TV Show Review: Friends - The Series Finale

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: A sweet ending to a great sit-com.

Cons: Included in the season releases, so there's no point in getting it.

The Bottom Line:

One last laugh with Friends

On a pointless DVD

Get the season set

The End and the Beginning

Friends was a highly successful sit-com about six friends living in New York City. It starred Jennifer Aniston as Rachel, Courtney Cox Arquette as Monica, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe, Matt LeBlanc as Joey, Matthew Perry as Chandler, and David Schwimmer as Ross. This DVD release is a "limited edition" of the final episode released just a week after it initially aired.

So, after 10 years, it comes down to this. Chandler and Monica are at the hospital waiting for the birth of their baby on the day before they move to their new house in the suburbs. But they might just have a surprise waiting for them in the delivery room. Meanwhile, Joey has a housewarming present for them, Chick Jr. and Duck Jr. Phoebe wants to turn the day into a musical. But the finale wouldn't be complete without another chapter in the Ross/Rachel soap opera we've been following for 10 years. Rachel's leaving for Paris, and Ross needs to decide if he wants to try to stop her by telling her how he feels. And with this gang of six involved, you can be sure there will be plenty of laughs.

I've been a fan for a few years now, catching up on the show thanks to constant reruns. And while the show did lose something in the last couple of seasons, I kept watching. This finale was exactly what this Friends fan was hoping for - plenty of laughs as the gang of six faced some changes in their lives. It really did feel like starting a new chapter and not a harsh goodbye at all, even if the last couple of scenes were very bitter sweet. It was especially nice to see a few nods to classic moments from the show, with appearances by Gunther and Mike, Joey's present, and the infamous "We were on a break!" line.

With the quick release and low price of this DVD, I wasn't expecting much in the way of extras. Since my expectations were low, I wasn't disappointed. The DVD features the broadcast version and an extended version of the finale as well as an extended version of the pilot. Boy have styles changed in 10 years! Both episodes feature great sound and clear picture. The extended versions only have a couple extra scenes, so you haven't missed too much if you only saw them on TV. It also features the music video for the classic theme and 10 of the opening credits. As any Friends fan knows, they usually changed them half way through the season, so we're only getting about half here. But we do get a couple special ones, like the London opening from season five and the Arquette joke from season six right after Courtney Cox changed her name.

Now that season 10 is out, this DVD is completely pointless. It was designed to be a place holder until the season DVD's were complete.

Now everyone sing with me. "So no one told you life was gonna be this way....."