Customer Reviews

The Best of Friends, Vol. 1-2

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This two-volume set, actually just a boxed set of both previously released "Best of" volumes, collects the top 10 episodes of the hit comedy as decided by the fans. Here's a quick rundown of the episodes:

Volume One:

1. Pilot (9/22/94). THE very first episode of Friends where we meet the whole gang. Runaway bride Rachel returns to become Monica's roommate.

2. The One With Two Parts (3/2/95). Two-part episode where Ross confronts his anxiety over becoming a dad, Monica and Rachel meet two cute doctors from the ER (guest stars those guys from ER), Joey dates Phoebe's twin Ursula and Ross' monkey causes havoc.

3. The One With All the Poker (2/23/95). A battle of the sexes as the girls challenge the guys to poker.

4. The One Where Ross Finds Out (11/9/95). Rachel admits her feelings for Ross after her jealousy over Julie and Ross' decision to have a cat. Also, Monica works out Chandler to death.

5. The One With The Prom Video (2/1/96). Classic flashback episode to high school. A video of Rachel and Monica getting ready for the Prom is the catalyst to Ross and Rachel's first "get together."

Volume Two:

1. The One Where No One's Ready (9/26/96): The gang can't decide what to wear to Ross' function, plus Monica copes with her break up.

2. The One With The Embryos (1/15/98): Phoebe agrees to carry her brother's baby.

3. The One With Ross's Wedding (5/7/98): Classic two-parter where the gang goes to London for Ross's wedding to Emily. Plus, Ross's big flub at the end.

4. The One With All the Thanksgivings (11/19/98): Or perhaps a better title would be, "The Ghost of Thanksgivings Past?" Another great flashbacks episode where the gang relives Thanksgivings of the past. More development in the Chandler/Monica relationship.

5. The One Where Everybody Finds Out (2/11/99): Hilarious episode as Phoebe plays with Chandler's mind. The cats finally outta the bag once everyone finds out about Monica and Chandler's clandestine relationship. Plus, Ross acquires the Naked Man's apartment.

Exclusive DVD features: Cast bios (both volumes), the Rembrandt's "I'll Be There For You" music video (both volumes), behind the scenes on location footage of Friends' tour in London (on volume 2), plus additional footage for each episode. (Honestly, I can't tell the difference...)

Here's my quick rundown:

Good: NO COMMERCIALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The extras on the DVD were a great bonus. The Cast bios were a great and interesting read. The behind the scenes footage in London was also pretty interesting. The Rembrandt video was pretty cool too. Definitely a plus.

So-so: The additional footage? Me personally, I can't really tell the difference but I guess that makes it a plus.

Bad: Nothing!!!

I like the fact that they released these episodes on DVD. The replay value, like most sitcoms, is awesome. It's just like watching Friends syndicated reruns on your local station but without the commercials and with a better picture. Personally, I think the DVD is a good investment to your DVD collection. Unlike taping your favorite episodes off the air, the DVD won't get "eaten" from constant replay.

Must have for a Friends fan? Not necessarily -- but it definitely won't hurt :)

Recommended.

I am a big fan of Friends and I've been waiting forever for them to release some uncut episodes on DVD. For those of you who don't know which episodes are included on this here they are: Disc 1: The Pilot, The One With Two Parts (One Hour), The One With All the Poker, The One Where Ross Finds Out, and The One With the Prom Video. Disc 2: The One Where No One's Ready, The One With the Embryos, The One With Ross's Wedding (One Hour), The One With the Thanksgiving Flashbacks, and The One Where Everybody Finds Out. This DVD set makes a great gift for any extreme Friends fan out there. You all know who you are.

I love The Show Friends and these are definatly some of their best episodes ever! This DVD set includes 10 episodes and many special features. They Include:

1. Pilot: Rachel leaves her fiancee at the alter and comes to see her old high-school friend Monica; Ross moves into an apartment in Monica's building to be closer to Joey and Chandler.

2. The One With Two Parts- Parts 1 & 2: Joey and Chandler meet Ursula, Pheobe's sister, at a resteraunt where she is a waitress; Rachel falls off the roof taking down the Christmas lights and ends with a date up with a hansome doctor (funny twist there); Ross takes Marcell to the E.R. after swollowing a Scrabble Letter. (No wonder it needs two parts!)

3. The One With All The Poker: The girls want to get in on the guys poker game; Rachel wants a job and Ross wants Rachel.

4. The One Where Ross Finds Out: Rachel leaves a drunken messages on Ross' answering machine saying that she is "over him" while she is on a date with another man.

5. The One With The Prom Video: Monica's mother gives her a box of stuff from when Monica was in high-school; Rachel finds out what Ross would go through to get her a date for the prom.

2nd Volume

6. The One Where No One's Ready: Now, Ross and Rachel are dating; Ross is trying to get everyone organized to go to his speech at the museum; Chandler and Joey Fight over a chair, Monica has a phone problem; Rachel can't decided what to wear.

