Friends - General Discussion

[Bort]

The thing is, while Phoebe may have needed two forms of ID for a job, that ID doesn’t have to be a birth certificate. And the ID doesn’t have to be a drivers license either. There’s a list of acceptable things and if you’re missing a common piece of ID for whatever reason, there’s something else you can show. There’s always a workaround. I lost my social security card 25 years ago and have never replaced it. I’ve always been able to produce something else that was deemed acceptable.

[Katy M]

3 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

The thing is, while Phoebe may have needed two forms of ID for a job, that ID doesn’t have to be a birth certificate. And the ID doesn’t have to be a drivers license either. There’s a list of acceptable things and if you’re missing a common piece of ID for whatever reason, there’s something else you can show. There’s always a workaround. I lost my social security card 25 years ago and have never replaced it. I’ve always been able to produce something else that was deemed acceptable.

But it's really hard to get that second ID beyond your SS card without the BC.  You can't get a DL without a BC.  you can't get a passport.  The BC is usually the starting point to get the further IDs.  And they were acting like there was no way for Phoebe to have gotten a copy.  All she would have had to known was where she was born, the date, her name, etc.  Why would she not have done that at some point in the past 10 years of her adulthood?  There's no real reason.  

[Bort]

4 minutes ago, Katy M said:

But it's really hard to get that second ID beyond your SS card without the BC.  You can't get a DL without a BC.  you can't get a passport.  The BC is usually the starting point to get the further IDs.  And they were acting like there was no way for Phoebe to have gotten a copy.  All she would have had to known was where she was born, the date, her name, etc.  Why would she not have done that at some point in the past 10 years of her adulthood?  There's no real reason.  

Sure, that’s true now, but Phoebe came of age in the 80s when proving your identity wasn’t a big ‘thing’. “I was orphaned and don’t have a birth certificate” could very well have had the dmv response of, “ok then, here’s a drivers license anyway.” And she wouldn’t have gotten a social security card until she got a job, they didn’t hand those out at birth back then.

[Katy M]

7 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Sure, that’s true now, but Phoebe came of age in the 80s when proving your identity wasn’t a big ‘thing’. “I was orphaned and don’t have a birth certificate” could very well have had the dmv response of, “ok then, here’s a drivers license anyway.” And she wouldn’t have gotten a social security card until she got a job, they didn’t hand those out at birth back then.

I came of age in the '80s also.  I don't know if you're confusing the 1980s with the 1880s, but no, it didn't work that way "back then."  And yes, they absolutely did hand out social security cards at birth back then.  I'm not sure exactly when Phoebe was born and I'm not going to do the math, but my sister was born in '68 which couldn't be too much (if any later than Phoebe) as I feel these characters were around 25 in the first season in 1994, and she got an ss card at birth.  I'm not sure why you're acting like this was the stone ages.  But, either way, even if she didn't get an SS card. she stil would have had to have obtained one and for that she would need, wait for it, a birth certificate.

[Bort]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

I came of age in the '80s also.  I don't know if you're confusing the 1980s with the 1880s, but no, it didn't work that way "back then."  And yes, they absolutely did hand out social security cards at birth back then.  I'm not sure exactly when Phoebe was born and I'm not going to do the math, but my sister was born in '68 which couldn't be too much (if any later than Phoebe) as I feel these characters were around 25 in the first season in 1994, and she got an ss card at birth.  I'm not sure why you're acting like this was the stone ages.  But, either way, even if she didn't get an SS card. she stil would have had to have obtained one and for that she would need, wait for it, a birth certificate.

I didn’t get a social security card at birth, I didn’t get one until I was in my teens and I’m younger than the Friends. I bring this up as an explanation for Phoebe because this is my experience. My mother changed my name on my school records and all she did was walk in and tell them so. They didn’t ask for proof of name change. And then when my mother applied for my SS card, she put the “changed” name down, not the one on my birth certificate, so my real name and the one on my SS card don’t match — which, by the way, is why when I lost the card, I never got a new one because the last name is wrong. All I’m saying is that it’s possible this was the case for her because I’ve seen it.

