Friends - General Comments on TOW Monica Gets a New Roomate (1x01)

girl in a cardigan · 01-03-2005, 10:28 PM

Lauren and I decided to get some more discussions going on this board. We'll be posting a discussion thread for a new episode every Monday and Thursday, so break out your DVDs and let's relive good times!

Episode summary provided by TV Tome:

Quote:

We're introduced to the gang as they hang out at one of two places: their favorite java hut, Central Perk, or Monica's apartment. Make that Monica and Rachel's apartment. After Rachel leaves her Mr. Potato Head-look-alike fianc� Barry at the altar, she moves in with Monica and discovers that independence sucks when you don't have Daddy's credit cards to rely on.

inzaghina · 01-05-2005, 01:44 PM

For me this episode is THE BEGINNING OF AN ERA... we see how the gang is, kinda through Rachel's eyes and we start to understand each character. Plus there already are some very funny lines, like the one about having a job, Rach is so surprised that they all have a job LOL... and some cute moments, like the one where Rachel cuts her credit card!

And there is "Welcome to the real world... it sucks, you are gonna love it!"

How can you not love this episode???

Wilpen · 01-05-2005, 03:08 PM

Yeah, this episode was the beginning of pure brilliance. Being a Ross/Rachel fan, I lOVED their immediate awkward interaction and the revealing of Ross's lifelong crush on Rachel.

I felt the chemistry between the two from the moment they met. I loved the immediate potential for romance that these two had with the looks out the window as well as Ross tentatively asking Rachel out in a scenario where she gives him to go ahead but he is way too hyped up just by her receptive response, that he never goes through with officially asking her out.

Love R/R and literally fell in love with them from the moment my eyes looked at them in the pilot. I also loved how quirky and "out there" Phoebe was. Love her.

And Rachel's naive and spoiled attitude was so funny to see now because she has certainly changed quite a bit over the course of the series. Monica, as "the mother figure" was well established. Ross, the nerdy/adorable geek was outstanding. Chandler's quick wit and Joey's love of women was also established quite nicely.

Yes, this episode will always hold a special place in my heart because it was, well.. "the beginning." And what a ride we had right to the finish line.

**BehrItAll** · 01-06-2005, 10:13 AM

I love this episode. It was the beginning of something great.
My favorite part is when Ross says he just wants to be marrried again and Rachel walks in and then Chandler says " And I just want a million dollars!"

**silver screens** · 01-06-2005, 10:19 AM

This episode is brilliant. It's one of the episodes I never get tired of watching! It's just adorably funny. The R/R stuff is super cute, all the characters are unique, and when I first watched it I was surprised to see how funny it was, because first episodes usually aren't funny at all. It was just priceless, awesome, the beggining of something great. One of my favorites, for sure

doy · 01-07-2005, 08:31 AM

I agree that the characters were well established since the beginning. It was very apparent what their personalities were and how different they were from each other. But immediately, I felt the comfort and the uniqueness of the group dynamic.

It was a great introduction. And I really liked the Paul "the wine guy" storyline. It gave us a peek about the honesty of the show and the perils of being a twenty-something, from dating, to getting a job, to living on your own and relying on yourself, etc. Or am I seeing too much into it?

I loved Chandler's line too. "And I just want a million dollars." and "Sometimes I wish I was a lesbian. Did I say that out loud?"

The Ross and Rachel moments were very nice. The two of them looking out the window was one of my all-time favorites. And Ross "grabbing the spoon" was an adorable scene.

girl in a cardigan · 01-07-2005, 12:32 PM

I totally agree! That's what really drew me into this show. It was so truthful. The laughs came from truth instead of contrived situations (one of the reasons I got so disappointed with later seasons).

I'm going to leave this topic up until Monday since we got off to a stilted start with the upgrade this week

inzaghina · 01-08-2005, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BehrItAll

I love this episode. It was the beginning of something great.
My favorite part is when Ross says he just wants to be marrried again and Rachel walks in and then Chandler says " And I just want a million dollars!"

OMG, that line cracks me up everytime! LOL!

Sweetest_Thing · 06-06-2009, 07:28 PM

This episode is amazing. It gives a nice picture of every character and it's foreshadowing, too. I mean, you can totally get the upcoming Ross-Rachel bond from the beginning.
I think Friends has a great plot. It's nice that Rachel is the last to take part in the gang. I wonder what the story would have been like if she never came along. Things would've been very different for Ross, Monica, and Chandler. Think about it: Ross would have never fallen in love again with his highschool love, he would have never met Emily, the gang would've never gone to London, Monica and Chandler probably would have never got together.

I think Rachel is a key character in this show.