Jennifer Aniston Watch

Season 7 of Friends could certainly be considered relatively low-key, what with its abundance of “fluff” storylines. It does seem to be something of a sign when episodes are named after chairs and armadillos. However, amid the lighter fare, much of it quite amusing, our Friends did make progress. Joey returned to Days of Our Lives. Monica and Chandler tied the knot at season’s end. And Rachel gave us one shocking cliffhanger (more on that later). Here are some of the highlights of Season 7:

The One With Ross’ Library Book I picked this mainly because with this episode, Friends did its part against the underrepresentation of Erins in the media. Not that I’m partial, but this is a very important subject for me. Anyway, in this episode, Joey dates a girl named Erin (Kristin Davis). He sees her as a prospect for no-strings-attached fun, but Rachel and Phoebe adore her and encourage Joey to take the relationship farther. Meanwhile, Ross discovers his doctoral dissertation at the NYU library (along with a favored activity in the paleontology section), and Monica has an unexpected encounter with Janice.

The One With the Holiday Armadillo Before The O.C. introduced us to Chrismukkah, Friends gave us the Holiday Armadillo. Ross’ attempts to get Ben excited about his Jewish roots have fallen flat, so in a last ditch attempt, he picks up an armadillo costume (Santa was sold out), and teaches Ben about the Festival of Lights. Meanwhile, Phoebe’s apartment has been repaired after last season’s fire, and she buys Joey an assortment of bizarre gifts to encourage Rachel to move in with her. Of course, Rachel just so happens to enjoy tarantulas and drum sets (we even get to see Jen playing the drums!).

The One Where They All Turn Thirty Rachel, the youngest of the group, turns 30, and in cheering her up, the other characters flash back to their own milestone birthdays. We see Ross’ ill-advised sports car purchase, Monica’s drunken speech (in front of her parents!), and Phoebe’s shocking revelation about her own date of birth. For the truly nerdy, this episode is a blast to dissect for things such as the order of the characters’ ages, and either way, it’s just amusing.

The One With Monica and Chandler’s Wedding The gang’s all here for Monica and Chandler’s wedding! Well, except for the groom himself, who flees the scene in a moment of anxiety but eventually returns. Not to mention Joey, who is lined up to perform the ceremony but is stuck on set with a drunken costar. The ceremony goes on, with a borrowed minister from the Anastassakis-Papasifakis wedding (before Joey shows up), but the biggest surprise is saved for the very end. A closeup is worth a thousand words, and the one that ends this episode tells us that a discarded positive pregnancy test, believed to be Monica’s, is actually Rachel’s.

Friends, Season 7, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, Kristin Davis, milestones, cliffhangers