The One with the Rumor

This just re-run on TV for approximately the zillionth time. But even after all the viewings over almost 10 years, it hasn't lost any of its greatness. This is without a doubt one of the best Friends episodes ever.

While not perfect (in the sense that, for instance, Monty Python and the Holy Grail - at the time of writing, the 73rd best film of all time in the IMDb Top 250 - is perfect), this is a remarkable achievement. Since too much analysis takes the fun out of fun, the following are just some of the things that make this episode *great*.

Great script. From the first scene to the last, constantly delivering laughs, which is not as easy as one might think. "The Rumor" is just one of the sources of humor here. The fact that there are none of the usual The Central Perk scenes and that Brad's character is the only one besides the regulars here demands some witty dialog, and fortunately there is plenty on offer.

Proper use of the Special Celebrity Guest Star. Sure, it adds another layer that at the time, in real life, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were married and the writers did a really good job in using that to their advantage. More importantly, unlike some celebrity guests, Brad is given a great character to play and he delivers a killer performance. Some have not been given a great character and some celebrities have just phoned in their performance. Even more importantly, Brad's character does *not* steal the spotlight from the regulars.

In the end, all this amounts to a well-deserved 9/10. The only thing missing is something *special*, something permanent, happening to make this episode truly Classic.

I've lost count of how many times I've watched this episode. My only beef ... if she knew Joey was the only one eating the turkey, why not make a smaller one?!

I laughed so hard during this episode, it was another great Friends accomplishment, and goddamn Brad Pitt is HOT!!!

Summarization of the episode:

Its thanksgiving and Monica invited and old friend Will ((Brad Pitt)) from highschool to join them. Evidently he hated Rachel and formed an "I hate Rachel Green" club with Ross. Will and Ross started a rumor that Rachel had both male and female reproductive parts, and they soon find out that Rachel started a rumor that Ross made out with a 50 year old teacher named Ms. Altman.

Funny as hell, loved it.

Definitely one of the top 5 Friends episodes. Brad Pitt is easily the best Guest star in Friends.

I was a big fan of "Friends" and watched all 10 Seasons on TV, but some Seasons & Episodes were clearly much more interesting & funny than others. The first time that I saw 'The One with the Rumor', I laughed more AND harder than any of the other 235 Episodes of the show ! The story's Plot and its Sub-Plots were clever and inspired. The Timing and Delivery of the jokes was impeccable. The Acting was just spot-on. It meets my criteria for being called a 'Perfect Sitcom Episode'.

It was EVEN FUNNIER because of the fact that Ross was the one character in the whole show who was romantically-obsessed with Rachel for all 10 years AND Brad Pitt was Jennifer Aniston's Real-Life Husband !

And whomever came up with specifics of the cruel & humiliating gossip and the 'Title' bestowed on Rachel because of the Rumor, was clearly a comedic Genius ! Even the references to Will's (Brad Pitt's) Physical Status in High School was hilarious, since it's so absurd. And the addition of the 'un-seen' 3rd member of the 'Group' and his apparent apathy for, or lack of understanding of their 'Cause' was a brilliant added touch to this borderline-insane story-line !

I can't say enough good things about this episode. It's just Extraordinary in so many ways. As amazing as anything else, is that it came along when the show was beginning to 'run out of gas' near the End of its amazing decade-long run on TV. I didn't expect anything even HALF that funny in the 8th Season. Enjoy !

Rexbo2000