703 Review

7 0 3

S P O I L E R

S P A C E

TOW Phoebe's Cookies

I thought this episode was a slight disappointment. The plots were clever, but the jokes were lacking. I was hoping for more laughs.

First, Chandler.

This was the story I was looking forward to the most. A Chandler without Monica is always a plus. The lap dance premise was actually original and had great potential. MP and EG worked quite well together. Unfortunately, I couldn't make myself laugh as much as I would have liked. While it was a great plot, the humor just seemed too forced to me. The sauna and hot tub scenes made me chuckle, but I simply wasn't rolling on the floor as it seemed I should have been.

Second, Monica and Phoebe.

As with Chandler, it was great to see Monica on her own. She wasn't half as annoying in this episode. Also, Phoebe seemed back to normal and less bitchy than of late. This was a cute girls' story, but that's about it. Monica and Phoebe were quite pleasant together, even though there really weren't any major laughs in this story. The ending was way too predictable.

Finally, Joey and Rachel.

This was the one subplot that totally bombed, in my opinion. I really couldn't stand either character. Although I'm glad the writers didn't forget the boat, I almost wish they had after tonight. Rachel was acting totally un-Rachel-like. We have never seen this side of her before, and I hope we never see it again. This was a role more suited for Monica, since she is supposed to be the control freak. As for Joey, he simply wasn't funny. His stupidity couldn't save this storyline. J&R just aren't C&J.

Ross didn't have much going for him in this episode. He sort of hung around with Chandler in the first half and Monica and Phoebe in the second half. The filler with the engagement gifts never amounted to anything. With DS directing next week's episode, it looks like Ross won't get much attention for a while.

Overall, I'd give this episode a B. The stories were actually different for a change, but I would have liked more humor.

--Doc

DocDoc2222 wrote:

7 0 3

S P O I L E R

S P A C E

TOW Phoebe's Cookies

Jokes are easy; making the situation funny while allowing the characters to be human is hard.

What -- you mean we've never seen her want her own way and only her way; boss others around to get that way, and yell and scream when she doesn't get it?

To me, this plot line was the main thing that DID work on the script, as both characters were funny but made some realizations about themselves in the course of the episode.

Footnote: we've seen Phoebe get drunk before breakfast. Now we see Joey in the daytime knocking back 6 beers. Both these folks, were this a realistic program, would be heading for a serious problem if they were not in fact already there.

Joey and Rachel.

This was more than Rachel simply wanting her way. In this episode, she was an overbearing control freak. This was not the ditzy Rachel of the past couple seasons, or the spoiled, bitchy Rachel of the first couple seasons. JA was playing an evil version of Monica, more than Rachel. Had this been a Monica and Joey story, then I would have believed it. But Rachel's characterization ruined this subplot for me. And Joey alone didn't supply the humor needed to save the storyline.

I really felt this was the weakest plot in this episode, but that's only my opinion.

--Doc

Rachel was trying to teach Joey how to sail a boat. It's a serious thing. If he did something wrong, it could mean his life. I think Rachel was being a good friend. She wasn't overbearing like Monica is--you know, yelling at people for moving furniture. This was actually important, and I'm glad that Rachel pushed aside the selfishness she's always had to help her friend out.

DocDoc2222 wrote:

I thought this was a very realistic and human characterization of Rachel. Face it, she's never really been in a situation before where she knows more than someone else, except maybe fashion, and that's such a mushy area you can't really boss someone around about it. Now we see Rachel when she feels confidently knowledgeable and considers herself the expert in a given situation. I also agree with the post pointing out that it was actually important, unlike most of Monica's tantrums. Besides, Joey was really being an ass and deserved to get shoved in the face!

Tess

Jonathan Roberts wrote:

I agree with you there. . .

Disagree. Phoebe got drunk before breakfast in Vegas? (I believe). That was a "special occasion". Joey was on his boat, which also may qualify as a "special occasion". We've NEVER really seen Joey drink much any other time. . .

I don't see it as too far out of the stereotype. . .