[mojoween]

Didn’t Phoebe say something in one show that she did have a passport, but it was taken away from her?  And she couldn’t fly internationally?

[Bort]

5 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Didn’t Phoebe say something in one show that she did have a passport, but it was taken away from her?  And she couldn’t fly internationally?

She didn’t have one at all. It was from Joey suggesting that Phoebe visit David in Minsk and she said, “Oh right, like they’re going to let me have a passport.” Although I guess “they” did let her have a passport because she made it to Barbados.

[JAYJAY1979]

I never understood why Ross and Rachel were a thing...they were much better as friends than as a couple.

[helenamonster]

On 3/28/2021 at 2:10 PM, kariyaki said:

She didn’t have one at all. It was from Joey suggesting that Phoebe visit David in Minsk and she said, “Oh right, like they’re going to let me have a passport.” Although I guess “they” did let her have a passport because she made it to Barbados.

She also has a line when Rachel announces she's moving to Paris like "Once the statute of limitation lifts, I'll be able to travel internationally again!"

[Katy M]

11 hours ago, helenamonster said:

She also has a line when Rachel announces she's moving to Paris like "Once the statute of limitation lifts, I'll be able to travel internationally again!"

So did she commit a crime after Barbados? 

[Hiyo]

Off-camera.

[scarynikki12]

Knowing Phoebe she didn’t want to visit Rachel and made it up. Then if she later changed her mind, like if the whole group goes at once like when Ross married Emily in England, she can just say she’s legally good to go. It’s the same thing she did when she pretended she had a roommate Denise to keep from rooming with Rachel. Then she changed her mind and suddenly Denise had moved out so there was room for Rachel.

I know we never got confirmation that she made up Denise but I never thought she was supposed to be telling the truth. Plus it’s completely in character for Phoebe by that time in the show. 

[Kawaiiko]

3 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

I know we never got confirmation that she made up Denise but I never thought she was supposed to be telling the truth.

I always thought Denise was Phoebe's pet spider (or something like that). It just seems like something that Phoebe would have!

[Katy M]

4 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

I know we never got confirmation that she made up Denise but I never thought she was supposed to be telling the truth. Plus it’s completely in character for Phoebe by that time in the show. 

DENISE! DENISE! DENISE!  She talked about her all the time.  Didn't you ever listen:)

i think the whole thing was crazy.  Surely someone in the gang went to Phoebe's place once in a while.  Right?  they'd have noticed a roommate.

 

[Bort]

12 minutes ago, Katy M said:

DENISE! DENISE! DENISE!  She talked about her all the time.  Didn't you ever listen:)

i think the whole thing was crazy.  Surely someone in the gang went to Phoebe's place once in a while.  Right?  they'd have noticed a roommate.

 

Phoebe lived far away, she lifted right out.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, kariyaki said:

Phoebe lived far away, she lifted right out.

I know.  What was I thinking?

[Kiki777]

So I just saw the episode with Julia Roberts- she and Chandler are at a restaurant with Ross, Joey and Rachel.  Julia lures Chandler to the bathroom where she strands him without his clothes.  In the next scene, Rachel and Monica are at home having the slap-fight that ends with ‘handbag marinara’.  And right after that we are back in the restaurant when Joey finds naked Chandler in the bathroom.  Continuity fail?  Or was there an explanation for Rachel ditching her friends at the restaurant to go home and fight with Monica?

[Hiyo]

I’m curious, where exactly was Rachel in the restaurant? Cause I’m not seeing her...

 

[Kiki777]

😂😂😂 ok that explains it - I was multitasking.  A quick glance on my tiny bedroom TV, she looks like Rachel.

[Mr. Meatball Man]

On 3/28/2021 at 6:19 PM, JAYJAY1979 said:

I never understood why Ross and Rachel were a thing...they were much better as friends than as a couple.

I thought they worked well the first time they were together, because that's when they had the least amount of baggage. Plus, it was a logical end to the story they had been telling for two seasons. 

