VERSUS // the guest star: seinfeld vs friends

For this versus I'm putting the focus on the guest star rather than similarity in the plot line. Let's change it up a bit, why not? I had a couple of choices in actors when it came to this sitcom. Jon Lovitz, Kristin Davis. I was originally going to go with Maggie Wheeler but then I realized that where Janice is one of my favorite characters ever from Friends there is no way that it wouldn't win. So I went a little less biased and chose Christine Taylor.

She was on both shows the same year (1997). In Seinfeld S08E14 The Van Buren Boys she played Ellen, Jerry's "boring" date. A few weeks later during Friends S03E24 The One With The Ultimate Fighting Champion she played Phoebe's friend Bonnie that used to be bald, now is not, and she went on a date with Ross. She was also seen in S03E25 The One At The Beach and S04E01 The One With The Jellyfish.



Plot

Focusing on the Christine's character, in Seinfeld she is first seen on a first date with Jerry. When he asks if she would like some dessert she tells him that she probably should have a piece of cake because it is her birthday. First date, she picked the day. They have a few more dates and when they run into two of her acquaintances they "thank" Jerry for taking her out, just because. She checks her messages, doesn't have any. Kramer and George dub her to be boring. Of course, Jerry's parents like her which should be the tip off. After that their relationship is no more.

With Friends there were three total episodes of her story arc. Phoebe asked Rachel if she could set Ross up with her friend Bonnie, the bald one. Rachel agrees but then regrets it when she realizes that Bonnie no longer bald, but fun and beautiful and has a full head of hair. Ross and Bonnie hit it off, so when the whole group goes on a little vacation to the beach she tags along. She's super outgoing and likes to take risks and Rachel easily convinces her that she should go bald again as a ploy to get back with Ross. It totally works and Bonnie awkwardly leaves the beach house and the relationship.


Characters



Ellen vs Bonnie - The Christine Taylor. I don't like Bonnie. I said it. She seems nice and okay but also really annoying and hard to please. I don't think we would get along (and no this isn't because of Ross and Rachel though obviously Team Rachel). I like Ellen, she doesn't deserve the talk about her she receives.



Jerry vs Ross - The date. Jerry. Okay so Ross likes Bonnie, and that's great but obviously not enough to like her bald. The second that happens he's done. Jerry on the other hand is kind of always on the fence and even though we don't actually see the break up, he just ends it when he realizes he's done instead of playing along. Good man.

Breakdown
The personality - Bonnie has a lot more of it, she should probably share some with Ellen, but I am in Seinfeld's corner for this. She seems honestly like a sweet person and I feel really bad she keeps getting called "boring" and "loser". She's just polite.
The relationship - Friends definitely gave the relationship more of a shot, we got to see her character in a few different situations so I'll will go with them.
The friends - I would say Friends again here, even with Rachel plotting against her, Bonnie seems to be more well-received all around.

Seinfeld is the winner here and I truly thought it would be Friends especially with three episodes dedicated to the character. Guess you can't win 'em all.

before you end up under a pile of fruitcake

...consider some last minute holiday television specials. Honestly, it doesn't get much better than this. You thought Thanksgiving had good TV, well think again!

This time I went a little more personal. Besides the ones already discussed, these Christmas specials are really dear to me, I remember watching them repeatedly growing up. Each one can honestly make you feel pretty warm inside.



Full House -
S02E09 - Our Very First Christmas Show
CHRISTMAS IN AN AIRPORT. And also an epic speech by Uncle Jesse about the true meaning of Christmas. It also the first kiss between Jesse and Becky which is something most of us were living to experience in the late 80's.
S06E12 - A Very Tanner Christmas
DJ and Steve break up (and get back together) and Jesse gives Becky the gift of snow courtesy of sno-cone ice. Michelle and Stephanie also get a wonderful gift from their Uncle...they visit a homeless shelter and serve Christmas dinner. They finally realize it's not about what is under the tree.



