The Art of Opening Credits

In the world of modern television, opening credits have become an unexpectedly complex art form. No longer thrown together by the show's editors, many are outsourced to specialist companies who painstakingly piece together each and every image and effect, before sourcing/commissioning the perfect music to complement their beautifully crafted visual feast.

For a relatively small slip of time, the opening credits of a television show have become increasingly important; instead of merely listing actors' names and the program title, that initial space now attempts to communicate moods, themes, even clues to the seasonal (or series) narrative. It is, in the truest sense, an "introduction" to the program.

Many of today's opening credits are beautiful, hypnotic attempts to lure in and grab a hold of viewers on a kind of instinctive, even subconscious, level; an opportunity to preset the viewers' minds, creating the right kind of frame for the program they're about to experience.

In celebration, here are a dozen of my favorite opening credits currently on television (although loving the credits doesn't always make me a fan of the show). Only television shows still in production are included (to narrow the field).*

*Interestingly, shows on cable television generally have a larger budget and greater artistic freedom, so programs on those networks are more likely to make this list, but there are also programs on more traditional networks offering memorable opening sequences.

My response to these examples is also more emotional and instinctive than technical. I've tried to write my reaction as a viewer who's just sat down to relax, and engage.

In no particular order:

Outlander
Firstly, the music. Oh, the music. Such an incredibly appropriate selection. Also, the inference of magic, with all the light and shadow, suggestions of dawn and dusk. We never get to meet anyone's gaze, a very deliberate choice, but we see parts of people's bodies in motion. (Not to mention, guns, knives, historic costumes and props that place the story in a particular period.) Disjointed, but beautifully composed. Even in shadowy shots that hint at a certain uneasiness and the possibility of future violence, there is still light. Overall, a sensual, dreamy atmosphere prevails. 

True Detective
This opening sequence won a Creative Arts Emmy. I actually find it unexpectedly sleek, given the gritty style of the show itself; at first I thought it was almost too slick a pairing for the program, but despite that hint of disparate visualization, there's no denying a moody, minimalist atmosphere is successfully created. The projection and layering make the characters' bodies part of the location. It's almost like our heroes (antiheroes?) are embedded in the setting itself, and since you get that kind of dragged down feel from the narrative as well, it's a very clever presentation of certain themes.

True Blood
Some of my absolute favorite opening credits from recent years. (Show's finished, I know, but am making an exception!) Blunt, sexual, religious, violent, blood and more blood, death and decomposition. Swamps and heat and night and darkness... Utterly perfect for a vampire show set in the south. (Not to mention the choice of film stock.) This clip is a making-of featurette that follows the team behind the title sequence. I think focusing on themes rather than characters was key. Gritty, messy, and extreme, this visual injection is simultaneously seductive and distasteful.

Halt and Catch Fire
I like the red-to-pink-to-red here, as if the mood of the piece is in constant transition, opening credits flickering between passive and aggressive, i.e. threatening and non-threatening, which is the feel I get from the show; as if conversational scenes are prone to switching from chatty to confrontational, and back again. I like how the characters' profiles are literally consumed by shades of tech, as if computer science is obscuring my take on them, and I appreciate the movement forward, toward a goal. Quite simple, stylistically, but to me, thematically spot-on.

The 100
Season two of this show offers a revamped opening sequence. Not what I expected, but the visuals totally work contextually. The show is violent, and emotional, and doesn't back away from investigating shades of gray in the human psyche, but location also plays a very important part in the story, so mapping out the external journey of the characters in this dystopian environment is a solid choice. Obviously there are clues and references embedded here, but it feels like information is flooding you, reflecting the pace of the season. (And the slightly primal, slightly adrenalizing soundtrack is an apt fit.)

Penny Dreadful
A program that feeds on dark and dramatic texts, so cadavers and scorpions were kind of a given... But I like the angles/slant of this opening sequence; everything is leaning, and surrounded by darkness. Even the credits barely make it out of the shadows. White, yes, but not a bold presence onscreen, more struggling to be seen, even. Most of the characters are glancing away, and they all seem troubled. Everyone, and everything, is destined for imminent disaster. That's the feeling the audience can't shake (and the visual of the blood-filled tea cup certainly stays with you).

