Before you hate me, hear me out. I still adore "Friends." Beyond measure. I’ve seen every single episode, then I rewatched every episode, and still laugh without fail. However, that doesn’t mean that the show doesn’t have absolute glaring flaws that, while they may have been “acceptable” in the '90s, just wouldn’t fly now.
1. The One Where They were constantly making fun of Monica for having been overweight as a teen/young adult.
I can’t count how many times I’ve re-watched episodes and had to grit my teeth through Chandler or Joey or anyone talking about Monica’s weight. Acceptance of different body types was not even in the picture, and it just kind of sets me on edge. Also, Chandler once broke up with a woman because she “got fat.” Uhm, excuse me?
2. The One Where They portray abusive and unstable relationships as normal.
Whether it was Ross and Rachel or Phoebe with literally anyone she was remotely friends with, the relationships in this show aren’t exactly the greatest. With regard to Ross and Rachel, it wasn’t a healthy relationship to begin with. Ross was always slightly irritating, but when it came to Rachel, he was obsessive, controlling and couldn’t take responsibility for actions. For example, when he showed up to Rachel’s office at Bloomingdales after she repeatedly told him that she absolutely couldn’t make dinner because she was too busy. He got in the way with a makeshift picnic, and even set papers on fire with a candle. Then, he turned around and blamed Rachel’s absence for his actions. He couldn’t trust her around any guy (aka Mark) besides himself, Chandler and Joey. Ross didn’t know how to trust Rachel. Sure, you can blame his relationship with Carol (which I believe Phoebe did), but when it gets down to it, it was all him. And Phoebe? She was manipulative, selfish and petty. It didn’t matter if it was Monica or Joey, Rachel or Mike; she just wasn’t a good person to anyone she knew.
3. The One Where They were horribly irresponsible parents.
Ross? He had Ben and eventually Emma, but where were either of them half the time they should have been with their parents? Ben wasn’t even in attendance at Ross’ second marriage. His own son. And after Rachel had Emma, we only saw her maybe five or six times before the end of the show. We probably saw Frank Jr. with his triplets more than we saw the main characters with their children.
4. The One Where Ross was just all around a horrible character.
Can we all just agree that Ross was awful? I said previously that he was a horrible boyfriend/husband, and a horrible parent, but he was also super whiny and needy all the time. He was basically a sociopath. Let’s admit it. And when he wasn’t being a sociopath, he was being boring and bland.
5. The One Where Joey was actually kinda creepy.
Basically his entire character was about food and women, and while his food addiction was understandable, his thing about women is not. He basically treats them as things that he can use and dump. Joey would definitely be that person that would say “Not All Men” before and after anything he said.
6. The One Where Ross and Monica’s relationship was just plain bizarre.
No one spends that much time with their sibling, and siblings definitely don’t share that much information about their personal life. And I mean personal life.
7. The One Where They are incredibly blasé about the fact that Phoebe’s mom committed suicide.
That’s a very, very serious thing, and every time it’s brought up, it’s part of a joke. Not OK.
8. The One Where it doesn’t make sense how Phoebe and Joey have money.
Phoebe is a freelance masseuse and Joey is an actor. How in the world do either of them have money for anything besides a cardboard box? And Phoebe has her own apartment? Not in the real world.
In short, "Friends" can be funny, but it’s not always the most morally sound nor does it make the most sense. Lesson of this story? "Friends" kind of sucks.
