Season Four.
What Can One Say About.
Ross's wedding- parts 1 and 2, in which it's famously revealed that the same pair of Friends have been under the covers together in Motherland? Well, you can say this: season four is definitely one of the Friends greatest ever.
There was so much happening on so many fronts. For instance, this was the season we watched the genisis of Phoebe's surrogate motherhood on behalf of her half-brother Frank Jr and Alice, a storyline that begun appropriately with "THE ONE WITH PHOEBES UTERUS".
"I guess I'm particulary fond of that episode because that's where we start the whole arc of Phoebe carrying the children", says Marta Kauffman. "What I really liked about it is that it's something that had never been done. I thought it was also a great way to deal with Lisa's actual pregnancy. That was just a really differant thing to do and we feel good any time that we can do something differant".
"Phoebe taking on that responsibility was a good thing for her and for that character", says David Crane. "I think it brought Phoebe a new reality, another interesting side. Lisa is alway's great, but there she amazed even us".
Kevin Bright's favourite episode of season four was one of the shows all time classics-"THE ONE WITH THE EMBRYOS", which he directed. "Giovanni Ribisi and Debra Jo Rupp were great guest actors. Giovanni was probably one of the best things that came out of a show we did called FAMILY ALBUM, thats where we first met him. And Lisa was just amazing because of the heart she brought to that story".
There was also some memorable romantic competiton between Chandler and Joey for a woman named Kathy, played winningly by Paget Brewster. For the crime of coveting his roommates girlfriend, Chandler is appropriately sentenced and punished in "THE ONE WITH CHANDLER IN A BOX". Other standout season four episodes include "THE ONE WITH THE DIRTY GIRL", "THE ONE WITH THE FREE PORN" and "THE ONE WITH THE FAKE PARTY".
At the end of season four came Friends big trip to England for the impending nuptials of Ross and Emily. It was a chance for the show's cast to witness just how global a success Friends now was. David Schwimmer recalls, "The three guys hung out a lot. That was a good time. But it might have been the first time I had been abroad since the show began and it was definitely a big realization that we can't really go anywhere-certainly not together. Alone maybe you can sneak by".
On the other hand, the TV groom was somewhat reluctant to take the sitcom plunge. "It's debatable but I felt the decision to have Ross and Emily get married was a mistake", says Schwimmer, "When I started the show, I had very specific ideas of who Ross was. I guess I was very married- no pun intended-to Ross. I come from a very strong sense of family and I thought: what if this had happened to me- I married my college sweetheart and she decided to change one day and become gay and we had a baby together. My whole take on the world would be shattered. But I never felt Ross was someone who would be divorced again. I just felt that was not giving Ross enough credit".
Indeed the marital union of Ross and Emily would prove painfully short-lived, but on a happier note, Friends season four's numerous triumphs sre forever.
Courtesey of The One With All Ten Years by David Wild.
