TOW the sweeps

Possible spoiler warning

My predictions:

May 2002 - Ross: Rachel will you marry me? Nov 2002 - Rachel: Let me think about it. Feb 2003 - Rachel: My answer is ... cut to next eppy May 2003 - series finale

Comments? :-)

[email] (NARAG) wrote in message news:...

You've got to be kidding. They kiss in 822, and you really think Ross will propose the same night while Rachel has given birth?

The cliffhanger I'm almost sure of, unless they somehow give the Joey and Rachel storyline closure in 819 or 820, is I believe going to have Joey reacting to this bit of news. You do notice his movie premiere happens around this time, so maybe it would be a good time for him to leave.

[email] (Anonymous) wrote in message news:...

You're right. I was kidding. My predictions were meant to highlight the sweeps stunt BKC are known to pull as they have over the years. I do hope its good writing they rely on for ratings next season and not emotional stunts.

I'm not sure how Joey's reaction to r/r is going to result in a cliffhanger. I wouldn't buy it as r/j has had closure. Some may not like it, that understandable. Had Rachel said yes to Joey and left him hanging, okay it would make sense. But not now.

Besides, I'll like to see a lead-up to season 9 involving either M&C or Phoebe. It would be refreshing for a change. Friends isn't just about r/r or joey.

These are the suggested/possible titles and air dates leading up to the 16the May season finale:

818 - TOI MASSAPEQUA (3/28/02) 819 - TOW JOEY'S INTERVIEW (4/4/02) 820 - TOW THE BABY SHOWER (4/25/02) 821 - TOW THE COOKING CLASS (5/2/02)

Ganesan

[email] (NARAG) wrote in message news:...

Oh, I see. It would definitely be a viable option had they already not used R&R getting married as a cliffhanger.

817 was not closure, and that's wishful thinking if you think that fluff storyline they had was enough to cover all of the heartache and pain Joey has had to go through in the 5 episodes leading up to that. This story will resurface.

But there's nothing compelling about them right now to have a cliffhanger. Right now, most everyone is focused on Joey/Rachel/Ross, and it only makes sense in which a season that has focused on those three would end with a cliffhanger that somehow involves all three.

I'm actually feeling better about Joey and Rachel chances, believe it or not, after seeing the upcoming titles. The only way I feared the producers would have signaled the end of this pairing was if they came up with some half-ass clip show retrospective of their friendship to try to somehow appease people who liked them together.

Joey's interview storyline probably deals with acting, and those are usually individual storylines for him.

The baby shower episode I guess could be a chance to reflect on the pregnancy while unwrapping gifts, with them throwing in the relationship, but that would hardly be closure.

Marta has said all along that "some closure" would have been brought to Joey and Rachel. And I believe leading up the finale they won't broach this storyline again...until the cliffhanger.

[email] (Anonymous) wrote in message news:...

Well Claire Abraham raised an interesting point. Rachel will be huffing and puffing in the hospital and its difficult to expect a proposal or for Ross and Joey to seek out Rachel's romantic inclinations without coming off as jerks. Rachel and the baby's well being are going to be of paramount importance to her friends. Therefore if there going to be a cliffhanger I would expect it to come from somewhere unexpected like the season 7 finale.

Yes it might resurface. I don't know what r/j fans are hoping to see though. Closure? A clip show? The former's okay but a clip show would be wasting a precious eppy. Perhaps r/j can share a private moment together and maybe Joey will say he has moved on.

As c/m put it in 817, they too had gone through unrequited love and survived. So have I and probably many others. Yes, there's heartache and pain but you pick up the pieces and move along. From what I've read on the upcoming spoilers it appears to be what Joey is doing. Its meaningless to have Joey dragging his face around.

Well season 7 finale was about m/c wedding. How many were expecting Rachel's pregnancy? That had fans buzzing and eagerly anticapating season 8. I wonder what the studio audience reaction was like at that moment? Did anyone in ATF attend that finale?

I presume they may address it again at some point in season 9. Could use it for another ratings battle if competition stiffens. Its been a walk in the park for Friends this season.

I'm hoping the shower centers on the girls and the guys are out having a moment to themselves. Not seen that for a long while. Maybe the guys in particular Ross and Joey might talk about Rachel and that could result in a closure for Joey. Anyway its nice to see a story between Joey and Chandler and Joey and Monica.

Yes. They did bring some closure to r/j. Not sure why or how they are going to have an r/j cliffhanger in the end though. Could Rachel shout out Joey's name while giving birth? :-)

Ganesan

"NARAG" wrote in message news:[email]...

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Ross

Yeah, but isn't that how Ross comes off a lot lately? I can really see Ross doing that. On the other hand, I would prefer that they don't go that way. I'd like to see Ross handle the situation more sensitively.

"David Buehrle" wrote in message news:...

Ross hasn't really been a jerk and has come of much better this season when contrasted to S5 and 6. He's behavior is odd on occasions and even looney. I'll like to see the sensitive Ross from S1-3, but that's really up to the writers and although they are going in the right direction, they can do a lot better.

Ganesan

"NARAG" wrote in message news:[email]...

I think that Phoebe is due to have a cliffhanger. Has she ever had one? Anyway, (warning: I am not a writer and they could make this much better than I am right now) We see Phoebe walking down the street and she sees someone, acts shocked, and stops and says "oh my god, what are you doing here?". We would have no idea who it is and it could lead to a great story line for her. This could be David, Charlie Sheen, or someone from her deep dark past that would bring out more stories from her past. She has been left in the background for too long and needs more stories of her own.

What do you guys think of something like that?

"Amy and Dave" wrote in message news:...

Not sure but it will be difficult to top last season's climax. It came as a bolt out of the blue... someone was pregnant but the viewers were led to believe that it had been Monica until the last second. I did not follow the spoilers so it came as a complete surprise to me. Further it posed many interesting plots at different levels like, how are friends going to react, who's the father and how and when did it happen, how does this change friends, etc. Let's see what this season's going to be like. But I agree with you I would rather see m/c or a phoebe cliffhanger.

r/r/j cliffhanger is going to have a very soapy feel to it. The cliffhanger/plot should never be about one friend losing out or competing against the other but everyone winning. The comfort level Friends offered, IMO, has been the critical success factor at ratings this season after 9/11. while reality tv fizzled out as a result.

Plus next season is going to be the last time we see the sextet. Do we really want to watch one friend against the other?