Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, in conjunction with my Friends rerun, I’m sharing a cool piece of memorabilia from the series — another script for an episode that got radically rewritten (like the entry eventually titled The One Where Estelle Dies, discussed here). It’s “The One With Joey’s Bag,” which was initially called “The One With Amnesia Man.”
I actually shared some basic thoughts on the script a few months ago. Here’s the copy-paste:
I have a table draft script from the fifth season entitled “The One With Amnesia Man.” Never heard of it? That’s because it was significantly retooled and retitled “The One With Joey’s Bag.” This original version had a totally different Rachel/Joey subplot — about her dating a producer from Saturday Night Live and Joey intruding on their dates in the hopes of securing an audition. It’s, honestly, pretty stupid and unfunny. Although the eponymous bag storyline that replaced it isn’t a great character showcase, it’s at least an improvement. And speaking of improvement, the other subplots — about Phoebe meeting her dad, and Chandler lying about Monica’s massages — were the same in this draft. But the scenes themselves also got radically revised (I’d say 75%) before the final aired cut, which is much funnier and more believable for the characters. So, it’s a fascinating artifact in terms of seeing the show’s creative process — and just how hard the crew worked during a production week to get the best product possible.
Well, I finally got around to scanning it. So, for subscribers who comment below to alert me of their private, non-commercial interest, I’ll send you a copy. And you can see for yourself just how much this episode changed over the course of just a few days.
Come back next week for another Wildcard! And stay tuned Tuesday for more sitcom fun!
This sounds very interesting. I’d love to read it. I didn’t like the bag story but you calling it stupid and unfunny, means this must be much worse?
Hi, Nat! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I appreciate that this draft’s original Joey subplot gives him an objective rooted in what we know of his character, but I think it asks him to be overbearing to such an extent that it forsakes too much common sense and self-awareness, eclipsing my expectations of both him and the show itself here in Season Five. That is, it’s just too broad. The replacement bag storyline is silly and not wonderfully motivated, but it sits better within FRIENDS’ own stylistic contours, with, I believe, a better, less idiotic depiction of Joey at its center.
I have emailed you at your yahoo address!
I would be very interested to read this. I always get a big kick out of getting a peek into the writing process and how a script evolves. I was never the biggest fan of Joey’s storyline in this episode so very curious to see what it replaced. If it’s as bad as you say, it might make me like the Joey’s bag storyline a lot more.
Hi, Stefan! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I’m not seeing an email address associated with your account in my database. If this is in error, please let me know the date you subscribed and I’ll attempt to locate your contact. Otherwise, please subscribe to this blog with your preferred address so I can send a link to this script your way!
I’m so sorry, I feel like an idiot. I’d been reading your site for so long, I thought I had subscribed but I indeed never entered my email address. My mistake! Just did it now.
Got it. Thanks for subscribing!
I have emailed you at your hotmail address.
Jackson, I’d love a copy of this to see how they corrected the final draft. Thanks for the offer.
Hi, Kim! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I have emailed you at your stokesvideo address.
I’d like a copy of this script. Thanks!
Hi, Jon! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I have emailed you at your yahoo address.
I’m interested in this.
Hi, Charlie! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I have emailed you at your gmail address.
I’d love to see a copy of that, Jackson~! I love reading things such as this.
The only script I own is one from the original Bob Newhart Show. I did photograph a bunch of film scripts by Morrie Ryskind a few years ago.
This is good timing for me. Believe it or not, I never watched Friends during its first run. Or since, really. My brother became a big fan about 10 years ago, and tried to get me to but I still didn’t watch it.
But I caught a few episodes in the hospital recently and something finally clicked and I’ve really enjoyed them. So I DVR’d the first seventy-five episodes, and I have been going through them in order. I’ve been really liking all of them, and I understand that the show gets better as it goes along. :)
Hi, Bill! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I’m so glad to know you’re cultivating an appreciation for this series.
I think FRIENDS, like most long-running sitcoms, is the best version of itself fairly early in its run — say, Seasons Two and Three, when the novelty of its premise intersects most favorably with a rising understanding of the characters — but there’s a large contingent of fans who champion Season Five as their favorite, in large part because of a storyline that shakes up the characters’ status quo, giving the situation a then-needed boost of energy and excitement. After that, there are additional highs and lows, but with less consistency and at a declining average quality. I suspect you’ll enjoy it all though — relative to the rest of the genre, FRIENDS is generally always worthwhile.
I have emailed you at your gmail address.
I’d love to see a copy of the script for my private, non-commercial interest!
Hi, Christopher! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I have emailed you at your hotmail address.
Please! Wow! I’d love to read.
Hi, Elaine! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I have emailed you at your yahoo address.