Whenever someone asks me what my favorite T.V. show is, I begin to think of The Bachelorette, Grey’s Anatomy or New Girl. But my answer is always the same— Friends. Friends is the show I binge-watch when I’m sad. Friends is the show I binge-watch when I’m bored. Friends is the show I binge-watch after a scary movie to help put me in a better mood before bed.
There has been a large debate over the past few years of which show is better: The Office or Friends? Although I am a fan of The Office, I can’t help but wonder how it’s even a toss up between the two. Friends is a show that’s for both men and women, young and old. I remember my mom receiving a box set of DVDs of one of the seasons of Friends and wanting to immediately watch as many as I could. I was about seven. It’s been nearly 14 years since then, and Friends is still a show I am eager to come home to, unwind and have a few good laughs.
From heart break and devastation to friendships and loyalty, Friends covers just about everything any 20-or-30-something may go through in their life, all the while making us laugh from the comfort of our homes feeling as if we were there with them. As the 25 year anniversary approaches, I thought it would be appropriate to run through all my favorite (and probably your favorite, too) moments from the 10-year span of Friends.
Episode 1, Season 1
I have to start at the very beginning where we got to meet our six newest best friends: Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey. Rachel, a runaway bride who has suffered from extreme dependency on her father’s money, walks into Central Perk and runs into her old best friend Monica, who she almost doesn’t recognize after years of Monica being overweight. Right off the bat, girls everywhere can identify with both these women. We all struggle with weight and confidence with our bodies, and we’ve all had that one relationship that we stay in just because it’s “comfortable” until we realize it’s gone too far.
“And that my friend is what they call ‘closure'”
Another Rachel Green moment that many women can relate to: the drunk, I-want-to-be-over-you-but-I-am-not phone call. Rachel and Ross are the first romance that the audience roots for in the series. Ross, a nerdy Paleontologist, has loved Rachel since high school, and after he finally gets his chance with her, things don’t go as planned.
Underrated Phoebe
Phoebe may just be the character who makes me laugh the most. Although she doesn’t have Rachel’s style or Monica’s comedic energy, Phoebe is the character who you want to be best friends with. Phoebe is a terrible liar, which makes her character even better because she can’t help but be blatantly honest with people. An aspiring musician, Phoebe is kind of the friend that’s always “there” when you need her (and when you don’t).
WE WERE ON A BREAK!
It doesn’t matter if the character is male or female, all six of the Friends stars are relatable as heck. We see Ross’s struggle in love throughout all ten seasons, and we see him try to find where his heart truly lies. Ross is constantly the butt of the joke, from his multiple proposals to his occupation where none of his friends think he’s a real “doctor.”
Chandler BING
With a father who cross-dresses, and a job no one ever knows what he does, Chandler hides his feelings under his constant sarcasm. Chandler is the perfect amount of dry humor and dad jokes making him probably the funniest character on the show.
Monica and Chandler’s secret relationship
After almost all of the “friends” crack the case and realize Chandler and Monica are dating, they are determined to get the couple to admit it. This show is filled with master plans and dancing around the truth, but in this case, dancing around the truth is a literal situation. Phoebe tries to “seduce” Chandler in an attempt to crack him and make him admit he’s with Monica, but she does so in the most awkward ways. I probably laughed the hardest in this scene.
An OCD Monica
Monica is a competitve, clean-freak who apparently has an uncontrollable need to please people. Raise your hand if you can relate! Monica doesn’t have too many boyfriends throughout the series, but her main relationship is with Chandler which blossoms a Ross’s wedding to Emily. Everyone always wants to be a “Rachel”, but I think it’s time for me to admit I am so Monica.
HE DOESN’T SHARE FOOD!
Ahh, Joey. Joey may be the most unrelatable characters, but that doesn’t mean we love him any less! Famous for his line “Hoy you doin’?”, Joey never lets people hurt his feelings who make fun of him for being, err, dumb.