The One with the Mugging (2003) Friends S9E15
Bekkah:
Friends is not great, y’all. Jeff was perfectly cast as a weirdo casting director who gets peed on by Joey and yet, he was incredibly boring. There probably was enough Jeff in these 22 minutes but even he could not save Friends. There were a lot of jokes, but like, they weren’t funny at all??? Just one “oh no” after another. This maybe had the most oppressive insults (Danya’s words) per minute in anything thus far in Jeff Goldblum Movie Club. Unlike Danya, I was kind of okay with finding out that Phoebe (the best friend, but low bar) mugged Ross (the worst friend) when they were kids. But even that wasn’t actually funny. WHY ISN’T THIS SHOW FUNNY? Why didn’t Jeff ever guest on Schitt’s Creek?
Danya:
WHAT EVEN IS THIS SHENANINGANS?! Like, early 2000s what were you? I am not responsible for it culturally, because during that time I was just drinking wine out of mugs in my dorm room. SO THIS WAS NOT MY FAULT. I guess we didn’t know about trauma? This episode includes the hilarious revelation that Phoebe, while unhoused and abandoned by her family, mugged a 14 year old Ross. HOW DELIGHTFUL. Also Joey PEES on Jeff. What even is this episode? Why am I using so many all caps? There are no answers to these questions. BUT NEXT WEEK JGMC MEETS IRL and that makes up for all ten seasons of Friends existing.
2/10 Goldpals
Joey gets a part in a stage-play in a painful way. Ross and Phoebe are mugged outside Central Perk, Phoebe realizes that she mugged Ross 18 years ago. Chandler starts his new career as advertising writer.
Director Gary Halvorson
Writers David Crane Marta Kauffman Peter Tibbals
Stars Jennifer Aniston Courteney Cox Lisa Kudrow
