We Dug Out 26 Unpopular Opinions About 'Friends' & They'll Indeed Make You Re-Think Everything!
They may be unpopular but they do make us realize how this perfect show had some imperfections which we never wanted to voice because come on, how can you find flaws in a show like 'friends' and voice them? We have fought with people who have not watched the series yet and badgered them to give a shot at it!
¡°So no one told you life was gonna be this way...¡±
For most of us, Friends isn't just a show. It's therapy. What Joey, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, and Monica gave us in a show that aired its 236 episodes from September 1994 to May 2004 can never be summed up in words.
Friends is an emotion. We have laughed with them and sometimes, at them.
For many Friends is not even a show, it's a thread that connects them to their childhood and good old days of the '90s when life was simpler. Even today, the show can comfort you after a long day at work, and watching just one episode, it could feel like someone took off the heavy load of monotony from your shoulders.
But does every 'Friends' fan feel the same connection with the show?
Well, the second side of this coin consists of fans with unpopular opinions. They noticed too much and observed too deeply. Was Joey too dumb for his age? Did Phoebe cross the line way too many times and instigated people to fight? Was Mike really Phoebe's Lobster?
Well, these unpopular opinions won't just make you more observant from here on but they will also assure you that we all somehow felt the same about certain things on the show.
They may be unpopular but they do make us realize how this perfect show had some imperfections which we never wanted to voice because come on, how can you find flaws in a show like 'friends' and voice them? We have fought with people who have not watched the series yet and badgered them to give a shot at it!
But it's never wrong to take a closer look and listen to these opinions because you never know- you may end up agreeing to some of them (Because I too did)
Here are 26 top unpopular opinions that netizens have time and again debated over.
1. How can you trust someone who lost it because someone threw his leftover thanksgiving sandwich? Many fans think Ross turned into a pyscho after his break-up with Rachel.
2. Phoebe was Joey's number one. Even when most would mock Joey, Phoebe never gave up on him. Come on, she even tried to teach him, French. Duh!
3. Well, this one is a slippery slope. Women who keep their careers over their boyfriends aren't selfish. However, many think that Rachel wanted control in all of her relationships and she would act all selfish when she wanted something. Umm, okay!
4. According to netizens, Gunther's feelings for Rachel were genuine and he didn't constantly deserve to be looked down upon.
Well, this Reddit comment explains it all. A Reddit comment by user Ankit Kumar reads: ' Have you ever felt for Gunther and David? For me, they represent the sad reality of real life¡ªin the end, not everyone gets who he/she loves. After 10 years, when Gunther finally tells Rachel about his feelings, she politely declines. It was emotional because he had given 10 years doing all the shit he could do for her, even bought her ugly cat or whatever it was.'
5.
'Who is the most tragically screwed over character in fiction?' Well, for many it's Joey who never got a girl!
In a Reddit thread a comment by Kara Hutchinson reads: "Why was Joey left to die alone. Joey is one of the kindest characters ever, even if he is dumb as a doorknob. He didn¡¯t do anything, and yet he¡¯s the only friend without someone to grow old with. The writers completely screwed him over." Another comment on a Facebook thread by Alejandra Mart¨ªnez reads, "yes the finale falls so flat for him it's like the writers forgot him."
6. This one's hard to gulp down but it does make you think.
According to fans, Chandler lost his mojo after he married Monica. His life started revolving around her and his sarcastic side suddenly was reduced and replaced with someone who wouldn't crack inappropriate jokes anymore. Come one, that's what made Chandler, Chander! A Reddit user points out, "I agree that chandler becomes duller after season 5-6, but I take that as something that should actually happen to him. Most of his humor from the early seasons is used as emotional protection, and this comes from his commitment issues and his parents' issues. But after he starts to go out with Monica, all of this starts to go away.
7. Well for many, Kathy remains one of the worst characters in the show. Her manipulative streak was evident.
A Reddit user wrote, "She manipulates two men, but people think she's nice for telling Joey when it was over. Why don't you tell Chandler that before breaking his heart too? She got off so lightly for what she did. Chandler paid the consequences when Joey should have been more understanding to his roommate than this practically a stranger."