7. The One With The Embryos: Pheobe gets the Embryos planted in her Uteris; Monica and Rachel versus Chandler and Joey in a trivia game about each other, winner gets Rachel and Monica's Apartment.

8. The One With Ross' Wedding: Parts 1& 2: Everyone goes off to England to see Ross' Wedding and leaves Pregnant Pheobe back at home with Rachel; Joey and Chandler explore "London Baby"; Rachel goes to England to Stop the wedding, but Ross does that on his own!

9. The One With All The Thanksgivings: It all started with Chandler's depressing Thanksgiving story; Chandler finds out why Monica chopped off his toe; You'll find out why Monica lost all that weight.

10. The One Where Everyone Finds Out: Rachel and Joey know about Monica and Chandler; Pheobe hits on Chandler; Ugly Naked Guy is Moving Away.

THE SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE: The "I'll Be There For You" music video and "On Location In London"

That Basically Sums up this DVD collection, Hope I was Of some help to you! THANKS!!

When I first heard the they were having these couple episodes of the on DVD, I was very happy. I pre-ordered the set. But then I heard the news that Warner Brothers just released this set as a test to see if people would actually buy them. Knowing now that the DVDs were successful, they are going to begin releasing the show in seasons later this year. Instead of having to settle for the supposed 10 best episodes, you will be able to enjoy the series as a whole. So, don't waste money now with these, because in a few months us "Friends" fans will finally get what all of the "X-Files" and "Sopranos" people already have, the complete release.

Buy the "gift pack" and get both volumes - "Friends" fans will love them. There are 5 commercial free episodes on eacb disc, and they are truly among the best of shows; some have extra footage not seen when aired on TV. In case some of the titles (listed in the editorial review) don't "click" with you, "...Two Parts" has Joey dating Ursula, Phoebe's twin sister, and Monica & Rachel switching identities in the ER; and "...The Embryos" is when Phoebe is impregnated and the boys & girls bet apartments. The only complaint I have is with the 2-part, Ross & Emily's wedding episode; in the end, we're left with Ross saying "I take thee Rachel" and the little cliffhanger of will Emily, or will Emily not, finish the wedding? The omission of the "third episode - the aftermath & everbody goes home" from the DVD borders on criminal. Also, the extra features aren't much to brag about - 2 short blurbs on filming on location in London and the Rembrandts' music video (argh!)...oh, and a cast bio. But beyond that, I suspect these are discs that will be played over and over again.

Friends is one of the most original shows on television. The sign of a good tv show is that it doesn't decline in quality when it ages. Friends just gets funnier and the episodes chosen for this set are evidence of this. You get Disc 1: The Pilot, The One With Two Parts (One Hour), The One With All the Poker, The One Where Ross Finds Out, and The One With the Prom Video. Disc 2: The One Where No One's Ready, The One With the Embryos, The One With Ross's Wedding (One Hour), The One With the Thanksgiving Flashbacks, and The One Where Everybody Finds Out From The Pilot, in which we meet the six friends to TOW Everybody Finds out, where the gang finds out about the relationship between Monica and Chandler, these episodes will make you laugh. The One with the Thanksgiving Flashbacks is an exceptional one, it centers around Thanksgivings of the past from Pheobe's memories of the Civil war and WWI to the year when Chandler's father ran away with the houseboy to the consecutive years when Chandler calls Monica fat and Chandler loses his toe. We can only hope that Monica, Phoebe, Rachel, Chandler, Ross and Joey will continue to be as funny as they are now and that Warner Brothers will release another Friends DVD. Here is a quote from TOW the Poker Rachel: Hey, look, you guys, I'm going for anything here, OK? I cannot be a waitress anymore, I mean it. I'm sick of the lousy tips, I'm sick of being called 'Excuse me...' Ross: Rach, did you proofread these? Rachel: Uh... yeah, why? Ross: Uh, nothing, I'm sure they'll be impressed with your excellent compuper skills. Rachel: (upset) Oh my Goood! Oh, do you think it's on all of them? Joey: Oh no, I'm sure the Xerox machine caught a few.

While this video collection may skip around a bit and not show the outcome of a key cliffhanger, in all, this collection shows why "Friends" took the nation by storm in 1994 and 1995. The collection is heavy on the first season episodes, and we see how well-written the show was in that first year. The episode entitled "The One With All the Poker" is a model for scriptwriting. Each gag is set up well, and the characters have a bit more substance that they may not have in later years. The collection has some "missing" scenes, but when you see them, you realize you're not missing much. Oh, so Bevery Garland also appeared in a second scene in the poker episode. Okay, but that second scene doesn't really add much to telling the story. That's essentially the case for most of these missing scenes. You also get the Rembrandt's video for "I'll Be There With You" on both tapes, which is unnecessary, and shows poor planning by those who released the episodes in this boxed set format. The second video also has a brief feature on the show's cliffhanger which was filmed in London. It's interesting to know that the show is popular in England (where these episodes have been available on videotape for years), but really not that enlightening. Still, this collection is a good start and these episodes are among the best of the show. Anyone interested in broadcasting, or situation comedy should have these episodes as part of their library. They're as vital as "I Love Lucy," "All in the Family" or "The Andy Griffith Show."

