Mixing In a Little Colour, It Doesn't Go Well

This ones a little rough, all the creepy incest jokes can't distract from the casual racism in this one.  Plus we have to ask ourselves the question, how bad did Rachel smell by the end of the Episode four timeline and is that why everyone is so mean to her?

Transcript

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Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us again for Gen Z vs. Friends. This is Todd Sullivan, and you are enjoying an entirely human-made podcast about an entirely human-made show from a time when we didn't have to actually say those things. Wasn't that beautiful? That's why we all missed the 90s. Anyway, um apologies for the audio, it's a little rough on this one to have been out of town and continue to be out of town and have this episode recorded, and it just needed an intro to get it out into the world. So here that intro is. An episode uh where you know we meet a character for this first time, and we also meet the uncomfortable, stereotypical racism of the 90s. So there's that to look forward to. Um as I said, uh, we'll talk to you again soon. Uh, enjoy season one, episode five. So anyone who's watched the show uh knows this episode. It's a pivotal moment in the overall arc of Ross and Rachel when they go on their first date. It might really only be a date for Ross, um, just sort of the way it is. Um Big Spend. He's a big big spender heading off to the laundromat. Um apparently this is also Rachel's first time, and considering how long she's been in New York, this is, you know, four or five weeks in, she's got a job, she's in all this time. Is this the first time she's actually done her laundry since coming to New York? Um does remind me a little bit of, you know, my well, actually, my wife and I have a sister who are the same way, where at certain points, especially in their 20s, um, buying new socks and and uh necessary pieces of laundry was preferable to actually going and washing them yourself. Um we won't get into that too much here or the relationship piece. Uh, there's other podcasts or there's other people to talk about that. Um so I assume. Um, I don't actually listen to them just uh to not mix things up or mix ideas up too much. Um, but there's been discussion about it in the past. So we won't get into that too much here. What I am or would be curious about would be how many young kids today are actually even really familiar with the concept of a laundromat, let alone let alone have ever been to one. Um I'm assuming it's because the cost of washing machines and slow modernization of low-income housing has just led to more in-suite or at least in-building laundry facilities. But back in the 80s and early 90s, and of course decades before that, really since the overall adoption of the washing machine, uh there was laundromats all over the place. Uh they were expensive to have yourself. So you went to a commercial location and used a coin-fed machine and washed your clothes that way. Um, so even if you knew how, even if you've been washing laundry in your machine at home for a long time, learning how to navigate a shared laundry space uh was its own challenge. And this episode does kind of try to speak to that and and how intimidating that could actually be. Um, but even if, you know, even if you didn't go to a third-party cash laundry, it would likely be a shared laundry in the building. My wife's apartment building in Toronto back in the early 2000s was uh it was a late addition in the deep sub basement. Uh, like literally, I believe it was underneath the subway. Uh one tiny, scary, weirdly small little door. Um yeah, it actually looked like it had been designed to offer like a low effort sexual assault location for the city of Toronto. Um it I might have gotten old and kind of bougie and ignorant, but it just doesn't feel like you see laundromats around anymore here of anyone at them. So kind of interesting that, you know, we get a bit of this uh what feels a little bit anachronistic, but was very much a real uh feature of what what would have been New York at the time. Uh no one would have had washing machines in their building, uh, or at least not in their their unit, uh maybe in their building. Um so uh we'll get right into it here and and the issues with this episode. Um, like I said, we're not gonna talk about the relationship stuff. There's some cutesy bits and pieces, and that's all fine. Like it's lovely, and that that was kind of the bit um that I'll be honest I remembered coming into it. But what really overshadowed all of that stuff, all of that larger storyline romantic stuff, uh this was the first time that a person of color is introduced into the storyline. I couldn't tell you for sure um if there were minorities in uh previous scenes in the the four episodes that came before this one. Um, but this was the first time that that a person was