But any time after that? Hell no. The way the relationship ended the first time was enough. Maybe if they had actually gotten together a second time, not just for one episode or the sake of a joke like getting married in Vegas, I would buy into the whole "will they/won't they" thing. But they went out for over a year once, got back together for one episode afterwards, and years later, are still in love with each other? It doesn't make any sense. 

The problem with Ross and Rachel after they broke up is they started bringing out the worst in each other. It's one thing for them to be friends, and like you said, they worked better that way as time went on. But it’s obvious those two didn't belong in a relationship because they were stupid and toxic romantically. By season ten, Ross was insane and walked around with a gun. There's no way he and Rachel would have went the distance. They couldn't do it in the earlier seasons, how the hell could they do it years later? 

[Danny Franks]

2 hours ago, Mr. Meatball Man said:

I thought they worked well the first time they were together, because that's when they had the least amount of baggage. Plus, it was a logical end to the story they had been telling for two seasons. 

But any time after that? Hell no. The way the relationship ended the first time was enough. Maybe if they had actually gotten together a second time, not just for one episode or the sake of a joke like getting married in Vegas, I would buy into the whole "will they/won't they" thing. But they went out for over a year once, got back together for one episode afterwards, and years later, are still in love with each other? It doesn't make any sense. 

The problem with Ross and Rachel after they broke up is they started bringing out the worst in each other. It's one thing for them to be friends, and like you said, they worked better that way as time went on. But it’s obvious those two didn't belong in a relationship because they were stupid and toxic romantically. By season ten, Ross was insane and walked around with a gun. There's no way he and Rachel would have went the distance. They couldn't do it in the earlier seasons, how the hell could they do it years later? 

It was basically a fantasy, by the end. Just put in to please the fans who had invested in that relationship at the start of the show, despite it being completely unworkable, for countless reasons.

Ross was no more secure or romantically competent in season ten than he was in season three, but Rachel had changed a lot and had much higher expectations for her life than dealing with his insecurities on a daily basis. I've said it so many times, but Ross's proprietary nature towards Rachel (well, to her body at any rate) was always extremely off-putting, and that was when they weren't even together. He never learned how to deal with her career not fitting into his ideal life and once she was even more successful and would be working even longer hours and perhaps travelling, he'd spiral into crazy Ross in no time.

Would it work out long term? Not. A. Chance. But imagine Emma's childhood in those circumstances, dealing with toxic parents who can't be happy together but apparently are too co-dependent to live their own lives. That poor girl. Maybe she upped sticks to live with Chandler and Monica as soon as she was able, or headed off to college in L.A. to hang out with her Uncle Joey.

[Mr. Meatball Man]

12 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

It was basically a fantasy, by the end. Just put in to please the fans who had invested in that relationship at the start of the show, despite it being completely unworkable, for countless reasons.

Ross was no more secure or romantically competent in season ten than he was in season three, but Rachel had changed a lot and had much higher expectations for her life than dealing with his insecurities on a daily basis. I've said it so many times, but Ross's proprietary nature towards Rachel (well, to her body at any rate) was always extremely off-putting, and that was when they weren't even together. He never learned how to deal with her career not fitting into his ideal life and once she was even more successful and would be working even longer hours and perhaps travelling, he'd spiral into crazy Ross in no time.

Would it work out long term? Not. A. Chance. But imagine Emma's childhood in those circumstances, dealing with toxic parents who can't be happy together but apparently are too co-dependent to live their own lives. That poor girl. Maybe she upped sticks to live with Chandler and Monica as soon as she was able, or headed off to college in L.A. to hang out with her Uncle Joey.

