Have you guys seen Friends once? The entire 10 seasons?
Okay, you can skip this because we are not talking about people who watched Friends once and moved on. We are talking about the obsession of watching it multiple times.
Yes, people like me exist. You can check them out in the comments section.
For the uninitiated, Friends is the legendary American sitcom that first aired in 1994, following the lives of six friends — Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe — as they navigate relationships, careers, heartbreaks, marriages, breakups, adulthood and, most importantly, each other. Over 10 seasons and 236 episodes, the show somehow turned six fictional people sitting around in New York into a family that millions of viewers felt they belonged to.
And somehow, I became one of them.
So, when did I first watch Friends?
I am a hardcore content lover and rarely miss out on a good movie or series — only good ones. I personally love sci-fi, thrillers, dark stories and real-life-inspired movies. Give me a complicated storyline, suspense, a little darkness and something that keeps my brain working, and I’m probably in.
But Friends is exactly the opposite of what I would normally choose.
Maybe that’s the point.
Maybe Friends is not the person I look like from the outside, but a little part of who I am from the inside.
I discovered the show around 2017–18, I guess. Before that, I was more of a How I Met Your Mother fan. But Friends has this strange ability to get into your soul. Slowly. Without you even realizing it.
The humour, the relationships, the friendships and the beautifully knitted stories became personal to me.
I have binge-watched the entire series multiple times. And even today, I put on some random episode while having my meals. I know most of the story. I know what is going to happen And yet, it still feels refreshing.
It’s like a complimentary dessert in my life.
Something I don’t really need, but somehow makes everything better.
There is another reason I love watching Friends so much.
I love going to sleep with the television on. Earlier, I used to watch intense movies or thrillers before sleeping. And that was probably not the best idea because my brain doesn’t know how to simply watch something and move on.
You know how sometimes you become the main character in your dreams and start living inside the storyline?
Well, I do.
So after watching some intense thriller, my dreams would basically continue the movie.
But Friends became my sweet-dream spot.
I put on any random episode before going to sleep and, more often than not, before that episode even ends, sleep has already kissed my head goodnight.
And honestly, what better way to fall asleep than listening to Chandler make a ridiculous joke in the background?
What do I love about each character?
Chandler
The humour.
Because sometimes it feels like me talking.
I love goofing around, making fun of people and using sarcasm whenever I get the opportunity. Chandler’s humour, satire and constant one-liners make him extremely relatable to me.
He is funny, but there is also something deeper about him. His humour is often his way of dealing with uncomfortable situations and emotions. And I think a lot of us do exactly that.
Sometimes you crack a joke because you don’t know what else to say.
Joey
The charmer.
Joey comes across as a little dumb sometimes, but that’s exactly what makes him so much fun to have around.
But what I really love is his relationship with Chandler.
That, to me, is what brotherhood is all about.
It is funny how friends who are basically brothers can fail miserably at expressing their feelings, but when it really matters, they have each other’s backs.
No long speeches.
No emotional declarations.
Just: “I’m here.”
And that’s enough.
Ross
I hate how Ross is constantly struggling with his relationships.
Seriously, the man needs a break.
But at the same time, Ross represents a harsh reality for a lot of boys out there. We can be successful at work, reasonably sorted in life and still have absolutely no idea what we are doing when it comes to relationships.
What I love about Ross, though, is that he keeps his inner child alive throughout all 10 seasons.
His dinosaur obsession, his weird reactions, his excitement over completely random things — there is something beautiful about never completely growing up.
Maybe adulthood doesn’t mean killing the child inside you.
Maybe it means learning when to let him out.
Monica
I love Monica for her obsession with cleanliness and tidiness.
And maybe because I understand that a little too well.
Her need to organise everything, control everything and keep things in their place is hilarious, but underneath that is someone who deeply cares about the people around her.
She is the one who wants everyone together.
And isn’t there one Monica in every group of friends?
The person whose house everyone ends up at, who remembers everything, who feeds everyone and somehow knows when something is wrong.
Rachel
Rachel is beautiful.
She has that main-character vibe from the very beginning.
But what I really love is her journey.
She starts off somewhat dependent, walks away from the life she knows, learns to stand on her own feet and eventually builds a career and identity for herself.
And isn’t that something most of us go through?
We start somewhere.
And then, slowly, we figure ourselves out.
Rachel’s journey from abandonment to independence, with a little help from her friends, is something we can all relate to in some way.
Phoebe
Phoebe is different.
She is innocent, unpredictable and probably one of the purest givers in the group.
I can’t say I relate to her much.
But I respect her.
She has been through a lot and somehow still manages to retain that innocence and kindness.
She gives without expecting much back.
And maybe we need more people like Phoebe around us.
And, of course, coffee ☕
How can I talk about Friends without mentioning Central Perk?
That legendary coffee shop was practically the seventh friend. They met there, fought there, laughed there and somehow spent half their lives sitting on that orange couch.
And maybe that’s another reason I love the show. I love coffee.
For me, coffee isn’t just a drink. It’s the whole experience — the cup, the conversations, the pause in the middle of a busy day.
Central Perk made coffee feel like a lifestyle.
And honestly, I’d happily spend an afternoon there with a cup of coffee, listening to these six idiots talk about their lives.
Maybe that’s why I keep watching Friends.
It isn’t because the story is complicated.
It isn’t because I don’t know what happens.
And definitely not because I need to find out who ends up with whom.
I already know.
I keep watching because somewhere along the way, these six people stopped feeling like characters.
They started feeling like friends.
Friends is one of those shows that grows on you. You don’t just watch it; eventually, you feel like you’re sitting on that orange couch with them, listening to their problems, laughing at their stupidity and somehow becoming part of the same family.
And I feel blessed that I have friends in my own life who make me understand that feeling.
People I can laugh with, irritate, fight with, disappear from for days and still come back to like nothing happened.
People who have my back.
And I adore them for that.
So, for those who haven’t watched Friends yet — highly recommended.
Give it a chance.
It might take a few episodes, but this show grows on you.
And for everyone else, tell me:
What’s your favourite Friends episode?
Maybe we can give each other a virtual high-five if it’s the same one.
And finally, for everyone who understands exactly what I’m talking about…
You can also become my friend on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nahar.sydhnt/
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