Game Of Thrones
The great thing about the opening sequence for this series is that it puts aside character intrigues and focuses on what fuels the entire narrative... The power to rule. After all, this is a game of thrones, and the beautifully crafted, unfolding three-dimensional "map" is an intricate reflection of the players in this gruesome, high stakes game. The aerial image is empowering for viewers, as we zoom in and out of various locations. What fans love the most, though, is the way the opening sequence changes each screening to reflect the content of the episode you're about to watch. So engaging.

The Leftovers
A stunning example of a beautifully communicated premise. You feel like you're inside a cathedral, looking up, seeing a fresco representation of the characters' suffering as loved ones are torn from them, into the light. The experience feels religious, but somehow blasphemous, and very tragic. The way it's filmed is also slightly disorienting; you feel like you're moving through the air with no real control, seeing other people's stories/suffering from uncomfortable angles. The camera also pans out rather than in, and there's a disconcerting fluidity/inference of depth to the artwork.

Teen Wolf
Aimed at a teen audience, this sequence employs motifs popular in supernatural cinema and television to create a dark celebration of youthful beauty, sensuality, and isolation, while highlighting a simmering potential for violence. Interestingly, it could be argued the male characters are more overtly sexualized than the female leads, which is against type. I also like the use of water/chalk/dirt (or oil?). Simple, but visually effective. Likewise, the understated, hurried music suits. The opening sequence differs a little each season, but each offering stays stylistically similar.

Banshee
I love the Banshee opening credits because in a field of blurry, low-lit offerings, the stark bluntness of this sequence stands out. (The way the letters alternate in size is also a nice touch.) Fans know the spinning lock combination during each season has a certain meaning (but no spoilers here, I promise). The photo evidence is clearly delineated, falling in and out of focus, some pieces degrading, some receiving more screen time than others. You know all the images are clues and pieces that you have to decipher, but it's going to take you time, and it feels a tad Memento... 

Intruders
It kind of surprises me how much I've enjoyed this show. The story just gets under your skin. The opening title captures the eeriness that makes this program addictive viewing, what with the flood of creepy, disconcerting symbolism. (I won't lie, I'm a sucker for a good close-up eye-shot, and that opening graphic is one of the best.) "An unhealthy metamorphosis" is the feel I take away from this viewing experience, and a focus on the fragility of life. My final impression? "We are grey and fragile, something unsettling is happening, and the storm is coming."

American Horror Story: Freak Show
Each season of this program has a different opening sequence to match the changing theme of the narrative, but this one is my favorite, because instead of being overtly scary, the stream of animated characters appears beautifully macabre more than anything else. (I get a bit of a Jan Svankmajer vibe.) The carnival freak show has long been a metaphor for society's fascination with the perceived grotesque, and this opening title feels like a twisted celebration of said legacy; the supposedly "deformed" become uniquely riveting, presenting as powerful and darkly enchanting entities.

Eliza Interview (Flashback to 2010)

I've been busy finishing up my novel Sound, to the point where I didn't have time to write a blog this month. A flashback to a 2010 interview with Eliza Dushku will have to do instead!

For those who aren't familiar, Eliza played Faith in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and spin-off series Angel, Tru in Tru Calling, Missy in Bring It On, and Echo in Dollhouse.

It's a transcript (with the last few minutes of casual chitchat left out). Fans of Buffy and Dollhouse should enjoy the read. 

We laughed a lot, and Eliza remains one of my favorite celebrities: very friendly, thoughtful and articulate. As a major fan I was having a problem forming whole sentences (haha), but luckily, she offered indepth answers so my inability to speak coherently for long periods never became an issue(!).

Here goes:

Operator: I have Eliza on the line now please go ahead.

Me: Okay, thank you.

Eliza: Hello there.

Me: Hello, how are you going?

Eliza: Hi, I'm going good, how about yourself?

Me: Oh, I'm good, thank you. Are you enjoying Australia?

Eliza: I am, it's our second day here, but we got to walk around a little bit yesterday, inbetween fighting off jetlag. We went down to Darling Harbour and everything's in good walking distance from where they have us.

Me: Excellent. Have you been here before? You haven't?

Eliza: This is my second time, I was here fifteen years ago, I did a film here, kind of a crazy little film with Halle Berry and Jim Belushi. We spent a month in Sydney, we went out on the road and we worked in Alice Springs and Broken Hill, but we were here for about three months. I loved it then, and I was so excited to come back.

Me: Oh, excellent, have you been to Perth before?

Eliza: I've never been to Perth, no.

Me: The most isolated city in the world, that'll be an experience for you.