Yeah, I feel like Ross was into Rachel a lot more than Rachel was into Ross. Even though Rachel always cared about Ross, she was far more capable of standing alone and moving on than he was. There were times where it seemed like they both wanted the same thing (like after Rachel had Emma), but Ross didn't want to commit. He just, maybe, you know, kinda wanted to, see if, uh, Rachel.....possibly wanted to start things up again, I guess? Then he blamed Joey for something he didn't even do. 😒

I think the writing also failed Ross because in season eight, it looked like he was turning a corner. He was listening to Rachel, wanting to do right by the baby, catering to her whims. He even chose to stop dating other girls because Rachel told him to. Then season nine comes, Emma is born, and insane Ross comes back with his gun. The year after that, he does whatever he can to stop Rachel from going to Paris without her knowledge, then throws a fit when he doesn't get a goodbye from her. Like you said, it was a fantasy. The only time Ross & Rachel made sense together was in the first four seasons. After the whole London thing and Ross losing his mind, they became radioactive together until season eight, and then they go right back to being radioactive in season nine. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

David Schwimmer confirms that a Friends reunion is filming next week

 

[Kawaiiko]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

David Schwimmer confirms that a Friends reunion is filming next week

 

I remember seeing that Matthew Perry tweeted that the reunion was supposed to start filming last month, so that sounds about right!

[ifionlyknew]

On 4/2/2021 at 3:55 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

David Schwimmer confirms that a Friends reunion is filming next week

 

Will I watch? Yes. Do I think this is way overblown? Yes.  From my understanding this is the six of them getting together and talking about the show right? It's not a new episode of Friends. And they are being paid $2.5 million dollars each.  How is this any different than those show reunions at the Actors Studio or TV museum?

Edited April 5, 2021 by ifionlyknew

[Hiyo]

Quote

And they are being paid $2.5 million dollars each.  How is this any different than those show reunions at the Actors Studio or TV museum?

It'll probably be making a lot more revenue than those other show reunions, so hey, let them get those coins.

[Kawaiiko]

Probably the reason why this reunion is so hyped up is that... it's FRIENDS. The show that managed to transcend time and appeal to most everyone. It was also supposed to be filmed a year ago, so the majority of fans have ants in their pants waiting for it. but the fact that its unscripted lessens some of its value for me. I'll definitely still be watching, though.

(That's also probably why the 6 are getting so much money for it, too.)

Edited April 5, 2021 by Kawaiiko
wrong tense

[Kawaiiko]

also these funny lines just popped into my head:

Ross: Hey Pheebs, you gonna have the rest of that Pop-Tart?.. Pheebs?

Phoebe: Does anyone want the rest of this Pop-Tart?

Ross: Hey, I might!

[Irlandesa]

5 hours ago, ifionlyknew said:

Will I watch? Yes. Do I think this is way overblown? Yes.  From my understanding this is the six of them getting together and talking about the show right? It's not a new episode of Friends. And they are being paid $2.5 million dollars each.  How is this any different than those show reunions at the Actors Studio or TV museum?

This was supposed to be the thing that was going to help launch HBO Max.  You're right that it probably won't be much different than other panel shows like Paley Fest but the Friends established their value and HBO was going to pay as a way to launch their streaming service.

Then the pandemic hit and any show and ever show was doing these reunion specials for free.  WB decided to launch a lot of their moves on their streaming service which probably helped attract subscribers. 

So would they probably get the same deal now that they got before?  No.

[Danny Franks]

7 hours ago, ifionlyknew said:

Will I watch? Yes. Do I think this is way overblown? Yes.  From my understanding this is the six of them getting together and talking about the show right? It's not a new episode of Friends. And they are being paid $2.5 million dollars each.  How is this any different than those show reunions at the Actors Studio or TV museum?

Honestly I'd rather see a reunion show that is just the actors talking about the show than a full blown episode. Because that episode would ask me to believe that Ross and Rachel somehow cobbled together a successful relationship for the last fifteen years, that all the kids would be successful and well raised and well adjusted, that Phoebe had perhaps managed to raise a child that was even slightly normal, and probably that Joey was still a ladies man and borderline sex pest, even into his fifties.

I think revisiting the actual characters this far down the line would end up being a bit depressing, but seeing the actors hang out and reminisce should actually be fun. Especially if they all take Matt LeBlanc to task for the ribbing that Episodes gave the other cast members.

[ifionlyknew]

19 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

Honestly I'd rather see a reunion show that is just the actors talking about the show than a full blown episode

I actually enjoy when casts of shows get together and talk.  Oprah used to have some on her show.  A couple years ago I watched a Gilmore Girls one.  I don't like the hype for this one. And I say this as someone who loved Friends and just did a complete re watch a couple year ago.

