I watch Friends religiously. I have no shame. It’s a week night ritual, and I truly enjoy it. I have all 10 seasons on DVD, yet there is something about the mystery of the next episode on Nick at Nite. Gets me every time, and next thing ya know… it’s midnight and that horrid George Lopez man is invading my flat screen. I digress.
Growing up, I always idolized the group of six for their entire dynamic. Their apartments, their jobs and their lives. How amazing were they? Rachel worked at Ralph Lauren (ultimate dream job). Monica married her best friend, makes my hopeless romantic heart melt. Joey was a famous actor. Etc. Their lives seemed pretty freakin’ awesome…
1. Dating is the worst. Ross and Rachel, anyone? The time it took them to get together. I mean seriously… and then when they were “on a break!” Really? Really, Ross. Chandler dated Janis twice, out of sheer fear of being alone. Monica had “fun bobby” who was really a raging alcoholic. Pheobe and David. Still not over him going to Minsk. Relationship after relationship for each character for ten. freaking. seasons. before ending up with their lobster.
2. Your job won’t be an amazing career… for a while. Think about the episodes: Rachel worked at Central Perk until she figured out her passion for fashion. It wasn’t until whining at the burger joint where Monica worked, and had her fake uniform boob set on fire, when Rachel landed the Bloomingdales gig. Did I mention Monica had to wear a fake boob that caught on fire before becoming a serious chef? Jobs in your 20’s suck. They are your foundation. Your stepping stone.
3. Your friends will annoy you. Don’t lie. Your friends annoy you. It’s normal. We all do things that really just chap another person’s *ss, and ya know what? That’s okay. The writer’s of Friends do an amazing job portraying this with the group. The episode where Chandler starts smoking again is the perfect example. Chandler turns the table on the group and points out their annoying habits. Joey cracks his knuckles, Ross over-pronounces every word (“Pivot”), Monica snorts when she laughs. Your friends will annoy you. I promise.
4. Roommates. Can’t live with ’em. Cant live without ’em. Pheobe hates living with Monica so much, she moves out gradually. Joey basically lived with Chandler for free for 5 years because he was always out of work, and then let them get robbed? Ross had a vaporizer, need I say more? Rachel didn’t even know where the trash shoot was in the building. Bottom line, roommates are tough! Sometimes you love them, like when Rachel lives little notes to Monica on the mirror when she’s in the shower or when Joey and Chandler watch Bay Watch. Roomies are the best and the worst all at the same time.
5. Your 20s are supposed to suck. The biggest lesson of Friends is that your 20s are supposed to suck. Life is hard, and things don’t just happen instantly. They teach you how to suck with style. It takes time to create that dream career, or find your lobster, but you have your friends who are suckin’ it up right there with ya. They were all poor. They were all heart-broken. They all hated their job at some point, and they were all in their 20s. While Friends is arguably the best show of all time; it should give all us 20-something guys and gals some perspective. It’s not just you. It’s all of us. We’re all on this struggle bus together. Life is gonna suck sometimes, but your friends are going to be there for you. You will land that dream job. Your lobster, he/she is out there – you’ll find ’em. You won’t always be poor. In the end, their lives were awesome. Ours will be too. We just have to persevere. Laugh a lot, and keep our friends close. So go ahead, make your bestie that friendship bracelet. Send that cheesy text. Toast to “good times with great friends.” Grab your twenties by the cajones, and have one hell of a time.
Anyone else ever analyzed the deeper meaning of Friends or am I the lone ranger? What’s your favorite Friends episode?
yes. yes. yes. yes. yes.