F.R.I.E.N.D.S.: The Reunion

Ofcourse I was going to write about this, duh!

Disclaimer: I stan this show through and through so if you don't like the show then please don't go past this sentence. I don't want you to hate on this. Oh and it also has spoilers so read at your own risk!

Hey there! I hope you all are doing great. I'm writing after a while because of some reasons (yeah lemme be mysterious). I don't even know where to start this rant from; this whole episode was so overwhelming for me. First of all, look at this poster:

I mean, aren't they looking gorgeous? Courtney Cox, pretty as always! Jennifer Aniston, the queen that she is. Lisa Kudrow hasn't aged a bit. Matthew Perry looks so precious. Matt le Blanc, still the handsome hunk and David Schwimmer looks just the same!

The episode was released on 27th May at 12.30pm and I obviously watched it immediately. The way it started was itself so nostalgic and emotional. They all entered the stage one by one and ofcourse Jennifer and Courtney cried!

The Casting:

After they are all gathered together in a single screen, they started talking about how they were casted in the show. Lisa Kudrow was actually in another show playing Ursala Buffay's character and they brought her into this show as Phoebe Buffay, Ursala's twin. And later they just connected both the characters together so that people like me don't have a confusion (although I didn't watch the other show but I surely would have been confused if I did).

Jennifer Aniston was also working on a different show. So when she was casted in F.R.I.E.N.D.S, the director of that show said, "This won't make you a star." Ha! Guess who is wrong, huh! Matthew Perry also had a similar story like Jennifer with his casting. I personally loved the story behind Matt le Blanc's casting. It was such a Joey thing. He got wasted and broke his nose just before the auditions happened and guess what? That impressed the directors through and through. Because Joey would have gone to one of HIS auditions exactly like this!

Did you know?

The so-called "laugh tracks" were actually live audiences who were present there in each of the episodes. And if the audience did not find a joke funny, the directors would reshoot and change the whole dialogue to make it more funny. So, to all those people who say that F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is not funny without the "laugh tracks", a big in-your-face gesture to them!

Matthew Perry actually had anxiety when the audience did not laugh at his jokes. He used to sweat and shake and only their laughter kept him at ease. He also used to change the dialogues and turn them around to make them more funny. And no doubt, he succeeded every time! The profile picture that you see in all these "sarcastic meme pages" are all of Chanandler Bong himself haha!

Some more facts:

Many of you might already be aware of this: Jennifer Aniston was actually being casted as Monica Geller and vice versa. But Courtney Cox insisted that she should be Monica Geller because she related to the character more. Hence, the iconic switcheroo played well and we got our perfect Rachel and Monica!

Now this particular fact will blow your mind. Jennifer and David actually had a crush on each other during the first few seasons. At one point they crushed on each other so hard, but couldn't be together because one of the both would always be in a relationship with someone else. Fast forward, they eventually put all the affection and love between them into Ross and Rachel and that's how we got the perfect couple on-screen.

I personally am Mondler shipper and I don't like Roshel much, but this fact was so beautiful that I will never see Roshel same. And maybe I'll like them more now. Speaking of Mondler, did you know that they actually weren't meant to end up being together? The directors first thought of them just having a one-time thing in London. But seeing the reaction of the live audience and how they loved both of them together, the directors decided to make them a couple.

More than just a show:

For some of us, this show has crossed its boundaries from being just another show. It has helped people out of depression and anxiety, made them look forward in life and helped them getting their lives together. For someone who has learnt a lot from this sitcom, I can personally tell you that I love the show for more than just the giggles. There are times in my life when I struggle mentally or say, I'm sad for something. Just one random episode from this show gets me all cheered up again. And I'm sure there are many out there who have exactly the same experience as mine.

This show has been a lifeline for not only us but also celebrities alike. Did you know that RM from BTS learnt English from this show itself? David Beckham, Malala Yousafzai and many more have taken inspiration from this show. All in all, this show has a capacity of binding the audience together. The whole cast feels like a family to us and will continue to do so.

Critical opinions:

As everything, this show has gained all the hatred it could. Some of the jokes are inappropriate and it has become a huge deal for today's viewers. And it's fair, no judgement there. But the fact needed to be understood here is that this show was made during 1994-2004, when such jokes were funny and the sense of humour at that time was appropriate. People like me are said to have an outdated humour anyway, so I am happy to say that this show has my kinda humour or so to speak, dad-humour.

After reading all of this I'm sure a few people will come at me saying that they don't like it. So to those who don't like the show: