This is one of the weakest seasons of the show. Not as tightly written, not as funny, and all of the characters are becoming more obnoxious and/or silly than charming. This is the first time I've watched "Friends" from Season 1, in order, all the way through, and it's provided me an opportunity to witness the show's slow decline over time. In contrast to the tight, bright, fresh and funny antics of the characters in the early seasons, now they just come off as tiresome. Perhaps this was inevitable as the characters aged: a perpetually dumb and clueless guy in his 30s isn't quite as winsome as that same dude in his early 20s. Rachel's constant worries about not finding a life partner just seem narcissistic, given her impossibly perfect good looks, enviable career, and movie star wardrobe. An entire episode built around Chandler's inability to smile in front of a camera? And, worse, in these later seasons, he is often portrayed as a loser, a bad joke, and as a mate Monica chose out of desperation. Ross, who has always been annoying with his nasal voice and doofus demeanor, is even more obnoxious as he apparently spends entire days guarding a section of the library where his dissertation is shelved in order to prevent coeds from becoming amorous in the presence of his words. What?! The only character who remains pretty consistently funny and refreshing is Phoebe, but even she is becoming more weirdo-strange than bohemian-quirky. There are three more seasons to go, and I honestly don't remember if the show starts to spiral up in quality once more before its swan song. I'll be there for them (like I've been there before), and I hope the writers will be there for me. Right now, however, they kind of seem stuck in second gear.