How about TOW The Dead Children? Remember how Joey got punch drunk, stormed into Phoebe's brother's house and started kicking and throwing the infants out the windows? That was a hilarious episode. Uh, excuse me, I have to go "use the bathroom."

---

"I pledge allegiance to the snow of the United snow of America. And to the republic for which it snows, one nation, under snow, indi-snow-ible, with liberty and justice for snow." Man reading patriotic plaque immediately following a snowstorm.

Jonathan Roberts wrote:

Not to mention the fact that drinking while operating a boat (even a sailboat) is illegal and you can can be ticketed and fined for it.

just me wrote:

Well, yes, but I think that was the point. Especially when Joey yelled at the Coast Guard.

I'm glad they mentioned the boat, instead of using it as just another throw-away joke. . .

They mentioned the boat? When? When they were on it?

---

"I pledge allegiance to the snow of the United snow of America. And to the republic for which it snows, one nation, under snow, indi-snow-ible, with liberty and justice for snow." Man reading patriotic plaque immediately following a snowstorm.

Um, what was the point? They showed Joey drinking while operating a boat. There was no joke there. The joke was with Rachel becoming overbearing like her father. Joey's drinking was totally unnecessary to make that point. Do you think the writers would have had Joey drinking if Rachel had been teaching him to drive a car? Of course not. My point, which you seem to have missed, is that it is every bit as illegal to drink while operating a boat as it is with a car so why is it supposed to be funny in a boat?

In article , just me wrote:

The point is that the fact that getting drunk on a boat is illegal can be excused as ignorance on the part of the writers, while getting drunk in a car can't be.

just me wrote:

I'm not sure why you latched onto this particular example as something "morally" wrong (and therefore NOT funny), when there are PLENTY of other examples where one of the FRIENDS, or others, has done something illegal. Why all of a sudden is drinking on a boat the "sin of all sins" when I can think of many other instances from other episodes that can be equally, if not far more, worse.

Is it funny to steal? Is it funny to impersonate an officer? Is it funny to "beat" someone to take advantage of their insurance (aka insurance fraud), is it funny to misrepresent oneself to obtain services for free? Is it funny to harbor an "exotic" pet, with who knows what as liabilities? Is it funny to use illegal drugs?

The list goes on and on and on . . Why are you so anal about drinking on a boat? Sure, it's illegal. Just like all those items listed above.

Well..for one thing it could have deadly consequences and for some of the younger viewers, they might not think of it as being a big deal. How many kids are going to get a chance to pretend to be a cop? A lot of stuff Phoebe does people just explain away as her oddness. She's funny but I don't know many people who say they want to be just like Phoebe. It could be that the drinking on a boat thing is something that the original poster is strongly against. I don't think the person should be yelled at for having an opinion.

====== es*o*ter*ic b : of or relating to knowledge that is restricted to a small group

2 a : limited to a small circle

EsotericGrrrl wrote:

Well, I didn't mean to yell . . . (if that's even possible in a newsgroup)

But, I don't think I see the big alarm about having a few beers on a boat. I mean

I personally could have one, two, or three beers and still be under the .08%BAC (Colo is still .10, but it will probably change) and DRIVE a car on a freeway, where the margin of error is only a couple feet, and everyone is going 70MPH. Why

is there a big uproar over a few beers on a boat at a dock?

I can see it being an issue if you got DRUNK on a boat, and then had the misfortune to fall in the lake, and couldn't swim, but aren't you supposed to be wearing a life-presever, or have access to one on board?

I just don't see how this is worse than many of the other questionable actions of our FRIENDS. . . .

(Newsserver glitch - sorry if this is a duplicate post. . . )

Hellooooo!!! After getting drunk in Vegas, Randy Hinds doodled cat whiskers on his/her face and miaowed this little lot at a statue...

Technically, you didn't... yelling is WRITING IN ALL CAPITALS LIKE THIS. :)

Randy,

You could drink those beers and then drive, but what would happen if you drank one of those beers WHILE driving? That's the difference here. Joey was drinking WHILE operating the vessel.

