F.R.I.E.N.D.S

I had expected to be bored thinking it to be some over-the-top comedy and quit watching this midway. I had not expected to be sucked into their lives, in upstate Manhattan, and feel their life change over the ten seasons so personally. Ten years in the lives of these characters. And this attachment to that apartment. I had not expected that this sitcom that had been airing globally for ten long years, to not at all be ‘over-hyped’. I wish I had set aside my judgement and for once watched this during my college days. It would have been such a cherished experience. It would have validated all the emotions of those days.

Watching the six friends’ personal trajectory from Season 1 to 10, over the ten years, through ten Thanksgivings and Christmases and Hanukah, was such a pleasure. I never knew I could enjoy comedy, and in comes Chandler. I remember how in the first few episodes, I couldn’t even remember their names, and now they feel as real and relatable as any other person. We all have that one person in our close buddy group who cracks a joke, however lame in any given situation. There’s always one who’s too bossy, micromanaging everyone and getting on their nerves – the ‘high-maintenance’ one. One who’s too gullible. One who would bore incessantly. One who’s a little too weird, out of the box but is ‘flaky’. One who would sneak away from chores, but is a ‘pushover’. These are our everyday people, so relatable. And it is about their friendship.

“It’s about friendship because when you’re single and in the city, your friends are your family.”

The themes of career, ambition, relationships, the complexities of it, breakups, family, friendships, and so much more that helps us grow and navigate through society, with life lessons. What I loved through all the seasons were the festivals that they celebrated together. And that it challenged thoughts- societal norms in subtle ways – lesbian relationships, surrogacy, single motherhood, adoption, and so many more. People there talked and gossiped, instead of looking into their cellphones - it was the era of television, and email. Social media didn't really exist. Of course, such a wonderful world the 90s were.

“You’re growing older and becoming an adult, you have problems with your parents, and you look to your friends for support. It’s a universal theme.”

They are so endearing with all their quirks and eccentricities. Emma would have been 18 this year. I wonder who she’s more like. The twins would have been 16 I guess. I wonder how their parents cope. I wonder who lives in the apartment. I wish the comeback reunion episode scheduled to release in 2020, hadn’t been postponed indefinitely.

And till today, after 25+ years of being aired it remains one of the most watched sitcom on Netflix. It is a legacy. A case study. A phenomenon. Ah, miss them!!

"I'll be there for you...... "

 

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