Customer Reviews

Friends: The Complete Fifth Season

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The fifth season of FRIENDS is probably one of their most entertaining seasons made ever!!! This season contains a lot of funny moments and shows a clear development of relationships between the characters as well. Whether it be Phoebe giving birth to the triplets or Ross moving into the ugly naked guy's apartment, Rachel avoiding to put the eyedrops for her infection or Joey getting a job at Caesar's in Vegas, this season is fun-filled and very entertaining. We also get to see how the relationship between Chandler and Monica develop, from the first episode to the cliffhanger episode at the very end :). Here is a list of the episodes in this season:
01.The One After Ross Says Rachel
02.The One With All The Kissing
03.The One Hundredth
04.The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS
05.The One With The Kips
06.The One With The Yeti
07.The One Where Ross Moves In
08.The One With The Thanksgiving Flashbacks
09.The One With Ross's Sandwich
10.The One With The Inappropriate Sister

11.The One With All The Resolutions
12.The One With Chandler's Work Laugh
13.The One With Joey's Bag
14.The One Where Everybody Finds Out
15.The One With The Girl Who Hits Joey
16.The One With The Cop
17.The One With Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss
18.The One Where Rachel Smokes
19.The One Where Ross Can't Flirt
20.The One With The Ride Along
21.The One With The Ball
22.The One With Joey's Big Break
23.The One In Vegas (1)
24.The One In Vegas (2)

The box set contains a huge number of features such as commentaries, biographis and much more! This is a must buy for anyone who would like a good laugh. Get it now :-)

This season great episodes. One of my favorites, TOW Everyone Finds Out. The Monica and Chandler secret relationship was a brillant idea and funny to watch. The finale is one of the best with drunk Ross and Rachel. Joey with his hand twin. Monica and Chandler thinking about marriage. And Phoebe gambling and trying to avoid a person who is trying to get her jackpot.

You have to admire the symmetry of "Friends: The Complete Fifth Season," which opens with Ross getting married and ends with Ross getting married. It reminds me of "Gone With the Wind," which begins with Scarlet pining for a man she cannot have and ends the same way. However, the key difference is that Monica and Chandler are a lot more fun than Ashley and Miss Melly ever were, that is for sure. For that reason Season Five is important in the "Friends" chronology, because it begins the second half of the series, which is operationally defined by the fact that as this point the Monica-Chandler relationship is suddenly transformed from a joke in the finale from the previous season into a driving force for both the season and the series. Even though we are now starting the final half of the final season, I think a lot of "Friends" fans are rooting more for Monica to adopt a baby (if not for Monica to actually be pregnant), then they are at this point for Ross and Rachel to finally end up together for the final time. While not as good as the fourth season, this one once again shows that having multiple story arcs for most of the characters is what works best for the series.

Best Shows of the Fifth Season: "The One After Ross Says Rachel," not just because Ross is trying to salvage his new marriage before it is even official, but because Monica and Chandler cannot keep their hands or their thoughts off of one another; "The One with All the Kissing," because of the stupid Not-in-New York rule, Rachel's heartfelt admission to Ross, and Phoebe's water breaking; "The One with All the Resolutions," because Chandler is not allowed to make fun of Ross's new leather pants; "The One Where Everybody Finds Out," because they don't know that we know they know we know and because Chandler knows something none of those that think they know happen to know; and "The One in Vegas Part 2," because of the power of a hard eight.

This season has one of my favorite story arcs, as Monica and Chandler try to keep their romance secret from as many Friends for as long as possible, but there are also a lot of episodes that are average at best (e.g., "The One with the Yeti," "The One Where Ross Moves In," "The One Where Rachel Smokes") to drag it down a bit. I was thinking that this season was going to grade out at a 4.5 that would get rounded up just for the surprise ending that no one every saw come (which, strangely enough, would explain why it was a surprise), but there are just too many average episodes ("The One with the Inappropriate Sister," "The One With Joey's Bag," "The One Where Ross Can't Flirt," etc.). When I realized that there were more episodes on my average list than on my best list, I had to revise my rating appropriately. Yet this season has some of my favorite moments that the highs stopped me from seeing the lows.

The fifth season of friedns is by far my favorite season of friends!!! The season starts out with Chandler and Monica hiding their relationship from their friends and ending up at the altar in Vegas, Ross saying Rachel's name at his wedding and later getting a bitter divorce.Pheobe gives birth to her brothers three precious triplets and dates Gary the cop. Rachel confesses her love for Ross adn later dates brefly dates Danny. Joey gets his "Big Break" when he gets lead role in a movie, and in the Season finale Ross and Rachel end up married in Vegas! This is a season you dont want to miss!!!

