Could I be more depressed???...
As I saw the big Friends finale last night, one thing wouldn't leave my mind: why do good things have
to end?
Yes, I know being sad over a TV show is kind of lame, but it just proved another of my theories. The
influence of media in our lives. How can a bunch of strangers, making way much more money than we
do, be such an influential part of our lives? Even more, they can make us feel for them! The answer is
not easy. I think shows, movies and music have a different effect on each of us.
In my case, Friends, was some kind of rock I could hold to. It was something I could return to each
week, no matter how hard it was, how tough or stressing it was, Thursday nights for me (since 1999
when I began watching) were an escape. I knew Joey and Phoebe would make me laugh, Ross and
Rachel would make me lovesick and Chandler and Monica would.
I've also been trying to remember the first episode I saw, I have no clue so far, but I remember
catching up immediately, in sindication, and devouring all the previous seasons in every way I could.
It was a shame to see how much I had been missing!
Friends was always a part of pop culture, from the clothing, to the hair (now I know why so many
women had that same style in 1995) to the way they talk, to well, everything else! The theme song,
the slang...the list just goes on.
And for some it's all about the way it portrayed love in the 90s, when it began I was 8, so let's just
say love wasn't really on my mind, and yet I felt so bad or so good for Ross and Rachel, so much that
I have no fear in naming their romance one of the most engaging and amazing in media history. Up
there with Ilsa and Rick, Scarlett and Rhett...
Friends was also funny. It's what first drew me to it, all the jokes, all the nonsense, Joey and Phoebe
became my favorite friends at first, but then the show became more mature, Monica and Chandler
got married, so did Ross and Rachel (the Vegas ep is in the top 5) and their lives seemed more to
people we might know. The 20 somethings became 30 somethings, kids were part of their lives. Their
jobs became more influential, they went through pre mid life crises.
Their love lives became stable, except for the Ross and Rachel dilemma which had us fooled and
hopeless until yesterday.
The guest stars kept coming, Bruce Willis was just the best, Christina Applegate, pre huge star Reese
Witherspoon, Kathleen Turner (brilliant) even Julia Roberts was on during a hilarious episode. Elliot
Gould as Ross and Monica's dad was pure gold and lately Paul Rudd has been excellent.
The show was more than a show, it was a way to meet people, to make friends, to feel part of
something huge and special, it was with me through all of high school, or hell as I prefer to call it, it
joined me once I began college, and every time they said it was over, it came back! It made me
happy, i didn't even envy the fact that they got paid a million an episode, because in a way they
were doing so much more for me. I don't want to sound as if I depended on Friends or anything like
that, but I remember during one three month stay in bed (broken leg) all I watched was this. I saw
them in the morning, then the same ep in the afternoon and I couldn't wait to talk to my own friends
about what had happened.
Right now I've just seen the pilot, the first perfect episode that set the standard for the 10
wonderful years that would come. And wow did these friends change, Monica became less obsessive,
well she didn't. But she grew from a wild girl to a suburban, obsessive compulsive wife. Chandler
became a man. Rachel changed her "material girl" attitude towards a chic mama, sensitive look. Ross
(my absolute favorite friend!!!) with all his emotional problems, his destructive love life and his sad
puppy aura evolved into a more secure, intensely romantic hero. Phoebe, at first some kind of crazy,
eccentric, folksy singer slowly became a real presence in the show. Her stories at first were just nuts
and even though her past (and what a past it is!) really shaped her, in the end she just was
absolutely gorgeous. And Joey remained Joey, the hard working actor, smart challenged but oh so
sweet.
Everything I could say about Friends is useless since I'm not able to say how it felt like. And I
know I might never get to meet these people, but nevertheless it's my obligation to thank them for
giving us laughter, tears, hope, love and reminding us that the good things must end too, because
simply that's life.
As I saw the big Friends finale last night, one thing wouldn't leave my mind: why do good things have
to end?
Yes, I know being sad over a TV show is kind of lame, but it just proved another of my theories. The
influence of media in our lives. How can a bunch of strangers, making way much more money than we
do, be such an influential part of our lives? Even more, they can make us feel for them! The answer is
not easy. I think shows, movies and music have a different effect on each of us.
In my case, Friends, was some kind of rock I could hold to. It was something I could return to each
week, no matter how hard it was, how tough or stressing it was, Thursday nights for me (since 1999
when I began watching) were an escape. I knew Joey and Phoebe would make me laugh, Ross and
Rachel would make me lovesick and Chandler and Monica would.
I've also been trying to remember the first episode I saw, I have no clue so far, but I remember
catching up immediately, in sindication, and devouring all the previous seasons in every way I could.
It was a shame to see how much I had been missing!
Friends was always a part of pop culture, from the clothing, to the hair (now I know why so many
women had that same style in 1995) to the way they talk, to well, everything else! The theme song,
the slang...the list just goes on.
And for some it's all about the way it portrayed love in the 90s, when it began I was 8, so let's just
say love wasn't really on my mind, and yet I felt so bad or so good for Ross and Rachel, so much that
I have no fear in naming their romance one of the most engaging and amazing in media history. Up
there with Ilsa and Rick, Scarlett and Rhett...
Friends was also funny. It's what first drew me to it, all the jokes, all the nonsense, Joey and Phoebe
became my favorite friends at first, but then the show became more mature, Monica and Chandler
got married, so did Ross and Rachel (the Vegas ep is in the top 5) and their lives seemed more to
people we might know. The 20 somethings became 30 somethings, kids were part of their lives. Their
jobs became more influential, they went through pre mid life crises.
Their love lives became stable, except for the Ross and Rachel dilemma which had us fooled and
hopeless until yesterday.
The guest stars kept coming, Bruce Willis was just the best, Christina Applegate, pre huge star Reese
Witherspoon, Kathleen Turner (brilliant) even Julia Roberts was on during a hilarious episode. Elliot
Gould as Ross and Monica's dad was pure gold and lately Paul Rudd has been excellent.
The show was more than a show, it was a way to meet people, to make friends, to feel part of
something huge and special, it was with me through all of high school, or hell as I prefer to call it, it
joined me once I began college, and every time they said it was over, it came back! It made me
happy, i didn't even envy the fact that they got paid a million an episode, because in a way they
were doing so much more for me. I don't want to sound as if I depended on Friends or anything like
that, but I remember during one three month stay in bed (broken leg) all I watched was this. I saw
them in the morning, then the same ep in the afternoon and I couldn't wait to talk to my own friends
about what had happened.
Right now I've just seen the pilot, the first perfect episode that set the standard for the 10
wonderful years that would come. And wow did these friends change, Monica became less obsessive,
well she didn't. But she grew from a wild girl to a suburban, obsessive compulsive wife. Chandler
became a man. Rachel changed her "material girl" attitude towards a chic mama, sensitive look. Ross
(my absolute favorite friend!!!) with all his emotional problems, his destructive love life and his sad
puppy aura evolved into a more secure, intensely romantic hero. Phoebe, at first some kind of crazy,
eccentric, folksy singer slowly became a real presence in the show. Her stories at first were just nuts
and even though her past (and what a past it is!) really shaped her, in the end she just was
absolutely gorgeous. And Joey remained Joey, the hard working actor, smart challenged but oh so
sweet.
Everything I could say about Friends is useless since I'm not able to say how it felt like. And I
know I might never get to meet these people, but nevertheless it's my obligation to thank them for
giving us laughter, tears, hope, love and reminding us that the good things must end too, because
simply that's life.
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