The 2001-02 season picks up exactly where the previous one left off: at the wedding of Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry), where the Friends are engaging in their usual hilarious antics. But the euphoria surrounding this year's opener, “The One After ‘I Do,'” quickly gives way to a plot twist that dominates the eighth season--the unexpected pregnancy of Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). The father, of course, is Ross (David Schwimmer), and there's a great deal of hoopla generated before the blessed event occurs in the two-part, season-ending extravaganza, “The One Where Rachel Has a Baby.” In between, there are some memorable episodes and the predictable cameo appearances. Alec Baldwin checks in for “The One With the Tea Leaves,” which turns the spotlight on Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), and Trudie Styler (Sting's wife) plays herself in “The One With Monica's Boots.” Even Aniston's real-life husband, big-screen heartthrob Brad Pitt, joins the cast in “The One With the Rumor,” playing a former classmate (and, with Chandler, a co-founder of the high school's “I Hate Rachel” club) who shows up for Monica's Thanksgiving dinner. Nearly free of the weariness or dearth of ideas that usually encumber series' having run this long, the 23 episodes collected here are exceptionally strong (although there are a few clinkers) and are sure to be appreciated by devotees of this much-beloved sitcom. The traditionally lackluster DVD extras include producers' commentary on three episodes, a nine-minute gag reel, a two-minute preview for season nine, and the pointless set-top game "Joey's Game Show Challenge." Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)
Friends: The Complete Eighth Season
Warner, 4 discs, 506 min., not rated, DVD: $44.98 Volume 20, Issue 1
Friends: The Complete Eighth Season
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