...I was wondering if anyone would be interested in the paper I wrote about Friends for my Advanced Composition class? If there's enough interest, then I'll post in in this thread.
-Andy
Marge: "Homer, that crazy lady who lives in our trash pile attacked me today." Homer: "That's not the way she tells it."
I'm interested. I myself wrote one about "Seinfeld" a couple of years ago.
Lauran
Andy wrote in message news:[email]...
about
then
Interesting. Post it, please.
Bobby C.
Here it is. :) It's only a rough draft now, so there are a few mistakes. I'm going to change the ending most likely. The examples were written for people who might not have seen the show before.
Right now, it runs about 3 and a half pages. Feedback, comments, questions, etc are welcome :)
The One Where The Definition Paper Tells All
"I'll be there for you, 'cause you're there for me too…" is the last line in the wildly popular theme song to the equally popular television series Friends. But does that concept contribute to the show's success? Or is there a multitude of other factors that has led it to become a national icon? Friends is a successful show because of its unique humor, the characters, and the show's writers.
One of the reasons Friends is successful is because of its unique humor. Every week, the antics of the characters has the audiences rolling on the floor laughing. For instance, in one episode, Monica describes her friends' actions after Ross comments on her dating a man twice her age. "Fine, judge all you want to, but…married a lesbian (Ross), left a man at the altar (Rachel), married a gay ice dancer (Phoebe), threw a girl's wooden leg in the fire (Joey), livin' in a box! (Chandler)" This normally wouldn't work, since it's out of character for Monica, but her brother just insulted her, so she's retaliating (Episode 4.08 "The One With Chandler in a Box").
In a more recent episode, Ross is looking out for Phoebe and Rachel in their own interest, but Rachel and Phoebe both insist they can take care of themselves, since they take a self defense class. Ross has also taken karate, or as he says it, ka-ra-tay, and asks them if they have Unagi, a sense of awareness. Rachel and Phoebe both ignore Ross. He tries to catch Phoebe and Rachel off-guard the rest of the day. Then Rachel and Phoebe catch him off-guard in his own apartment. Deciding to take actions in his own hand, Ross goes to the girls' self-defense teacher to get advice on what to do next, as an attacker. We as the viewers know what happened previously in the episode, but the instructor has no clue as to why Ross would want to attack two of his friends, so it is funny to us. (Episode 6.17 "The One With the Unagi").
One last example of how the show's unique humor is when Rachel and Phoebe find out about Monica's secret relationship with Chandler. They tell Joey, who has been keeping it a secret all along, that they know. Joey is ecstatic because he won't have to sneak Chandler and Monica around anymore. But his joy is crushed when Rachel realizes that they (Chandler and Monica) don't know that they (Rachel and Phoebe) know, so they can mess around with Chandler and Monica. Soon, Chandler and Monica realize that Rachel and Phoebe know about them, but Rachel and Phoebe don't know that they (Chandler and Monica) know that they (Rachel and Phoebe) know they're messing with them (I was just as confused as I watched it the first time). This really works because one would think that once Rachel and Phoebe find out about Chandler and Monica, that they will confront them. Also, one would think that when Chandler and Monica find out that Phoebe and Rachel know, that they will break the news, instead of playing mind games. (Episode 5.14 "The One Where Everyone Finds Out"). There would be no hilarious situations if there were no characters to interact with each other.
In order to have a sitcom in the first place, there must be interesting characters. Each character is unique in his or her way, with tons of character quirks. Monica, for example, is a neurotic neat freak. In one episode, she has a party for Rachel's birthday. Her party is so organized and rule-enforced, that it makes others want to leave so they can go to the more exciting party being held by Joey and Chandler across the hall. Phoebe is a very interesting character. Her randomness has provided many laughs throughout the years. She is the most spirited of the group, and is also the most superstitious: she visits a psychic, uses herbal tea, writes controversial songs, etc. Her "weirdness" is most likely the result of spending years on the street. Through all the weirdness, the other five know that she means well and has a good heart. Chandler is and has remained a fan favorite throughout the years. This is largely due to his own sarcastic humor. In unusual events, Chandler always finds a way to make light of them. The source of his humor can be traced back to his parent's divorce. He has stated, while apologizing to a girl whom he embarrassed during a school play, that he used humor as a defense mechanism. Joey is the ladies' man of the show. He is also the one who is often unemployed. He isn't as intelligent as the other five, but when he gets an idea, usually a get-rich-quick scheme, he follows through with it. However, his get rich quick schemes aren't that well thought out. He once thought he could actually make millions by having an identical hand twin. Rachel, thanks to her dad's past pampering, is the most spoiled of the group. She always is into fashion, and tries keeping up with the latest trends. She also can be the most stubborn of the group, especially when it concerns her history with Ross. In one episode, Ross tries persuade Rachel into staying married with him (they got drunk in Vegas and married by accident) by mentioning that they can register and keep the presents. Rachel considers it, but then asks if there's such a thing as an annulment shower. Ross is the most average one of the group. He has a good job, a good group of friends, etc. However, his behavior has severely been modified over the past few years. He was once the shy geek. Now, thanks to three divorces, he is very irrational. He told Rachel that they should stay married as a favor to him. Put these five unique characters together week after week, and there will always be interesting conflicts. But without the creators of the show, there would be know unique characters.
David Crane and Marta Kauffman, creators of Dream On, also created Friends. On a recent Discovery Channel special, they unlocked the secret of the show's success: the writing. Friends' trademark has always been about the characters adjusting to the real world. And who wouldn't know more about adjusting to the real world than young writers? Week after week, these writers are hard at work polishing their story lines. Sweeps month, November, February and May, are the busiest months for the writers. They have to make sure that their scripts are uproariously funny, since the networks greatly judge a show during these periods. Some of the show's classic episodes have been a product of sweeps month. Some of these include: "The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break," "The One With Ross' Wedding," "The One Where Everyone Finds Out," "The One With Two Parts," and the more recent "The One That Could Have Been." Crane and Kauffman feel so strongly about the writing that they have said that without Friends, there would be nothing to kick off the Must See TV lineup on Thursday nights.
I, and countless of other fans, have to agree.
-Andy
Marge: "Homer, that crazy lady who lives in our trash pile attacked me today." Homer: "That's not the way she tells it."
Crap! I forgot spoiler warnings! There are spoilers for some season 6 episodes, so don't read it if you haven't seen it!
Sorry about before, but it totally slipped my mind!
-Andy
Marge: "Homer, that crazy lady who lives in our trash pile attacked me today." Homer: "That's not the way she tells it."