Eliza: Oh wow, yeah, I'm excited. This was sort of a perfect opportunity. Having had Dollhouse just finish a second season here, it was just a nice opportunity to come and thank the fans and, you know, it's been so many years that I feel like, ever since Buffy, I've had such Australian support from followers and fans. It was just really the perfect opportunity to come.

Me: Oh definitely. Someone at the office said to me, I can't believe you're interviewing the five-by-five girl, and I said it must be amazing to think five episodes of Buffy you were originally meant to do, and eleven years and people are still yelling Faith, Faith. Like, they just love you.

Eliza: I know, I know, I had no idea. I was literally supposed to come out and just do a few shows. I just graduated high school and I was enrolled in university in Boston. Actually, my mum's a Professor and I was enrolled at her school, and I was going to come out and make some tuition money. Four episodes turned into seven, turned into, you know, a lifetime of Buffy support, and fans, and Faith fanatics, but I love them, you know? 

I realized at a certain point how incredible that role was when I had young women come up to me on the street. They were writing me letters, and telling me stories about how they had been abused, and when my character came on Buffy they confronted their abusers. It just empowered all these young women, and I just I couldn't believe it, it was unlike anything- You know, I'd already been in the business for about seven years at that point, but I'd never had a role that affected people that intensely, and it really felt good, it really felt meaningful. So it was reason enough to withdraw from school, and put off my education, to empower young women in another way, for a short time.

Me: Oh definitely, and I just wondered, actually, when she turned to the dark side, I consider Faith turning to the dark side, like, Darth Vader's number one, and then Faith's turn to the dark side in pop culture would probably be number two.

Eliza: Wow, I'm after Darth Vader? 

Me: Yep.

Eliza: Huge. I have three older brothers, they would- that's amazing. Ah yeah, she did, she turned to the dark side, but you know, what I loved about her was that even when she was completely in the dark side and completely out of her mind, and, um, killing people and torturing people, there was something... You know, she was written in a way, and we played her in a way, that people still felt for her, people still pulled for her, and so it wasn't it wasn't just black and white, good and evil, it was this really complex grey area, you know? People loved her, in spite of everything she did, and it was really sort of fascinating to me.

Me: Did they actually let you know that your character was going that way, or was it sort of sprung on you in one episode?

Eliza: With Joss it depends. I mean, I feel like, over the years, both in Dollhouse and in Buffy, and also in Angel, you know the writers will come to you, I feel like they sort of reveal things as they should be revealed to the actor; like they don't tell you two months in advance, but about a week in advance they'll come to you and tell you that I'm going to be torturing Wesley with cooking spray and a lighter, and slashing his face up, and trying to kill Buffy’s boyfriend, and yeah, they'll tell you in just sort of a nonchalant way, and then you just trust them, because every time I've ever worked with that group, they found a way to make it make sense, and you know, definitely, it's provoking and it's- they push the envelope, and they provoke the audience that they love so much, but I think that's why the audience loves them back, because they never know what to expect, and they don't ever do something without there being, you know, something that's revealed from it, other than what's expected.

Me: Well I thought it was wonderful that you produced Dollhouse as well, I thought that was really impressive, and I just wondered, did you find your relationship with the writers and such, as a producer, is it different, and since you're an actress as well, was it a different experience for you?

Eliza: It was, and it was definitely a different turn for me, being the main role and being a producer and being, you know, sort of the centre of it, and I think when Joss- I first called Joss and sat him down and he was not planning on doing a television show, but over a four hour lunch (this infamous lunch), I talked to him, I told him I wanted to do something and I really wanted it to be with him, and he sort of started brainstorming and we came up with the show over lunch. It just really, to us, meant that we were going to be a true team going into this, and that it wasn't going to be just Joss delivering this whole world to me on a silver platter. I mean, he wanted me-

(Eliza cut off by music)

Eliza: Hello?

Me: Hello?

Eliza: Oh sorry, somehow the phone just cut out, it went blank and then it came back.

Me: Yeah, I got music, so I was like, oh, she's gone...

Eliza: Oh, okay. But anyways, so it was really something, you know, that he wanted to have be collaborative, and we wanted to pull together the right group of people; we only wanted, you know, we've both been in this business for a long time, and we've worked with some lovely people, and we've worked with some not-so-lovely people, and so we really said we would only pull together a group of people that would bring their A-game, and that wanted to be there, and that would make the best show that we could possibly make.

