Plot: What’s it about?
The ninth season of “Friends” was originally supposed to be its last. As time has told, it wasn’t; but after watching every episode of the tenth season – maybe it should have been (last that is). By 2002, “Friends” had found new life and was consistently in the top five in the Nielsen ratings. Though it had never been too far away from the top spot there was endless speculation as to the show’s future. Would it come back for a tenth season or not? By now, Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Monica (Courtney Cox-Arquette) were not only married, but on the quest for a child as well. Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) now had a child of their own (out of wedlock no less) and Rachel’s feelings suddenly shifted to Joey (Matt LeBlanc) instead of Ross. This leaves Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), whose love life was complicated by the return of David (Hank Azaria).
All that aside, there really weren’t too many episodes that stood out. It just didn’t seem to have the same flair as it did in the earlier seasons. Could it be that they were all getting $1 million an episode? Hell, I’d show up and just say my lines too. Suffice it to say that the show was on autopilot, though with the return of some old guest stars (and plenty of new ones), there were a couple of episodes that stood out from the pack. Christina Applegate was particularly memorable as Rachel’s other sister and Freddie Prinz Jr. made his mark as a guest star as well. It’s hard to believe that one of the most popular television shows of all-time is 90% available on DVD. Hopefully the tenth season will feature all sorts of extras that we missed from previous seasons. Then again, it’s all about the almighty dollar so I wouldn’t be surprised to see new “Special Editions” of previous seasons.
Video: How does it look?
”Friends” is shown in its full-frame aspect ratio, which makes perfect sense seeing as how it’s a television show. Just like the previous seasons, these appear very clear and the level of detail is excellent. Though some episodes tend to vary in clarity, I did a comparison to the digital cable that I’m used to watching them on and the DVD is superior to even that. Some of the episodes tend to have a bit of halos to them, mainly in the panning city shots (that feature a lot of shots of the World Trade Centers), but that’s about the extent of the fault I can find with the way these look. Fans of “Friends” will not be disappointed as it’s more of the same.
Audio: How does it sound?
Again, just as in previous seasons, “Friends” is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.0 mix that does add a new layer of depth the audio portion of the show. While a dialogue-driven comedy, the scenes do feature some fairly strong audio portions. What I notice most is the applause (filmed in front of a live studio audience) coming from the rear speakers and the guitar music for the “in between” shots does sound nice as well. I think I said the same thing about the previous version, but it’s essentially the same thing, just different episodes. While not the best audio presentation in the world, it certainly gets the job done.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The extras on the “Friends” sets aren’t that cumbersome, there have been a number of commentaries but usually only on a handful of episodes. This season is no different in which the producers (Crane, Kauffman and Bright) do give us their thoughts on “The One with the Male Nanny,” “The One with Rachel’s Other Sister,” and “The One in Barbados” (parts I & II). Like their previous tracks, these are insightful and have some information that I found amusing. A rather interesting featurette is also included: “Behind The Style: The Look of Friends” – a retrospective on fashion, make-up and hairstyles through the years. You can usually tell what season/year it was just by looking at Rachel’s hair (and don’t tell me you don’t) and this explores some of the long and short-lasting effects of the style in the show. A menu-based game, “How well do you know your ‘Friends’” is also included as are some outtakes and a music video “Phoebe Battles the Pink Robots” and I’ll let the title speak for itself. All in all, it’s what we’ve come to expect from the previous seasons and it’s odd to say; but there’s only one season left!
