Amazon.com Customer Reviews
The worst season of "Friends" - Review written on June 15, 2006
Rating: 3 out of 5
7 customers found this review helpful, 3 did not.
The seventh season of "Friends" represents the show at it's worst. It seems as if the writers and producers were running out of steam and were losing some of the hillarious creativity that made the show Must See for the previous six seasons. The actors did what they could to try to elevate the material but, for the only time during the show's run, the cast seemed bored and detatached. Something was just amiss during this season in general. The show had a strange feel to it and to a new viewer, the once mighty "Friends" may have seemed like a medicore sitcom that was overhyped for no reason. Maybe for the first time the loyal fans of the show felt that maybe it was time to bow out (thankfully season eight reinvogorated the writers, the cast, and the audience and provided a renassiance of sorts that would last until the end of the show's run). The entire season revolved around Monica and Chandler's wedding and every other storyline seems to be filler until the writer's could marry the two off in a May-Sweeps season ending episode. I believe this was the season when Perry's drug addiction was reaching its climax and, for the first and only time, his personal troubles began to affect his acting (thankfully Perry recovered and did the right thing by taking time off to get his problems in order). Chandler who once was arguably the funniest character on primetime, now became a corny shadow of himself. Monica reached an all time controlling high as she planned her wedding, and Cox again finds herself in a thankless role. To her credit, Cox does make Monica amusing and still tries to retain her likeability, but the writers prove too strong for the nearly unfailing Cox and Monica becomes a caricature (it will still be another season or two before Monica is restored to a multi-layered charming character again). Rachel's major storyline involved her relationship with her much younger assistant Tag. Rachel's work situations are always funny and Aniston again plays Rachel to a charming, if somewhat befuddled, T (as most fans know however it is not until season 8 when Aniston is really given the material and opportunity to shine). Phoebe is again not given a lot to do this season but mainly support the other characters, and again, Kudrow proves to be unfailing in her portrayal. Kudrow is maybe the only actor who is not bogged down with the material this season and she saves even some of the worst episodes (i.e "TOW Rosita Dies"- hysterical Phoebe moments as a telemarketer trying to stop Jason Alexander from committing suicide). LeBlanc's Joey gets to reprise his role as Dr. Drake Ramoray on DOOL. LeBlanc is funny and, along with Kudrow, he is also able to provide some memorable lines and scenes in an otherwise bleak season. Schwimmer's Ross is not really given much of a story arc this season and Schwimmer is effective and funny in his role. While season seven is problematic, it is still "Friends" after all so there are bound to be some meorable episodes, including, "TOW Monica's Thunder," "TOW Phoebe's Cookies" (absolutely hysterical Pheebs/Monica story and scenes), "TOW Rachel's Assistant," "TOW Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs" (it's a Thanksgiving episode so it's bound to be a highlight), "TOW They're Up All Night," "TOW They All Turn Thirty" (Aniston feels so funny and real here and the flashbacks to all their thirtieth birthdays are classic), "TOW Monica and Chandler's Wedding" (a great episode all around every actor is finally back on their game here and the episode itself feels like it belongs in one of "Friends" earlier and funnier seasons. This episode also provides one of the greatest shocks in "Friends" history and sets the stage for one of the stories that will rejuvenate the following season..Rachel's pregnancy).
Friends: Season Seven - That Bagpipe episode and The Wedding are worth the price alone! - Review written on April 26, 2006
Rating: 4 out of 5
Seven Years into the show, you can tell it is starting to get worn down a bit. However, this season doesn't come with all negativity. This season has its share of Great episodes!
The episode in which Ross plays the bagpipes and asks everybody to sing along then Phoebe does its so damn funny I seriously laughed all night about it.
Another highlight is watching two of our Friends get Married.....for real not drunk.
Season Seven also sees Phoebe moving in back to her old house after it had been burnt, Rachel deciding to live with Joey and starting a relationship with her assistant Kip, Ross well, just being Ross.
I wasn't completely dissapointed with this Season, but I could tell from the first few episodes that by now it had started to lose a little steam, but of course would come right back in later seasons.
I don't know if I would totally reccomend this season out of all 10, it sure isnt the worst, but you will find better.
But PLEASE if you can get hold of it SEE THE EPISODE THE ONE WITH JOEYS NEW BRAIN and see that bagpipe scene, ONE OF THE FUNNIEST MOMENTS OF ALL 10 YEARS FOR ME!
Anyway, enough with the bagpipes,
My Personal Top 5 Episodes of this season are:
The One Where They're Up All Night
The One Where They All Turn Thirty
The One with Joey's New Brain
The One with the Cheap Wedding Dress
The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding
Overall, well not the best, not the worst, and if you are pondering buying it, Pick Season 8 over Season 7.