8. Yes, Phoebe was smart but for many, she was a 'bitch' on most occasions.
On a Facebook thread, Carly Griffiths agreed and wrote, "I was thinking this the other day she went worse with her comments as the seasons went on.."
9. Many hated Emily for asking Ross to give up his friendship with Rachel but they also had a justification to defend her.
Justifying Emily's actions, Jorge Ivan wrote, "Emily was not irrational... Imagine ur fiance saying somebody else's name at the altar And then that person about to join your husband in your honeymoon."
10. Many think that there's a thin line between being 'cute' and being 'dumb' and Joey transcended it many times.
And Joey and the French episode was way too dumb, even for Joey."- well, this comment sums it up.
11. Ross supported Carol and Susan. He even turned up for their wedding but they constantly snubbed him.
Comment by Rebekah Sandy reads, "like I do love Carol and Susan but that part makes me so fricken mad. Ross wanted to be involved and they really pushed his feelings to the side and did what they wanted."
12. Many think that David should have been Phoebe's lobster.
Well, let's dissect. A comment on a Reddit thread reads "She told him to go to Minsk but he was willing to stay behind to be with her. Then, at the end of the series, when Mike was finally ready to marry her, she opts for him even though David was a clear choice. He loved her deeply, was sweet and tender, and she obviously still carried feelings for him even after so many years." Well, How many of you agree?
13. Ross was just trying to do the right thing by asking Phoebe to return the cat (Julio) to its rightful owner.
A comment reads, "Phoebe was being her usual scatterbrained, hippie self and believed that her mother was inside the cat. So the remaining friends supported that and didn't have the guts to tell her off. And when Ross finally called out Phoebe, he was the one who ended up getting ridiculed and even humiliated by being made to "apologize" to the damn cat. What the hell? Ross was totally in the right in this one."
14. Many friends have maintained a stance that Ross and Rachel were the worst couples in the history of Television.
A fan writes, "They were the worst, poorly-written, apathetic couple in popular TV. I understand the renewed yearning on Ross's side when he saw Rachel again. I don't really understand Rachel's attraction to Ross, other than she is intellectually, the dumb character and Ross is hyper-intelligent. Their relationship, especially the " we were on a break" is an asinine plot point and belabored too much."
15. We have loved Phoebe for a lot of reasons but it's hard to overlook the fact that she was the meanest of all.
A Reddit user milkmanbonzai wrote, "I honestly don't know how Ross or Chandler stayed friends with her. And overall, I like Phoebe and Kudrow is great in her role... But holy crap, she is straight up MEAN and awful to those two in later seasons, especially when she constantly shits on Chandler/Monica knowing Chandler's deep insecurities on relationships (like when she tells them she found Monica's "real" soulmate or bringing up unprompted that Monica wanted to sleep with Joey in London)"
16. At least once, we all have wondered: Where did Ben disappear?
After Emma was born, Ross and Rachel only thought about Emma. A Reddit user pointed out, "I will say it¡¯s weird that Ben isn¡¯t at Emma¡¯s first birthday party. I didn¡¯t think he was at Monica and Chandler¡¯s wedding but I recently rewatched that episode and he¡¯s shown at the reception at the kid¡¯s table. He just doesn¡¯t have any lines."
17. Many thought that one can hate Janice for her cringe-worthy laughter and over-the-top attitude but as a person, she was better than many in the group.
Sukrity Singh Tandon wrote, "I really like Janice. Yes her laugh was annoying but apart from that she was loving and caring and very very considerate. She wasn't too clingy. She didn't take things personally. And she was understanding. So ya, I love Janice. And I dislike people who jump on the "I hate Janice" bandwagon just for the heck of it."
18. Rachel's nurturing and caring side was often visible only for Joey. She was a protective friend and whenever Joey was in trouble, she would help him.
Many weren't too shy to admit that I liked the bit where Rachel started reciprocating Joey's romantic feelings for her. However, their romance was written off sooner than we thought. A Reddit user Bba59 wrote, "I get why people didn't like them together but I completely agree with you! Joey finally found someone he cares about and he wasn't treated like a moron with Rachel. But the way they handled the Ross situation was perfect and mature, it really showed that friendship is more important in the series than anything else so I'm trying to accept that it was the right thing to do."