And that we would do it together, and that there was no, you know, there was no question that we were a team on this, so as far as working with the writers and developing stories, I mean, I never pretended that that was a role that was, that I felt that I could- you know, I'm not a writer, and I'm not a story breaker, but we would, you know, they would bring ideas to me and we would talk about different possibilities and different ways that the characters should go, but I think once we got into filming, it became pretty clear pretty fast that it was, that there was, ah, there were a lot of plates spinning in the air. There was a lot going on, and again I just; I really trusted Joss and the team, as far as breaking stories and as far as directions that all the characters, including Echo, went in.

Me: It seems like a lot of the material that you've been involved with, like even the movie that's coming out soon, Locked In, there's no, there's not a lot of lighthearted romps in there. Do you like a certain level of intensity in your scripts? 'Cause there seems a lot of morality and sense of self and destiny and questions of such; a lot of the material you work with has those themes.

Eliza: Yeah I think so, and I think for me, my art has, that saying art imitates life, it's always been very true. And I think especially with Joss, he got to know me from seventeen years old and as we sat down for lunch two years ago, at twenty seven years old, he looked at things that were happening in my life and, you know, I was at a point two years ago that I didn't know sort of who I wanted to be in this business, and people were sort of pulling me in all these directions. 

So I wouldn't say it was biographical, but I think that was absolutely something that we drew from, was this parallel of who am I, and who do people want me to be each day, and exactly, that sense of self. 

So those are things, that's a level of intensity that I do enjoy, but I have to say you know I would love to, and I think I'm going to be involved in, something a little more lighthearted and comedic in my next project (which I think I'll be announcing maybe in a couple of weeks). But it's definitely, it's one of those things where the grass is always greener; when you're doing a comedy you feel like a total goofball, and you would do anything to do something serious and intense and artistic, and then when you're doing that, you would kill to do a comedy. So, mix it up.

Me: I was going to say after all the intense kind of genre shows and unusual, I don't like the term scifi but that sort of unusual genre, you must sometimes think maybe I should do a procedural cop drama, just to balance it out?

Eliza: I don't know, I mean I feel like I had a bit of an experience with a procedural type show with the other tv show I did, Tru Calling. And while I enjoyed it, and it was something that I'm glad that I tried, I have a little bit too much ADD to do the sort of same procedure every episode in a row, but I would like to do more comedy and something more comedic. 

I feel like it's a part of me, and when I meet fans or when I meet new people or you know writers or directors in town, they always comment on sort of what a funny goofball I am in real life, and how that’s something that hasn’t really been seen. I mean, it was seen a little bit in Bring It On, and I did a few comedies over the years, and they were really fun for me, and they were just a great opportunity to show other colors, and I think I want to do some more of that, and explore some more of that.

Me: Are you focusing more on film, or on television, or on producing, or are you just open to opportunities that come?

Eliza: I think, I mean I'm open to opportunities that are coming and that I've created, and I'm definitely producing and working behind the camera as far as a few films that we have that we're working on. And you know television, you never know. I mean, it might be something also I would see myself producing again, and I think I guess there's no crystal ball in Hollywood and things are always changing, and the climate’s always changing. As far as television versus film, I don't think that I'll be headlining a television show for some time, but who knows, that could change in six months.

But I do feel that right now I really now am looking for the material, and so I'm excited about this project that I have coming up, and I know I can't talk too much about it so I don't mean to tease you with it, but it’s just, as far as we were talking about, in terms of a genre that I've worked in and that I sort of have all of these fans and followers from, I felt in a way, that with Dollhouse - it came out and it was so exciting when it first came to be, and everyone was on board, and all the fans internationally were as excited as we were, and then the show ended, and yeah, I guess it sort of ended in a dark way, and I have this feeling that fans sort wonder if I'm okay, or wonder if I'm broken? 

And you know, it's quite the opposite- we were grateful for the opportunity, I feel like we created this exciting and smart world for people with the two seasons of the show, and we were grateful that Fox let us finish out the story and finish out the second year, and now it's time to move on to something else.

(The project I have coming up, it's more satirical and it plays with the genre.)

This is still the entertainment business, and it's not- you know, I am okay and I am moving on, and this is still fun for me, and it's not something that I'm really licking my wounds over for the rest of time, you know? It's movies and tv, and you have an opportunity, and when that ends you pick up and do something else, so I am excited to let my fans know that I'm okay. We're all okay.

Me: Well I just thought I'd ask... You played the iconic vampire slayer, and I wonder, with the vampire resurgence now, if someone actually asked you to play a vampire, if you'd consider it?