Now this season stole the thunder of Fraiser! - Review written on November 21, 2005
Rating: 5 out of 5
2 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.
What can I say about season seven of Friends? It was better than the entire series-run of Fraiser! There was actually a glimmer of hope that Ross and Rachel might get back together but they turned it into a 'false-alarm' One of my most fav episodes will have to be TOW They All Turn 30. It showed a little more mature them (except for Joey. Childish as usual) and flashbacks of Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross' birthdays. Although my most favorite 'SCENE' would have to be from TOW Joey's New Brain where Ross plays his bagpipe to Monica, Chandler, Rachel and Phoebe. It was the funniest, and you could see Jen cracking up while Phoebe sang (or more 'screeched' along) with the bagpipe. And I always like wedding days in sitcoms, because there'll always be problems involved. If you want to laugh your head off, then you just have to buy this season of Friends.
A reviewer with the heart to know-Penny (May even become a future critic!)
This season made me stop watching Friends - Review written on June 26, 2005
Rating: 3 out of 5
2 customers found this review helpful, 3 did not.
Yes, yes, I still own Friends 7th season. However it is definitely just to complete the 10 season set. As in the title, I lost interest in this great sitcom after this season. Of course I rekindled my interest when I started collecting the DVD's when they were released, and thankfully seasons 8, 9, and 10 did not follow this disappointing trend of mundaneness that season 7 (and a little of 6) had.
This season loses touch with what made the sitcom so great...variety that involves all six characters in episodes that are fresh and just plain funny. Sure, there usually is a theme that runs over each season, and some may argue about Ross and Rachel's love saga being repeatative and annoying. However, their acting chemistry is just so good and their love/hate relationship has been written and acted out so cleverly that I never felt bored.
The whole Monica and Chandler build-up to their engagement in series 6 was painful enough, but to drag out the wedding plans for an entire season was just a little too much for me.
Thank goodness for the few scattered gem episodes like Ross and Joey's napping episode or this series would have received 1 star from me...it's that bad.
Compare season 2 (in my opinion the best) to this and you will be at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to comic variety with six funny and loveable characters. Just curious...what ever happened to THAT Chandler?!
Friends Season 7: Surviving The Survivor - Review written on May 25, 2005
Rating: 5 out of 5
5 customers found this review helpful.
Season 7 is probably known to the Friends fan community as the dark years probably until Season 10 came along. Everything plunged all at the same time, the ratings, the hype, creativity, personal lives of the cast (Matthew Perry's addiction), and that show called Survivor: Australian Outback. But of course I have to mention that the season was doomed from the very start because critics are already panning the season because they anticipated that the season would be populated by the predictable wedding preparation plotlines for Chandler and Monica's wedding and it didn't help that the season did focus too much to it.
But years have passed and people can now view Season 7 without the distraction and preconceptions and I myself think it is a hugely underrated season. Standout episodes have to be TOW Monica's Thunder, TOW Rachel's Assistant, TOW the Nap Partners (very funny, bridesmaid competition), TOW They All Turn Thirty (hugely entertaining episodes, Lisa Kudrow especially stole all scenes she was in), TOW Joey's New Brain, TOW Monica and Ross' Cousin, and the big finale TOW Chandler and Monica's wedding.
A lot of people think that Matt le Blanc was the MVP of Season 7 and they could be right. But personally I think Season 7 is one the most ensemble-based seasons of Friends, nobody took really the spotlight. Everybody got a fine share of episodes like Jennifer Aniston in TOW Rachel's Book, David Schwimmer in TOW Monica and Ross' Cousin, Lisa Kudrow in TOW they all turn thirty and TO the Cheesecakes, le blanc in TOW Monica's Thunder and Cox and Perry in TOW Chandler and Monica's Wedding.
Compared to other seasons of Friends, season 7 is probably still the weakest but that doesn't say much because the show at it's weakest still delivers superb episodes.
Grade: A-
Consistently one of the best TV shows of its time... - Review written on April 20, 2005
Rating: 5 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful, 2 did not.
Along with Seinfeld and Frasier, Friends dominated the must-see TV of the 1990's. Winner of innumerable television awards, the show features the lives of six friends in their late-twenties/early-thirties living in New York City - Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry). The six friends spend the majority of their time in a coffee house named "Central Perk" or in either Monica's apartment or Joey and Chandler's apartment.
The Friends (Season 7) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere in which all of the friends toast Monica and Chandler's engagement. In later episodes Monica discovers that her grandmother's secret cookie recipe is the recipe for Nestle Tollhouse cookies, Chandler expresses his overwhelming fear of dogs, and Dr. Drake Ramoray makes his return on Days Of Our Lives... The season finale features Chandler and Monica's wedding with guest appearances by Gary Oldman, Kathleen Turner, and Morgan Fairchild...
