Friends tv series review

*SPOILERS*

Friends is definitely my comfort show. I have binge watched Friends repeatedly on Netflix - I’m starting to realise that I mostly use my Netflix account for this show and nothing else (LOL).

I don’t exactly remember how I discovered this amazingness but I am so glad that I did.

I think that Friends became my comfort show when I moved out to Birmingham. I used to put on Friends in the background no matter what I was doing. I think this helped me cope with my homesickness.

Even though I have watched every episode a million times, they still never fail to make me laugh!

Synopsis

Friends is a sitcom about a group of 6 friends, (2 of them are siblings) that live in New York.

And the episodes in general are based on their dating life (break ups, make ups), careers and families.

In the 10-year period you’ll see them grow older and how they overcome obstacles, emotional rollercoasters, how their friendships get tested and how they support each other.

Characters

The 6 main characters are: Rachel Green, Chandler Bing, Phoebe Buffay, Joey Tribbiani, Ross and Monica Geller.

There are so many characters such as, Amy Green and Janice Hosenstein that make Friends one of the funniest shows ever!

All the characters have so much depth, and thanks to character development we witness them evolving too.

We all have different opinions about them, favourites, and also least favourites. I’m going to rank the main characters from my top favourites to the least and give my overall opinion:

Phoebe Buffay is hands down, my favourite character from Friends!

Despite her weird and quirky personality that many people may not be the biggest fan of, I think that it’s great how she’s so different and doesn’t feel the need to fit in.

This was portrayed very well in season 6 ,episode 7 where she runs funny and embarrasses Rachel when they go out for a run together.

Phoebe then explains to Rachel how running in that weird way, makes her feel free and convinces her that it’s okay by saying that they are “people that you don’t know and will never see again” so she shouldn’t care what they think.

Phoebe’s background is the most tragic out of all the characters and yet, she’s the most giving and has amazing ethics and values.

Maybe the fact that her background (her mum’s suicide, being homeless etc) was so dark and tough that lead her to becoming a compassionate, and spiritual human being.

Being different, spirituality aligned, compassionate, and giving are actually some of the values that align with me.

I guess that is why she’s my favourite character- I resonate with her the most.

There’s an endless list of her values and her “giving” incidents but some of them include:

Her love for animals (she’s vegetarian, doesn’t wear fur and broke up with someone that shot a bird dead)
Her hate for big corporation companies
Tries to commit to selfless deeds (becomes her brother’s surrogate)
Believes in reincarnation

Phoebe’s unusual massaging career, her unflattering lyrics – smelly cat for instance and even some of her spiritual beliefs have made the show incredibly funny!

Honestly, the only “normal” thing she does in this show is marry Mike.

There are a few questionable traits of Phoebe such as, being blunt and having a mean streak towards Ross and Chandler.

Maybe this is something she picked up from being on the streets- she’s definitely someone that no one would want to mess with!

However, her naïve nature still makes her very likeable.

Joey Tribbiani is at the top of my list because he is just so adorable. He’s insanely stupid, he literally does not know anything! His acting career is a shambles and Chandler looks after him.

Even so, his child-like nature makes him incredibly pure hearted. He’s family oriented, protective of his friends, respects them all and every friendship code.

When he fell in love with Rachel he was very cautious about approaching her because he didn’t want to hurt Ross and cross any boundaries.

He’s always ready to fight anyone that makes any of his friends upset for example in season 4, episode 4 the superintendent makes Rachel cry and Joey goes to confront him.

He is the strongest and toughest from all the guys in the group but is very comfortable with showing his emotions and doesn’t seem to put on a “manly” front.

His and Chandler’s bromance is the cutest thing ever! He gets upset and cries when Chandler leaves, he also gets very emotional when reading ‘Little Woman’.

I think everyone should have a friend like Joey - of course only if you can afford it.

Chandler Bing is a very interesting character and to rank him as someone in top favourites is an unpopular opinion.

He’s seen as quite a loser in the group because of how unsuccessful he’s been with women and has commitment issues.

I quite enjoy his sarcastic humour and how he’s very supportive of Joey. He also pays for everything knowing that there is no way that Joey could ever pay him back.

He’s the biggest earner of the group and no one really understands his job until he quits and gets into advertising.

Regardless of his own dysfunctional family that lead him to pick up an awful smoking habit, his character development is amazing.

He goes from being insecure and having commitment issues to marrying Monica, starting a family with her and proves to be responsible.

Monica Geller is one of the least funny characters, in my opinion. She’s quite a clean freak, highly competitive and full of pride.

However, I do like the fact that she is so ambitious, disciplined and doesn’t give up on her love for food and ultimately becomes Head Chef - despite the fact that she got bullied for being overweight in her high school/teenage years.

She’s also the reason why Rachel got into the group. She marries Chandler and being Ross’s sister, she experienced criticism from her parents and they always favoured Ross.

She’s always the hostess and has a team mum spirit. As Ross said she is “the glue that holds the group together.”

Ross Geller is definitely the smartest and the nerd of the group. He has been quite unfortunate in his relationships, gets married three times and becomes a father of 2 kids!

He is quite sweet, in season 7, episode 9, he buys Phoebe a bicycle after finding out that she never had one.

He has a need to always be right and tends to correct everyone else in the group. He holds grudges, acts selfishly and has always been obsessed with Rachel.

Rachel Green is my least favourite; this is also a very unpopular opinion.

She comes from a wealthy family and has divorced parents.

She’s very selfish, careless and sabotages Ross’s relationships every time she’s single. However, to her credit she does develop to become an independent, successful and responsible mother.

There’s something about each of the characters that resonates with me and there’s so much to them!

Favourite episodes

There are so many episodes and story lines that I love, here are some of them:

“The One With Rachel’s Other Sister” – Season 9, episode 8
“The One With The Cake”- Season 10, episode 4
“The One With The Home Study”- Season 10, episode 7
“The One In Vegas: Part 2”- Season 5, episode 24
“The One Where No One’s Ready” – Season 3, episode 2
“The One With The Late Thanksgiving” – Season 10, episode 8
“The One With Phoebe’s Birthday Dinner” – Season 9, episode 5
“The One With Phoebe’s Wedding” – Season 10, episode 12

These episodes are hilarious! I also prefer Phoebe’s love triangle with David and Mike, and Monica’s love triangle with Richard and Chandler over Ross and Rachel’s fiasco although, their fights have been so fun to watch!

Overall, Friends is one of my favourite shows ever! Everything comes together very well and there are so many catchphrases! I recommend you watch this show if you haven’t already.

Who is your favourite character? Which storyline do you like best?

Read, share, comment and let me know what you think!