actually injected in as a character-speaking character in the storyline. And let's just face it, it's not flattering, is it? Um The costume department made it very clear that even though this woman was light-skinned, likely is a conscious choice that's so that she would be more palatable to middle American audiences, uh, she was still meant still meant to be very black uh by the use of her clothes. Uh and that black is an error quotes, because I think that was a conscious choice. Uh, she really is is kind of set up to typify the angry black woman. Um, and so and really it's just so like sadly and unnecessarily so. Um let's face it, everyone knows this. There's lots of angry people in New York, um, lots of angry white folk in New York. And and let's not even you know, big cities. Big cities don't tend to breed a lot of friendly people. You know, it's a high pressure environment. People are on the defense, people are just angry. They can be white people, they can be male, they can be female, they can be whoever. Um, but if you're gonna have the first time an African-American woman comes on the screen, um, it's just she's just there to torment a pretty little white girl from the burbs. Um, almost to the play point of like chasing her out of the city. Um that it's it stands out. It's pain stands out painfully so. I mean it it was the nineties, but not the 1920s. And you know, this was a known trope even then, and really there's no excuse for it. I'm not gonna try and make any. Um it was an it was an ugly thing. Um, and you know, the I know there's there's an argument to be made that uh, you know, if you leave someone out, just well, you know, angry black women might be a stereotype, but there are angry black people as much as there are angry white people, and uh and that might all be true, but once again, you have to look at the sensitivities of this is that first time you didn't have a diverse caste, you didn't have a multicultural cast, uh, you didn't have other representation yet. Um, and so to represent a person of color this way the first time in the show is yeah, that's gross. Um, you know, uh so we won't, you know, we're intentionally not going to spend much time on that storyline. Uh there's really no excuse for that antagonist, and and therefore I don't really feel any need to discuss it. Well, they the episode will pay for it appropriately when we get to the score, uh, but we don't have to belabor the point here. So ug gross, shake it off, we'll move on. Um, there are, of course, other plot lines involving other characters which were less offensive in this episode. Um, though the other ones in the, you know, this whole episode was kind of high on the cringe factor. Um, I'll have to admit I was I was kind of tempted to just bail on this episode, give it a garbage score and walk it away. But, you know, I have I have integrity for my little silly project here. Uh, so we're gonna power through. Um the other storylines are at least interesting enough to talk about, uh, even if they aren't enough to actually uh rescue the score and overall reputation of the episode. So, first things first, we're gonna come all the way back to the to the cold opening. Uh this is the the trope, the friends sitting around talking about uh basically why the other gender is so weird. Um you know, this the this would be hack comedy club stuff now, and probably then too, really, realistically. Umce again, it wasn't the 20s, it wasn't, you know, so it wasn't the first stand-up in the 50s um jokes about gender like this were they're not necessarily offensive, uh, especially the time, but you know, were they good jokes? Uh not so much. Um, and not because there's not interesting ground to be tilled in that world of of gender and and relationships between the genders, but the particular things they talked about were just so kind of meh blase, whatever you want to say. Basically, um the female characters envy the ability to peace standing up, and the men envy being able to have multiple organa orgasms. You know, we're not we're not talking groundbreaking stuff here. Um yeah, I I remember laughing when I was a kid, um, not even really understanding what an orgasm was or why men only got one, or was it like one in for your entire life or one a day? Like, what was the time limit on one? I knew none of this. I was 12, I was a fairly sheltered twelve. Um, but I laughed because you laughed with the laugh track. Um and you know, once again we get into this issue. Uh did that scare or offend parents right off the bat, including mine? Absolutely. Um, these openings were weirdly there to draw you in if you were looking for something a little edgy, even though the show wouldn't end up being as edgy as you'd hoped, uh, or as edgy as it could have been, uh, and maybe scare off a crowd who they had said we don't want anyway. Um you know uh sadly the racism was not what scared people away. So yay, 