...'Friends' had revitalized itself.
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At its best, the situation comedy "Friends" captures the Zeitgeist of the 1990s with startling accuracy. That it is funny without resorting to cruel ironies only solidifies the cheery, optimistic outlook of the show´s creators. Sure, some of its sarcastic jokes hit a little close to home, but the characters seem to care genuinely for one another and about being good people (unlike the tools in "Seinfeld").
Warner Bros.´s first "Friends" DVDs consisted of "Best of ´Friends´" collections. Those releases were a hodge-podge of episodes from various seasons. Thankfully, the studio has come to its senses and is now releasing "Friends" season by season. "Friends": The Complete Eight Season Box Set includes twenty-three episodes on four DVDs. Each episode contains footage not seen during its original broadcast. Mostly, these are mere seconds that were cut here and there in order to fit in a couple of extra commercials on the air.
Disc 1: "The One After ´I Do´", "...the Red Sweater", "...Where Rachel Tells Ross", "...the Videotape", "...Rachel´s Date", "...the Halloween Party".
Disc 2: "...the Stain", "...the Stripper", "...the Rumor", "...Monica´s Boots", "...Ross´s Step Forward", "...Where Joey Dates Rachel".
Disc 3: "...Where Chandler Takes a Bath", "...the Secret Closet", "...the Birthing Video", "...Where Joey Tells Rachel", "...the Tea Leaves", "...in Massapequa".
Disc 4: "...Joey´s Interview", "...the Baby Shower", "...the Cooking Class", "...Where Rachel Is Late", "...Where Rachel Has a Baby".
During the show´s run, Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Courteney Cox Arquette (Monica), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Matt LeBlanc (Joey), Matthew Perry (Chandler), and David Schwimmer (Ross) have become highly-paid stars. Their chemistry makes the show, for they simply look like people who wouldn´t mind hanging out with one another 24/7. I also like how the show reaches back into the characters´ pasts to provide a sense of where the six friends will be in the future. That respect for how the sextet came to be gives the characters a solid base for their growth as fully-realized personas.
Season Eight began on 27 September 2001--two weeks after the 11 September attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon. The season premiere received extremely high viewer ratings. At the time, analysts considered "Friends" and a couple of other shows as "comfort food", which is apt since "Friends" was probably what America needed in light of brutal assaults on our way of life. However, ratings for the show remained strong for the whole season, and it became apparent that "Friends" had revitalized itself.
The big story in Season Eight is Rachel´s pregnancy. Rachel and Ross sleep together one night, and they conceive a child despite having taken precautions. She decides to carry out the pregnancy even though neither she nor Ross wants to be a couple again. Rachel´s hormones cause her to look frantically for a life partner, leading to Joey falling in love with her and even proposing marriage. Eventually, Rachel moves into Ross´s apartment since he wants to be a big part of the baby´s life, and physical proximity makes him consider asking her to marry him (again). Meanwhile, the now-married Monica and Chandler try to make a baby of their own...
As usual, there are several hilarious cameos by famous actors, including Sean Penn and Alec Baldwin. Bonnie Somerville is an appealing presence in several episodes as Mona, Ross´s new girlfriend. The best guest star turn comes from Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston´s real-life boyfriend/fiancé/husband. In "The One With the Rumor", Pitt plays a guy who, as a kid, hated Rachel so much that he co-founded the "I Hate Rachel Greene Club" with Ross.
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