Eliza: I've been asked that question! I mean it all depends on the material. Again, I think I've been offered a few of the shows that I've seen come out, or a few roles, and there is the part of me that says to follow one of the most iconic vampire shows of all time with one that is sort of subpar is not something that I would want to do, so I think (with as far as my agents) when a vampire thing comes along, unless it's, you know, Bram Stokers something, we’ve been a little selective about that.

Me: A lot of critics have always put out that you tied up the storylines beautifully in the finale of Dollhouse in the second season, it was quite brilliant. Do you think it makes a difference to fans when you can tie up your stories like that?

Eliza: Absolutely, because you ask them to become invested, and come along on this journey with all of the characters, and I think it's absolutely important to give them an ending, and to give them a finale. Again, that was something that we were really proud of and also something that we were grateful that we had the opportunity to do.

Me: I always thought it was interesting (the show) because my dad had a brain tumor and it's the same, ie the personality, people have no idea that the mind (the brain and the personality), is so much more fragile than people imagine, and that’s why I just thought the story was brilliant in Dollhouse, because it’s not- people think the concept is so science fiction, but it’s actually really quite possible. Like, you don’t realize the mind is like a computer program, and that’s why I thought the show was fantastic, because it was actually quite close to real life in a way.

Eliza: Yeah, I mean I think that’s, again, something that Joss is just so amazing at doing. And you know, of course, even Buffy, it was vampires and monsters, but it was the themes of the show that people connected to, and that people felt like they could understand, and everyone could somehow relate to the characters and to the situation. Obviously Buffy was about high school, and it was something that everyone could understand. 

Dollhouse had themes and characters as well, and some outsiders looking in would talk about how confusing a world it was and how, you know, that it was quite simply human trafficking and prostitution and all of these things that we heard, but I think we all knew it was something deeper, and people who really got into the show felt like they could relate in some way with it.

Me: Would you happily work with Joss again?

Eliza: What's that?

Me: Would you happily work with Joss again?

Eliza: Of course. He's my buddy, he's my bro.

Me: A fantastic partnership.

Eliza: I just have so much respect for him. I've been in this business now for almost twenty years, I can't even believe it, I'm not even thirty and I never imagined myself saying, I've done that for twenty years, but here I am. And I've worked with a lot of people, and I just have genuine respect and admiration for him and his storytelling and his, you know, his themes about young women. 

I mean, I sort of tripped and fell into this business when I was nine, and my mother is s professor, a feminist, and she has raised us travelling the world, and being involved in women's rights and issues, and I don’t know if I would of stayed in this business had I not had the opportunity to be working with Joss. Working with Joss on Buffy, like I said, was the first time I felt like the work I was doing had social and emotional relevance; that I felt like I was really contributing something to the world, and it gave me faith that I could be an actress and not just be superficial, and play a role on a greater level and a greater scale, and I've always been grateful to him for that.

An Open Letter To The Writers Of Friends

You guys...

I can't believe it's been twenty years since Rachel ran away in her wedding dress. 

Who thought, when that first episode aired, we'd spend at least a decade hanging out in coffee shops hoping to find a Central Perk crew of our own? (No? Just me, then?)

At first I considered blogging weird facts I've heard about the show, in case fellow fans missed them. Like these gems:

- Courtney Cox was supposed to play Rachel, and Jennifer Aniston play Monica, but there was a last minute switch. 

-The actor who played Gunther got the part because he was the only extra on set that day who could work a coffee machine.

But then I decided I wanted this blog to be more a thank you note to the relatively unsung heroes, the writing team, who (I'm guessing) were considerate enough to surround themselves with strange friends, families and acquaintances, just to fuel this show. Research can be a bitch.

So, thanks for the weirdest group of tv "friends" to ever mesh well together (okay, not the time for a bastardized Clueless quote).

Here's some opening credits to get us in the Friends zone. (Wait, I think that came out wrong...)

Let's start with the gem in the show's character crown: Phoebe. I loved that she was previously homeless, I loved how she just was who she was without apology, and I loved the way she wore her hair. Thanks so much for bringing her to life!

 Most women I know want to be Phoebe, but truth is, we're mostly Monicas. Or as my brother would tell me, "You wish you were Phoebe, but you're actually Ross. A total nerd." (Cheers bro.) 

