends, where the characters make notable progression and keep us laughing the entire time. And no commercials! Woohoo!
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