Now, I agree that it probably wasn't a big deal because we all know that Rachel was the one doing all of the driving anyway. If Joey had been steering the boat, he could have been arrested for drinking. There is also that added danger of falling overboard and drowning, and you would probably be surprised at how often that happens.

The reason I think it's a big deal is this: a person who drinks at the dock becomes the person who drinks while riding in the boat becomes the person who drinks while driving the boat becomes the person who misjudges an oncoming boat until it's too late to avoid collision.

Before you say I don't know what I'm talking about, I spent 6 years as an officer in the Coast Guard.

Tana

Randy Hinds wrote in message news:[email]...

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EsotericGrrrl wrote:

Well, I didn't mean to yell . . . (if that's even possible in a newsgroup)

But, I don't think I see the big alarm about having a few beers on a boat. I mean I personally could have one, two, or three beers and still be under the .08%BAC (Colo is still .10, but it will probably change) and DRIVE a car on a freeway, where the margin of error is only a couple feet, and everyone is going 70MPH. Why is there a big uproar over a few beers on a boat at a dock?

I can see it being an issue if you got DRUNK on a boat, and then had the misfortune to fall in the lake, and couldn't swim, but aren't you supposed to be wearing a life-presever, or have access to one on board?

I just don't see how this is worse than many of the other questionable actions of our FRIENDS. . . .

Heh, I didn't think a lot of those things were funny. The 1st (Monica in TOW The Ride Along?) and 3rd ones for sure.

The fake New York background while on the boat drove me crazy! It just looked too fake and totally distracted me.

-Whitney

I tend to agree with you on most of your points. I did enjoy the episode, but it wasn't a stand out. I agree with the B grade.

I also agree that Phoebe was more like oldself. I did think it was a little uh bitchy for her to scream her grandma was in hell, but it worked as a slightly funny joke. Phoebe + yelling=funny. (I love on the new credits how the cage is coming down on her while she's holding the gun lol). I think the fat jokes w/ Monica were a little to predicitible though. The fat camp story could have been left out I think. I think one fat joke is enough per scene.

Next, Joey & Rachel. I liked them until she started getting bossy and started yelling. Although, Joey was at fault for not paying attention. It was funny, but not particularly something I would want to see again. The end was a lot funnier, with Rachel admitting Joey's way was a lot more fun :)

Chandler & Jack ..funny stuff, but predictible. The end was cute "Oh we wear underwear in here!" lol. Poor guy. I will say this Matthew was a lot uh..flabbier than I imagined.

Ross was just a background character here, so not much to say there. He was funny in the limted way they used him.

====== es*o*ter*ic b : of or relating to knowledge that is restricted to a small group

2 a : limited to a small circle

I liked the episode, but was a little disturbed by Joey's drinking and operating a boat. You think with all her boat know how, Rachel would have mentioned that drinking and operating a boat is illegal to Joey.

TXHorns79 wrote:

As I mentioned in an earlier post, there are PLENTY of examples where characters on Friends do illegal things. This was just one more. I'm not sure why this one is "taboo" when all the others are not. In fact, I think you'll find a larger audience who will have consumed alcohol on a boat than one who has ever impersonated an officer. . . . . The larger the audience, the larger the non-compliance rate is, and the bigger the question becomes as to whether said activity should even be illegal. That's why prohibition didn't work.

Randy Hinds wrote:

I think the primary difference here is that drinking on a boat is dangerous behavior that is very common; a lot of folks don't even realize it's illegal. Everybody knows impersonating an officer is illegal.

Claire Abraham wrote:

Well, that's an opinion that can be debated. I mean, it's along the same lines as not wearing a seatbelt, IMO. Same as not wearing a motorcycle helmet. Ooops, no wait, motorcycle helmets are NOT required in Colorado, but they are many other places. That means there are different interpretations of what's dangerous, and what's not. I personally don't think drinking on a boat is dangerous. Over-consumption on a boat is, but wasn't Joey moored at a dock or marina when he mentioned he had "six beers" or whatever it was. . .