90s. Um this is also uh you know, there are some interesting firsts in this episode. This is the first time we see Janice. Um I actually kind of forgot how early on in the series she appeared. Uh I if you were to have asked me before I started doing this, I would have said season two or three at the earliest. Um, but technically she even predated Gunther, who we know um, you know, the seventh friend or whatever, uh whatever the actor liked to call himself. Um but no, so she was right there from this fifth episode. Um she basically shows up just to get dumped. And you know, I I've read a few things on it. I would kind of I kind of get that feeling she was one of those characters that just ended up, you know, testing so well once they got her on screen that they kept bringing her back. I don't know that there's enough depth here that um you know she the character warranted coming back season after season for just those quick but enjoyable little cameos. Um I will say at this point she is not as Brooklyn um New Yorker as she eventually becomes. She's actually almost indistinguishable from one of Rachel's friends. There's an argument to be made that, you know, you could say that the only reason Chandler had started dating her was because, hey, there's this new girl, Rachel, and uh she's not interested in me, but this woman is almost just like her, except she's a dark brunette and a little different face structure. Um but yeah, the she she wasn't definitely wasn't the character she becomes, the voice wasn't fully there or anything like that. Um now this whether this was actually like a conscious choice from writers, producers, and directors at that point, just to kind of illustrate how all that money from the burbs doesn't actually make any better for uh than a girl from the city. Um, though who's pretending to be who is an interesting question. Um, or if this was just an early mechanism to demonstrate in-group versus outgroup. You know, once again, those friends were no longer part of the in-group as we knew it. Um and neither was Janice. She was the outgroup, she was disposable. So could have been trying to attempt to draw either of those parallels, whether it was intentional or not. I I think it kind of it does on analysis. Um but to be totally fair, if we found out that Janice had actually gone to the same high school as the Gellers, um, you know, after this episode, that would not have been a a shocking plot tri twist by any means. Um so we go through that. Um now once again, also it I guess it's not just that, it's it's also the fact she's there to get dumped by Chandler. Um and we kind of demonstrate that difference of you know, we uh Phoebe's dumping uh a boyfriend at the same time, and it goes super easily for Phoebe, and it's this traumatic experience for Chandler. Um you know, there there's also something there. Um I think we do men take breakups better sometimes? Sometimes, but it depends on the individual and not the gender, uh, really. And we get into that, you know, I think that great quote what are you more afraid of, a bear or a guy, uh, if you're a woman. There is a certain amount of fair fear there, especially if uh, you know, some guys can get angry and aggressive and all those sorts of things. So it's yeah, that's uh it that's a bit of a uh stereotype at the very least. Um But uh uh yeah. It wasn't bad, but it was kind of silly. Um finally we we do also get to Joey's adventures uh kind of in dating, in dating. Matt LeBlanc finally there for a reason. Um they needed someone in those first few seasons to go on lots of dates and and really highlight how good the single game could be in New York if that was your thing and you were really interested in doing it. Um in the in general, realistically, actually, especially in this early season or so, um, the women in the group have much healthier dating lives. Um, you know, Chandler he did date uh the uh beautiful Aurora a couple episodes before. We know all of Ross's issues at this point. Um but uh you know I think we kind of they hinted at it in the slumber party in the previous episode that Rachel's only been in the Rachel has not been in the city long enough to have done a load of laundry for herself, but it seems that she's dated and broken up with a couple of guys post wedding. So that's impressive. That's that is some solid right back up on the horse action there. Um but yeah, so in order to redeem the masculine dating ethos to need Joey to be clear that there is a reason those stereotypes exist, and the men folk of Greenwich Village can still pull if they really want to. Um, in this case, he decides that what he wants to pull is what he had before, and for no other reason than this woman has got hotter since the last time he saw her uh when she comes into the coffee shop, probably intentionally, if we were to, you know, stretch that character out. Um, but she's dating someone now. And