Below is a list of episodes included on the Friends (Season 7) DVD:
Episode 147 (The One with Monica's Thunder)
Episode 148 (The One with Rachel's Book)
Episode 149 (The One with Phoebe's Cookies)
Episode 150 (The One with Rachel's Assistant)
Episode 151 (The One with the Engagement Picture)
Episode 152 (The One with the Nap Partners)
Episode 153 (The One with Ross's Library Book)
Episode 154 (The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs)
Episode 155 (The One with All the Candy)
Episode 156 (The One with the Holiday Armadillo)
Episode 157 (The One with All the Cheesecakes)
Episode 158 (The One Where They're Up All Night)
Episode 159 (The One Where Rosita Dies)
Episode 160 (The One Where They All Turn Thirty)
Episode 161 (The One with Joey's New Brain)
Episode 162 (The One with the Truth About London)
Episode 163 (The One with the Cheap Wedding Dress)
Episode 164 (The One with Joey's Award)
Episode 165 (The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin)
Episode 166 (The One with Rachel's Big Kiss)
Episode 167 (The One with the Vows)
Episode 168 (The One with Chandler's Dad)
Episode 169 (The One with Chandler and Monica's Wedding: Part 1)
Episode 170 (The One with Chandler and Monica's Wedding: Part 2)
The DVD Report
Friends: The Complete Seventh Season (2000-2001) - Review written on March 18, 2005
Rating: 5 out of 5
2 customers found this review helpful.
This season picks up on the night Monica and Chandler got engaged. They all plan to go out to The Ritz for drinks, in celebration of Monica and Chandler's love. But while everyone is in the midst of getting dressed, Monica finds Rachel and Ross kissing each other passionately, right outside Monica's apartment. The kiss was initiated by a little flirtation between the two. Monica becomes angered, for she feels that Rachel is trying to steal Monica's thunder.
Meantime, Rachel, who has been working at Ralph Lauren for almost two years now, has been made an executive in her department. Not only is she a big exec, she has also been made part of the hiring team, where she is allowed to hire an assistant for herself. She has two interviews for the job. The first is a woman named Hilda, who is more than qualified for the job. Rachel is considering giving the job to Hilda, until she meets her second interview: Tag Jones. Tag is 25 year old inexperienced business office worker, but Rachel is completely breathtaken by his naturally good looks. She ponders over it with Chandler and Phoebe, who tell her that the right thing to do is to hire Hilda because she is qualified for the job. But hires Tag instead. Phoebe meets Tag and is a little surprised at Rachel, where she tells her that because he is now her assistant, she cannot get involved with him. Meantime, Monica and Chandler discuss how it is important to tell each other their secrets. Chandler tells Monica how Ross had a certain accident while on Space Mountain in Disney World. Monica decides to Ross finds out about Monica knowing, leading Ross to tell Monica that, while he and Ross were in a bar, back in college, Chandler met a woman and began kissing her. It is revealed that it wasn't a woman, but a man.
In another episode, while working in her restaurant's kitchen, Monica runs into none other than...Janice. They catch up on how they are doing until Janice spots the ring on Monica's finger. Monica tells Chandler about who she ran into. Monica reveals that Janice is dating a guy named Clark and that, "...she also kind of invited herself to the wedding.". Chandler gets upset, but Monica didn't know what to do. Chandler says that it would have been much easier to lie. Monica reveals that he can lie to her on Saturday night because he and Monica are going to dinner with Janice and Clark. They try to stop her from coming to the wedding by telling her that no friends are invited and that it is strictly family. But Janice twists that around in thinking that they consider her to be family. Later, Janice stops by and asks to spend the night with them, for she is touched at thinking that they look at her as family. But Monica finally gets her to leave the apartment and not show up at the wedding by lying in saying that Chandler still has feelings for her. Meanwhile, Joey has a one-night stand with a girl named Erin. He has Rachel tell her that he is not looking for a relationship, but Rachel and Phoebe warms up to her. Rachel and Phoebe persuade Joey to give her a chance, for they really like Erin.
On Thanksgiving, Rachel invites Tag over, for he had just broken up with his girlfriend. She figures that this may be her chance to tell Tag how she feels about him. She finally tells him out on the terrist, but he finds that his car is being stolen. Phoebe reveals that she has a dog in her room named Clunkers. The dog belongs to a couple of friends of Phoebe's and she volunteered to watch him, while they were on vacation, but Chandler reveals that he is afraid of dogs. Chandler has also taught the gang a game, where you have to try and write down all 50 states in six minutes. That does not sound like a problem, but here's the catch, you have to write them down from memory. Ross tries it and gets all 50, but Chandler finds that Ross forget four states, where he tells Ross that if he does not figure out the last four states, he gets no dinner. Rachel and Tag talk about their conversation, leading them into a dating relationship.
