I love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next girl. I’m also wildly in love with Friends. So this latest fan theory should be right up my alley, but instead I’m just confused.
We already know Friends has taught us valuable lessons, given us relationship advice and is basically better than having real friends. I mean, six friends struggling to adult in NYC? It’s so relatable. But apparently it’s also fueling my Starbucks addiction.
Twitter user Alex Baker came up with this elaborate theory that the whole premise of Friends was created to convince us to hang out at coffee shops like Starbucks instead of bars. The popular sitcom Cheers, which aired mostly in the 1980s, took place at a bar in Boston. Baker thinks Starbucks wanted to compete by devising a show about friends at a coffee shop to get viewers hooked on the social aspect of cute cafes. I mean, it worked in the sense that I wish Central Perk was real, but I’m not so convinced by this detailed theory about the show.
Here’s the evidence:
1. Rachel’s last name is Green, and the Starbucks logo is green
…so?
2. Rachel’s hair makes her look like the mermaid in the Starbucks logo
I guess?
3. Ross and Monica’s last name, Geller, is derived from the German word “Gellen”
Gellen means “one who yells,” and they yell out your name when your drink is ready at Starbucks. AHA!
4. On Cheers, Frasier Crane moves to Seattle
Which is where Starbucks was founded.
5. The name “Starbucks” is based on the character “Starbuck” in Moby Dick. Chapter 119 of Moby Dick is called “The Candles”
Basically that MUST be where Chandler’s name comes from, since Chandler is the British name for someone who makes candles.
Yeah, that’s the evidence. However, Baker wrote that he is going to “sift through” all 10 seasons to find “imagery that proves my story.” You go for it, dude, but I’m not buying it yet. After all, Friends wasn’t set at Starbucks, and the characters rarely talk about coffee addictions. The shop is more of a backdrop than an influencer. The beloved sitcom is really about pals trying to make it in the world while navigating relationships, jobs and all that other stuff we call life.