Carstairs Considers....: TV Show Review: Friends

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

TV Show Review: Friends - Season 3

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Funny, and a few serious, moments with six great characters

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Third season of laughs

Bring some serious moments

For this group of Friends

The One with the Break (Up)

By the time the third season of Friends started in the fall of 1996, there was possibly only one other sitcom hotter than this one. This story six friends trying to find their way in the world in New York City was a huge hit, and for good reason. The characters are likable. Even when they are making stupid choices, you want them to come out ahead.

This season of friends is the only one to not start out with a cliffhanger to resolve between Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). That's because they are still dating and quite happy together. Instead, we start out with Monica (Courtney Cox) trying to get over her recent break up with Richard (season two guest star Tom Selleck who manages to return as a guest star once late in the season). Chandler (Matthew Perry) is also in a relationship with a woman that his best friend and roommate Joey (Matt LeBlanc) can't stand. Finally there's Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), who begins trying to connect to her brother (guest star Giovanni Ribisi).

Over the course of the series, our characters lives progress. Monica eventually starts dating a millionaire who has dreams of becoming an Ultimate Fighting Champion. Joey gets a job on a truly bad play where he falls for his co-star, who just happens to be dating the director. Phoebe dates a diplomat. And this is the season where Chandler and Joey get their pets, a chick and a duck.

Somehow, the writers manage to fit two or even three stories into every episode, so all the characters have something to do over the course of the 22 minutes. It really does amaze me how they juggle so much stuff and still tell good stories.

The Thanksgiving episodes of Friends were always some of the best of the series, and this season has my favorite. In "The One with the Football" siblings Ross and Monica drag their friends into a game of football that opens up the old rivalry. It's so funny.

Another highlight of the season is "The One Where No One's Ready." This episode takes place in real time. (And aired in 1996. Take that, 24!) Ross is stressing because none of his friends are ready to leave for a dinner where he's giving a speech. Meanwhile, Rachel can't decide over what to wear, Monica is obsessing over a message on her answering machine, Phoebe is trying to cover a stain on her dress, and Joey and Chandler are fighting over a chair. We never leave Monica and Rachel's apartment, but the laughs are outstanding as the stories all spiral out of control.

But you'll notice I haven't gotten to the big story of the season yet. We can't leave Ross and Rachel happy, so part way through the season Rachel gets a job in fashion and Ross becomes jealous of her new co-worker. Then Rachel decides they need to take a break, and a drunk Ross makes a poor choice. While the fall out from that gave us one of the more serious episodes of the season, it also gave the writers a line that never grew old. "We were on a break!" It also allowed the writers a chance to give us Ross/Rachel cliffhangers every single season for the rest of the series. This one actually still felt natural (unlike some of the later ones which felt forced). And this goes back to the point I made at the start of the review. Even with how these episodes played out, we still wanted things to work out for both characters.

This ensemble cast is always strong in their acting. Whether delivering a punch line or being more serious, I buy every minute up on the screen. This is especially amazing during "The One with the Morning After" as Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer have to walk that fine line between comedy and drama. They shine.

Season three hit shelves with 4 DVD's containing all 25 episodes of the show in full frame and surround sound. The extras on disc four aren't that great, consisting mainly of recycled scenes and a quiz. However, there are three commentaries from the executive producers of the show, and they are mostly interesting since they give the thought process behind putting that episode together. The one on "The One with the Football" was especially good since it talks about creating the park where the characters actually played.

By the time the show ended, I felt like these characters had indeed become my Friends, so it's fun to go back and visit them again. Whether you know them already or are just finding this great sitcom, you'll enjoy season three.

Season 3 Episodes:

1. The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy

2. The One Where No One's Ready

3. The One with the Jam

4. The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel

5. The One with Frank Jr.

6. The One with the Flashback

7. The One with the Race Car Bed

8. The One with the Giant Poking Device

9. The One with the Football

10. The One Where Rachel Quits

11. The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister