Joey/Rachel fans might want to skip my comment on 919, unless you want to see why I get mad about Kate Miller being forgotten. My problem's with the writers' handling of the pairing. The writers can't treat any non-lobster storyline with any decency and effort.
- 903: I understand that Monica doesn't want to move to Tulsa, and she resents Chandler for springing it on her so suddenly. But nothing justifies Monica holding up her wedding ring and saying "I have to [go with Chandler to Tulsa], because of this stupid thing!" That's not funny, Monica. At one time, you were so proud of that ring that you shouted from your balcony "I'm engaged!" and pretended something was wrong with your hand so you could show off the ring even more. Talk about being ungrateful and bitchy! Oh, and after making a seemingly sincere speech about how she couldn't live without Chandler for four days a week, she breaks her promise as soon as she gets a job offer. If she really wanted that job so bad, and loved Chandler, why didn't she think up some other compromise? Why couldn't she say something like, "Chandler, you hate that job anyway! Why let them force you to work in Tulsa? Why don't you quit and stay here with me? I've got a great new job now that can support us for a while, and you can figure out what other job makes you happy." Too much to expect from Monica? I guess so. I'm glad that Joey didn't let Monica talk to him on the phone. Bad wife, Monica! Bad wife!
- 904: Oh, gross! Shark Porn. Does Monica really not know Chandler at all? And she told this embarrassing idea of hers to Rachel before even asking Chandler exactly what he was doing in that hotel room. This dumb plot is so contrived and ridiculous! It was not funny or sweet for her to get drunk and offer to thrash around in the bathtub for him; it was as unattractive and out of character as episode 614.
- 905: While chatting with the gang, Monica doesn't remember that Chandler isn't in New York with them. Even Rachel's not self absorbed enough to forget him like that. Monica is shocked when she realizes, but then she continues to be a bad wife and friend in this episode, so I don't forgive her for the slip. Then Chandler comes home, and she finds out that he was smoking. I don't blame her for getting mad; smoking is unhealthy, and they're trying for a baby, and Chandler's quit several times, before he was ever dating her. But Monica gets all bitchy, forbidding him to smoke, despite the fact that in Vegas she got furious when he forbade her to see Richard. Hypocrite! As if to assert her control over him even further, she insists that they put the fight on hold and have sex now. Huh? You're mad, Mon, and you know that you're already late to Phoebe's birthday dinner. Why don't you put the fight on hold and go to the dinner? That way, you'll be a considerate friend to Phoebe, and you and Chandler will have time to cool down from your fight. I know you're ovulating, Monica, but your eggs can wait a couple of hours. Phoebe already asked you if you were going to be late, and you promised that you wouldn't be. Quit treating your husband and friends like dirt! Does Monica really want a baby so badly that she really wasn't moved by Chandler's speech about not conceiving while they're angry? Apparently so.
- 908: I don't get why the writers wanted Amy and the gang to discuss who would get custody of Emma if Ross and Rachel were to die, but I suspended my disbelief. Monica, on the other hand, wouldn't let me suspend my hatred of her, not even for Thanksgiving. She reveals that she lied to Chandler about what wedding china they were getting, and she also puts Chandler down about his "feminine" taste in china. When Ross and Rachel said they didn't want Chandler to raise Emma alone, I started to resent them too. Monica was somewhat sweet and comforting to Chandler when they talked in the hallway, but I wish she had defended him in front of Ross and Rachel. Why couldn't she have reminded Ross that he made Chandler godfather to Ben years ago? If he trusted Chandler to raise Ben alone, why not Emma too? There was also a really dumb plot about Joey not being able to lie, which was a glaring continuity error, considering the fact that Joey lies all the time to his dates, such as when he poses as Ken Adams.
- 913: Monica sings at Mike's piano bar and unknowingly flashes her boobs to everyone. Even when Chandler tells her and tries to hide her, she doesn't care and keeps singing to all those strangers. Monica literally craves the spotlight and doesn't care about upsetting or embarrassing her husband.
- 916: Monica and Chandler need to borrow some money. When Monica secretly goes to ask Joey for it, he thinks Monica is coming on to him, so he turns her down. "It would be wrong. Good. But wrong." Yeah, Joey shouldn't have made that assumption, but it's his typical sleazy behavior. He's hit on all the girls before, and in season 5, he even asked Monica to sleep with him in exchange for keeping her and Chandler's affair a secret. When Joey winks at her, does Monica roll her eyes and yell with outrage, "Joey!"? Does she look offended and disgusted? Nope. She says, "First of all, it would be great," then moves on to her request for money. See the entry for 822, where J comes off in a better light, but Monica doesn't.