[Ms Blue Jay]

• Everyone is craving new content and everyone is depressed and bored because of the pandemic.
• It's "Friends".
• How many times over the years did the cast insist that a reunion would never happen?

The 6 cast members have stayed pretty unproblematic and well-loved over the past almost 20 years.  They even seem to like each other, or have hid any potential conflicts from the public.  That's impressive.  And unique.

The demand is there, people are excited, the hype makes perfect sense to me.

1 hour ago, Danny Franks said:

 that Phoebe had perhaps managed to raise a child that was even slightly normal, 

I don't know if I agree that weird parents have weird children.  Usually children try to rebel and be different from their parents!  A child's generation is usually a reaction to their parents'.

Edited April 5, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Hiyo]

Even so, Mike would have been there to balance things out somewhat.

[Ms Blue Jay]

If Phoebe hasn't driven him away with name changes, pet rats, and stories about pimp spit 😉  😁

[Crs97]

On 4/1/2021 at 4:01 PM, Mr. Meatball Man said:

Even though Rachel always cared about Ross, she was far more capable of standing alone and moving on than he was

Yet he was the one who fell in love with Emily and had a relationship with Mona.  As soon as he moved on, Rachel got possessive.  They were awful and deserved each other by the end.

[Bort]

Rachel didn’t do anything at all to ruin Ross’s relationship with Mona. She wasn’t even possessive about Ross on that one. Ross ruined that relationship all by himself. Although honestly, I would say that Ross ruined all of his relationships by himself. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

19 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Rachel didn’t do anything at all to ruin Ross’s relationship with Mona. She wasn’t even possessive about Ross on that one. Ross ruined that relationship all by himself. Although honestly, I would say that Ross ruined all of his relationships by himself. 

LOL agree!  Ross impregnated Rachel before he even met Mona,  that ain't Rachel's fault!  And while Rachel's father freaking out on Ross is kind of Rachel's fault, that's not Rachel being possessive.  

I also don't think that Rachel was horrible by going to Ross's wedding.  In the end, she didn't do anything to fuck up the wedding, Ross's brain did that.  You're allowed to have weird, possessive thoughts, and Rachel didn't act on them.  Ross wanted her to attend the wedding and that's what she did.

While Ross dated Emily, Rachel was weird, but she put all of her energy into Joshua.  To her detriment unfortunately.

Edited April 6, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Bort]

9 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

While Ross dated Emily, Rachel was weird, but she put all of her energy into Joshua.  To her detriment unfortunately.

Heh, I kind of liked that storyline too, watching Rachel completely torpedo her relationship with JoshuAAAAH. Especially the final blow, answering the door in a wedding dress.

[Ms Blue Jay]

20 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Heh, I kind of liked that storyline too, watching Rachel completely torpedo her relationship with JoshuAAAAH. Especially the final blow, answering the door in a wedding dress.

Josh.  OOHH-AAHHHH

[Hiyo]

Quote

If Phoebe hasn't driven him away with name changes, pet rats, and stories about pimp spit 

He'd still be there for any kids they might have.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 11/18/2019 at 11:55 PM, Nordly Beaumont said:

I love everything about those scenes. And when my timer goes off, I usually look confused and say (to no one) "I don't even know what that's for..."

This is a very old post I'm quoting but I seem to have an Amazon addiction and this is how I feel when I get yet another delivery notice.  Or when the grocery delivery people buzz up, because I have to book them a few days in advance.  Sometimes I don't remember even making the purchase.

Edited April 6, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

You're allowed to have weird, possessive thoughts, and Rachel didn't act on them. 

Though she did convince Bonnie to shave her head again, and did everything she could think of to keep Ross and Julie from having sex. And basically slut shamed the woman at the baby goods store when she showed interest in Ross ("you missed a button", "horny bitch", etc.)

[Kawaiiko]

1 hour ago, tracyscott76 said:

Though she did convince Bonnie to shave her head again, and did everything she could think of to keep Ross and Julie from having sex. And basically slut shamed the woman at the baby goods store when she showed interest in Ross ("you missed a button", "horny bitch", etc.)