Phoebe was the ultimate in Arty Tarty. (Yes, I was young when I made that up.) She slept with whoever caught her eye, but didn't match the traditional sitcom stereotype for the sexually adventurous female character. No boobs on parade here. 

And, dear writers, the introduction of her sociopathic twin sister, the porn star Ursula, was magnificent.  I think this is also the right moment to reference Phoebe's live performances:

And I'd just like to add that I think, musically, Ross was before his time. Hipsters would love him now. He should rerelease an album:

As writers, you worked some magic, making me like scripted versions of people I would generally run away from.

For example, Rachel. The character was magnificent, because in reality, she'd be quite awful. Most of the time she didn't have two intelligent thoughts to rub together, was terribly shallow, and let's face it, kind of judgmental, but somehow the writing made her adorable.

Likewise, Joey was mysteriously loveable. In real life he would be sleazy and yuuuccckkk, the kind of guy who makes you want to shower with disinfectant when they so much as shake your hand.

Oh man. Ross and Rachel. There was a romance.

Chandler perfectly embodied the hilarious, nice-guy friend nobody in the group (initially) wants to date.  A lot of men out there probably should thank you for romantic successes that wouldn't have been possible if the Friends team hadn't made an insecure office worker in a sweater vest seem strangely sexy.

Monica was wearying (even in a thirty minute window I'd get a tad tired of her), but she was often the "straight man" in comedic scenarios so quirkier characters could shine. And I love how she became the flashback star (both skinny and plus-sized versions). 

Ross. I can't talk about Ross without hearing my brother yelling YOU'RE SO HIM. Instead, here's a clip that I chose because, let's face it, cotton candy:

All those storylines! Damn you lot could write. Remember when Phoebe's brother fell in love with his teacher, and Phoebe became a surrogate for them? (Best actress pregnancy cover ever.)

Or when Ross said Rachel's name at the wedding? How about when Phoebe's gay Canadian figure skating husband wanted to end their visa marriage because he'd decided to come out of the (inverted?) closet, and admit he was straight?

As writers, fearlessly tackled the important stuff nobody could bring themselves to talk about. Like thoughtless friends who insist on splitting restaurant bills, even though you're so poor you only ate the free bread. We've all been there.

And not forgetting the (possibly) unintentional moments of humor. Like when Chandler left a soul-destroying job in search of his true calling, something that would nourish the spirit... and secured an internship in advertising. WAY TO BE IRONIC. ('Cause you were being funny right? Right?!)

Hats off, also, for writing in hotty older actors. Woah. Tom Selleck and Bruce Willis. It does not get better than flashes of Magnum PI and John McClane in the Friends mix. 

Then there was the time Isabella Rossellini dropped by the coffee shop. And who can forget Brad Pitt coming over for Thanksgiving dinner? 

Best of all, though, were the flashbacks. Cue Chandler and Ross rocking the Miami Vice look:

Of course, no one's saying there weren't hiccups. I'm guessing the pressure was intense, what with the specter of Seinfeld hanging over your heads. And we all have our bad days... 

I'm not going to dwell on storylines that sucked (Rachel and Joey's hookup is a standout). But that's what friends do, you know? They sit through the crappy episodes in your life, because they have faith there are great ones up your sleeve.

Wow. Twenty years. As writers, aren't you itching to jot down where the crew are now? Sure, chances of a reunion are slim when none of the cast have been reduced to working retail (or starring in a stream of infomercials), but a girl can dream. 

And so many burning questions still unanswered. How many years did Chandler stay married to Monica before admitting he was gay? And how long, in good conscience, can we leave Joey trapped in that terrible spin-off? 

(No comment on Monica, she's happy in Cougar Town. Can't remember the names of the other characters in the Cul de Sac crew, but I do remember the names of Cox's character's wine glasses. RIP Big Lou, Big Joe, Big Carl, Big Tippi, Little Richard, Big Kimo...) 

On a sidenote, I also want to say thanks to the true stars of Friends: The Chick, The Duck, and the monkey Marcel. Those animals scored great scripts that gave them a chance to portray a wide spectrum of emotions. (I heard the actor who played Marcel left because he wasn't included in the group contract negotiations. Any confirmation on that?)

To summarise, thanks for the all the fun times. For the endless new catchphrases (this parachute is a knapsack!). For making dysfunctional look cool. For kickstarting a weekly ritual of making time with friends, to spend watching Friends, and then discussing Friends, but not, you know, actual friends (so meta). 

Write on! 

(Had to say it). 

xxx