If you're a "friends" fan like I am, dont' get the "Best of Friends"... In Europe, Japan, and Taiwan, a complete collection of every season, including every episode, is everywhere. That's what we call collection. I don't get why people in The States and Canada don't get to have equal access to those DVDs yet. There are only 6 or 7 episodes in each volume. I don't deny those are of the best ones. Yet to a fan, every episode is remarkable and thus shouldn't have ever been left out. If you get this two-volume DVD set, you're going to be trapped into the following situations: Where's the episode I miss the most? Or Where's the one I happened to miss because I was late that night when it was on TV? You don't want to be in such a scene, do you? So, here's the advice from someone who's been there: DON"t GET THEM. BE PATIENT. WAIT FOR THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TO BE RELEASED. However, if you just can't wait, the product may save your life for the time being.

I just recentaley got into Friends about a year ago because being only in high school when the series began I was in elmantary school and therefore was watching cartoons instead. This box set was a great way to help me catch up since I had probably seen less than 30 episodes before this came out. I think that these 10 best box sets are a better way of releasing Friends episodes than complete seasons because this way it is alot more affordable and you get nothing but the best instead of getting a few dud episodes which this show does have. Lets go through the episodes. I have given them letter grades.

The Pilot-B+, We are introduced to all the Freinds and get to know their personalities. While this isn't the best ep. from season one it is pretty vital to this box set. Best line is Chandler: Want to help us put Ross' furniture together, Phoebe: oh I wish I could but I don't wanna.

The one with two parts-A+, One of my all time favorite Friends episodes ever. Monica and Rachael's insuarnce fraud is hilarous as well as Chandler's relationship with Nina. This is the best episode from season one and whats even better is that it is an hour long.

The one with all the poker-A, Great episode in which we get to see the Friends get a little competive. Its so funny to see the Girls trying to play poker and Chandler has some of his best lines in this episode. Phoebe is also hilarious in this episode and her best line is when she gets her cards and says "YES" then realizing that she is giving away her cards calmly says"or no".

The one where Ross finds out-A-, This classic ep. from season 2 had Ross and Rachael's first kiss. The best scene is where Rachael goes on a date with a guy named Michael and drinks to much wine.

The one with the prom video-B, This episode is probably the weakest one out of the ten but Joey and Chandler's friendship braclets are hilarious. Best line Chandler: Its easy for you to say you don't have to go around sporting a Mr. T reject from the Liberatchi house of Crap.

The one where no one is ready-A, The one episode from season 3 proves to be one of the best. Like the poker ep. the friends spend just about the whole half hour with each other and that is when they are at there best. Also Monica's message on Richard's machine is a gut buster. Rachael also looks incredibly hot in her green dress.

The one with the embryos-A-, Phoebe decideds to be a surrogate mother for her brother and his wife but it is the trivia game between Chandler and Joey and Monica and Rachael that really propells this ep. The best part is when the girls can't figure out what Chandler does for a living.

The one with Ross's wedding-B+, Although a classic and funny episode, not giving us the third part to this episode detracts it a grade and makes it less wathcable. Luckly I taped the 3rd part off of tv soon after.

The one with all the Thanksgivings-A-, Classic thanksgiving episode in which all the friends share their worst thanksgivings ever. Joey's head stuck in a turkey is the best flashback.

The one where everybody finds out-A+, The best episode of Friends ever. I couldn't stop laughing. Everyone with the exception of Ross was at their best in this ep. and this shows that after 5 years Friends is better than ever.

Well I hoped this helped and I can't wait for the new box set which looks like it has other great episodes aswell.

I was disappointed that WB chose not to release Friends an entire season at a time. I had planned on not purchasing this set; however, the mood struck and I made an impulsive decision to buy. While I enjoyed the discs very much, I much prefer sets containing complete seasons of a television series.

The quality of the image is very good, comparable to what one might see with digital cable or a DBS. The additional footage is a real bonus, adding about two to five minutes to most of the episodes. While most of the jokes and one-liners that were cut do not contribute significantly, others are absolutely priceless.

Unfortunately, other than the extra footage, the discs contain few extras. Especially annoying is the lack of chapter stops. To jump to a specific location (e.g. to return to an episode you were watching earlier) or to skip the opening titles, you must fast-forward or jump to a specific time. The only exception is the two-part London episode, which contains a single chapter stop for each part.

Another problem with the set is that even though the London story arc consists of three episodes, only the first two are included. This leaves an important cliffhanger unresolved. The ending of "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" also serves as a cliffhanger, but luckily it can stand on its own.

For a casual fan of the show, this "Best of" set would be a great way to see a few highlights of the series. More serious fans might want to wait to see if WB decides to release the series in its entirety.