The Golden Girls
S02E11 - 'Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas
The girls decide to make gifts for each other. This is the unveiling of The Men Of Blanche's Boudoir Calendar. They are held hostage at the grief center before going their separate ways for the holidays. In a freak storm for Florida all of their flights are cancelled and they spend the evening in a diner, only to realize that they actually are celebrating with family.
S05E12 - Have Yourself A Very Little Christmas
The girls join Rose serving Christmas dinner to the homeless at her church. Dorothy's ex-husband Stanley is among the patrons after making some bad investments and being kicked out by his current wife. Dorothy gives him a handout which pays for some flowers to get him back into his house, but not before dressing as Santa and bringing some joy to the homeless kids.



Saved By The Bell
S03E24&25 - Home For Christmas Parts 1 & 2 *To be honest, the season/episode may not be right, I'm going off of IMDB because nowhere in internet land seems to know actual seasons/air dates of this show. IMDB, Netflix and the DVDs all have different listings.
In a super random two part episode, the gang gets jobs at the mall over the holiday break (so seriously for a few days). Zack meets a girl named Laura and tries to woo her. Zack, Slater and Screech also encounter a homeless man living in the mall. Turns out this man is Laura's father. They all reach out and try to help them get back on their feet, all while performing a Christmas play (A Christmas Carol, of course) in the mall.



Friends
S07E10 - The One With The Holiday Armadillo
Out of all of the Friends Christmas episodes, for me this one is the obvious choice. Ross wants to teach Ben all about Hanukkah this holiday but all he wants to do is talk about Santa Claus. In an effort to please his son he tries to find a Santa suit but comes up empty. Instead he poses as the Holiday Armadillo to try and teach Ben about the Jewish Holiday. Chandler obtains a Santa suit and Joey obtains a Superman suit so all of the mascots get to learn about THE MACCABEES.



Roswell
S02E10 - A Roswell Christmas Carol
This is the holiday special I will watch repeatedly. It's a great treat even if you haven't seen the entire series (WHICH YOU SHOULD). Max, Michael and Isabel are aliens from the New Mexican crash now hiding in plain sight as teenagers. A local girl they find out has a rare cancer and in an effort to rectify not saving a father from a car wreck Max tries to heal the little girl. The others are against it, fearing they will be caught but once Max starts he can't stop. He tries to heal all the little kids with cancer in the hospital and eventually all of the aliens are on board with his decision wishing they could have healed more. For a teen drama on the WB in the late 90's it is heartbreaking and magical all at the same time (and it's on Netflix). And not gonna lie, I couldn't look at screencaps for this without welling up.

And even though it's been done, if you haven't already, give The OC, Home Improvement, Family Matters, The Office and Doctor Who a shot, they could always use more love.

the one that actually had the worst thanksgiving

Where shows like The Office have a hold on Christmas, and Home Improvement, Roseanne and The Simpsons take over Halloween, there are few that do Thanksgiving justice like Friends. It is honestly redundant to say, but it's hard to pass this holiday without at least acknowledging it. You can rate your favorites all you want but one thing I felt needed to be expressed was something that was touched on the very first Friends Thanksgiving episode: who actually has the worst Thanksgiving? Chandler immediately believes it is him because of his past holidays and he has pretty good reasons regarding this but when watched in succession he may not be the one with the worst overall. Let's see, shall we?



S01E09 - The One Where The Underdog Gets Away
This one prefaces all other Thanksgivings. Chandler admits his unfondness for the holiday, Rachel tries to be independent and fails, Ross and Monica start the tradition of hosting the dinner (well, Monica does). When they all return to the apartment to celebrate dinner, no one has the keys so the dinner burns and they end up with grilled cheese. This makes Chandler feel somewhat better. Joey is VD guy.
Who actually had the worst Thanksgiving: JOEY IS VD GUY.

S02e08 - The One With The List
Ross and Rachel are fresh off of their first kiss. Ross has a decision to make: Julie or Rachel? So he does the natural thing and makes a list. Rachel has a lot of cons but Julie isn't Rachem. Meanwhile Monica, desperate for work, ends up committing to making several "mocklate" Thanksgiving dishes, however the FDA approval doesn't come through and she is still out of a job.
Who actually had the worst Thanksgiving: Rachel. I see where Ross's intentions were good but it still burns to hear all of that bad crap about you.