- 918: Monica is so money-crazed by this lottery, it's shocking. Chandler even supports her because he's feeling desperate without a job. "Screw you, the tickets are ours!" Oh my God, and Monica's actually proud of this awful man that she's turned Chandler into. She even yells, "Fine! Don't be my friends! I'll buy new friends! Yeah, and then I'll pay for their plastic surgery so they'll look just like you!" Phoebe tries to stop the madness by making everyone choose between friends and money, but Monica yells out "Money!" In contrast, it's such a sweet moment when Joey reveals that he wished for Chandler to get a job. It's sad that I actually believe that Monica would rip Joey's heart out for that, like Chandler said.
- 919: It's not Monica that I hate in this episode; she's actually quite sensible when she tells Rachel that the dream was about Drake, not Joey. And I love Phoebe predicting that Monica and Chandler will divorce in seven years, although I would prefer that they divorce right now. What I hate in this episode is the writers for revisiting the Joey/Rachel plot in the most aggravating way. My apologies to JnR fans for this rant; you've every right to root for your unconventional couple, but I must object to the shoddy way the writers have gone about it, without regard to plausibility and continuity. In this episode, Joey claims that he's never had a romantic storyline on Days of Our Lives before, and that's why he's nervous and needs Rachel to help him out. As I mentioned in TOW Kate Returns, it's all CRAP! On soap operas, aren't all eligible men of a certain age hooked up with all eligible women of a certain age, in revolving-door combinations? That's one of the things that the Friends writers made fun of from the start. When Joey first starred on DOOL in season 2, all the gang including Rachel would watch the episodes and comment on how Drake is kissing one woman, then another, then (for variation's sake), stopping one girl and telling her that she's his half-sister. One would think that, since Joey reprised his role as Drake a couple of years ago, that the DOOL writers would have given him a new romantic storyline as well. Furthermore, Joey claims in this episode that he's only been in love with one woman, and that's Rachel, which is crap too; in season 3, Joey had very strong feelings for Kate Miller the actress, and although he always said "I'm crazy about her" instead of "I love her," Joey does many things that signify love, such as watching Kate sleep, crying when she rejects him, and talking all night with her instead of rushing to more sex. Thus the whole premise of Rachel's Dream is a house of cards waiting to be toppled. I wouldn't resent the Joey/Rachel pairing so violently if it just stopped messing with continuity/plausibility and could stand on its own feet about why Joey or Rachel would have feelings for each other. The writers could have spent this episode convincing the JnR skeptics that the chemistry between Joey and Rachel is romantic, rather than platonic. Love could have blossomed believably, unlike with that fake date during the 8th season, when Joey just magically and suddenly found himself in love, only to forget about it within a few episodes. But the writers just went for a quickie contrived plot, and to add insult to injury, they had Ross and Chandler go on the trip to Vermont, instead of Chandler and Joey. What ever happened to Chandler's promise to make more time for Joey? What ever happened to Kate?
- 920: Back to the Monica bashing. Monica does a good thing by trying to talk Rachel out of her "fooling around" interest in Joey, but she spoils this with her behavior at the soap opera party. When Phoebe points out that Chandler is missing, Monica gasps, but stays at the party, saying stuff like "If I had known I was coming to this party I never would have gotten married!" Why won't she leave the party and go get Chandler? Or if she can't sneak him out of the theatre, the least she could do is keep him company during the play. But no, Monica loves wearing her see-through shirt and chasing guys in hot leather pants. Even Rachel, despite her distraction about Joey, also notices that "Clearly you've forgotten about Chandler." I can see once more why Phoebe is convinced that Monica and Chandler are going to divorce; it's just a matter of time if she keeps up this behavior. What am I saying? Of course she will; in season 10, the writers are going to keep her a domineering, neglectful shrew, because it's just so funny. NOT.
Thank you for this! I have hated Monica in seasons 6-10 with a vengeance. She completely ruined Chandler Bing. But it's not her fault. Pre Mondler Monica was sweet and endearing. It's the writers who are to blame for this. They mutated her character in order to get cheap laughs.
ReplyDeleteAs a JnR shipper - I could NOT agree more with you! The writing with them was horrific because they really could have made a great couple. He brought out such good in her when she moved in and for him to actually fall in love with someone was beautiful to watch.
ReplyDeleteThe writers dropped the ball hardcore using it as a device of "but it's upsetting Ross! (Who is now dating *your* ex of 5 minutes while we haven't dated in 6 years... but that's ok!) My established lobster despite the fact he's mentally unstable and charged at me quite a few times!"
So they used the same stupid plot of Rachel hitting and oh god it was unwatchable!
Like That 70s Show, I get to the last season like Phoebe watching Old Yeller. "THE END! THE END!"
(Really love all these pieces but wanted to throw in a JR shipper view lol. All the Gellers were absolutely horrible, though Jack is better since it seems like Judy kind of beat him down to where he gave up. Just like where Monica and Chandler would have ended up. As I'm sure Monica would definitely be a narcissistic mother just like hers, pitting the twins against each other while favoring one. Oh god I hope they divorced and he got the kids...)