so he enlists, so Joey enlists Monica to attempt to distract the other uh the other party, the man who's now dating his in his love interest. Um, and uh and then sort of adult sitcom hijinks ensue uh the standard stuff. Monica finds out that the story that they're brother and sister, that's how Monica comes on the date. Then they start making out this grosses Monica out. Joey's forced to spill the beans, finds out what's going on, but turns out he's really cute. Um, and so Monica and Joey actively engage in attempting to break up an otherwise healthy couple uh for their own selfish needs. Uh it's you know, it's not that it's not as um nefarious as all that. Um it's also not not nefarious in any way, shape, or form. So um, yeah, it's I mean standard stuff. And uh I'll be honest, if you told me this happened a couple times, I would believe you. I sort of thought I remembered this happening, would have thought it happened later, uh, later iteration of Monica at the very least. Um, but like I said, it it if this happened again in season five and season eight, probably not with Monica at that point, uh, that would not surprise me. Um like I said, it's fine, it's unsuccessful. They don't break the couple up, they are sent packing. Uh it is a little awkward at times, uh in that sitcommy way. Um what I do like about it is how easily and willingly Monica just kind of dives right on right on in. Uh once again, maintaining that she um is independent and strong in her dating life, as unsuccessful as it may be, um, and she will is more than willing to go in and get hers. So the man she's there to steal is attractive and charming, and when given the opportunity, she's she's gonna go after it. You go, Monica. Anyway, with that kind of quick recap of some underwhelming storylines here in episode five, let's go and look at that score and uh yeah, quick recap of the struggles with this episode. Um, what sinks it, you know, right from that, there's really no way to get around it if you if you look at this in its totality, um, is that the skin color and the perceived ethnicity of the antagonist of the laundromat. Um, you know, it's a shame because it does really color a lot in this episode. Um and in that storyline, you know, when I look back at that, it it was cute, it had its moments. They they use the mechanics of the laundromat in an interesting way, all those sorts of things. Um, once again, kind of that city romance, the fact it's, you know, you take it where you can find it. You you find beautiful things at the laundromat, because that's where you live your life if you're living in the city. Um, those are those are good. The other storylines are a little weak, but they're not terrible. Um but this, you know, looking back at it now, this was a conscious choice, um, a conscious choice where people should have known better, and one that we can't give a pass just based on the time in between. Because once again, it was the 90s, uh, not the 50s, not you know, not the 1890s. Like you knew better. You knew you knew exactly what you were doing. You just m at the time it was okay. Um, or not even okay, it but you knew it wouldn't get you in any trouble. Um so you know, uh like I'm not gonna dock the total score, um, though um you know that has some decent moments, but you gotta call a spade a spade. Um the one thing I will say if you were to remake this, so I'm not gonna go through the individual scores. You know, I gave it a minus five uh overall. Um yeah, uh just uh no positives, five minuses. Um yeah, the you clean up that one character, and this is a half hour of TV that could be made today, and you know what, a lot of ways actually think should be made, if only for Lace had that kind of that cute, um humble, very real version of uh romance in the city, and a little bit of and I liked Monica's ability and willingness to jump into that kind of crazy, maybe more male-dominate dominated uh romantic situation. I'm all for that. So it's uh yeah, I'm all for those things, but you just can't get around um our the angry little laundromat gatekeeper. Um, but you know what, we knew there was gonna be some big swing hits and big swing misses, and this unfortunately is one of those misses. Alright, there we go, folks. Season one, episode five, as I said, out of town. Sorry about the TV recording. Uh, but thank you for joining us uh once again. And we look forward to to having you around again uh next week. We'll have an episode we should have an episode out on Thursday. Um just getting into the swing of things once again, and as always, this is an entirely human generated podcast with me. I gotta do some editing video. Um we appreciate your patience. Uh the we. Why do we say we? Because it sounds more impressive. It's just me. Um I do appreciate your patience. I look forward to sitting around uh scratching my friends, and I use nostalgia pitch with you again in just a few minutes.