S03e09 - The One With The Football
Monica and Ross are not really allowed to play football after the Gellar Cup incident but it doesn't stop them. Joey meets a pretty foreign gal but she picks Chandler. Rachel was picked last! The teams end up girls versus boys and inevitably no one wins.
Who actually had the worst Thanksgiving: I'm giving it a tie between Rachel and Joey. Rachel seemed to be the butt of every joke but Joey seemed really upset when the Dutch chick picked Chandler. So he gets some of this.

S04E08 - The One With Chandler In A Box
Joey and Chandler aren't speaking because of (another) girl. Everyone wants to do secret santa because funds are tight, but Chandler needs to get Rachel because he already got her a briefcase with initials RG...it could go to Ross Geller as well. Monica gets ice in her eyeball, Ross tries to rekindle Joey and Chandler's friendship. Monica goes to the eye doctor and falls in like with Richard's son, it's not weird, but it's weird. She invites him to Thanksgiving. Ross tries to verify that Rachel exchanges all the gifts she gets which is true but she shows him she keeps the important stuff. Chandler ends up in a box as solidarity to Joey and it helps them work it out. Monica gets to wear a patch and Joey had reasons.
Who actually had the worst Thanksgiving: This time it was Chandler. Hello, he was in a box.

S05E08 - The One With The Thanksgiving Flashbacks (The One With All The Thanksgivings)
Chandler again claims to be the king of bad Thanksgivings. Phoebe tries to top it but it has to be in this life, duh. Joey got a turkey stuck on his head. Flock of Chandler and Chandler Vice both make an appearance at the Geller household. He was mean to Monica. Ross was hung up on Rachel and there was a song called Emotional Knapsack. Monica gets revenge by being skinny, seducing him leads to Sir Limps a Lot. Monica tries to cheer him up with a turkey on her head and he tells her that he loves her and there are feels.
Who actually had the worst Thanksgiving: I'm going to go with Monica. She really didn't want her story told and after it all aired out she felt even worse, however it did get Chandler to fess up to the L word so it can't be all bad.

S06E09 - The One Where Ross Got High
Rachel gets to make dessert so she opts for a traditional English Trifle. The Geller's don't know that Monica and Chandler are even a thing let alone living together, they don't like him. Ross and Joey are invited to Joey's hot roommates Thanksgiving. Chandler really tries to please Mr. Geller while Phoebe keeps having erotic dreams about him. Rachel's trifle involves beef. She messed up. Ross figures out why his parents hate Chandler, they think he got Ross high. He doesn't want to admit it so Monica outs him and they end up shouting out confessions back and forth and Chandler becomes the favorite in all of this. Everyone tries to spare Rachel's feelings about her dessert.
Who actually had the worst Thanksgiving: Ross. It's close with Rachel and Chandler but where Chandler ended up the favorite and everyone tried to be nice to Rachel's dessert I feel like even though he was in the wrong, Ross still ended up coming out of this feeling the crappiest.

S07E08 - The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs
50 States in 6 minutes. Ross claims he has them all but of course we know there are 56 states according to Joey. Ross cannot eat until he gets them all. Phoebe has been hiding a dog in the apartment, Chandler cannot be allergic so he admits that he doesn't like dogs, they're weird. Ross doesn't like ice cream, weirdo. Rachel invited her assistant Tag, he's newly single and she jumps in just as his car gets stolen. After the paperwork is filed he does return the sentiment. The dog gets to stay after Chandler admits he "lost" him. Ross finally gets Delaware and then realizes he has Nevada twice.
Who actually has the worst Thanksgiving: Ross. That 50 states game is hard, I would know.