I know Friends gets reviewed by series on its weaknesses more than its strenghts these days but Series 5 really is one of the show's strongest seasons. I can't condense this into less than 1000 words but watching the plot arc unfold as the Friends find out about Chandler and Monica's burdening relationship after the disastrous and dramatic wedding between Ross and Emily, the series had plenty of fodder for some laffs....from Chandler's fake work laugh to Rachel tormenting herself over her love for Ross as he despairs over a 2nd failed marriage, the Friends give plenty of laughs as well as tears. By now they have become our Friends...we know and love them. Some tremendous classic scenes though....the One Where Everyone Finds Out is still to date my favourite Friends episode with loads of physical comedy as Phoebe tries to outflirt Chandler while Ross talks-up Ugly Naked Guy to get his apartment, it makes this series worthwhile. The 80s flashback is also a hoot for its sheer visual comedy of Rachel's nose, Monica as obese and Ross and Chandler in their Miami Vice outfits. Kudos also to the ball-throwing episode and the inside-out cat....Jennifer Aniston proves her acting prowess beyond a shadow of a doubt....fantastik comic range. Wonderful series. While Sex and the City, Will and Grace for example may now have outshadowed Friends in many ways, this series testfies the wondrousness of Friends and its place int he cult comedies of our era. I have all 9 Series to date on DVD and for one will miss these Friends when they leave us later next year. A series well worth relishing

The first four seasons of Friends are, without a doubt, very funny but this one takes the cake. There are so many moments of general hilarity, so many episodes in which I found myself saying, "Oh, this is the one where..." and then laughing hysterically, I can scarcely mention them all.

The relationship between Monica and Chandler continues--though no one knows about it. The lengths to which they go to conceal it contribute much to the hilarity but the best moment comes when Ross witnesses an encounter between the two and subsequently goes ballistic. It's pure genius how he turns the line, "My sister and my best friend!" from one spoken in utter, blinding fury to one spoken in an awww, how sweet sort of way. Poor Joey is perhaps the most put upon by their concealment, though, as he not only has to live with a secret he's bursting to tell, he also ends up looking like a disgusting pig when a series of near misses results in Monica and Chandler pointing the finger at him to divert suspicion from themselves.

Joey's woes aren't merely confined to keeping Monica and Chandler's secret, though. He also has to make the ultimate sacrifice and give up a beloved bag when its presence costs him an acting job and he has to suffer the humiliation of admitting that it hurts when his cute-as-a-button girlfriend (Punky Brewster, all grown up) playfully hits him. The season then ends with the ultimate humiliation when Joey is forced to take a job as a gladiator in Caesar's Palace when his big break doesn't come to fruition.

Phoebe reaches a defining moment in her life when she gives birth to the triplets and then is forced to deal with the sadness of having to give them away. The scene in which she talks to the three newborns is one of the most touching for her character and it's difficult not to feel for her, for having gone through the ordeal of pregnancy only to have to give the babies up. She also meets a seemingly great guy and is ready to move in with him until he exhibits a fatal character flaw that leaves Phoebe single once again.

Rachel faces some difficult choices of her own when she finds out that Emily is demanding Ross not be around her if he wants to preserve their marriage. She also has to learn to put aside her own feelings so that she can do right by her friend. She does get a chance at romance but it ends in a hilariously icky way when she finds that her would-be boyfriend is rather too close to his sister for comfort. On the plus side, though, Rachel gets her dream job as Ralph Lauren despite the fact that she inappropriately kisses the man who interviews her.

The character who grows the most in this season and who has the best comedic opportunities, though, has to be Ross. He tries his best to reconcile with Emily and then must extricate himself from a bad situation only to find that he's already on divorce number two. He then has to deal with the bouts of rage that begin when his boss dares to eat his sandwich, complete with "moist maker". Homeless and desperate, Ross has to move in with Joey and Chandler and proceeds to drive them both nuts, to the point that they almost force him into renting a tiny studio just to get rid of him. When he finally does find a nice new apartment, he had a great time trying to amuse Rachel and Monica with his window-front antics.

When I heard that they were coming out with the 5th season, I thought "YES!" I am a friends fanatic and love every season as much as the next one. The special features on these discs are great. They have 3 commentary episodes, and a great hour long "Behind the Scenes" Documentary on how the show is taped. This season is great....it starts in London after Ross says Rachel at the alter, and ends in Vegas when again, Ross says I do! Get this season now!