19. Many thought that Ross's behavior towards Mark bit was indeed annoying. Ross should not have shown up every now and then at Rachel's office to check on her and see what Mark was up to.
Somehow, it was Ross who pushed Rachel to demand that 'break'. A comment on Reddit reads, "Ross needed to learn how to deal whenever a nice looking guy looked at Rachel. So what if he heard Mark on the phone? You don't get to push your psychological issues on other people. You need to get help. He should go therapy if what Carol did had such an effect. He thought he was so right, he punished Rachel for things she hadn't done instead of trusting her in the first place. He didn't even let her speak on the phone."
20. Rachel would exchange gifts that people gave her. Well, this isn't the only reason why one of the most unpopular opinions is that she was the worst person.
A Quora user (who appeared angry) wrote, "She was never really thankful to any of her friends. Not even to Monica who supported her during her crisis. In fact, she openly expressed her sadness over Monica & Chandler's wedding, just because she was still single and getting old. No good friend would ever say that. Once she gets a little crush on someone, she will immediately start the process of jeopardizing the ongoing relationship of her crush. She will bitch about the girl who her guy is seeing, will start giving weird signals to the guy and at the end will not even reveal her feelings to him. She has done this multiple times with Ross and once even with Joey. She is jealous as well as cunning. During the episode with Ross's girlfriend Charlie (one of the nicest people on the show), she did all the bitching and finally made Phoebe look like the culprit."
21. He may have begun his stint on the show as a villain who replaced Rachel from her job while she was on her maternity break but then he did make up for it.
He gifted her a scarf on her birthday which she actually likes (Come one, Rachel hardly ever liked any of her gifts). Their chemistry had a spark that sadly, even Ross and she never had. (I can sort-of bet my money on this one.)
22. This remains debate-worthy. No matter how much they loved each other, many think that they would end up complicating each other's lives.
Rachel, who became more and more serious about her career as the series progressed shouldn't have let go of the Paris offer. A comment on Reddit read, "I was re-watching the show and I still cannot understand why Rachel got off the plane. She had an incredible opportunity in Paris, she had arranged to have her daughter with her for some time, it was going to be an amazing life experience and I think it would have shown a lot of character growth for her to leave behind a life she knew and experience something totally new. I know Ross and Rachel have a whole "on-again-off-again" thing going on but they weren't good together at all. Ross was very possessive over Rachel, and it looks to me like he was threatened by her success in her career."
23. Ben and Emma should have had at least one scene together as siblings.
24. Well, many on the internet think that Phoebe was over-interfering.
A user commented, "I've watched the series about twice and am currently re-watching on Netflix. I'm not sure if it's just me but after Emma's birth, there seems to be a huge lack of Ben. Ross just seems to divert all of his attention to Emma and of course Rachel."
For instance, many recalled how she would constantly meddle in Ross and Rachel's business when they were trying to get them back together. She even tried to instigate her brother's (Frank Jr) girlfriend by going behind his back and she almost convinced her to break up with him! Umm, okay.
25. What made people think that he ended up becoming just another dumb character with no real personality of his own?
Well, most of us love Joey because he never stops being Joey, isn't it? He can stuff 25 Oreos in his mouth and still be adorable. However, many thought that Joey's character was dumbed down to the extent that he was just the butt of all the jokes. This episode especially was where he was not just mocked at but Phoebe actually went and called him 'mentally challenged' when he shows up for the audition. It won't surprise you that this episode is also widely cited as one of the worst Friends episodes ever. Come to think of it, while others had romantic partners and kids, he was the only one who was constantly mocked at. Your thoughts?
26. Joey must have fumbled while learning French but how can one forget that Phoebe actually adopts a family of rats?
Many think that only a person dumber than Joey wouldn't call pest control and rather decide to pet them. Also, she makes Mike feel guilty after he kills the mum-rat in a trap. Umm, okay. She event went on to talk to them. Well, who's dumber? Re-watch a few episodes and maybe your opinion will change.
Do you have something to say too? Well, share your unpopular opinion in the comment section below.
(The story has been backed by crowdsourced comments from Friends fan-groups on Reddit, Quora, and Facebook)