Where the last season ended, Ross (David Schwimmer) spent a year pining over Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), all without his crush knowing. Actually, his infatuation started some 10 years before back in high school, but Rachel was just as oblivious then as she is now. That is, until the First Season's finale. Ross takes a trip to China for work and while he's gone, Rachel learns of Ross' feelings. Deciding to not let Ross get away, she meets him at the airport only to find him walking off the plane with a woman on his arm proclaiming love. What results is the fairly formulaic sitcom twist where Rachel spends the season trying to tell Ross how she feels, while he enjoys his new-found relationship.
It might seem like Friends isn't all about Ross and Rachel and their relationship. Granted, that is a major theme throughout the show's 10 years, but Friends wouldn't be what it was if it weren't for the other four characters. Monica (Courteney Cox) gets promoted and then fired from her job and finds herself struggling to not only find a new job, but also to make the rent. She also spends several episodes dating an optometrist friend of her parents played by Tom Selleck. Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) ends up learning a harsh truth about her father and attempts to meet the man she has never known several times, but this somewhat sad note is balanced by her getting a music video produced for one of her more unusual songs.
Meanwhile, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) gets a break in the soap opera scene. His recurring role means he not only is getting better acting roles, but he even moves out of Chandler's (Matthew Perry) apartment. During the time that Joey is on his own, Chandler gets a new roommate, but he quickly learns that the new tenant has a few mental issues. Before all can be back to normal, Joey not only has to decide to move back in with Chandler, but the two of them have to come up with a rather amusing scheme to get the new guy to actually leave.
While the Rachel and Ross storyline is prominent, their budding relationship isn't the only thing going on in their lives. Ross has some anxiety over being a new father as he finds himself missing many of little Ben's firsts, that is, until an extended weekend stay. Ross also gets reunited with his monkey Marcel when he finds out the little guy is now in show biz and in New York City filming "Outbreak II" with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
As for Rachel, she not only has to deal with her ex-fiance and ex-maid of honor getting married, but she also learns that her parents have hit a rough patch and are getting ready to split up. This becomes particularly interesting when Rachel's birthday party has both parents accidently being invited. The result is one parent in Rachel and Monica's apartment while the other parent is across the hall in Chandler and Joey's.
Friends: The Complete Second Season doesn't have a lot of special features, and as far as I can tell, nothing that wasn't already on the DVD release years ago. It contains the full version of Phoebe's music video, "Smelly Cat," as well as montages focusing on each of the six main characters, but what I enjoyed the most was the special feature that gives each of the show's guest stars one more moment in the spotlight. These guest stars include Marlo Thomas (That Girl) as Rachel's mother, Julia Roberts as a girl Chandler knew as a kid, and Charlie Sheen as one of Phoebe's on-again/off-again lovers.
Overall, Season Two does a lot of stereotypical sitcom shenanigans to both change things up and keep them the same so that while there might be stints where the show's basic dynamic might change, it really doesn't. A prime example of this is Joey moving out, and while he is on his own for a few episodes, it isn't long before he and Chandler are roomies again. The only real change is that Ross and Rachel are actually together, but anyone who is even mildly familiar with the show knows how much that particular relationship flip-flops. That being said, Friends is one of those shows that helped to define the stereotype rather than simply following it, and with the exception of some dated items like the specs on Chandler's new laptop, it holds up well to the test of time. Any fan of the show who hasn't already picked the series up should enjoy this particular release.
