Review of Friends Series 7, Disc 4

Introduction

Friends is an American Sit-com of huge reputation. In this seventh series, the plans for Monica and Chandlers wedding are crystalising. On this disc though, there are some reasonable stand-alone episodes which make the series less `soapy` than it has tended to become recently.

It`s fair to say I`m a big Friends fan, although the last few series have been of more variable quality. Season 7 is much more of the same - offering some clever and witty comedy, with a fair bit of material which is off the mark. I hope, as a fan, that they bring the series to a close before it loses the edge which it seems to have a tenuous grip on now.

Video

It`s worth looking at my review of the first Seventh Season disc in relation to most of the qualities of this disc, as the picture, sound and content is really identical.

In terms of DVD quality, because Friends is a US TV comedy shot in NTSC at 4:3 with somewhat garish colours and soft focus, the picture is never going to be that stunning. However, In comparison with earlier series, it must be said that this video image appears that little sharper. The edge definition is better, and the colours are less washed-out - in fact, they are almost too strong. This colour balance is somewhat cartoony, but preferable to the alternative.

Audio

It is worth noting that you get different audio standards on the two sides of this disc. On the `A` side, with the standard broadcast episodes, you get a fairly flat and limited Dolby Surround track - no better than VHS or broadcast.

On the `B` side, which contains (a little) extra footage, the audio is carried in a 5.0 Dolby Digital format. This is a definite improvement on the quality. There is more depth in the sound field, and the vocals are that bit clearer. Friends also make a large use of incidental music in the transitions, and this sounds much better with the higher sound format. The improvement over the Dolby Surround is such that non-technically minded friends noticed the difference almost immediately with no prompting.

Features

Aha - Warner would have you believe that these discs carry excellent value features because they are `flipper` discs which carry `Directors Cut` versions of the episodes on the underside of the disc. However, compare this to the other six seasons which carried an impressive eight episodes per disc - for pretty much the same price - and you`ll begin to realise that it`s not such a good deal. When you actually view the "never before seen footage" which actually amounts to the odd one-liner or short scene cut for pacing reasons, then you will truly appreciate how worthless it is. Anyone owning this disc will, of course, never bother to play the editted versions of the episodes, which are shorter and have inferior sound - meaning side A is effectively redundant.

Other than web links there are no other features. To suggest `scene access` is an extra feature is both facile, and a lie (seeing as you can only access per episode).

Conclusion

Okay, so what is our conclusion ? Well as I have said before, it is this:

If you like Friends, this is the best format to get it on. The picture and sound are better than the VHS tapes that are available. However with these Season Seven discs, Warner are simply ripping off their loyal Friends fans. With these discs, they are cutting the number of episodes on the disc by half. All of a sudden an affordable season in three discs, is an expensive season in six. I think it`s a cheap and nasty trick, and Warner should be ashamed of themselves. It is so obvious that the `A` side of these discs have little use, and will rarely see the light of a laser shined on them. The content is slightly trimmed, and they have inferior sound.

I`m marking this disc slightly higher than disc 1 of the series simply because I think these episodes captured a little more of the Friends magic and were slightly funnier than others in the season. There is an entertaining cameo by Susan Sarandon, and "The One Where They Turn Thirty" is a flashback show which Friends always carry off well. It`s just a shame that another cameo by Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame was desparately wasted.