S08E09 - The One With The Rumor
Rachel is newly pregnant and poultry makes her puke. Joey said he will eat all the turkey that no one else wants. Chandler and Phoebe pretend to watch the game so they do not have to help, go Green Bay Mermen! Monica invites Brad Pitt to dinner, he lost a bunch of weight and still hates Rachel. There was a club co-founded by Ross and an ugly rumor about Rachel being both genders surfaces. Brad Pitt eats his yams, Ross made out with a faculty member and now Brad Pitt knows about the baby. Maternity pants = Thanksgiving pants.
Who actually has the worst Thanksgiving: Rachel, that's a given, rumors are mean. And honorable mention to Brad Pitt because now he's eating complex carbs again.

S09E08 - The One With Rachel's Other Sister
Amy shows up unannounced and declares she wants Emma after Ross and Rachel die. Ross and Rachel have already decided that Chandler and Monica deserve the honor but only if Monica doesn't die, too. Chandler is upset because he feels he will be a good parent and Monica reassures him. Joey is in trouble for missing the parade, Phoebe helps him lie about a family emergency. Everyone fights and Rachel ends up breaking the wedding china, but not as bad as Chandler breaks it. At least he showed off his amazing parenting skills before.
Who actually had the worst Thanksgiving: I was going to say Chandler, but I think between missing the parade and then not even being offered a baby (but being offered up as one) Joey gets it.

SE10E08 - The One With The Late Thanksgiving
Monica and Chandler don't want to host Thanksgiving but Phoebe tricks them into it. Ross and Joey go to a Rangers game without Chandler and they have nacho chair, Rachel and Phoebe enter Emma in a beauty pageant. They all end up late and Monica and Chandler are pissed. After many excuses and Joey getting his head stuck in the door and ruining the food they all come together and eat what is left. Water balloon trumps paper, rock, scissors and even fire. Monica doesn't care that the food is ruined. She and Chandler were picked by a pregnant woman from Ohio to get her baby. Lots of tears and happiness, until Joey compares that to the day he got his cabbage patch, but I feel that still means something.
Who actually had the worst Thanksgiving: No one's was really bad because of how it all came together and even though they were late, Monica and Chandler GOT A BABY so this was in no way bad for them. I'd say Joey because he got his head stuck.

So out of all ten Thanksgivings the winner is actually...Joey. Four of the ten he had troubled times, Chandler only had one! Phoebe didn't have any so you know what that means, we should all become vegetarians. So we should all raise our glasses to Joey this Thanksgiving holiday, if you will.

i will just call this post the shinning because i also do not want to get sued

It is no surprise that The Shining is my favorite movie. What I love almost as much as the movie itself is all of the references out there within movies and television. Here is my list of some of the best of them.

As written recently here, small obsession with Treehouse of Horror, and probably the best of all-time is The Shinning. Obviously a classic and deserved it's out shout out so moving on...

I don't watch Supernatural. I'm sorry. Doxey watches Supernatural so I am sure at some point I will get there. One thing I am aware of regarding the series is their multiple references to The Shining. Just a few of my favorites that are a little more thought out than just dialogue: A not so obvious reference to the nearest city of Sidewinder, a few apartment/room numbers being 237, and basically the entire season 2 episode Playthings. Seriously, why am I not watching this again?

Sid's carpet in Toy Story looks a bit familiar.


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The South Park episode A Nightmare on Facetime loosely follows the plot of the movie where Stan's family purchases an abandoned Blockbuster video only for Stan's dad to be haunted by ghosts and turn into a Jack Torrence-y like maniac.


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One of my favorites is so extremely subtle I did not catch it until the re-watch. Breaking Bad pays a small tribute in season 3. The Salamanca twins murder a police officer with an axe. Minutes before on the police radio you hear a call to KDK-12, the same call letters of the Overlook Hotel.


This 30 Seconds to Mars music video.



Gilmore Girls has five of them (and also has my heart). Mainly verbiage including axes, "here's Johnny" and crazy people.

Crawl Space, one of the earlier episodes of one of the best animated shows ever Bob's Burgers, takes place in a crawl space. Obviously. But with Bob being trapped within the crawl space he starts to hallucinate...about a bar...


PHOTO FROM MY NETFLIX.

And probably the most well-known from Friends.



And this photo because hello obviously.


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