Friends - The Complete Fifth Season

Customer reviews:

Can't go wrong, 2008-05-28
I love Friends, it was on sale, it was delivered quickly, and there were no problems. Can't go wrong with this purchase.

The best of the series thus far, 2008-05-25
The first four seasons of Friends are, without a doubt, very funny but this one takes the cake. There are so many moments of general hilarity, so many episodes in which I found myself saying, "Oh, this is the one where..." and then laughing hysterically, I can scarcely mention them all.

The relationship between Monica and Chandler continues--though no one knows about it. The lengths to which they go to conceal it contribute much to the hilarity but the best moment comes when Ross witnesses an encounter between the two and subsequently goes ballistic. It's pure genius how he turns the line, "My sister and my best friend!" from one spoken in utter, blinding fury to one spoken in an awww, how sweet sort of way. Poor Joey is perhaps the most put upon by their concealment, though, as he not only has to live with a secret he's bursting to tell, he also ends up looking like a disgusting pig when a series of near misses results in Monica and Chandler pointing the finger at him to divert suspicion from themselves.

Joey's woes aren't merely confined to keeping Monica and Chandler's secret, though. He also has to make the ultimate sacrifice and give up a beloved bag when its presence costs him an acting job and he has to suffer the humiliation of admitting that it hurts when his cute-as-a-button girlfriend (Punky Brewster, all grown up) playfully hits him. The season then ends with the ultimate humiliation when Joey is forced to take a job as a gladiator in Caesar's Palace when his big break doesn't come to fruition.

Phoebe reaches a defining moment in her life when she gives birth to the triplets and then is forced to deal with the sadness of having to give them away. The scene in which she talks to the three newborns is one of the most touching for her character and it's difficult not to feel for her, for having gone through the ordeal of pregnancy only to have to give the babies up. She also meets a seemingly great guy and is ready to move in with him until he exhibits a fatal character flaw that leaves Phoebe single once again.

Rachel faces some difficult choices of her own when she finds out that Emily is demanding Ross not be around her if he wants to preserve their marriage. She also has to learn to put aside her own feelings so that she can do right by her friend. She does get a chance at romance but it ends in a hilariously icky way when she finds that her would-be boyfriend is rather too close to his sister for comfort. On the plus side, though, Rachel gets her dream job as Ralph Lauren despite the fact that she inappropriately kisses the man who interviews her.

The character who grows the most in this season and who has the best comedic opportunities, though, has to be Ross. He tries his best to reconcile with Emily and then must extricate himself from a bad situation only to find that he's already on divorce number two. He then has to deal with the bouts of rage that begin when his boss dares to eat his sandwich, complete with "moist maker". Homeless and desperate, Ross has to move in with Joey and Chandler and proceeds to drive them both nuts, to the point that they almost force him into renting a tiny studio just to get rid of him. When he finally does find a nice new apartment, he had a great time trying to amuse Rachel and Monica with his window-front antics.