I watched Dateline's (boring as
Dateline usually is) 2-hour farewell to Friends episode
tonight. In one section, Katie Couric went "behind the scenes" and
talked to the below-the-line talent that has helped put the show
together over the last 10 years. While she talked to the set
designer, she tried to pry the ending out of him. Though he wouldn't
give it up, he did cryptically have this to say (paraphrased):
"It ends with a beautiful view out of
a hotel window."
Hmm. A hotel window? Why would someone
need to be in a hotel? Where would there be a beautiful view? (Or did
he say fantastic view? Never mind... it still works.)
Assuming he was telling the truth, here is
my speculation, based upon that and the commercials. Ross rushes to
the airport to stop Rachel from leaving. She still goes to Paris
anyway, but Ross goes with/after her. The episode ends with Ross,
Rachael, and the baby in a Parisian hotel, looking out with the
Eiffel Tower in view.
If they didn't want to have final
resolution of the Ross/Rachael thing, they might have him standing by
himself, looking out the window, saying "Hey, Rach. guess where I'm
at!" I don't think it plays as well, though. Then there's the one
character we actually know is being put up in a hotel: the mother of
Monica and Chandler's baby. One last group gathering, in her room?
Nah. Doesn't even sound good.
Of course those synergy hogs at NBC might
want to use the final episode of Friends to launch
Joey, in which case it could be Joey in a hotel room and the
Hollywood sign out the window. But I don't think they would do that.
It would detract too much from what is supposed to be a sendoff for
Friends, not a cheesy launch for a spin-off.
Nope, my money's on Ross, Rachel, baby,
Paris.
Yes, I'm the person who said "Speculation
is worthless," but sometimes it's also fun, yes?
Yours,
Gene Nash
Updated:
He lied! He lied! That S.O.B. lied! I was
played by a... a... a.. set designer! Ewwwww.
There was no view, no hotel, no shot out
of any window of any kind. The actual last episode of Friends
ended with the 6 friends (plus 2 babies) standing around Monica and
Chandler's now empty apartment. They say a few words about how odd it
seems. Rachel says the room looks smaller empty. Joey asks, "Was it
always purple?" Phoebe points out they have all lived in that
apartment at one time or another. Stand, move center, arms around
each other's shoulders. Monica tells Chandler she promised the super
they'd leave their keys on the counter. They do so. Then slowly each
of the other four friends pulls out a key and lays it on the counter.
Everyone leaves the apartment to go downstairs for one last group
coffee before Monica and Chandler leave for their new house in the
suburbs. The last time we see them is walking down the hallway
together toward the stairs.
The final shot goes back to the apartment.
The camera pans around the room, rests briefly on the 6 keys on the
counter top, then lifts and dollys over to the door, centering on the
frame around the peephole. Out. That's a wrap. We're done folks!
So, what if anything was I right about?
Well, Rachel did get on the plane for Paris anyway. But my
correctness ends there. We later find out she got off the plane again
only to show up in Ross's doorway proclaiming her love for him.
(Could have did without the "unless we're on a break" joke here.)
I was also right that they wouldn't
detract from the sendoff of Friends by having a cheesy launch
for Matt LeBlanc's Joey spin-off. No mention was made of him
leaving New York or anything else to do with the upcoming series.
(They did have a commercial for it, though.)
So, what have we learned? 1) Speculation
is indeed worthless. 2) Never trust a set designer.