What to know before watching the ‘Friends Reunion’? What makes the show so big?

As we continue to tackle the worst of pandemic, seldom has some instances managed to invoke a sense of unbridled joy and most importantly – something to look forward to. It would not be unfair to say that the upcoming Friends: The Reunion is that event indeed.

But what is about this show, a mere sitcom that makes everyone so happy that after a longing wait of 17 years, the principal cast reunited for a one-time reunion special? Here are some pointers of not just what makes F.R.I.E.N.D.S the mammoth phenomenon that it is but also on what to know and expect before watching the special.

First Things First, it is NOT an episode and not a continuing instance

Many devout Friends fans continue to be saddened and even dismayed that this upcoming special won’t be about how the principal cast members reprising their roles and that it is a new episode. Well, what did you expect? Not only have the cast members aged considerably but also things have changed immensely where the true essence of Friends would have never been prevalent if it was to be a new episode where aged Ross, Chandler, Joey, Rachel, Monica and Phoebe come together again. Would you have liked to see Chandler slurping and aged in a manner that you almost don’t recognize him? Absolutely not. The makers have taken the right decision and just so that it is clear – yes, the cast are not reprising their roles but hey, as the trailer and all images suggested – they will be kinda playing their characters for a few re-enacted scenes. That should make you happy.

What makes Friends so iconic?

A question and a general wondering that has a million articles already put out. But just a gentle reminder to ourselves that what happened that made a sitcom so iconic that it touched hearts globally. Many have always talked about how it was the fact that a young bunch living together with sheer love, care and of course, complex relationships was the idea that touched everyone – true. Many have said that the mixture of being relatable and the want to have such an amazing group of friends is what makes it so loved – also true. Many other factors have been mentioned but I single out one main factor and according to me, that is absence of pretence. With youth-based shows, the easiest mistake to commit is going overboard with the idea of ‘youth’ that so many have. But Friends did not practice pretense in the portrayal of the six characters – did not make them unnecessarily trendy in an attempt to ‘connect’ but instead focused on actual characterisation and that automatically transpired into good representation.

So much so that even after umpteen years, it still connects.

The Long Wait and The Criticism

The wait to this reunion has been long and has birthed an array of fake trailers and make-believe situations in everyone’s heads. Many, even before watching the reunion have already claimed the trailer and images to have an anti-climatic feel. It is extremely unfair to term that even before watching it. The list of guest appearances that has been announced has also irked many and they have slammed the fact that so many of those names have no connection to the show, so why are they here? While that is true in the meaning of it – people need to understand that it is reunion special and just like us, an array of those big names have been big fans of the show. For HBO Max, it is a pure business call to have those big names coming in but the fans of the show might actually feel good to see those big names with their favorite Friends cast – which might never happen again. This criticism would only be proved right if it so happens to be that these cameo appearances take up more than desired time and fumbles with the actual essence of re-living memories of the show. But we can only judge that once we see the special.

A Fitting End

In the end, the reunion will absolutely have a lot of moments which might be loved and even a lot of them which might be hated but, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that to have David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Jennifer Aniston together in the same room and the fact that their reunion is being taped will be a moment that might never happen again. The six of them all-together might never happen even though they meet each other in twos and threes otherwise – so it is a moment to devour, savour and thanks to technology – keep re-watching them again and again for eternity.

We are just some hours away from Friends: The Reunion now. Could we BE any more excited?