Season 5 is another strong season overall for Friends and represents the show while it was on a high. This season saw Monica and Chandler trying to hide their new found relationship from the rest of the friends, Phoebe giving birth early in the season, Ross trying to regain Emily's love, Rachel struggling with her feelings for Ross and trying to climb up the corporate ladder, and Joey being, well, Joey. Monica and Chandler's relationship was risky on the writer's part, but something about it clicked and felt natural. Courteney and Matthew are actually quite funny together, especially in the beginning of their relationship when the characters were oversexed. Monica and Chandler were a very different couple from Ross and Rachel. They aren't dramatic and many of their fights are funny and normally arise from the character's neuroses. Kudrow probably gives on the single best performances on the show when Phoebe gives birth and then has to give the triplets up. Ross settles into the whiny, neurotic character that finishes out the series, but Schwimmer still gives him an earnest, loveable quality and finds a really funny voice for him. Aniston isn't given much to do this season, but she does make what little she has memorable. She is hysterical in "TOW Rachel's Inadvertant Kiss" and "TOW Rachel Smokes," and continues to make Rachel a wounded character whose plans never quite work out the way she intends. LeBlanc continues to be a funny, go-to-the-joke type character. LeBlanc is reliable and he will always produce a laugh. The audience continues to see him really coming into his own as a scene stealer. Season five produced some consistently funny memorable episodes including "TOW Ross Says Rachel," "TOW All the Kissing," "TOW Phoebe Hates PBS," "TOW the Kips," "TOW the Yeti," "TOW All the Thanksgivings," "TOW Ross's Sandwhich," "TOW the Inappropriate Sister," "TOW all the Resolutions," "TOW the Cop," "TO in Vegas," and of course the two classic episodes from this season, "The One Hundredth," and "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" one of the single best episodes in Friends history with some classic performances from the cast.

Even though Season 5 is not my favorite season, Season 5 will always be special because it has my all time favorite episode of the series which is: TOW Everyone Finds Out. This is possibly the best episode of the series ever. Lisa Kudrow was just pure genius, she was perfection from start to finish, this is just the most laugh out loud episode of the series..

Other standouts episode are The One Hundredth (another great Lisa Kudrow episode, hilarious and moving), TOW the Kissing (Perry and Cox were great in here, not to mention that Aniston was moving here), TOW All the Thanskgiving, TOW the Cop (another great episode for Kudrow, but the real standout here is Schwimmer I swear the word PIVOT!!! will never be the same after you see this epsiode), TOW the Resolutions, and TO in Vegas

MVP here is without a doubt Lisa Kudrow. With episodes like The One Hundredth and TOW Everyone Finds Out, she gave 2 of her best performances in the series. This season is also notable for the official start of the Monica and Chandler's romance thus producing classic episodes like Tow Ross' Sandwich and TO in Vegas. This is also the debut of mental Gellar. The return of the Ross that we've come to know in the past season will only return in Season 8.

Grade: A-

This is one of the best seasons with two of the greatest episodes ever. The One Hundreth is a classic and is a showcase for Lisa Kudrow's immense talent. She should have won a Emmy for this season, she was simply robbed this year. She was LOL funny and yet still tender and sweet at the end of the episode. The rest of the cast has great side stories such as Joey getting "KIDDNEY STONE".
The One Where Everyone Finds out has to be the best Friends episode of all time. All the characters (except for Ross) are given great comedic moments. This episode really is a farce and on of the best examples of it. Again Lisa Kudrow is halarious "My Eyes, My Eyes"!
One of the best things about Season 5 is that all the characters are given a story line they can ride without guest stars getting in the way Pheobe had the babies and the cop. Monica and Chandler had their relationship to deal with. Ross loses his job, marriage and apartment all at the same time and must deal with being single again, leading to some great dates. Rachel must deal with a new job and the Yeti. And Joey, well Joey never had to deal much with anything besides being Joey. Another classic episode is the One With all the Thanksgivings. Excellent.
As always this set has 4 discs with the basic fold out package.
I was not completley impressed with the extras. The Friends sets have never included alot. In this set you get Comentaries on the three episodes I have mentioned and two documentaries. The documentaries were quite good and very insitful. The comentaries were good but anyone more that a casual fan probally already knew all they said. All in all the second best season in Friends history.