DVD Release Date: November 15, 2005 (Warner Home Video)
Color/2003-04
MSRP: $44.95
Number of Discs: Four Discs
Number of Episodes: 18
Running Time: 467 minutes
Languages and Subtitles: English/French/Spanish;
Closed Captioned.
Special Features: Producers commentary on 3 episodes;
"Friends Final Thoughts"; Multiple seasons gag reel;
All-New Matt LeBlanc "Joey Joey" music video; "Friends
of Friends" video guestbook
Introduction:
The show about six thirty something friends living in
New York comes to an end in this deluxe four disc set
of "Friends'" final season. This set boasts
never-before seen footage and the extended version of
the finale, plus special DVD bonus features. All 18
episodes (including the extended version of the series
finale) are included here and it's a must have for
fans.
Memorable Episodes / Notable Guest Stars:
Some of the must see episodes for the final season
are: "The One After Joey and Rachel Kiss" in which the
9th season finale is wrapped up; "The One Where Ross
Is Fine" in which Ross acts usually happy for Joey and
Rachel after catching them kissing; "The One Where
Rachel's Sister Baby-Sits" in which Rachel convinces
her spoiled sister Amy to baby-sit; "The One with the
Late Thanksgiving" in which Joey gets his head stuck
in a door on Thanksgiving and everyone is late for
Monica's dinner; "The One With the Birth Mother" in
which Monica and Chandler travel to Texas to meet a
pregnant woman who might give them her baby; "The One
Where Estelle Dies" in which Joey's longtime agent,
Estelle, dies; "The Last One" which ends the series.
Memorable guest appearances this season included
Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Jennifer Coolidge,
Danny De Vito, Dakota Fanning, Anna Faris, Greg
Kinnear, Paul Rudd and Aisha Tyler.
Packaging:
The package is a digipak in which you pull out another
box and open it to reveal the four discs. There are
four discs in total and contain 18 episodes. Disc one
has the FRIENDS logo with a shot of the entire cast in
a photo that represents their looks in the tenth year.
Disc 2 features dual shots of Monica & Chandler. Disc
3 is the same design and showcases Joey and Phoebe.
Disc 4 features the same design with Ross and Rachel.
The color is different on each disc (Disc One is teal;
Disc Two is purple; Disc Three is a maybe dark
orange?). It's a nice design--simple and easy. The box
itself is maroon (a deep red) in color and has the
same type of design as the seasons 1-9 releases (the
logo, and all six friends in their own boxes).
Menu Design and Navigation:
The main menu has the FRIENDS theme playing, but with
no vocals. There is a PLAY selection, EPISODES
selection that leads to a new menu listing the
episodes to choose from; a SPECIAL FEATURES selection
which takes you to a new listing where you can choose
the special features located on the disc; and finally
a LANGUAGES selection where you can choose whether you
want subtitles or not in English, French or Spanish.
It's a nice layout and easy to use.
Video and Audio Quality:
The video quality was fantastic, vibrant and colorful,
as expected. The audio was pretty good as well, no
real problems to be concerned with. Each episode
usually runs between 23 and 25 minutes but several
episodes are exceptions to that, such as the finale,
and sometimes NBC offered an extended episode.
Special Features:
Note: all of the special features can be found on Disc
4 (except the commentary).
* "Friends Final Thoughts" - the cast and producers
reflect during the final days at work and after series
production ends
* Multiple seasons gag reel
* All New Matt LeBlanc Joey Joey Music Video
* "Friends of Friends" Video Guestbook - featuring
interviews with Christina Applegate, Aisha Tyler and
Paul Rudd
Final Comments:
Well, here it is the tenth and final season of
Friends. Having reviewed seasons 8 and 9 prior, it is
kind of bittersweet to end it all. I wasn't a major
FRIENDS fan during its initial broadcast, but after
seeing quite a few episodes (if not all of them from
seasons 8-10, thanks to the DVDs), I have become a
fan. The cast really clicks well with one another and
the plotlines are extremely funny. Warner did an
awesome job with these sets. There was always a great
set of bonus features. I have to say Warner did a
great job keeping up with the continuity, which makes
it nice. Overall, a great set and again, it's sad to
see it end.
