It’s impossible for any words to fully capture the brilliance of all 10 seasons of this legendary show, Friends. The show’s popularity was so immense that even those who hadn’t watched it were skeptical, suspecting it was a fleeting trend, overhyped by the media to achieve sky-high viewership. However, just one episode – whether the beginning, the end, or somewhere in between – is enough to make even the most discerning viewer nod in agreement with the captivating charm of the world’s most famous sitcom.
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The carefree lives of the group – Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler, and Joey – are untainted by vice, jealousy, or the abundance of steamy scenes prevalent in some of today’s television blockbusters. It also doesn’t rely on shocking plot twists but simply unfolds through small stories within a larger narrative. Calling Friends a classic might seem premature, as its run from 1994 to 2004 isn’t that distant, yet it coincidentally sits between the 20th and 21st centuries. The real-life situations in Friends, which might have been humorous in the 1990s, feel profoundly insightful today. Regardless of your age, Friends remains a source of hundreds of profound lessons about love, friendship, and the naive ego of one’s twenties.
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Loving Your Best Friend: Right or Wrong?
Have you ever had a crush on your close friend? Regardless of the outcome, love that blossoms from friendship always leaves beautiful memories. In Friends, over half of the main characters have romantic relationships with each other. Moreover, they represent three different types of love: Monica and Chandler going from best friends to marriage, Ross and Rachel’s love-hate dynamic, and Joey’s unrequited love and wish for his beloved’s happiness.
Having watched all 10 seasons, honestly, the writer finds every relationship to be a rollercoaster. The way the heart works is like a joke, making the characters spin in a cycle of affection – arguments – and then back to affection. Therefore, falling in love with a best friend is also when we bet the two words “friendship” on the table.
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It’s not easy to achieve the sweet fruit of marriage like Chandler and Monica; many “more than friends, less than lovers” couples often get caught in a back-and-forth like Ross and Rachel. It can even be much more negative, rarely as courageous as Rachel’s decision in the final episode (Rachel chooses love over career, gets on a plane to France but then comes back to New York). Then there’s Joey’s unrequited love storyline. Anyone who has ever secretly loved someone from afar will find Rachel’s rejection of Joey deeply affecting. From a playful, mischievous guy, Joey gradually matures and becomes more serious after “giving up” Rachel to Ross. And isn’t that a classic lesson about unrequited love – something that makes us more aware of life after a long period of futile dreams?
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“Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You’re gonna love it!”
That’s a great quote from the character Monica. Friends is fiction, but it has never strayed far from reality. It encompasses countless moments of joy and sadness, even embodying a miniature society with many controversial issues.
Right from the beginning of the show, the moment Rachel cuts up her credit cards to abandon her pampered lifestyle is very close to the reality of young people becoming independent. Everyone has to grow up, unemployment is sadder than heartbreak, and countless pains are just waiting to make us stumble. You’ll see glimpses of your own past insecurities in Monica’s former obesity, a bit of shyness in love like Ross, and the positive ego that comes from Phoebe every time she picks up her guitar to sing.
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Beyond inspiring personal values, Friends is also considered a pop culture icon for daring to speak out on many pressing social issues. Back in 1996, LGBT was still a sensitive topic on television. Yet, Friends boldly organized…
