First off, if you haven’t watched the complete series of "Friends", click the back button a.s.a.p.
The series Friends takes part over ten seasons, from 1994-2004. The first episode begins with Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) running out on her wedding. She then finds Monica Gellar (Courtney Cox) in the beloved coffee house, Central Perk. Monica’s older brother, Ross (David Schwimmer) has had a crush on Rachel since high school. Ross’s best friend from college, Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) has an apartment across the hall from Monica and formally Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow). While Chandler is looking for a new roommate, he interviews Joey (Matt LeBlanc), who becomes his permanent roommate.
The series follows all six through ten years of their lives. It goes through multiple relationships, reoccurring characters, jobs, marriages and having children. You see each character grow and develop self-worth. The show keeps your emotions running high through the entire ten seasons. For first time viewers, you are kept guessing what will happen next.
These are some, but not all of the emotions you feel when watching Friends:
1. Sympathy
Like I said, in the first episode of Friends, The One Where Monica Gets A Roommate, is very emotional. Rachel has just run out on her wedding and now she has to decide between her father’s money and a new life in New York City with the Friends crew. I feel sorry for her because she left her wedding, but also because she has plenty of decisions to make in a limited time frame. More sympathy comes in all of the ten seasons. Another example comes in the ninth season when Monica and Chandler cannot conceive a child.
2. Happiness
Many times, in the series I have felt so happy. A great example of this is when Ross and Rachel finally get together in season two. Ross had a crush on Rachel since high school, and after a video of Ross coming to Rachel’s aide during prom night, Rachel finally is convinced she wants to begin a relationship with him
3. Love
It is obvious that through the entire series, everyone on the show loves each other. The best example of love is when Chandler finally realizes he wants to marry Monica. I cried during this episode because it showed me how great it is when marriage finally becomes an option.
4. Empathy
I feel so hard for Rachel when Ross cheats on her. Although all of the fans desperately wanted Ross and Rachel to stay together, I know that I could not be with someone who had cheated on me even if we were “On a Break.”
5. Giggly
This entire series keeps you laughing. It helps that there was an overlay of laughing in the background. Chandler is known to be the funny one. He continuously comes up with witty comebacks and funny jokes. I still laugh at the show, after watching the entire series at least ten times.
6. Anger
The show makes me mad that Ross and Rachel break up, that Richard didn’t want to marry Monica, that Joey doesn’t get taken seriously. The episode(s) where Chandler gets back with Janice make me mad because he clearly does not love her. He played games with her and himself by trying to make himself believe that he was in love with her. Plus, he could have gotten together with Monica faster.
7. Joy
The show made me feel so happy for Rachel when she found out she was pregnant. All children are a joy, but Emma was special to the show. When she was born, Rachel had so many hormones, she couldn’t stop crying but then she looked down to a perfect daughter and the show was much more uplifting since then.
8. Delighted
The episode where the Friends crew plays a game of football on Thanksgiving Day is delightful. Seeing the gang be incredibly competitive is something you rarely see on the show. It contests to the fact that Friends are a lot of things and competitive is one of them.
9. Sadness
The Last Episode was the hardest to watch. Monica and Chandler finally have their twins but are moving to the suburbs. Rachel has accepted a job in Paris, leaving Ross and Emma home in the United States. Phoebe and Mike decide that they want children. Joey feels like everyone is leaving him alone in the city. When the final episode aired, I was relieved when Rachel got off the plane, but so sad the fans couldn’t see what happened next.
10. Jealousy
No matter how much I love this show, I will always be jealous of it. Sure I have some amazing Friends, but this group will always hold my standards high.
No matter what you’re feeling, it will be represented in Friends.