They both had their creepy and possessive moments. Although Ross slightly more than Rachel IMO.

8 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Heh, I kind of liked that storyline too, watching Rachel completely torpedo her relationship with JoshuAAAAH. Especially the final blow, answering the door in a wedding dress.

If Rachel hadn't been so obsessed with meeting Joshua outside of work, Ross and Emily never would've even met... thus they would never have gotten married. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Kawaiiko said:

They both had their creepy and possessive moments. Although Ross slightly more than Rachel IMO.

Certainly in terms of their own relationship, Ross was more possessive (really just in the case of Mark, but that was a whopper). But I found Rachel to be much more possessive when they weren't dating. Ross deleted the message with that guy Rachel met, which was out of bounds to be sure, but otherwise I can't think of an instance of him actively trying to sabotage an ongoing relationship of Rachel's, which she did several times (Ben Stiller doesn't count, because he actually was awful and Ross was trying to prove that to the others). I could be missing another example so I'm willing to be proven wrong. The Julie example is the worst, I think, because Ross and Rachel hadn't even dated yet at that point, and Julie and Ross really did seem like a couple that could go somewhere.

I mean, I like Rachel, I think she's funny and a good character, and by far the least Flanderized of the six, but I will always stand up for Ross when the two are compared in terms of their mutual relationship toxicity. Not that he was overall better than her, but that she was overall just as bad.

[Katy M]

18 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Certainly in terms of their own relationship, Ross was more possessive (really just in the case of Mark, but that was a whopper). But I found Rachel to be much more possessive when they weren't dating. Ross deleted the message with that guy Rachel met, which was out of bounds to be sure, but otherwise I can't think of an instance of him actively trying to sabotage an ongoing relationship of Rachel's, which she did several times (Ben Stiller doesn't count, because he actually was awful and Ross was trying to prove that to the others). I could be missing another example so I'm willing to be proven wrong. The Julie example is the worst, I think, because Ross and Rachel hadn't even dated yet at that point, and Julie and Ross really did seem like a couple that could go somewhere.

He also went up to her when she was flirting with a guy at the coffee house and pretended to be her internet date.

In high school he told everyone she had a "teeny weeny" but that didn't seem to slow her down any.

[Guest]

30 minutes ago, Katy M said:

He also went up to her when she was flirting with a guy at the coffee house and pretended to be her internet date.

In high school he told everyone she had a "teeny weeny" but that didn't seem to slow her down any.

Fair enough, though I think in the first case he misguidedly thought (or at least convinced himself) that he was saving her from a creep, and in the second case he was going along with Will's dislike of Rachel because Will was one of his only friends. Still bad! And certainly possessive in the first case. But I still would say what Rachel did with Julie (and to a lesser extent Bonnie) was worse in terms of being possessive.

So I guess I'm only somewhat willing to be proven wrong 😆

[Kawaiiko]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

In high school he told everyone she had a "teeny weeny" but that didn't seem to slow her down any.

Rachel: "I don't sleep with guys on the first date."

Monica: "Matt Wire, Mark Lucas, Ben Wyatt..."

Rachel: "ANYMORE!"

(also did she sleep with Parks and Rec Ben Wyatt? Because that would be a hell of a crossover)

[princelina]

13 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

LOL agree!  Ross impregnated Rachel before he even met Mona,  that ain't Rachel's fault!  And while Rachel's father freaking out on Ross is kind of Rachel's fault, that's not Rachel being possessive.  

Hahaha I love that so much!  "Oh I'm sorry - Mr. Green, Mona . . . Mona, Mr. Green" 😄😄😄😄😄 

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, princelina said:

Hahaha I love that so much!  "Oh I'm sorry - Mr. Green, Mona . . . Mona, Mr. Green" 😄😄😄😄😄 

Ross:  "I need to lie down"

 

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, princelina said:

Hahaha I love that so much!  "Oh I'm sorry - Mr. Green, Mona . . . Mona, Mr. Green" 😄😄😄😄😄 

Wait, did Ross forget it's Dr. Green?