"Randy Hinds" wrote in message news:[email]...

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The way I see it is this. Rachel was the one that was in control of the boat not Joey so what is wrong with him having a couple of drinks? Now if Rachel had been drinking too then I would feel differently.

I am joining this thread kind of late, so forgive me if someone already said this, but I see a big difference between the seat belt/helmet law, and the drinking law.

I agree that wearing a seat belt and helmet protect *me* .. and sometimes wonder why the government has a right to tell me how to take care of myself. But the not drinking while driving ... whether it be a boat or a car ... protects someone else. If I am impaired and crash that boat, I could kill someone else. And I guess I do not have a problem with the government trying to protect someone else *from me*. :-)

So that's why I see a big difference in the law for seat belts verses the law for drinking and boating.

A lot of people don't think driving a boat is the same as a driving a car. They think they are just 'boating' .. so this show would have been a good chance to put out the word. Even if it was just in passing "Isn't that illegal?"

Victoria wrote:

When I say this to Carl, he always asks "What about the unnecessary and easily preventable health care costs the public will be paying every time an uninsured driver incurs the injuries that would be prevented by this safety measure? Doesn't the public have a right to prevent its pocketbook from being emptied by irresponsible people who will wind up being the public's business to treat after they hurt themselves?"

Tess

Tesseract wrote:

You, absolutely, 100% took the words right out of my mouth. . . er. . . computer?

Agreed. It's kind of a round about look at it, but yes, I can see why it eventually effects others. But my point being that drinking and driving law is much more obvious than the seatbelt law. But I guess both are "what's good for us" :-P

Victoria wrote:

Well, as mentioned in another post, it's the fact that you get injured a whole lot worse when you don't have a helmet/seatbelt on. All the rest of us pay for your injuries through higher insurance premiums, higher taxes of dubious origin, indirect result of lawsuits, etc etc etc.

Somebody has to pay for all that high-tech equipment to keep a critically injured person alive. . . .

My point was that even if it WERE the same as driving a car, I'm allowed a few beers and can still drive, as long as my BAC doesn't reach the limit (for either DUI or DWAI (.10% and .05% in Colo)). Now, granted, I can't drink the beers WHILE I'M IN THE CAR, but I surely can stop by the local pub, down one or 2 depending on circumstances, and drive away, as long as I know my abilities aren't impaired in any way, shape, or form.

Joey is having a beer or 2 on the boat. Now I don't know about any open-container laws on boats, but Joey is clearly not the one "driving" the boat, so I don't see the big sin everyone seems to suggest. I can't remember correctly, but didn't Joey mention the 6 beers while the boat was docked??? (I might be wrong there, I haven't re-watched the episode to confirm/deny this. . . )

AGreed about the uninsured. But it is an indirect relation. Drinking in a car while driving is not allowed, same with a boat. As you said, in a car you can pull into a pub and have a few beers, but you can't have it in the car. The same for the boat, you can have it while docked but not while driving.

I could have sworn Joey had like 8 beers?   7 and then Rachel knocked
the 8th out of his hand?   I may be remembering the number wrong, but I
know it was more than just 2.

Botom line is that it's a sitcom, they could have used the chance to let people know the law, but they went for the laugh. :-)

I thought this was a great storyline. It was nice to see Rachel actually be the expert on something for once. In all honesty, if I were trying to teach a friend how to sail a boat and be safe on the water and he were paying as little attention as Joey was, I would probably have yelled at him too. I have to say that my favorite part of this story was the very end, with Joey yelling at Rachel for not eating a sandwich properly... the one thing that Joey is the expert on.

I thought Ross was very funny for what little time he had. Especially when he was testing cookies for Monica. Of course we all knew as soon as he ate that cookie from batch 17, that it was really going to be one from batch 16, but the way he reacted was still hilarious. It was nice to see David Schwimmer get to do some of the physical comedy that he pulled off so brilliantly in the early days of the show.

Ryan