I haven’t written a “Friends” walkthrough in about eight months. I haven’t even watched an episode since I wrote that last walkthrough. No reason why except that I just never felt like watching the show. It looks like I left off on a double episode. Season Seven Episodes 23-24, “The One With Chandler and Monica’s Wedding.” That might be the reason why. I’ve never liked wedding episodes of TV shows in general. If I remember correctly this was a middle of the road episode for me.
Let me check the date it first aired. Of course I watched it as it ran that Thursday night long ago. It first aired on May 17, 2001 and was the final episode of the Seventh Season. It looks like I was in my home studio working on a painting that day. I only have the painting noted as “Oil #22” but if I look at an entrance for the next week I named it “Apple of My Eye.” According to my calendar its took me five days to finish it.
I spent the Tuesday and Wednesday that week Spring cleaning. Everything must have been really disorganized if it took me two days to clean stuff up. I also bought a Firewire CD burner that week plus a Nikon Flash Bracket for $70 and a Nikon SB-22s AF Speedlight for $115. An expensive week! I’m glad that years ago I digitized my calendar and can look this stuff up!
Let’s start the show.
The opening scene is Central Perk and we get some wedding jokes and then a scene between Ross and Chandler. Ross plays his role as Monica’s older brother and threatens to kick Chandler’s ass if he hurts his sister in any way. Goofy fun and here comes the theme song.
Now we’re with the three women in the apartment. A fun joke at Rachel’s expense and then Joey comes in. He’s got a big new job acting in a movie. I never liked this plot line because it’s all about Joey being made late to the wedding because of the job. I find plots/jokes based on the frustration of being late more tense than funny. It reminds to too much of real life and annoying people who make me late!
Next we have Joey on set in his WWI outfit. Movie start Gary Oldman is actually playing the movie star who is working opposite of Joey in the scenes. Joey is starstruck by Oldman’s character. The first jokes in this plot line are based on the fact that Oldman’s character spits as he acts. Especially when he says his p’s and t’s. Joey is a little taken aback. Especially since he’s the one gettin spit on. Kinda goofy.
After the spitting we get Monica and Chandler in their apartment. They have some jokes about Chandler’s father. I’m not really sure what the proper term is for his father but he dresses like a woman and has a show in Vegas as that woman. Kathleen Turner plays his father. This was supposed to be a clever bit of fun casting (because she has a deep voice) but I always found this bit rather unfunny. The jokes are usually obvious and just make me uncomfortable.
Monica then mentions that she’s surprised that they’re really going to be married tomorrow and Chandler hasn’t freaked out at all. Classic foreshadowing. Then, on cue, an answering machine message freaks him out.This episode is a little tedious.
Now we’re at the rehearsal dinner with Monica and Chandler and he’s all squirrelly. Here comes Ross. All three women laugh at him for threatening to kick Chandler’s ass. I don’t think this joke is so funny that they have to repeat it.
Chandler’s mother show up. She’s played by Morgan Fairchild and the joke with her are usually centered around that she’s a hot and sexy woman who is famous for writing steamy novels. This embarrasses Chandler.
Joey shows up to commiserate with Phoebe about getting spit on by his fellow actor.
Monica’s parents get to meet Chandler’s mother. I like the Gellars. Eliot Gould plays Jack Gellar and usually plays him goofy and funny. Here comes Kathleen Turner playing Chandler’s dad (as a woman) and everything gets uncomfortable. It’s supposed to be uncomfortable but that doesn’t mean I find it funny.
Rachel gets in on the uncomfortable Chandler’s dad action and it’s not any funnier than the rest of it.
Ross gives an uncomfortable toast but he pulls it off in the end.
Now back to the apartment with the women.
Joey has to go back to work. More spitting jokes.
Ross looks for Chandler but he’s gone. He left a note to tell Monica that he’s sorry. Here is the Chandler freakout. They keep the news from Monica.
Back to the set with Joey and Oldman. Joey doesn’t want to get spit on so he confronts Oldman. Oldman tells him that spitting is a technique in real acting. Joey is now impressed.
Look! It’s a Gunther scene in Central Perk. He wasn’t invited to the wedding. Ross is looking for Chandler. Ross’s parents are there and his mom finds Gunther sexy. This is the funniest scene so far!
Meanwhile Joey and Oldman are acting and spitting up a storm. It’s an okay resolution to the spitting plot line. Then the plot shifts as Joey is told that he has to work the next day but that’s the wedding day. Now starts the “Joey is late” plot line. Sigh…
It’s now the wedding day and Monica is psyched. Rachel and Phoebe decide to try and stall her until Chandler is found.
Meanwhile in a sudden turn of events Phoebe shows Rachel a pregnancy test she found in Monica’s garbage. They figure that Monica is pregnant and that’s why Chandler freak out and ran away. This is where the episode ends when it is split into two parts.
Ross continues the hunt for Chandler.
Phoebe goes on the hunt with Ross and Rachel gets on with the stalling of Monica.
Joey shows up for work and they won’t let them out until they’re done for the day. The kicker is that Richard (Oldman) is drunk as a skunk.
Ross and Phoebe find Chandler at “The last place anyone would go” and that’s at his office (maybe the funniest joke in the episode). Chandler is freaking out because he doesn’t think marriage, in general, can work. Ross comes up with a small steps approach.
Rachel is still stalling. Monica has had enough.
Joey is having a tough time getting through a sword fight with a drunk co-star.
A scene with Chandler’s parents as Monica gets ready.
Joey has an hour to get there but can’t.
A series of sitcom events leads to Chandler overhearing that Monica is pregnant.
Rachel goes out looking for a minister (since Joey is late) and finds a greek Orthodox priest.
Ross has lost Chandler again.
Ross’s father (Elliott Gould) is funniest thing in this episode.
The hunt for Chandler is on again.
Ross and Phoebe find him and he tells Ross that’s Monica is pregnant. He’s excited about it all now.
Time for the wedding ceremony. Joey shows up in the nick of time and gets to marry them. It’s sappy and all goes okay.
The final kicker is that we find out that it’s not Monica who is pregnant. It’s Rachel. That’s a solid twist.
This is where I usually check the internet and see what was cut out for this episode for syndication but the site I use doesn’t seem to exist anymore. I’ll move on to my rating.
I don’t know if it’s just my mood right now but I’m not a fan of this double episode. I’d only give it a two out of five stars. That means it’s below average but not the worst. Let me see what I rated it back in 2010. I gave it three stars back then which means I thought it was an average episode. I think I’ve soured on wedding episodes in general since then so I’m sticking with two stars.
Until the next one.