The season ends with Monica and Chandler's wedding. Chandler's much mentioned, but never before-seen, father, Charles Bing is invited to the wedding. Chandler takes off in fear of getting married. Ross finds him and helps him feel better, but Chandler finds out from Rachel and Phoebe that Monica is pregnant. Monica reveals that she is not, but who is? Who is pregnant? ...Rachel.
Buy the complete seventh season and you'll find yourself getting a seventh surgery, repairing your split sides. You'll all enjoy it. Guest stars include: Denise Richards, Susan Sarandon, Hank Azaria, Gabrielle Union, Wynonna Ryder, Gary Oldman, Jason Alexander, Morgan Fairchild, Christina Pickles, Elliott Gould, & Kathleen Turner.
FRIENDS: The Complete Seventh Season (2000-2001) (episode guide)
The One With Monica's Thunder
The One With Rachel's Book
The One With Phoebe's Cookies
The One With Rachel's Assistant
The One With The Engagement Picture
The One With The Nap Partners
The One With Ross' Library Book
The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs
The One With All The Candy
The One With The Holiday Armadillo
The One With All The Cheesecakes
The One Where They're Up All Night
The One Where Rosita Dies
The One Where They All Turn Thirty
The One With Joey's New Brain
The One With The Truth About London
The One With The Cheap Wedding Dress
The One With Joey's Award
The One With Ross And Monica's Cousin
The One With Rachel's Big Kiss
The One With Vows
The One With Chandler's Dad
The One With Monica And Chandler's Wedding (Part 1)
The One With Monica And Chandler's Wedding (Part 2)
You can't go wrong with Friends DVDs - Review written on February 02, 2005
Rating: 5 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful, 1 did not.
As a huge fan of the show Friends, I just had to get FRIENDS: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON on DVD when it came out. I own the first seven seasons, and they are some of the best DVDs I own.
Funniest episodes of FRIENDS: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON are:
*The One with Phoebe's Cookies - Any episode with a story based on Phoebe's childhood/family is going to be hilarious, and this one doesn't disappoint. Phoebe's grandma left her the recipe to her top-secret, best-ever chocolate chip cookies, but Phoebe loses the recipe in a fire. Her and Monica go on a mission to recreate the cookies, which ends up with a hilariously ironic conclusion. My favorite episode of the season.
*The One where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs - When Phoebe tries to hide a dog in Monica and Chandler's apartment, the gang finds out Chandler's big secret: he hates dogs. This is one of those episodes that you can quote over and over again, with hilarious bits of dialogue (such as: "You don't like ice cream?" "It's too cold!").
*The One with the Holiday Armadillo - All the holiday episodes of Friends are great, and this one is one of the best. Ross wants to teach Ben about Chanukah, and he decides to dress up to make Ben more interested. Somehow he ends up dressed as a giant armadillo, which is worth a ton of laughs.
Every episode on FRIENDS: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON is hilarious. You get to see Chandler and Monica get married, Monica becomes known as the "candy lady," and everyone turns 30/talks about their thirtieth birthdays.
Overall grade - A
Like catching up with old friends. - Review written on November 03, 2004
Rating: 4 out of 5
3 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.
Warner Brothers has delivered a nice package in the Season 7 Friends DVDs but it could have more. The episodes aired completely uncut with added footage are enjoyable, and the gag reel is fun. The commentaries are my favorite, they provide such great insight into the 'heart' of the show and what it was to create it. I only wish we could've gotten a commentary by any of the cast members, particulary Jennifer, who did such a great one on "The Good Girl". However, Marta Kauffman, Kevin Bright and David Crane are just as good.
The rest of the set lacks in subtance. Screen tests, storyboards, interviews & original scripts would have been welcome additions. Friends was such a phenomenon on television, its a shame to not see more promotional material and behind-the-scenes bits. Perhaps on the 10th season DVD?
I bought the set for the episodes because they are the core of the show. The funny, the dramatic, the silly. The moments we know so well. And there are plenty of them..from Joey's new role, to Monica's thunder to Rachel's sapphic experience, they're all here.
The Absolute Worst - Review written on September 05, 2004
Rating: 1 out of 5
4 customers found this review helpful, 9 did not.
I love Friends. I really do. But whenever I happen across Season 7 being rerun on TV, I shudder. This was the worst, most disappointing season ever. Monica became the shrill, silly and nagging wife-to-be of Chandler, whose face, in this season, looks strangely mechanical. Compare Chandler in # 7 to the character in past seasons: where is the sarcasm, the quick wit, the all-around humor? Is it any wonder that this season was the lowest rated one on TV out of all ten? The plots were boring, the actors seemingly uninterested.
Don't throw away your money.