Warner Bros.
We’ve officially crossed double digit days of Quarantining and Social Distancing, so I thought it might lighten the mood to recall some favorite shows where the characters were locked in. Sure they weren’t hoarding toilet paper and canned goods, but in Friends Episode, The One The Morning After (3x16), Joey, Chandler, Monica and Phoebe did try to eat wax. Relatable as I look for reserves behind the reserves–my brief stint as a hiker has suddenly come in handy–hello, protein bars. But back to the episode.
This is the episode after Ross and Rachel decide to go on a break, and after he had a one-night-stand. On his way back-stepping through ‘the trail,’ he realizes Rachel has already found out. Meanwhile Monica and Phoebe try out a new product Waxine, and quickly learn that just because it’s organic and made in the rainforest does not necessarily mean it’s pain free. Yelping in pain as they peel off each other’s Waxine strips in Monica’s bedroom, Chandler and Joey barge in to help. They get locked in when Ross and Rachel burst into the apartment arguing about his one-night stand. Not wanting to reveal that they had been listening, they’re sequestered in Monica’s bedroom for the night. While Ross and Rachel come to terms with the end of their relationship, Phoebe misses a massage appointment, Joey dreams of Pizza, Phoebe suggests eating wax to sustain them through the night–and they actually do. It’s not till well past 3am when they leave the room to find Rachel asleep on the couch and Ross long gone. Then it’s only a mere 7 seasons later that they finally get past all that ‘on a break’ fallout. Hopefully we’ll get past our fallout much sooner.
In the meantime, I’ll keep thinking of episodes and movies where characters were locked in– all in a light genre, none of that Saw, Room, or Panic Room nonsense. Let’s keep it light!
Friends ‘The One with The Blackout’ (1x7) In a city-wide blackout, Chandler gets stuck in an ATM vestibule with Victoria’s Secret model, Jill Goodacre, Ross tries to escape The Friend Zone, and Rachel fawns over Paulo.
Please Like Me ‘Champagne’ (3x9) In an attempt to have an open relationship, Josh entertains a Grindr date while Claire joins Tom in his room to give the two men privacy. Claire and Tom end up playing a riveting game of ‘Penis or Not Penis’
New Girl ‘Cooler’ (2x15) In fateful turn of True American, Jess and Nick end up locked in the apartment until they kiss. The crew outside the door chant ‘Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!’ Unable to do so, they wait out the night till Nick takes drastic measures to escape.
The Breakfast Club The John Hughs classic where five students at the fictional Shermer High School report at 7:00 am for all-day detention. Through the course of the day, Claire, Brian, John, Allison, and Andrew find out they’re all much more than their designated clique.
Riverdale Chapter One: The River’s Edge (1x1) Archie and Veronica get locked in a closet for Seven Minutes in Heaven. Steamy.
John and Josh Productions, Pivot, Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox